Sirius has lost it's face

January 3, 2008 6:21 AM

My Sirius reciever has stopped displaying. It is about 2 years old so just out of warrenty (of course).

When I start the car the receiver displays for a little while. Then it goes blank. It still receives the signal and I can hear it but the display is blank. I suspect it is a weak solder joint that works until the receiver heats up and then fails.
Has anyone had this problem? What are the odds of opening the thing and re-soldering? Any other suggestions?

posted by shaarog to Technology (7 answers total)

Best answer: Not a hugely interesting suggestion, but if you give them a call they'll probably send you a new radio for well under $50. When my XM radio broke, I bought a Sirius one since XM replacements were very pricy. When I then called XM to cancel, they were offering me $20 replacement radios.
posted by pocams at 6:30 AM on January 3, 2008

Best answer: Kind of like pocams, sorry I can't be more help with the fixit: When my cheap ass XM Roady 2 broke, I took it apart and didn't find anything immediately obvious. I called XM and asked for a free replacement and they just sent me one. If you had a top of the line one they may charge you more, but they were more than happy to keep my business by sending me a free unit.

Similar to the Gillette razor model of business where they give you the handle for free and just charge you for the blades, I think they are more interested in keeping you as a subscriber. Call them and ask for a free one so you 'don't have to cancel your service as a result of having a broken receiver.' YMMV.
posted by uaudio at 6:57 AM on January 3, 2008

I just remembered, and should probably mention, that at the time of them sending me a free one, they were giving the same unit away for free if you bought ANY other receiver, including that unit. So maybe they were feeling more generous. Again, YMMV.
posted by uaudio at 7:01 AM on January 3, 2008

Best answer: Nthing calling Sirius and asking them what they can do for you. They always always seem to have some sort of promotion going on, and they might even be more helpful than that, who know. Threaten to cancel/ switch to XM if need be (at least that's what I'd do, but i'm a otherwise happy Sirius subscriber who is just bitter the NHL games are now on XM.)
posted by cgg at 7:42 AM on January 3, 2008

Do you pay by the month or did you buy a lifetime subscription? If you bought a lifetime subscription, don't tell them your receiver is broken because you can buy another receiver and pay only $6/month since it will be a "second subscription." If you pay by the month then just tell them it broke because you won't be saving any money on your subscription.
posted by HotPatatta at 8:01 AM on January 3, 2008

OTOH, You can buy a cheap receiver set up and you will get the added bonus of an additional antenna and power supply. I bought some off-brand Sirius receiver at Wally World for $29.00 which was cheaper than ordering an indoor kit.
posted by Gungho at 8:03 AM on January 3, 2008

Response by poster: Yeah hivemind! I called Sirius and was told to try and get my unit fixed by the manufacturer or buy a new one. My husband called Sirius and barely mentioned we could go to XM and we are getting a new receiver ($120 value) for the cost of shipping ($10)!!!

OK so he does this better than me - one reason I married him. But thanks for the idea in the first place - it worked.
posted by shaarog at 12:14 PM on January 3, 2008