I bought a beautiful Clubman S last Friday and have now driven it enough to really get a feel for the car and to see any of the shortcoming and issues that might bug me over time. I must say that I am extremely happy with the car and look forward to a long life together.

My old car had an XM radio and my new Mini, which I was lucky to get off the lot, had everything I wanted except the XM radio. With the elections coming up I am a news junkie and really want to add it to the car. The salesman said it is a $1,200 option with a lifetime service contract with XM. This seems very steep and wanted to know if anyone knows of any other integrated options.

Thanks,
Malc

 

I thought only Sirius was offered as an option on the Mini?

Anyway, your best bet (certainly cheaper) would be the aftermarket.

Stan

 

I just looked at the radio manual again and I mistook the SAT1 SAT2 for XM radio. I am sure you are right about Sirius. At this point, either would be great and now I am wondering whether my $1,200 quote was to change over the system from Sirius to XM. Maybe getting Sirius would be cheaper?

Does anyone know if the cars are prewired for Sirius or what that kind of an upgrade would cost? I have been calling the dealership this morning but the lines seem to be busy. I will continue to try and post later what they tell me.

Thanks,
Malc

 

On the miniusa web site, Sirius with a lifetime subscription is listed at $1000, and Sirius alone is $599. I don't know whether all radios are prewired for Sirius or not though. Let us know what you find out!

Stan

 

Ok, I finally got through to my dealer and talked to the parts and service department. The good news is that it is the same unit as the standard Mini and is in stock. The bad news is that they will have to run another antenna and the costs look to be $599 for Sirius and $45 for antenna. Then there is labor which will put the install for about $1,000. I am still unsure if that includes the lifetime service (I forgot to ask) but it might not which means if you want this feature it might be adviseable to order it with you car.

Anyone know of any aftermarket XM or Sirius units that work with an 07' or newer Mini stock radio? $1,000 seems like more that enough to find a nice aftermarket fully integrated unit.

Thanks,
Malc

 

I know you're looking for integration, but I just use my XM Roady2 mounted in the open space below the center stack using a $20 universal GPS-type mount. I tapped into the cigarette socket underneath the center console for power using the included car cord adapter and the mini magnetic antenna fits real nicely behind the radio antenna on the roof. I bought an audio cord with right angle connectors for $3 and plugged it into the auxiliary jack underneath the center stack. The whole thing looks very nice, all the connections are hidden, and total with the radio was about $90.

 

Thanks for the info... I was looking at the Pioneer Inno myself. This will be my plan B if I cannot make my integrated installation happen. Thanks

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I stopped by the dealer at lunch to see what the kit would look like and got some more accurate information then I received over the phone earlier this morning. The guys working on the cars seem to know the real answers, not the service counter or sales folks.

The can already has the Sirius antenna equipped and there is no need to get another antenna. The only thing you need to buy is the Sirius box and pay for the installation. It is still pretty steep with $350 for installation but I feel a little better knowing I will not need a crummy looking additional antenna on the roof.

I also talked to the salesman about the Sirius lifetime subscription and he still seems to think it is only when purchased/configured on a new car sale. If you get it added on later you will get 1 year of free service only. I am having him look into any way I can still get into the deal since my car is pretty much new. Never hurts to try.

I will finish up this thread with what I find out... unless anyone knows of any other way to get an integrated Satellite Radio installation using the stock radio.

Thanks,
Malc

 

I'm also an XM subscriber with a Clubman on order, and I'm going to go as mattbren did, with a portable unit and an aux jack and power cord. It's not nearly as user-friendly as an installed unit, but it's very cheap (you can get the unit for well under $50 almost anywhere), and you can also use it for your home stereo with a home adapter kit. That's what I do now, and it works great.
One other consideration is the pending merger of Sirius and XM, with the possibility of newer receivers with enhanced capabilities. I'd rather upgrade from a $50 Roady XT then from a $1,000 bult-in system.
If you don't want to go the portable route, talk to your local afterrmarket installer. I'm sure they know all of the options for installing XM, and can do it for hundreds (maybe many hundreds) less than the dealer. $1,000 to have Sirius dealer installed is far too expensive, in my opinion.

 

The merger scares me more than the money. I tried to find some current information about when it is going to occur and I still have no clue.

