SIRUIS XM RADIO RECEPTION

jlarocca · February 8, 2018

Satellite Radios in my 2015 Sierra and my 2012 before that both worked flawlessly. I bought this 2018 Denali HD in November and it cuts out constantly. Just sitting still I can't get through a whole song without it cutting out. They replaced my antenna but when I picked it up it cut out three times leaving the parking lot so I turned around and went back. The 2018 Sierra loaner they've had me in has cut out a few times but what I would consider an acceptable amount going by semi's under overpasses etc. They are trying to blame SiriusXM but my other two vehicles and my business partners vehicles have Satellite Radios and don't have the issue. I've been in this loaner for 3 weeks now and they told me today that they tested two other Sierra's on the lot and they cut out too so it must be a SiriusXM issue. I find that unacceptable. Sounds like a Sierra issue not a Sirius issue. My wife's 2016 Acadia works in the garage where my truck cuts out sitting still out in the open. I am so frustrated. You buy a 70K+ vehicle and you expect everything to work. I went 25 years with Fords in my driveway until Ford's 6.0L fiasco and have been very pleased with my Duramax. I can't bear the thought of having to try a Dodge if GM can't get a little thing like a radio fixed.

AC2018 · February 11, 2018

I just bought a new 2018 Denali and the XM reception is terrible. Some channels are clear, some muffled and some just drop. I have three other vehicles with XM and not one of these has the dead spots that I have in the Denali. It is in the same spots in the city and there are no overhead obstructions. I have had it two weeks and I thought maybe I had a bad antenna connection or something but after reading this post it appears it is a common issue. Has anyone resolved this with a fix?

Thanks!

Janet Smith · September 16, 2018

Hi! I hope that this feed is still being followed...for the past 7 years, I have been driving a 2010 Dodge Caliber. Absolutely loved this car. This is the car that I “discovered “ Sirius XM radio. Never had an issue. In the last 2 weeks, I traded the Dodge for a Fiat Easy 500X. It is a 2016. Immediately I noticed a huge change in the reception. I called Sirius and was told it was a “module issue”. I inquired how that would be if the AM/FM reception had no problems. The customer service representative told me that since “Sirius was an available option for vehicles, it was a separate module from the AM/FM module “. She advised that I take it back to the dealership which I did. They looked at me like I was insane when I explained Sirius’ reasoning. The dealership test drove the car over the next 2 days and said “ there are numerous dead zones in Albuquerque (NM) and in those zones are the only places the reception cut out”. I don’t believe that. I have a song fade in and out consistently while sitting at a stoplight. I have started listening to a song, it fades, and then the radio comes back in in the middle of another song with the title of the previous song still on the display. This sounds like what the majority of all of you are experiencing, right? What are everyone’s thoughts on the antenna of the Fiat being half the size of the Caliber? Does that even make sense if the reception is supposed to be “satellite”? My subscription is currently on hold because of a 3 month trial period with the Fiat. I am thinking of canceling the subscription once the trial is over tho.

HighCountry06 · October 3, 2018

In almost every vehicle i have had since satellite radios were a thing, it has worked flawlessly. Ever since I bought my 2018 Silverado High Country, the satellite radio reception is garbage. There is absolutely no buffer and as soon as I drive under a bridge or even look at some trees, the signal drops. And when driving on I-20 near a forest, I may not hear a game, any music, or news for a good 3-5 minutes. Streaming through my phone's bluetooth seems to be the only remedy to ensure the signal does not drop. Is this a known issue for GM trucks? Another forum I was on had a few others mention the exact same problem. If GM is aware, has there been a fix? A recall or something to fix the lagging satellite antenna issue? The truck is beautiful but after spending that kind of money on a luxury truck, I would expect the radio signal for satellite stations be much stronger. I would suggest starting with the receiver and install a quality one that can actually hold a buffer long enough to drive under an overpass at a minimum.

HighCountry06 · October 3, 2018

On 2/8/2018 at 10:15 AM, MidnightJohnny said:

I too have bad reception throughout the Houston area. I will not renew subscription when it runs out. I’m defiantly believe it is a GM hardware issue (antenna or non buffering receiver), as I have buddies with other vehicles that don’t have this problem.

I am not in Houston, but in the Atlanta area and I am convinced it is the bad buffering antenna that is causing this problem and seems GM and others like Audi have not figured out their receivers that are being installed are garbage. For this kind of money, I should at least be able to receive under an underpass. the receiver doesn't hold a buffer long enough. It's actually real time streaming. Not good for satellite radios.

