GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Wondering if anyone has any experiences with the factory installed XM radio in their Vibe. I will be purchasing a Vibe in the near future and am not sure if this option is worth it.I currently listen to XM via a Roady. Should I go for the factory installed unit or should I wait and do my own install after the purchase?

Quote, originally posted by mrtree »I currently listen to XM via a Roady. Should I go for the factory installed unit or should I wait and do my own install after the purchase?If you prefer the clean look of the factory install I would go that way. This way you wouldn't have the Roady as an add-on. Depending on how you plan on hooking up the Roady (if used), there should not be too much difference in sound quality but I would say it's safe to assume the factory install would sound the best since it's hardwired.Only thing I see, and I'm not sure how XM does it, but I believe if you opt for the factory radio w/ XM that would require a separate subscription from the Roady since they are 2 different receivers. If you cancelled your Roady sub and just went with the factory install instead you would only have to pay for one sub.The way you handle that is up to you but for the cleanest install the factory route would be best in my opinion. On the other hand, another perk of using the Roady is that you could move it to another vehicle if necessary whereas the factory head unit will stay with the vehicle.

Adding on to Nick's post.Having XM preinstalled helps with a few issues, such as noise. Plus, the factory XM unit will probably have a much louder, cleaner sound to it.I've had the SkiFi and the Roady in my Vibe, and i've been wishing that I could've gotten the XM option on my '03. But..oh well. Nick is right, though, the new radio needs it's own subscription. If you keep the roady, the second radio is only $6.99 a month. (Family plan).Unless you really want to keep your roady, I'd say try for the pre-installed. It'd be nice to have another button on the radio, and it'll sound a lot better than the FM Modulator or the casette adapter. Of course, if you decide down the line to change out the radio, the pre-installed XM unit would become useless.. So if you know you won't change the radio down the line, it's good. If you think you might want to change out the factory radio, stick with the roady.

I have factory XM and really like it. I like the idea that there's nothing extra hanging off my dash.

If you go with the factory installed unit, it will be under the 3/36 warranty. If you put your own in then you'd be on your own if it breaks.(welcome to the site!)

I also ordered XM for my Vibe (I still await it's arrival). I presently have Sirius in my VW. Two questions, if anyone is still looking at this thread:1) Does the XM radio differ from the stock radio?2) Does it come w/ a handy dandy remote control? I would hate to have to flip thru the channels one at a time, especially if I went from channel 1 to channel 172...(no one at the dealership knew anything about the XM in the Vibe, or any other car, so I jumped into this blindly)Thanks,hjwii

Quote, originally posted by hjwii »I also ordered XM for my Vibe (I still await it's arrival). I presently have Sirius in my VW. Two questions, if anyone is still looking at this thread:1) Does the XM radio differ from the stock radio?The only difference is that pressing the "BAND" button will switch to XM as well. Otherwise, they're identical.Quote »2) Does it come w/ a handy dandy remote control? I would hate to have to flip thru the channels one at a time, especially if I went from channel 1 to channel 172...(no one at the dealership knew anything about the XM in the Vibe, or any other car, so I jumped into this blindly)Most definitely not. That's a feature only found on aftermarket systems...

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Having XM preinstalled helps with a few issues, such as noise. Plus, the factory XM unit will probably have a much louder, cleaner sound to it.Can vouch for that. I have the factory XM and the first thing that impressed me was the uncompressed dynamic range (unlike FM which, while clean, has limited db). Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Of course, if you decide down the line to change out the radio, the pre-installed XM unit would become useless.. So if you know you won't change the radio down the line, it's good. If you think you might want to change out the factory radio, stick with the roady.Is this really true? That is, if you get an aftermarket radio with XM capability, it won't be able to receive the XM signals from the GM-installed unit? Hmmm...

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »Is this really true? That is, if you get an aftermarket radio with XM capability, it won't be able to receive the XM signals from the GM-installed unit? Hmmm...Absolutely. The factory-installed tuner module has proprietary wiring and technology. It's the same reason you can't use a Kenwood tuner box with a Pioneer head unit. Each company has proprietary technology.Plus, the GM unit is wired to operate through the GM DataBus system, thus integrating it into the main wiring harness at the rear of the radio.Most aftermarket units use a specific port for XM: I know on Pioneer it's the IP-Bus. That won't work with the factory tuner.Honestly, though, if I had the option of factory XM back in 02, I very likely would have got it and would NOT have installed an aftermarket unit...

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Plus, the GM unit is wired to operate through the GM DataBus system, thus integrating it into the main wiring harness at the rear of the radio.I don't think the Vibe uses the DataBus. This was discussed in another thread:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=910Doesn't mean you're incorrect; it's possible that proprietary systems may be incompatible, as in your Kenwood-Pioneer example. It would be nice to get a definitive answer from GM or Delphi.-Glenn

I thought I remember reading the 04 and up were reverted to the DataBus system. I could be wrong though...wouldn't be the first time, definitely wouldn't be the last.

