hello, i have 2 issues with my new prius. i think my second issue has been talked about, but any new news is appreciated. 1) i feel a vibration under my feet on mostly "not so smooth roads". i haven't felt this ever before. (had a '08 camry before this) They put it in the air and looked it over. maybe the heat shields or something. they are talking it over with a toyota rep. no word yet. 2) XM radio reception is crap. I have 3 after-market sirius radios and they work perfectly. XM will cut-out near objects and when i go thru mountain areas it will lose reception completely for so long that i just turn the radio off for the trip=rediculous. XM says i need to talk to toyota and toyota hasn't had any compaints. Anyone else with this problem needs to complain, or else nothing will happen. they are looking to see if there is a sirius receiver that they can put in it that will integrate like the xm does. any ideas on these? anyone else talking to toyota about these? thanks so much, chris
Not having either issue here, but I'm sure the 2nd one is because this area is covered with XM ground repeaters, what with being so close to XM's original corporate HQ.
The XM problem is caused by that system using only two sats. (rock is one and roll is the other) at geostationary altitude. So it's easier to block both. Sirius uses lower altitude sats. in polar orbits like GPS. It's harder to block them all. But it still happens. Both use a "streaming" memory system, that is, they store the music at a speed higher than you listen and play it back at normal speed. So if there is a "short" dropout on reception the stored data will carry over the break. It's obviously more effective with the Sirius system than the XM one.
I have had Sirius Portable units since their launch, with nary a reception issue. In the Prius, I have noticed that some areas, I get much better reception. For example, now I am able to listen to SiriusXM in the basement level of my parking garage, 20 feet underground. That would sometimes happen with Sirius, but it cut in and out constantly. Now, it seems to work without fail. However, other areas, when I drive past trees or even single story family homes, in some areas, I lose reception for several seconds at a time. frustrating.
Actually, both XM-1 Rock and XM-2 Roll are currently powered down as backups. The active satellites are XM-3 "Rhythm" and XM-4 "Blues". These are some of the largest and most powerful commercial satellites every launched (school bus sized each). They are more powerful that the lower orbit Sirius satellites and are generally considered superior technology. The repeater network is intended to enhance reception in locations with lots of buildings and currently covers all major metropolitan areas. More likely, is that you may have a faulty connection between radio and antenna. The performance you indicate is definitely below that other owners are getting, including myself. I would have that checked closely. Not a design flaw (so complaining to Toyota may be early here) but a specific issue that may be affecting your unit. Also, you are in Montana, and the truth is that XM is designed primarily for coasts, so when you drive on the side of mountains that cover your western view, and since there are no repeaters near you, it makes sense you may loose signal. So in your specific case, Sirius satellites may give you better coverage. This is not a design flaw, just a result of the specific technical approaches each vendor has chosen.
As a fellow Montanan I can assure you that the XM cut-out problem is normal and not a defect. We have the same thing in our 2010. It happens in my garage and when mountains / buildings block the southern view. Toyota won't be able to do anything about it. I can't say about the vibration. G
Just read that XM is building a new satellite to be launched in the coming year or two and will be parked right in the middle of the US, designed to cover areas not well served by existing satellites. So your coverage is only likely to get better once that third satellite is launched. BTW, neat piece of trivia. The XM satellites have rockets and are able to move around and change orbit locations just like spy satellites.
My car handles great as does XM radio (which I also have dealer installed in my CRV). I picked it up in Lewiston ID so drove back 6 hours, 3 in the middle of nowhere in eastern WA and had reception all but about 10 minutes total. And, the reception in the P was much better than my CRV coming back on I84 west through the gorge to PDX. I loose it off and on in the CRV for 20 to 30 minutes.
All geosynchronous satellites have maneuvering thrusters, else they would all pile up over gravitational minimums. Orbital mechanics won't allow for anything else. Perhaps the XM satellites have bigger thrusters and more fuel. Tom
FWIW, I think the XM reception in the Prius (my example, at least) is nowhere near as good as the standalone receiver I used to move from car to car. The portable had a little tiny magnetic antenna on the roof and there were very few places where it would ever cut out. With the built in one in our new package IV solar, it cuts in and out constantly. Since we're driving the same area, I can rule out the variable of location - there is definitely something, if not wrong with, at least slightly inferior regarding the built in XM.
Are you feeling the same thing that is outlined in this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/66084-weird-handling-problem.html If so I have opened a case with both Toyota & Yokohama.
Sadly, the XM problem has nothing to do with the car's receiver. Sirius uses a network of low orbit birds that the receiver "locates", not unlike the way that GPS receivers find their birds. XM is based on DirectTV geosynchronus orbiting sattelites. Neither system is perfect. Due to the fixed location of the XM sattelites, shadows caused by buildings, trees, hills, etc. are "fixed". Frequently Serius works in those shadows, but fails somewhere else.
Valuable data on the satellite function and much appreciated. However, that does not explain the performance difference I have noticed between my portable XM unit that I used to use and the XM unit designed into the Prius. The Prius clearly has much poorer reception than my RoadyXT portable, even in the same spot.
I am a new Toyota, AND new Prius owner and I have had terrible reception with the XM receiver in my new car. I have had two fords with Sirius in the past 4 years and neither of them ever dropped signal unless I was under some HUGE overpass. Seriously I bet I've dropped signal in those two cars 5 times in 4 years. I've had XM and my Prius for a little over a week now and if I drive on a street with too many trees.......I'm loosing signal like crazy. I have contacted Toyota about the issue through their website via email. Two business days later still no reply or concern from Toyota.
yeah, good luck with that. the dealershit keeps giving me the brushoff/not our problem story. it is a problem with the satellite. not sure if i should just give-up on this one. any suggestions are appreciated. it's just very frustrating that i had sirius in my last toyota(aftermarket plug & play unit) and it worked Flawlessly. now, my xm trial has ended. what a waste of money. thanks
I have no issues with the vibration thing you're talking about... never noticed it?!? Regarding the satellite radio reception, I would say... the reception in the Prius is not as good as in other cars I own or have owned, but it is not that bad. The audio goes off for a few seconds every once in a while... no biggie!
I don't have too much complaints with the dropping signal in my area...it does happen- but not as bad as it did with my portable Sirius player in my car for years. I do have a different weird XM issue. Most of the time the sound seems to come from the front speakers only, like a cheesy AM radio from the 1960's....and then, for no apparent reason, it suddenly will deepen in tone and jump to all my sound system- it suddenly sounds like stereo with right/left separation and everything. I don't hear this happening with CD or USB music, only with XM. Any idea what may cause that?