Colossus · October 4, 2018

no amount of money will guarantee anything, except more taxes.

Loco-diablo · October 4, 2018

On 10/18/2017 at 9:09 PM, swathdiver said:

In the last few days I've noticed more trouble with Sirius than before with my 2009 GMC. Just to gripe, since May, I had Yacht Rock saved as a preset. Well yesterday I went and moved my presets around and lost that station. A call to Sirius and they tell me that that station is not for automobiles, that getting it was a "glitch". I ain't gonna die just thought I'd share in case anyone's wondering.

Yacht rock radio ends on channel 32 (or whatever it was) after labor day. They move it up the dial to 311, but 311 is streaming only.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Loco-diablo

Loco-diablo · October 4, 2018

I was certain I was going to dump XM with all the other options I have including broadcast radio, Pandora, Apple Music, etc...

My renewal price was over $200 for a year.. LOL!

I called to cancel it as I always do. I set a reminder for 2 days before my year is up. They lowered it to $99 for the year, so I signed up again.

sk · October 4, 2018

59 minutes ago, Loco-diablo said:

I was certain I was going to dump XM with all the other options I have including broadcast radio, Pandora, Apple Music, etc...

My renewal price was over $200 for a year.. LOL!

I called to cancel it as I always do. I set a reminder for 2 days before my year is up. They lowered it to $99 for the year, so I signed up again.

Next time keep politely telling them "no" and they will make you a final offer of $30 for 6 months. I do this all the time on 4 different GM vehicles. You need to call and threaten to cancel every 6 months but they always offer in this order:

first they want to charge you full price (nicely tell them that you like XM but it's too expensive)
next they offer 1 year for $99 (say "no")
next they offer 6 months for $49 (say "no since it's basically the same as 1 year for $99")
finally they offer 6 months for $30 (I usually take this one)

Sometimes they offer 6 months for $25 the final time but even at $30 plus taxes and fees I still pay less than $6 per month per vehicle. I have all my vehicles set on the same schedule so I can do them all at once with the same offer. I have been doing this every 6 months since early 2012 and get the same offer every time!

Loco-diablo · October 8, 2018

On 10/4/2018 at 2:23 PM, sk said:

Next time keep politely telling them "no" and they will make you a final offer of $30 for 6 months. I do this all the time on 4 different GM vehicles. You need to call and threaten to cancel every 6 months but they always offer in this order:

first they want to charge you full price (nicely tell them that you like XM but it's too expensive)

next they offer 1 year for $99 (say "no")

next they offer 6 months for $49 (say "no since it's basically the same as 1 year for $99")

finally they offer 6 months for $30 (I usually take this one)

Sometimes they offer 6 months for $25 the final time but even at $30 plus taxes and fees I still pay less than $6 per month per vehicle. I have all my vehicles set on the same schedule so I can do them all at once with the same offer. I have been doing this every 6 months since early 2012 and get the same offer every time!

Thanks! Good to know.

duquephart · October 8, 2018

1 hour ago, Loco-diablo said:

Thanks! Good to know.

You can get them one more step --- waive the fees/taxes. You offer $30 period, not $30 +++.

swathdiver · November 11, 2018

We do the same as SK and also pay about $6 a year for traffic too.

Donstar · November 11, 2018

The XM reception on my '15 is fine. However, I was recently told I don't have a Sirius radio after losing a favourite on 109. This talk show was moved to "Triumph 111". My dial goes from 110 to 112. This loss is not a major issue for me but more of a curiosity. Do new GM's receive 111?

Loco-diablo · November 15, 2018

On 11/11/2018 at 4:20 AM, swathdiver said:

We do the same as SK and also pay about $6 a year for traffic too.

I never opted for the traffic option after my free trial. With Apple CarPlay and iOS 12 there are lot's of good nav options that include traffic updates. I don't use the built in GM nav anymore. Apple maps and Waze both provide traffic info.

swathdiver · November 16, 2018

11 hours ago, Loco-diablo said:

I never opted for the traffic option after my free trial. With Apple CarPlay and iOS 12 there are lot's of good nav options that include traffic updates. I don't use the built in GM nav anymore. Apple maps and Waze both provide traffic info.

I have Waze on my phone but don't like looking at the phone or using it at all while driving. Guess I'm one of the few who enjoy the original features even though they're old! Even the phone on the truck is active with minutes because my cell phone is often forgotten at home.