XM/NavTraffic Renewal?

[musher51]

If memory serves, HMA pays for one year of XM/Sirius/NavTraffic service for Tech Pkg buyers, and three months for non-Tech Pkg buyers, right?

I just passed the one year mark, and I've been mulling over whether or not I'm gonna pay to extend these services. I'm not too crazy about the quality of the XM signal, and I can't say that NavTraffic has diverted me away from any nasty traffic jams, so I'm on the fence. (One thing in XM's favor is that this happens to be "Jerry Week" on the Grateful Dead channel, so my motivation to renew kicked up a notch or two.)

I'm not inclined to contact XM but rather wait for them to find me (or at least shut off the pre-paid service, which still is still working as of Day 4 of Year 2). Has anyone else heard from XM about an extension? If not (or if you declined), did they eventually shut you off? How much does one year cost?

 

[ctrcbob]

I was just going to ask you if XM has contacted you yet, but you answered before I had a chance to ask.

My previous car had Sirius, free for six months, and I never did renew it as I did not use the Sirius radio very much. They sent me letters to renew, and even offered me "deals" to renew, but because I did not like it, I never did renew, and they shut me off.

Now with the Genesis, at first, I did not care that it had XM Radio, however now, I find I use it all the time. I've taken two long trips, and its great to use the "Traffic" function knowing what to find on the road ahead, (and road behind, and to the sides <grin>). When on the open road, I was using the XM so much, that I seldom if ever listen to the CD's (in my case the MP3CD's - so much music on those MP3CD's, I could start to listen in Florida, and the six MP3CD's would last me all the way to California).

When the time comes, yes, I will renew.

 

[dataguy]

I will definitely renew XM Everything, but not NavTraffic. It's a really mess to try to get incident data without taking your eyes off the road. The speed data in my area is frequently outdated. Often I'm stuck in traffic when it says "Congestion ahead" or what shows up as green or yellow should be red.

As far as deals, either just tell them you want to cancel and they'll throw you a good retention deal. Or if you have multiple XM cars or receivers, you can get a multi-unit discount.

 

[ctrcbob]

I could be wrong, HOWEVER it is my understanding that;

To have NavTraffic (says "Traffic" in the upper left of your screen, just under the screen scale [700ft - .25miles - etc] you must subscribe to XM Radio.

When you subscribe to XM Radio, you will automatically get the NavTraffic info.

The "Traffic" will not always show, due to either nothing to report, or due to the system being down. The thing being shown must be reported to XM by the State DOT or Police in order for it to show up.

BTW, I hope we are all talking about the same thing. When I check the Traffic, I get the location of accidents, and lane restrictions, and slowdowns all within a reasonable distance from my location. This is in all directions, front, behind, and to the sides.
If this is not what is being talked about, then I don't have it.

 

[dataguy]

To have NavTraffic (says "Traffic" in the upper left of your screen, just under the screen scale [700ft - .25miles - etc] you must subscribe to XM Radio.

When you subscribe to XM Radio, you will automatically get the NavTraffic info.

For NavTraffic, you either have to subscribe to "XM Everything + NavTraffic" for $16.94/mo. or NavTraffic only for $9.95/mo. The radio only service is $12.95/mo. Source: http://www.xmradio.com/navtraffic/pricing.xmc

BTW, I hope we are all talking about the same thing. When I check the Traffic, I get the location of accidents, and lane restrictions, and slowdowns all within a reasonable distance from my location. This is in all directions, front, behind, and to the sides.

Yep, that's it. In addition to showing nearby incidents sorted by as-the-crow-flies distance from you, there will also be incident, construction, and informational (e.g. congestion alerts with average speed) icons on the nav screen. You can use the joystick to click on the icons to get details on them. You also see, where available, red/yellow/green lines next to roads (usually freeways) where there is speed sensor data.

From my experience in LA, it's definitely not worth $9.95/mo. a la carte, and not worth the additional $3.99/mo. over the satellite radio subscription.

 

[ctrcbob]

Dataguy,

Thanks. You cleared it up for me.

Of interest, when I looked up the cars it is available in, it lists the 2010 Genesis. No mention of 2009 Genesis.