Serious SIRIUS problems...

Hi,

Wanted to share with you my problems with the integrated sirius satellite radio in my 5.

Sirius just changed their channel line-up, so they sent the update yesterday. It's supposed to download within 30 seconds to 5 minutes (usu. closer to 30 seconds). We'll it's been downloading in my car since yesterday.

Called Sirius today, and they said that it might take upwards of 20 minutes in Mazdas for whatever reason. Just leave it be. So, I parked the car, put the key in, turned on the headunit, and left the car unattended to downloaded.

(Luckily, my car was not stolen during that time. )

Three hours later... still updating. I called Sirius back and they said that Mazda's, some Nissans, and some Chryslers had this problem... and they would have to call me back. Someone called me back a few hours later, to see if the problem was still there (yes, it was), and that they would now forward it to a higher level specialist. Geez.

I thought the person I spoke with said that I was one of four people with this problem... don't know if she meant that she only had to call four people, or if I'm just one of the "lucky" losers.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is it solved, or are you still waiting to hear back?

Thanks!

I've had problems with channel updates even on my Kenwood HU and Audiovox Plug 'n Play. Rest assured, it'll eventually get itself worked out. Keep on them because if it comes down to it, they'll probably go as far as replacing your equipment if they think it's at fault. All Sirius tuners that I've had experience like to throw a monkey wrench every time Sirius beams down an update.

Any luck with this today?

Ugh... sort of solved

jandree22 said:

Any luck with this today?

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Thanks for your first message, and for following up. After a lot of waiting on hold, and then being promised that someone would call me back, I called them one last time late this afternoon.

They gave me the obvious solution. Disconnect it, and re-connect it. (Like they couldn't have said that two days ago?!?!?!)

Anyway, the dealer tells me the tuner is in the dash... too much trouble to do this myself, so know I have to take it in and wait a couple of hours for them to take care of it.

I worry, though, that this won't solve the problem... and that everytime they do a channel update, I'm going to have to take my car in to disassemble the dash!

Yikes!

ugh, sorry to hear that! If this ever happens to me and I have to take out my tuner, I'd be interested to see if it has the same connections as a Kenwood Sirius tuner... maybe swapping in an aftermarket tuner would clear up some problems? I kind of doubt they're the same, though... I think I checked into this before.

Maybe you could suggest the Mazda tech trying to relocate the tuner to another location (under a front seat or in that massive glove box?) so if/when it happens again, you could easily access it to reconnect yourself.

Hey, I just tried to activate the SIRIUS on my 5 and ran into the same problem.... Updating Updating Updating Updating.... I called them back and she said there's a known issue with Mazdas, Nissan Pathfinders, and BMWs. She said turn your car off for 5 minutes completely, then turn your car on and go into Sirius mode and don't touch anything for 7 minutes. Then I think she said press a button to 'lock in the settings', I assume she means like go to a different radio mode then try the Sat mode again? I dunno, I tried twice and it didn't work, so I'll call back again and speak with someone on the technical staff instead. I spoke to the activation people last night.

Let me know if anything works out for you and I'll do the same.

Thanks

Looks like this is going to take a while

I have had no luck.

Sirius suggested I take the car to the dealer so that the tuner could be disconnected from the head unit and re-connected, but I haven't had a chance to. Now, I'm finding that mazda owners at the forums on siriusbackstage.com are reporting the same problems, and have been unable to solve it. Apparently, when you disconnect the tuner, it goes back into update mode, finishes the update, and leaves you without a bunch of channels. So, the problem has not been solved.

I got an e-mail tonight from Sirius (you probably did too) saying they are working with Mazda and the tuner manufacturer (Sanyo, I think) to fix the problem. They didn't say when the expected to have the problem solved, but planned to e-mail again late in the week.

Reading between the lines, that probably means they have no idea what is going on.

Grumble.

I've had very similar experiences with all of that. No luck thus far for me, either. At least it's widespread, that's good for getting quick action on it. Plus, after they resolve this issue somehow, they'll special case test further channel updates on Mazda systems exclusively so it doesn't happen again. It does really suck, but I'd rather have that go wrong on my new car than something important like mechanical.

Thanks for the update on your situation

zda, someone over at SiriusBackstage.com just posted the email they just got back from SIRIUS Customer Support. This sounds encouraging. FWIW, I'm still experiencing the Update problem, as expected...

Dear SIRIUS Satellite Radio Subscriber:

Thank you for your continued patience as we work with Mazda to correct
the problem that has interrupted service to some SIRIUS subscribers.

We have determined that the problem is not related to the SIRIUS
broadcast system; however, Mazda and SIRIUS technical experts have
isolated the issue, which is related to select radios on the following
vehicles:

Mazda 3
Mazda 5
MX-5
CX-7

We have identified a solution, which we expect to implement no later
than next week, that should allow you to resume your Sirius service.

Once more, we apologize for this inconvenience, and we will update you
again early next week. Ensuring affected customers are satisfied will
remain our top priority.

Sincerely,

Michael Moore
VP/Customer Service

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We got the email as well, but didn't notice any problems after the update. Although my wife said she changed to regular radio when it said updating....so not sure if it cancelled out.

Guess I should check all the channels tomorrow....

Here's the fix!!! I tried it and it WORKED!

http://www.siriusbackstage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88559

Mazda Updating Procedure

Summary: Procedure for SPs to explain to Mazda automobile owners to eliminate the continuous "Updating" message in SAT mode, and get their Sirius Radios operational again. This procedure will reestablish the customers satellite radio services after 6:00 AM Eastern Time Wednesday October 11th, 2006.

1. Ensure vehicle has full view of the open sky, with no over head blockage of the satellites overhead.

2. Turn the ignition and radio on.

3. Switch the radio to SAT mode.

4."UPDATING", "CH184" or "Invalid Channel" will be displayed on the radio without audio.

5. Wait 5 minutes. It's normal for the radio to continue to display the above status messages prior to switching modes in step 6.

6. Switch radio mode to FM for 30 seconds.

7. Return the radio to SAT Mode.

8. "Updating" may be seen momentarily fallowed by the audio and normal operation from the satellite radio.

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