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XM NavTraffic trial subscription (2013 Outback)

16K views 59 replies 12 participants last post by  Pavelow 
#1 ·
Is the 2013 Outback w/ Nav meant to come with a NavTraffic trial subscription? The satellite radio trial works fine but ever since I set up an account on the SiriusXM website I no longer get traffic info. The call center worker told me that my trial doesn't include traffic information, but I had it for about five days after initial purchase. Figured I should check before I fork out the subscription fee for something that I thought was included in the trial.

I'm beginning to think that SiriusXM doesn't even know it's available on the 2013 Outback, since their NavTraffic availability page does not list it and I can't find the option on my account to add it.
 
#3 ·
I believe that traffic is only available through certain FM stations that are capable of sub-audible information in conjunction with a Sirius account. If there are none in your area you will not get traffic. Please share what you find out through Sirius.
 
#4 ·
XM Traffic

First make sure that your area has coverage:

SiriusXM Traffic Overview - SiriusXM Radio

and then check to see if the traffic is enabled (you may have to call XM to find out).

I did find that my 2013 Outback should have had 4 free months of XM radio and traffic but the dealer was not aware. I am currently working with Subaru of America to get my traffic and navigation to work correctly.
 
#5 ·
XM NavTraffic is included for 4 months free on 2013's. I'm currently under the free trial evaluating whether or not I'll continue to use it.

I had almost a year's subscription left from my 2011 that they simply added the 4 months to of XM and NavTraffic to.

Keep after them and ask to work your way up the food chain until you get it resolved.

As an aside, NavTraffic is delivered via satellite signal through data from Navteq.
 
#6 ·
Subaru.com

SiriusXM in Your Subaru



4-month trial subscription to XM Select package and NavTraffic® with the all-new Subaru navigation system.

SiriusXM is available in all eight Subaru models as either a factory-installed option with an included four-month trial subscription or dealer-installed option with an included three-month trial subscription.

Subaru first launched SiriusXM in 2006 with the Model Year 2007 Forester and Impreza.
 
#9 ·
djz, I was able to convince the SiriusXM customer service rep to enable NavTraffic on my car if I paid for it (after their assertion that it does not support NavTraffic). That was before contacting SOA, who has assured me that the subscription fee will be credited to my account. So adding a paid NavTraffic subscription may be an option for you, although it also risks complicating the resolution process.
 
#10 ·
Time for an update. The current state is that my radio & NavTraffic service is working, I have a credit on my SiriusXM account of about $14 (after paying about $8 for NavTraffic) but the trial period is still only 3 months whereas Subaru has confirmed that it should be 4 months.

The fight goes on.
 
#11 ·
Well, you are in a better position than I am at this point. I am almost 2 months in to ownership and still don't have my nav traffic up and running.

SOA tells me I should have a 4 month trial on sat radio and traffic
XM tells me the dealer only activated the sat radio and not the traffic
Dealer tells me that there is no trial on the nav traffic
 
#12 ·
Success!

Sorry to hear you're still having problems.

On October 19 Subaru told me that SiriusXM has finally got the trial period right in their systems (four months, not three) including NavTraffic. I'm not sure if that will help any existing owners, but hopefully new users won't have this trouble.

Best of all, today Subaru was able to rectify the problem for me.

They ended up getting SiriusXM to apply a credit for 4 months' service (SiriusXM Select + XM NavTraffic) - about $85 - to my account and switching me from a trial subscription to a regular, paid subscription. This might be a viable route for anyone still having problems.

A huge shout-out to John J. Mergen from Subaru Customer Service for taking on this battle for me - and winning.
 
#13 ·
I think I am on the home stretch. The difference for me is that I have no intention of subscribing to the satellite radio service, but I may pay for the traffic service if it seems useful to me. In order to figure that out, I would like to have my trial period to evaluate how it works.

I am not willing to subscribe to anything at the moment...
 
#14 ·
Well, it looks like I was wrong.

I got a call from Linda at SOA today and was told everything was in order, I just needed to call XM to provide them my radio ID adn they would activate my 4 month trial. She gave me the number to call and when I did I was told that there was nothing XM could do since the dealer only activated the audio and not the traffic.

So two months in I am still in the same place I was the day I bought the car with no XM traffic service.

I have called Linda back and am still waiting for her to return my call.
 
#16 ·
Just got a call from the dealer where I bought the car. They want me to come down there when their factory rep is in town to let him look at the car. He will be there next week some time and then again the last week of the month. Personally I don't think I should have to take time off of work or out of my day to get this dealt with.

This is going from bad to worse, the issue is that nobody at Subaru or the dealer (I would assume it is the dealer that is responsible to turn on the free trial) ever activated the nav traffic with XM. That is all I need them to do, I have given several people my radio ID, though they should have it attached to the VIN and purchase paperwork.
 
#17 ·
Bring up that you had to take time off. And you would settle for no less than a year of free service.

I'm already drafting up letters to the attorney generals in my state and in the state I bought the car.

I've asked my sales person to put me in touch with someone as well. My confidence in SOA on this one is low.
 
