I was wondering if I add an aftermarket head unit "that's sirius ready" and a new vehicle interface, whether or not it will allow me to still use the vehicles OEM satellite? Meaning, I'm not sure if these vehicles have a separate SAT tuner, or if its built into the factory head unit? Do I have to buy the head unit and the additional satellite box ? Some help here would be great!

 

The Sirius box is an add on. It attaches on the right side of the dash under the removable dash trim. You will also need a special harness to attach it to your original head unit. Not all Ford heads support Sirius. Job 2, the ones with the chrome trim *****, all are Sirius ready, where a lot of the black ***** ones aren't. It depends on the radio number that you currently have if it is Sirius capable. It is also a pay service.

I said when I was saying my two cents, that the Sirius is under the dash. The SYNC module is under the dash and SIrius is in the right rear bottom of the trunk. I wasn't thinking when I wrote my info. The rest is correct.

 

Yea I have Sirius right now with a stock head unit, What I'm wondering is if I get a New head unit that's Sirius ready, If I'll have to buy all the add on stuff with it, or if it will link up to the stock Sat box.

 

Check with Crutchfield's and see if your unit you have will go with the factory Sirius. You may need special adapter harness to make everything work. Good luck.

 

I think I got it figured out, I emailed the tech team there to see, But from what I've found, as long as I get a head unit that supports "Idatalink" There's an "Idatalink" interface that will allow you to retain steering wheel controls, sync, and a bunch of other stuff I don't have. As long as it retains the factory SAT tuner it's all good. Of course the interface for this is like $145 from Crutchfield and 20 bucks cheaper from that famous auction site. Thanks Keep an Eye out for the new system build! Pics to come soon!

 

You cannot retain the satellite tuner from the factory. It is physically inside the radio you take out when you put a new radio in.

 

Ahhh, crap. Oh well, looks like I need to find a good sale.

 

12VGuy. I know you work for a company that does this for a living but even companies that provide stereos and tech support such as crutchfield make mistakes.

I can tell you without reservation that I'm 100% sure at least until 2010 all Mustangs with XM satellite use a separate module that "connects" to the factory XM capable radios. The Sirius box is in the trunk on the right side. I know, I added mine using 100% ford factory parts.

That being said, I have no idea how to interface it to an aftermarket HU, and If I could, would all the cool functions of the aftermarket HU work, such as album art and station logos etc.

I originally installed the Factory Nav radio from a 2010 Tarus, along with a 2010+ steering wheel, 2009 Mustang Sync kit and the XM tuner. I'm going to go aftermarket with a Pioneer NEX4000 since Apple Carplay really does so much more and is more what I'm looking for. I'll be using the iDatalink and I'll add the Pioneer XM tuner as it can be had for around $40 and not have to worry about compatibility.

 

Randyre...I'm glad you said this. I was going chime in with the same information. It is indeed in the right rear trunk in a body cavity. It's wires run to the front under the center section of the floor and to the radio wiring. The antenna goes on the rear deck, but I put mine on the spoiler lip. It looks better than sitting in the middle of the trunk like a lump, and doesn't put a hole in the trunk itself.