Zuben:You're right, AFAIK the Vibe doesn't use DataBus, at least not as extensively as other GMs due, mostly due to the Vibe being 85%+ Toyota issue parts.However, it'd be my assumption that the 04'+ radios have some form of the Databus system, if only to add XM and OnStar (which I think is an option, at least in the 05')The only reason I say that is, I don't think GM would spend the extra money developing XM tuners for JUST the Vibe radio, as all their other cars are using a DataBus system. So, I have to assume they probably threw a chip into the 04' Vibe radio that allows it to work... Like I said though, only assumption. There is a seperate harness for the XM tuner that shows up in the back quarterpanel, but I don't know if anyone has traced out exactly where the other end goes..

Is there any xm add-on, like the roady, that is self contained and doesn't need the fm modulator installed. I think there is a Sirus/Audiovox model that is like this, but I am unaware of a xm model.

I don't think I can use tha roady because I don't have a cassette adapter.

There is no way to directly plug an XM system into the vibe radio unless you have the nav system. Otherwise, it's FM modulation, or getting a CD/cassette combo player off ebay...

Quote, originally posted by jtodd »Is there any xm add-on, like the roady, that is self contained and doesn't need the fm modulator installed. I think there is a Sirus/Audiovox model that is like this, but I am unaware of a xm model. Actually, yes. If you purchase the Roady at a Circuit City (or any retailer, as far as I know), you get the FM modulator free. The Roady FM modulator is not "installed", it is used in place of the cig lighter adapter and tape adapter that comes with the roady. So you just plug in the FM modulator adapter into your cigarette lighter, and that's a wireless FM transmitter.The Roady2 (out in July I think) has a built in FM modulator.

Is this a fairly clean look, or is the fm modulator large and hard to mount in a small space(near cig lighter)?Thanks for the reply!!

Depends.That traditional FM modulator, which is installed inline between the antenna and the head unit, is hidden within the confines of the dash. From what I tested at the store, it has a pretty nice sound to it. As good as you can get for FM.The new wireless one, which has the FM mod built into the cig lighter itself, looks like this: So it looks just like a slightly larger cell phone charger...But if you opt to go wireless, you can install an auxilary 12 V outlet inside the dash, as I did to power my SkyFi, and hide the whole shebang inside the dash as well...But then again, if you're gonna do that, might as well go with the inline one, get better sound quality!

Also, if you look at the Roady with the FM Modulator Mike showed...that'd be a LOT better than the Audiovox or JVC Sirius units..as those units are FRIGGEN HUGE.Heh.

Thanks everybody! When I ask questions at my local Circuit City or Best Buy, all I ever get is blank looks and "uh, I think so."

UPDATE: XM is now offering a universal FM modulator based on the design for the roady modulator. It will work with both the Roady, and the SkiFi.

Xm now has a home kit for the Roady for 20 bucks. So if you want to use XM in the car and at home, you can swap between car and home and save yourself 6.99 a month. Because factory HUs usually suck, I would stick with the roady. I use the roady in my vibe with my Awia HU. It has an aux jack right on the faceplate so I can easily direct connect.

i heard an ad that right now, if you buy a roady, you get a free home kit and modulator by mail...personally, though, i'd still take the skyfi over the roady any day

Please excuse my ignorance, but how does the Roady connect with the radio? I mean, are we talking lots of exposed wires and whatnots?hjwii

Quote, originally posted by hjwii »Please excuse my ignorance, but how does the Roady connect with the radio? I mean, are we talking lots of exposed wires and whatnots?hjwiiDepends on what you have.. I have the Nav system, and the PIE Aux input for it (which only works with the Nav system), and all the wiring goes down beside the glovebox, and disapears behind the dash. All very clean looking. The best thing to do with the Roady is get the FM Modulator for it, buy a 12v outlet (like the cigarette lighter), and wire it in behind the dash.. that way, all your wiring can be pretty much hidden.

I originally had done what Jahntassa said: wired in a 12V outlet behind the dash, and plugged in my skyfi like that. I then used the auxilary input on my aftermarket head unit to attach the skyfi. Recently, though, I relocated the skyfi to the upper windshield, and found the wire from the standard cig adapter was too short, so I sprung for a pre-made hardwired adapter.However, here's where my skyfi was previously plugged in: Behind the glovebox, I just installed a $5 outlet from walmart, and used the provided cig-outlet adapter to power my skyfi...

Another dumb question that I have gotten 2 answers to, do you use the xm antenna w/ the 12volt/fm modulator or does it use the vibe antenna?

XM need the XM antenna.The FM modulator plugs inline bewteen the stock AM/FM antenna to allow the XM receiver to transmit audio on an FM frequency...But the XM signal is picked up by an XM antenna.