#19 ·
Another call from SOA, with the same info I got from the dealer yesterday.

They want me to the dealer either next tuesday or the 27th of this month to talk to the field rep. This is year end for me, and as a lowly bean counting accountant, there is no way I can take time off during a work day this time of year to deal with this.

At this point, I wish I had just bought the base model OB, or possibly even something other than a Subaru and done what I have always done - taken it in to a good stereo shop and had it done the right way from the start. I thought I would avoid some of the minor issues bu getting it all done from the factory so everything in the car "played nice" and look where that got me...

Heck, I would be better off if I duct taped my iPad to the dash than I am right now. As it is, I already use it or my iPhone for traffic while I am driving.

The saga continues.
 
#20 ·
Me too!
Here's the email I sent to SOA today:

Hello Jessica,
It's been almost 2 months since I first contacted you about this issue. Nothing that SOA has done, if anything, has worked.
Last night I was angry and called SiriusXM raising ****.
They said they would forward me to a supervisor in Free Trials. I was on hold for 30 minutes.
Finally, someone answered, felt sorry for me and credited my account for another month of audio. Good news.
However, he said he needed an additional ID number to turn on Nav Traffic. I don't have that. Bad news.
I have covered every possible setting on my Outback system and see nothing that either prevents me from receiving the Nav Traffic signal or shows a subsequent ID for XM.
He said he would send an urgent request for help to SiriusXM corporate.
I can't imagine that would carry more weight than an urgent request from SOA.
Here's what I am asking of you.
Someone, somewhere in the SOA organization knows how the system on my Outback works.
I want you to find that person and put me in touch with them.
I want to talk or email with someone who actually knows how the Navigation and Satellite Radio system in my 2013, top of the line, expensive Outback works.
I want to escalate this customer service request to someone who can actually help me.
You may not be aware of it, but there is a thread on the Outback Forum dedicated to this issue.
SOA has a number of frustrated, angry customers who have been handed off from SOA to their Dealerships to SiriusXM without anyone actually solving their problem.
Your offer to pay for a subscription I personally request from SiriusXM doesn't help me if they don't even know how to provide me the Nav Traffic signal.
I need technical support from SOA on a poorly programmed, poorly documented system on this high tech, high priced vehicle.
Whoever you have to talk to to find the person who knows how this system works and can help me, I need you to find them.
Please don't take this personally.
But I am at the point where my opinion of Subaru is being severely degraded.
It may not be a big thing, but SOA should be able to fix it or tell me how to fix it in less than 2 months.

So far, no response...
 
#21 ·
Good job Dr Ron ... I also had an issue with SOA, elevated phone calls to the management and got some partial resolve although on another matter. Let us know, if and when they will respond - and they will, it takes them a few days to digest (my own experience).
 
#22 ·
I hope it gets you somewhere, but I would not hold my breath. I am about to take this to the next level at this point. I have already started the process to file a claim with the State of CA, and am putting my documentation together dealing with this.

They appear to all be following the same script, I have only gotten one of the several people I have talked to on this to admit that this is a wide spread problem. I have been told by several that "this is the first I have heard of it" and that is not only false, it is an outright lie.

The factory navigation was one of the reasons I bought the car, on top of that, I was told it was non subscription based by the dealer. This is not a cheap vehicle, you would think that someone in the organization would know how the system works and that they would be interested in having their cars working properly and the people that bought them happy.
This is beyond unacceptable at this point and I am just tired of it. You knot it is bad when I would rather use Apple Maps than the factory navigation system.
It would also be nice if they could get the messaging system built in to work as well, but that is a problem for a different day. I need to fight my battles one at a time I guess…
 
#23 ·
2013 nav

As I posted earlier, I have an additional Garmin Nuvi installed (hard-wired to the fuse box) and I use the OB NAV just for reference... how sad it is... if SOA ever fixes this issue and perhaps have a recall on it, I will use it again. Right now it's just a good conversation piece for amusement of fellow passengers. LOL
 
#26 ·
And another call from the dealer. I was on the phone at the time, but they left me a voicemail telling me that the regional rep is going to check his schedule and see if he can meet me somewhere offsite from the dealership. He seems to think he needs to be able to sit in the car while on the phone with XM to get this working.

This makes no sense to me, XM has told me that if I want to pay to activate the traffic all they need is my credit card and the radio ID#.

I don't understand why the Subaru regional rep can't just call me directly, if he is the one that needs to be dealing with this. I see no reason to have him call the dealer and them call me, this is just the dumbest process I have ever had to go through. Come on Subaru, lets get this dang thing working.

I have wasted so much of my time to date trying to get something working that should have been done when I bought the car.
 
#28 ·
I'll let you know if/when I get it working.

At this point, I have been told so many conflicting stories from so many different people that I don't believe that anyone at the dealer, SOA or XM have a clue what they are doing on this other than passing the buck.

At the end of the day, what are the odds that the nav traffic ends up being useless? Wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake. My wife thinks I am crazy given how much time I have spent on this, maybe she is right, but I am committed to the fight and am not about to back down now.
 
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