SolaraGuy.com

I have a 2006 Solara and it has the 6 Disc CD changer. I've noticed the buttons on the unit show SAT and I'm guessing that is for Satellite Radio. Can I purchase something to allow me to get Satellite radio from this unit or do I have to purchase a new stereo system for this?

you have to purchase parts from a toyota dealer to the best of my knowledge. i know for nissan i heard its about 700.00 bucks.

You just have to purchase the tuner to gain satellite radio. Your current head unit should already have a receptacle in the back to plug in the tuner. Of course there's also the added cost of the subscription and antenna.

corlon wrote:you have to purchase parts from a toyota dealer to the best of my knowledge. i know for nissan i heard its about 700.00 bucks.

$700? That doesn't make sense. Is the tuner gold plated with a diamond encrusted antenna?

You could re-do the whole stereo system for that price. Well, maybe not.

I found my factory XM receiver on eBay. I paid only $125 for the unit. It really was not very hard to install. I had "tunes" in about 3 hours. It just plugs into the back of the factory radio head.

It depends. If you have the actual hardware installed it just takes a trip to your dealer and some cash to get it activated. Im not sure how much though. Otherwise your dealer can get and install the hardware and activate it. I believe they just have to make a change to the software. But, of course, anything at the dealer has at least a 600% markup on it so you better just close your bank account.

As pointed out in the above post, service for XM is not free. Once the receiver is installed, you must contact XM with the unit's information. I think that shows up on channel 000. XM will then activate the service. There is a fee to use XM. I have my credit card charged every three months. As to the installation. There are not that many parts involved. There is the receiver. The receiver is a silver box about the thickness of pizza box, but somewhat smaller. This part is installed in the right rear behind the carpeted trunk panel. There is the antenna unit, which mounts on the deck lid. There are no holes to drill. The antenna is magnetic with a self adhesive tape. Then there is the control cable. This runs from the rear of the radio to the receiver. Once installed, you simply press the AM/FM/Sat button till the Satellite info shows up. There is no software to install. At least not on my car. My Solara does have the factory nav system, but I see no reason why the standard radio system would be different. Perhaps others with have more info regarding a radio setup like you have.