--

My salesman called me back this afternoon and said that there is a 50/50 chance that after I get the OEM Siruis system in the Clubman that he can call to get me the free lifetime service. Sounds like a "hail mary" my business and the last few bucks in my pocket.

I think I will have to go with a portable device in the meantime until the XM/Sirius thing gets all worked out. The XM site has some really cheap devices that would work http://www.xmradio.com/shop/index.xmc

Thanks again for all of the great comments...
and cya on the road..
Malc

 

The XM site has some good choices, but also check out the usual suspects, Amazon, Crutchfield, BestBuy, etc... I got my Roady at BestBuy for $25.00 on a closeout last year.

 

I had Sirius added to the R56 I owned for a few weeks - I think it cost me around $700, maybe $750; the $1000 you're being quoted sounds a bit steep!
There was no talk of lifetime with this install - just 12 months of service; I'll be very surprised if the dealer could bend the rules to get you lifetime on the install.

I think your Clubman should have AUX input built in, so an aftermarket unit may be the best choice for now.
Actually I have an XM unit I tried for a few weeks last year (see here); it's a bit bland but I could ship it to you for the cost of shipping (?$10?)

 

I think you are right.. there is no rush and buying a cheapie XM radio makes a lot of sense while XM/Sirius figure out their merger.

The free lifetime Sirius service promotion is for people who custom order it with their Mini. It needs to be installed by the factory and not the dealer in order to get the promotional price of i think $1,000. If you go to the Mini configurator on the web site I think you will find it.

Thanks again... and hopefully my signature photo will show up this time.
Cya,
Malc

 

Before you say that you'll settle for Sirius, you need to ask yourself... Are you sure? If you've had XM for a while, you're probably going to want stick with XM. I've been an XM subscriber since 2002, and I've also been a Sirus subscriber. I only listen to Sirius now because the radio in my truck happens to work for free, but I wouldn't pay for it if I had to.

I'm planning on getting the xpressRC for the Clubman. I'm getting a piano black interior, and I've been told that that it matches it perfectly. If someone comes out with an integrated solution for XM, I'll go with that in a heartbeat.

 

Check out the XM direct. We have an '06 and it just hooks in the wiring harness in the back and comes up on the head unit. It was about $150 and the display isn't as good as a good xm radio, but it works great and there are no extraneous wires and it works from steering wheel as well.

 

If this is what you are talking about.. http://www.xmradio.com/xm-direct/index.xmc

..then does it connect directly into the factory installed antenna (Sirius)? I am not sure about the $150 but this one looks promising.

And.. it does show up on the head unit like an OEM. Sounds worth a look.

 

Be careful about compatibility. "satellite ready" usually refers to aftermarket radios set up to use either Sirius or XM. The MINI head unit might not be set up for this type of box. Your local installer would know more about what will work.

 

Unfortunately, no one is making anything for the 07-08 yet, as far as I've seen. But I'd really love someone to prove me wrong.

 

I searched for a while for an XM option but could not find anything. So I ended up getting a cheapie XPRESSEZ http://xmradio.com/shop/index.xmc for $30 at best buy. Used my son's iDog cable to hook it up to the port and viola instant XM. It fits perfectly in the cubby below the radio and the antenna seems to work fine from the dash. I think this will do until the make an nice aftermarket to hook into the stock radio.

PS> Dont worry.. i will get a new mini jack cord.. my son would be very sad if I kept his iDog cord much longer than this weekend.

 

I agree with others, if you already had XM, Id stay with it. Ive had XM for over 4 years and wouldnt change. If you get an aftermarket deck that has only Sirius, you can get an adapter that hooks up behind the stereo that will take XM, that is what i did. I wouldnt go through the dealer, you would pay waay too much (especially if for some reason you had to get rid of the vehicle, the service, i dont believe is transferable. Whereas, if you buy a subscrip. and cancel, you get the remainder time paid for reimbursed). Just my 2cents.

 

One big plus for a portable unit is the ability to use it on your home system with the addition of an inexpensive home kit, which includes a second antenna and some audio connections. I slip my Roady2 in my shirt pocket when I get home, and then connect it to the stereo system. Takes about 30 seconds to disconnect or connect, and the sound on a home system is pretty impressive.