Sirius Radio not working?

[Yue]

Hi. I've acquired a 2008 Nitro from my grandpa, and the first thing I did was activate his Sirius radio. I'm having a problem though, and it's starting to bug me. Sirius has sent the activation signal like five times and it never receives it. As a matter of fact, when I try to activate it, it stays on channel 184 for anywhere between one to twenty seconds, almost frozen. No sound, if I turn the volume or channel knobs they don't change, nothing happens, and then it goes back to FM radio without me touching anything.

I called the dealer and they basically told me they have no idea what it is, and I'll be sending it in for sixty bucks a day for them to try and fix it. That seems a little derp, so here I am. Thoughts?

[rickaren]

Originally Posted by Yue

Hi. I've acquired a 2008 Nitro from my grandpa, and the first thing I did was activate his Sirius radio. I'm having a problem though, and it's starting to bug me. Sirius has sent the activation signal like five times and it never receives it. As a matter of fact, when I try to activate it, it stays on channel 184 for anywhere between one to twenty seconds, almost frozen. No sound, if I turn the volume or channel knobs they don't change, nothing happens, and then it goes back to FM radio without me touching anything.

I called the dealer and they basically told me they have no idea what it is, and I'll be sending it in for sixty bucks a day for them to try and fix it. That seems a little derp, so here I am. Thoughts?

Sorry for your issue. Can't you call Sirius from your cell phone from your Nitro and talk to a live Rep that will talk you through activation as I did a few years ago when adding their radio to my Wife's Ford Explorer at the time, or have they done away with that "Live" person? You are not inside your garage are you? Must have a clear signal to activate. Also you do have the satellite antenna on the back roof of you Nitro? Guess the original satellite radio has never been activated, or has it? They may have the original serial number info if it has and that might help. Good Luck and let us know what happens.

Wife and I can't go without Sirius Octane (channel 37) She has it in her new Ford Taurus and myself in my Nitro. It is on anytime we are in our cars. We even have it on DISH @ home are listen and record that channel (6037) there , too.

[Yue]

Originally Posted by rickaren

Sorry for your issue. Can't you call Sirius from your cell phone from your Nitro and talk to a live Rep that will talk you through activation as I did a few years ago when adding their radio to my Wife's Ford Explorer at the time, or have they done away with that "Live" person? You are not inside your garage are you? Must have a clear signal to activate. Also you do have the satellite antenna on the back roof of you Nitro? Guess the original satellite radio has never been activated, or has it? They may have the original serial number info if it has and that might help. Good Luck and let us know what happens.

Wife and I can't go without Sirius Octane (channel 37) She has it in her new Ford Taurus and myself in my Nitro. It is on anytime we are in our cars. We even have it on DISH @ home are listen and record that channel (6037) there , too.

It's sitting in my building's parking lot, antenna's up, clear access to the sky, all that. I called Sirius and they told me it was a problem with the hardware and to call my dealer. My dealer doesn't know what the hell, so I'm sort of stuck. =/

[rickaren]

Most Dealers would not know, I suspect. I think Sirius would be more helpful if they want your subscription. I would ask for their Tech support and if they can't address the issue, could they recommend someone? They will be passing the buck if they don't help. Most Nitros come with one year free Sirius radio service and Chrysler Dealers don't get involved with the activation. Once the vehicle is sold the buyers info is given to Sirius and from then on its up to the customer if they want to continue and all correspondence is between the owner and Sirius and the Dealer is not involved, at all. Your best bet is to find Aftermarket Installer that sells add-on Sirius radio units and ask them to activate your radio. I have seen them take a laptop out into a vehicle to activate their units! Look on the Web and see who in your area sells and installs Sirius radios and give them a call. My Dodge Dealer charges $93 per hour to start any issue, and goes up from there. Forget the Dealer!

[dhh3]

Make sure you have the correct S/N. There is a sticker on the radio with the number on it. There should also be a sticker in your owners manual. The radio is very easy to remove. Remove the little rubber parcel shelf on top of the vents. You will see 2 phillips screws. Remove the screws, and take out the plastic parcel shelf assembly. Now you can pull off the plastic metallic surround piece - the heater knobs will come off with this. You'll have to put it in 1st to get your shifter out of the way. The radio is held in with 4 screws, and the S/N should be on the top or the back of the radio. I had trouble with Sirius last month. I kept losing the signal, but only on Classic Rewind, Ch 25! I had to give them the S/N at least 4 times, and each time they resent the signal, it got worse, but only on that channel. I contacted them again to see if it was a hardware issue (warranty?), and they responded:

To provide you with the best customer service, we invite you to call Sirius Product Support where a technician will gladly help you further evaluate the source of the issue and provide available options to aid you in resolving it. This department is available seven days a week at:

1-800-869-5364

I never did have to call, because the problem went away. I believe it was their signal.

Like Rick said, when you have them send you a signal, make sure there is nothing close to your car - poles, trees, buildings, etc. Good luck - it was very frustrating for me dealing with them, but the problem eventually sorted itself out! Good luck.

If it is a hardware issue, you can find a replacement radio on ebay for a lot less than what the dealer will try to sell you. Get the Part # from your radio, and the seller can make sure it will fit you Nitro. Search "Dodge Nitro Radio" on ebay.