JM1FE

Since this seems to be the Sirius/SAT thread....

1. Does the satellite tuner on the 05s eliminate AM? I don't listen to AM except for the occasional traffic or "tune to 1630 for airport information" broadcast, but I was just curious.

2. People have mentioned a SAT button. Does this replace the MD button? WTF uses MiniDisc in the US anyway? They gave us MD but not RDS/PTY on the FM tuner????


3. If one were to purchase a new '05 with SAT, does it come with any subscription for the first month/year/two years/??? Not that $12/month is a huge amount, but damn.... (cell plan, cell data plan, cell media plan, cable tv, cable internet, wireless hotspot plan, now a radio plan? We're all suckers...)

TooBIG

There is a type A and B radio.

They look identical, except the Type B (which I have) has an FM1/2 button and an AM button.
The Type A has FM/AM as 1 button and a SAT button.

You need the type A, which was not available on the initial 2005's.

I am STILL waiting to hear back from Mazda customer support on this issue.
I keep calling, and they keep dodging.

I fully expect them to replace my radio with the SAT version since they advertised Sirius radio as a new option for 2005.

-B

VBprogrammer666

I have an '05 RX-8 without the Satellite button. I sent the email below to Mazda USA asking about upgrading my non-Satellite radio to the as-advertised standard '05 radio that is Satellite capable. I expected them to confirm that the radio assembly would be exchanged at no charge (except, of course, for the Sirius tuner and antenna).

Instead, their response leads me to believe the swap including both the radio assembly and Sirius tuner/ antenna will cost me $$$$$. What the ?????

Here's email exchange:

My Question -
I have the 2005 RX-8. I have the standard stereo
(non-Bose). The Satellite radio was not available or installed in my car
when I purchased the car. Will I be automatically notified when the unit
is available and will the Satellite radio be swapped out with my
existing unit at no charge by the dealer? What is the date that you
expect the units to be available to owners? Thank you, Joe

Mazda's Answer -
Dear Joe,

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate
the opportunity to respond to you.

The satellite radio hookup for your vehicle requires two kits. Both can
be ordered at the Parts Department of your local authorized Mazda
dealership. At this time, both kits are not available however, they can
be ordered at the dealership and they will be sent as soon as possible.
At this time, we do not have an estimate of when they will be
available. However, once your order the part, the dealership can let
you know when it comes in.

The kits necessary for satellite radio are priced by the dealership, as
is the labor for their installation.

For any further information, please contact the Parts Department of
your local Mazda dealership.

You may locate your nearest authorized Mazda dealership by visiting our
website at www.mazdausa.com/dealers/default.asp.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. Please feel free to reply to this message with any further
questions or comments.

Please take a moment to give us your opinion about our e-mail service.
Click or paste the link below to complete a brief, online survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB223V7UQV6LX

Regards,

Marie Mortensen
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

TooBIG

I have talked to Mazda several times. I call 1/week.
As of Monday, they have not decided on how they will handle this.
They are going to call me back once they make a final decision.
Tommy from Rosenthal posted a semi-tsb that said Mazda will do this for free.
Time will tell.. but I FULLY expect them to replace the head unit for me.
Was I supposed to wait around to get my 05 until the correct radios were available.. ??..
I think not.
Part of the reason I waited for an 05 was to get SAT.
The $$$ is a non-issue for me. It is the principal.
I will update this thread once Mazda gives me the verdict.
-B

SDB

I have an 05 with the "Type A" radio mentioned above. My build date is September 2005.

I purchased Sirius as a new car option to get the factory warranty on it. It was just installed today. It works fine and I still have a "type A" radio (or at least the buttons). The parts guy said that he had to order the receiver and an interface. The interface part is what took 2 weeks to arrive.

SDB

I just got the paperwork for the Sirius radio. Here are the part numbers in case anyone needs them.

0000-81-G01A - Sirius Unit
0000-81-K01A - Kit

I don't have prices since this was negotiated in the purchase price of the car.

The radio works great by the way. I had two units over the last 2 and 1/2 years in my last car and this one works best as far as reception is concerned. It doesn't cut out in several places where my other units always went silent.

The single wire antenna is much smaller than my other unit's. The installation kit says to put the antenna on the trunk lid but I had the dealer put it inside the rear window where it is less obvious.

I really enjoy having it build in and controllable from the steering wheel just like the radio. The universal add on units were always a compromise although they did have better displays. You really can't see much on the Mazda's 8 characters.