[hadouken]

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.

 

[kbhersh]

Did you see traffic flows as RED, YELLOW and GREEN when it was still under Subaru?

 

[hmorse]

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.

 

[kbhersh]

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.

 

[AcinonyxRex]

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.

 

[catric69]

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.

 

[hadouken]

Thanks for the responses. I emailed SOA, they confirmed the 4 months + traffic and they have contacted SiriusXM on my behalf. SiriusXM has been hopeless & inactive even after SOA's contact over two weeks ago, so I will have SOA follow up again.

 

[djz]

Same here, and same story. The Subaru rep I have been dealing with told me on Saturday that it would take up to two weeks before it would be working. I have had the car for a little over a month at this point with no working nav traffic.

 

[hadouken]

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.

 

[hadouken]

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.

 

[djz]

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

 

[hadouken]

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.

 

[djz]

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...

 

[djz]

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.

 

[Tom28]

I spoke with Linda today, too, djz.

She didn't seem to know that this was an issue and that she would have to talk to people tomorrow.

 

[djz]

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.

 

[Tom28]

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.

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.

 

[djz]

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.

I have tried to be as patient as I could, but it is starting to wear thin. Honda did not have any issues activating the XM trial or their traffic on my wife's car (not sure if that is even XM based or not, the radio trial is over and the traffis still works on her car). It's not like this is rocket science.

They really should get their act together on this. I have gotten a few messages from people here and on FB telling me that when they talked to SOA, they were told that “this is the first I have heard of this issue” and several of them have given me their rep’s name and number and there seems to be a pattern here with the same rep telling the same story to several people. I find it hard to believe that you can hear the same thing from more than one person for the first time, over and over again.

Not to mention that there is no place in the manual that I got, the brochure I have or the info the sales person I bought from gave me that even states that this is a paid XM traffic service. I was told it was FM based and not subscription based. In fact the only mention of XM subscription service in my Nav manual refers to satellite radio audio programming.

 

[djz]

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.

 

[DrRon]

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...