Ryno12

Pretty common problem. I had both bottom elements on my 2014 w/ 28,000 miles replaced last year. Neither functioned and they didn’t ohm out to spec. They also had to replace a blower module, as that controls the heated portion on the bottom seat cushion, because there was no power to the element. My dealer said they were able to save money by not removing the seats. It sounds like it’s a bit of a PITA to access the modules in place but it can obviously be done. If I didn’t have my extended warranty, I would’ve tackled it myself. Also, in the video linked above, the heated seat elements shown are the heated seats without the cooling function. If yours also has the cooling seats, yours will be different than shown in the video. Instead of a “stick on” type element, yours will be thicker cushion type pad that allows airflow through the pad. The heating element is also part of this pad. This connects to the blower unit in question. They utilize the piezoelectric effect for the cooling function, which is why you feel hot air being discharged out the back & under the seat in cooling mode, and electric element is for heating.

Yes, there’s a setting that turns on the heating & cooling function for remote start. I have a 2014 Sierra Denali & the settings are located in my main settings on the Intellilink screen. One thing to note, the indicators on the seat heater push button will not be illuminated when being activated via remote start.

OP, I had the same thoughts as you when I bought my truck. I researched the Max Tow package & found that my truck was very close also. I had my dealership get me the part number for the NHT equipped heavier leaf springs. So I replaced the leafs and added the tow mirrors. I can definitely feel the difference but the truck does ride better while pulling heavier trailers. Here’s a link to the NHT leaf springs. https://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/gm-spring-asm-rr-leaf-23401108.html?Make=GMC&Model=Sierra&Year=2018&Submodel=1500+4WD&Filter=(m=TK15743)

So it’s been exactly a year since I did the module upgrade. Out of the blue this weekend, all the buttons on the bottom and the icons across the top, disappear after a few seconds. Once I touch the screen, they all come back for about 5 seconds, then disappear again. If I don’t touch the screen at all after I start the truck, the icons remain on indefinitely or until any button is pressed on the screen. Sometimes the presets remain & sometimes they disappear too. Weird.

I was bummed to lose that functionality. Given a choice, I would’ve preferred to lose the HD radio as I primarily listen to XM, but they didn’t ask my opinion. Why they’d remove that feature is beyond me.

I purchased the upgrade from MVI. My old 2.0 module has HD radio also.

I don’t recall if I, or anyone else, mentioned it but I lost the ability to pause/rewind live radio when I upgraded to the 2.5 module. Not sure if that matters to many but I was bummed to lose that function.

In theory, yes. I do recall though that you still need supply them with some info about your vehicle. It may help if you know the information on the vehicle that’s been originally paired with your new radio ID. So when they ask about your vehicle and you say “2015 Silverado”, then they ask for the radio ID, you tell them, and they say, “Sorry, that ID is registered to a 2018 Yukon XL”. That’s when everything goes downhill. Thinking back, I even tried giving them the ID only on one of my many calls to XM. The person stated the vehicle, “2017 Silverado”, I confirmed & it still didn’t work after they tried sending the signal. Another funny thing is, I recall on more than one occasion, different reps saying mine was linked to a 2016 Cadillac and not a 2017 Silverado. I just said “ok, whatever”. It was a messed up deal, I tell ya...

It’s an add on package that I mostly got for the weather & traffic apps. Probably not important to many people but I wanted it. They might be better to deal with if all XM features are the same between radios. Mine was not, so it proved to be more difficult to get the services that weren’t available on my original radio. (Although it was still a hassle for me to just get the standard music package.)

I had to use this number to call them, (888) 465-8528. I believe this is for dealerships only & I even still always had to request to speak to a manager. Being that I’m not a dealership, I sometimes had to be stern with them so they’d give me the time of day. The XM reps that answered generic CS number listed on their website we’re never able to do anything for me. They always blamed it on their computer system saying that it will not let them override the system when the radio ID & VIN information differs from what is listed in their database. Hopefully you guys will have better luck than I did.

I know, right?! I was shocked at how uncooperative they were. I basically gave them my credit card info & told them to send the signal to my radio ID. It should’ve been as simple as that, and yet they still refused.

December 2017

I believe the radio IDs are assigned to a particular VIN right from the get go. (I had to give MVI my VIN so it could be programmed to the 2.5 module.) I had a previous trial subscription to XM before my upgrade. At that time, I had requested the Travel Link package & they told me that my radio was not compatible. After I installed the MVI module, I had another free trial with everything for about 3 months. After it had expired, I called XM to renew the subscription and again to add the Travel Link package. Again, they told me it wasn’t available for my vehicle. I gave them the new radio ID & told them that I’ve been receiving Travel Link for the past three months. They told me that’s impossible, that my new radio ID was for a 2017 Silverado & that my current vehicle was a 2014 Sierra and therefore was not eligible for the package that I wanted. I told them that I swapped modules & that’s where they just couldn’t comprehend any further. They said the modules can’t be swapped as they are assigned to a particular VIN & won’t work in any other vehicles. I told them that the module was reprogrammed to my VIN. They disputed that as their records show (again) that’s its assigned to a 2017 Silverado and again, I explained that it was reprogrammed to my 2014 Sierra VIN. The back and forth continued through several phone calls & was the ultimate perpetuating mess that resembled the movie Groundhog Day. I also had a few different dealerships try renewing my subscription to no avail. They gave me the name of the regional XM rep and said that he could get this going. He was of zero help and only had questioning that was short of a criminal interrogation. Ultimately, it took Anthony from MVI to call the XM automotive division & tell them to basically just activate the signal & don’t ask any questions. I’ve since had my service disconnected a couple times & it’s about a hour long phone call with about 2-3 different reps to get it working again. It’s a big time ass ache anytime I have to deal with XM & I absolutely dread it. ETA: apologies for the word wall.

I did the MVI route so the cost was higher, $900+. My truck originally came from Canada and it didn’t have the Pandora & weather apps. So aside from CarPlay, I was able to add Pandora, weather, and texting apps by going to the 2.5. The biggest PITA of it all was dealing with Sirius/XM and adding services that my radio didn’t originally come with. For some reason, they can’t seem to understand that these modules get swapped out, so if the VIN no longer matches the original radio ID, they become extremely difficult to work with. It took several escalated phone calls to get the XM services that I wanted added. Even the regional XM manager was being difficult & insinuating that I may have stolen the module from another vehicle or that I was up to something illegal. It certainly was not as simple as providing the radio ID & telling them what subscriptions you want... at least not in my case.

My 14 Sierra has the HD radio stations. Even after I updated to the 2.5 module (17 Silverado), I still have the HD radio. The one thing I did lose with the 2.0 to 2.5 upgrade was the ability to pause & rewind music.