Satellite Radio Issues on 2011 LR4

Hi,

I can't remember how long this has been going on but thinking maybe from the start. I never had satellite radio before getting my 2011 LR4 so assumed the intermittent connectivity was normal (it's pretty bad sometimes). I learned to live with it but in my 15 minute commute to work the satellite radio will cut out five times. If i park at a particular signal light, it wont come on til i move a few feet.

I drove a friend's car with satellite over the weekend and none of the same spots cut out at all. Granted his technology is about 5 years newer but is it really supposed to be that bad?

I've tried the updates from the dealership, done the resets and updates from Sirius and nothing helps. Is there something I'm missing or is everyone else's like this too?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

James

I have an 11 with the same issues. The dealer first charged me $150 for some sort of software update, that solved nothing and I was refunded the money. Then they replaced the entire module under warranty. Problem gone, it only goes out in garages and under very big overpasses. Dealer tried to tell me there are weak spots around town, I told them that I've driven 2-3 other cars on the same spots and there were not interruptions. It's not the service, it's the actual unit. I don't know what the cost is, it was under warranty.

Good luck

Back when I had a Sirius/XM account in 3 different J/LR vehicles, there was one overpass that would cut my connection every single time. The most recent was in a 2011 LR4 and it happened in that vehicle, too. I would get occasional signal dropouts in other areas but never enough to become irritating. I now have a 2013 LR4 but I stopped using satellite radio when I got a premium Spotify account.

This isn't a direct fix, just a suggestion-- Sirius/XM seems to be very aggressive in their customer retention policies. If you let them know that you're not happy with the reception and that you are considering dropping the service, you might be able to get a big enough discount that it will take the sting out of the dropped signal.

I too will have signal drops which are usually due to the terrain and lasts a few seconds. (2010 LR4) Satellite signals are line of sight. It's irritating but then when I travel from that spot the signal comes right back. I think that the antenna just isn't strong enough and there's nothing that can correct that. It's even more interesting as the earth changes seasonally and spots that were dead before now come in clear.

But as cperez has pointed out, there's not a problem when using something like Pandora. The smart phone antenna is better, go figure!

I have a 2007 LR3 and have had that problem since I purchased the car. It was 2 years old. I've been told by Sirius it is a module and mine can't receive the premium service that I have paid for (life time subscription). I loose service all over town, same spots all the time. My wife's 2008 Honda Pilot never looses service. It is very frustrating. Perhaps an after market different brand might fix it, don't know.

Sorry for the late reply. Thanks everyone for your responses. Looks like it is an issue for quite a few of us. I can have a clear line of sight and still get dropped signals. If i sit at some lights with no tall buildings around, i still get nothing. I do negotiate with Sirius every year though and get the year for about $100. When driving or riding in other cars with satellite in the same dead spots or route the signal is never dropped.

I was just reading up on some other similar posts and someone changed out a receiver and it works fine now. Found it on ebay for $50. Might have to look into that more if it's really a $50 fix. Would make Sirius so much more enjoyable haha.

Thanks again everyone.

Does anyone know the part number of the satellite radio module? And can you do it yourself and change it?

My 2010 LR4 will do the same thing all the time. I just figured it was the single from the traffic light blocking it and never really thought anything of it. I assume it is normal for the 10-11 LR4 but I could be wrong.

jamesdchang said:

Sorry for the late reply. Thanks everyone for your responses. Looks like it is an issue for quite a few of us. I can have a clear line of sight and still get dropped signals. If i sit at some lights with no tall buildings around, i still get nothing. I do negotiate with Sirius every year though and get the year for about $100. When driving or riding in other cars with satellite in the same dead spots or route the signal is never dropped.

I was just reading up on some other similar posts and someone changed out a receiver and it works fine now. Found it on ebay for $50. Might have to look into that more if it's really a $50 fix. Would make Sirius so much more enjoyable haha.

Thanks again everyone.

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you actually can get them down to $30 for 6 mos. I do it every six mos. they read from a script. I’ve even had them give me a free 3 month trial at the end of the call when I said, “no thanks, I really do want to quit”