Installing Sirius in a Saturn Vue

Update 2019 - everyone can get the App free.  So you can just stream Sirius/XM.  I dropped them years ago and just stream from files on my phone or Amazon music.

Update 2017 - We have two cars, now we only need one most of the times.  We both have GPS/Satellite in our cars, but at $175 year that was too expensive for a car that sits 6 days a week.  So I bought a Sirius portable and an extra holder.  So now I just move the small portable by just pulling it out and putting into the other car.  Interesting fact:  Since I have a Sirius account, I bought a $4 monthly Sirius Traffic account in my 2016 Hyundai.  The traffic account shows small highways, not just interstates like it did when I tried it in 2008.  So the radio does not work, but the traffic does.  You must turn on the radio until the "new subscription" screen shows.

I had factory XM in my car.  Did not like the cutout when I lost the horizon in hilly NJ.  Went to Sirius but still get cutouts under bridges and heavy tree lined roads.  XM did that but not as much.  Guess you gain/lose one way or the other.

These are the three items you need to unplug when you remove the dash.   Be very careful on the 4 way flasher.  The two plastic tabs can break.  Use caution.  If you do nor replace the white plug shown in the photo, you will not have dash lights !  That is the contact for the variable brightness lights.  No connection, NO dash lights.

This shows (left side) the standard antenna plug and all the wires going to the stereo.  I have XM and OnStar (cancelled that too), so I have a few more connections than most back here.

If you want a constant HOT wire, this orange wire is always hot.  I cut off the plastic coating and wrapped an exposed end around the cut area and covered it with electrical tape.   For the Sirius unit and FM converter I will get a switched power from the seat heater wire that is not shown.  The seat heater is a 30 amp circuit so 1/2 amp is no problem.  Plus the seat heater circuit is key activated.

Showing the mess of wires you may have to contend with.  I'm adding an FM converter.  I have too many strong channels from 89.1 to 89.7 to use the built in Sirius FM modulator.

For a ground I unscrewed a screw from the side and slid a ground wire to that.

This is the FM converter.  It cuts the external antenna when it's on.  It has a few channels to choose from but they are in the 88.1 / 88.7 range that doesn't have any strong stations in the area.  That direct connection,  with the antenna cut off, I now have no problem with interfering radio stations.  I'll show the finished project soon.

A few months later

Here is the Sirius head with a suction cup I bought from Circuit City for some $12.  Only 2 of the screws fit, but holds with no problem.  The paper under the unit keep it from scratching the dash.  Need to replace it with some of that silverware draw foamy stuff.  If you keep it off the dash, it bounces around as you ride.

The wires run down the side, then go into the shifter cover.  From there the radio is powered from the heated seats.  Some day I'll get that plastic stuff you can cover wires with.  Mind you this is the OLD unit.  There are 3 or 4 new types, so not sure how they will fit that suction unit.  In the photo below you can see, just above the fog light switch my RED switch for the radio.  With it up, it cuts almost all radio reception and no blow out by local stations.  Nare a problem with stations cutting in to the FM converter.  Some of the FM converters have volume controls to adjust before you cover everything.  This standard unit will play LOUD.  No problem with volume.

I have to say the factory equipped 6 CD stereo/subwoofer does crank out some volume, but you can't control the subwoofer volume so everything is also loud.