I had to have the rear bumper and passenger side taillight replaced on my 2005 R53 with the HK stereo. When I got it back the satellite radio didn't work. The head unit still displayed the stations and the CD player and AM/FM radio work fine. When I switch to Sirius i get no sound just a tiny little bit of noise. I originally thought something got unplugged but the body shop spent several hours going over things and talking with Sirius. According to Sirius there is a module behind the head unit that has gone bad but I am not 100% they are correct because I am not sure they are familiar with Mini's. Before I end up at the dealer or with an aftermarket set up. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

 

I have a problem with my Sirius radio not staying connected. I have sent a radio activation signal about 20 different times and no luck. I have a 3 month free subscription that started a month ago. The radio worked the first time I got the signal, for a day, then it stopped. Sirius C/S was no help.

 

sirius always works by a separate module that is installed generally behind the radio or front dash. it's not really car specific.

 

Are we talking about a BMW/Mini sirius or aftermarket?

If it's the BMW/Mini then the radio only shows SIRIUS as an option when the module is available on the iBus and talking. So it's both plugged in and powered up and talking.

If it displays the stations then it has a connection to the antenna and the antenna is powered up, because with no signal it shows ACQUIRING.

The audio from the SIRIUS module goes into the back of the head unit on the two smaller connectors, sharing the audio lines the CD Changer used to use. If you have a CDC also, the audio goes first through the SIRIUS module then into the radio.

Hence if you have a CDC, try playing one of the CDs, if the audio does not work, it suggests a problem with the wiring, either cable damage or loose connections behind the raido or at the tuner module.

Generally on a Mini the tuner module is either under the seat (cabrio) or in the trunk (hatch), although I'm not 100% sure on that.

 

CD, AUX. all work fine. Mini dealer wants $115.00 to do an electrical diagnosis. Not worth it for me, I won't use it much in the Mini, if I do I'll use my Droid phone with XM on it.

 

I have an '04 MCS R53 with H/K and satellite radio. The satellite module (XM Direct) is adjacent to the H/K amp and both are directly behind the passenger side tail-light. Look there for your problem.

 

Thanks JAB 67, I'll check that out.

 

Is the Clubman located in the same place? ( behind the lens)

 

The BMW module is Sirius not XM. If the CDC audio is working there's nothing wrong with the audio wiring. Please note CDC = CD changer, not CD slot in the dash. If you have an XM issue, then it's aftermarket and all bets are off.