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Old 05-26-2008, 11:06 AM
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Hello...I just bought a 2005 545i two weeks ago. It still has the window sticker with the car and there was a $75.00 Satellite Prep charge but I don't show a satellite option in I-Drive. Just fm/am, cd and wb.

I'm assuming because of the prep fee I can get satellite radio? Do I have to go to a dealer to get it? Is it worth it? Do you know cost?

Thank you in advance for your response.

p.s.

Love the car. My first BMW and I'm now sure the first of many to come.
Old 05-26-2008, 11:15 AM
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The price may be different now but take a look at the following thread about how much it cost back in 2005:

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=6396
Old 05-26-2008, 11:15 AM
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Ja, the prep means you can install Sirius sat. radio, specifically the BMW receiver.

It's very well integrated into the overall car and iDrive but I still see sat. radio as yesterday's technology.

You have to pay a monthly subscription and it's still rather limited.

On the other hand, if you add the iPod retrofit, you have unlimited content and you would control it.
Old 05-26-2008, 11:18 AM
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Originally Posted by JSpira' post='588664' date='May 26 2008, 02:15 PM
Ja, the prep means you can install Sirius sat. radio, specifically the BMW receiver.

It's very well integrated into the overall car and iDrive but I still see sat. radio as yesterday's technology.

You have to pay a monthly subscription and it's still rather limited.

On the other hand, if you add the iPod retrofit, you have unlimited content and you would control it.
Thank you..I appreciate your time. I'll look into the i-pod retrofit, didn't know I could do that.
Old 05-26-2008, 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Rudy' post='588663' date='May 26 2008, 02:15 PM
The price may be different now but take a look at the following thread about how much it cost back in 2005:

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=6396
Thank you for the thread!
Old 05-26-2008, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by JSpira' post='588664' date='May 26 2008, 12:15 PM
Ja, the prep means you can install Sirius sat. radio, specifically the BMW receiver.

It's very well integrated into the overall car and iDrive but I still see sat. radio as yesterday's technology.

You have to pay a monthly subscription and it's still rather limited.

On the other hand, if you add the iPod retrofit, you have unlimited content and you would control it.

It truly depends on your situation/music collection. Granted, there is a monthly cost with sat. However, it's about $10 bucks a month. Downloading from your iPod will cost you .99/song on average. It's really a matter of preference and desire. I have an iPod and Stilletto, and I love sat content. The cool thing is, you can get the iPod integrated and use a portable sat nav unit like the Stilletto through your aux. port.
Old 05-26-2008, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by JSpira' post='588664' date='May 26 2008, 02:15 PM
On the other hand, if you add the iPod retrofit, you have unlimited content and you would control it.
Not totally true on an '05. The iPod integration works well, I had it in my '04 and loved it. But there are some restrictions on the number of playlists or songs that can be handled. While I had no issues using a smaller Nano, folks with big iPods like an 80Gb model have found they cannot load all their music. Not arguing against getting it, just be aware that there are some spacve limits with the retrofit iPod.
Old 05-26-2008, 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by advancedlogic' post='588670' date='May 26 2008, 03:52 PM
It truly depends on your situation/music collection. Granted, there is a monthly cost with sat. However, it's about $10 bucks a month. Downloading from your iPod will cost you .99/song on average. It's really a matter of preference and desire. I have an iPod and Stilletto, and I love sat content. The cool thing is, you can get the iPod integrated and use a portable sat nav unit like the Stilletto through your aux. port.
This is quite true, many people (myself included) have a decent-sized music collection (I ripped all my CDs years ago onto FLAC) so the incremental cost of adding music, depending on how you acquire it, may be $0,99 cents but you might be purchasing this music anyway (without the intention of playing it in the car).

I found sat radio content intriguing a few years back when I had the first BMW with sat radio. But it quickly lost its luster once I started listening to my integrated iPod six months later (using the Dension ice>link integration in my previous 5er).
Old 05-26-2008, 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by kscarrol' post='588744' date='May 26 2008, 06:53 PM
Not totally true on an '05. The iPod integration works well, I had it in my '04 and loved it. But there are some restrictions on the number of playlists or songs that can be handled. While I had no issues using a smaller Nano, folks with big iPods like an 80Gb model have found they cannot load all their music. Not arguing against getting it, just be aware that there are some spacve limits with the retrofit iPod.
All true but, despite the limitations, I still think it better than sat radio content
Old 05-26-2008, 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted by JSpira' post='588775' date='May 26 2008, 07:02 PM
All true but, despite the limitations, I still think it better than sat radio content
Agreed! Just wanted to make sure the OP understood that there were some size limitations...


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