When I took delivery of my ES on Friday, the dealer had already set up my SiriusXM radio and data services and they were working fine. Since the vehicle I traded in had a SiriusXM subscription, on Saturday I called XM to have the remainder of my existing subscription added to the trial Lexus was providing on the new car. However, after doing this I found that the Travel Link portion (gas prices, stocks, sports) of the trial was now disabled (it worked fine when I left the dealer). Checking my SiriusXM account online, I discovered that Data Services was not on my account, but instead was only a 3 month trial of NavTraffic and NavWeather (not 1 year as supplied by Lexus).

I called XM and got probably the rudest CS representative I ever encountered. She insisted that not only that Lexus only offered a 3 month trial of NavTraffic and NavWeather, but that Travel Link was not even available for my vehicle! I told her that it was available and that it was working fine the day before but it didn't matter to her. Even when I read the services included and the term length verbatim from both the window sticker and the Lexus web site she told me point blank that I would just have to take it up with Lexus. I ended the conversation before I blew my top, called XM again and got a much nicer representative. She understood the situation, but said she couldn't change my subscription; however she escalated the problem and said I would get an answer back from them within 5-10 business days. Hopefully this will be resolved to my satisfaction, but I can't say for sure.

The XM reps rudeness aside, there is obviously some miscommunication between Lexus and SiriusXM as to what services are available for this vehicle and the length of the free trial. This needs to get corrected before others find themselves in a similar situation. So I would advise anyone with an existing paid XM subscription on a traded-in vehicle to simply cancel that subscription outright and just continue with Lexus' free trial until SiriusXM and Lexus figure this one out.

 

I just got an ES300h replacing my HS. I had the same isses as you (except my service hadn't been discontinued). In the past almost every rep at XM I have dealt with were rude and VERY unhelpful. This time I initiated the call and got a REALLY great rep to deal with. She looked over what the Lexus sticker said (I read it to her)...3 months on audio and 1 year on travel, weather, and travel link. I had 3 months left on my HS service. She credited me for the 3 months and showed me now to get them on the same schedule next year (they would be 3 months apart). She was so nice I wondered if I called the wrong company! I just hope when I get charged all is correct, but this is the first time I hung up with XM that I figured I was going to get real service. BTW her name is Kathy (ID # 16851I). If you can request a specific person I would speak to her.

 

I was absolutely astounded that the first rep I got was so incredibly rude. I had to end the call, otherwise I would have started yelling at her (and I'm a calm, reasonable guy 99% of the time). I wish I would have remembered her name or gotten her badge number. Why XM would hire someone like that is beyond me, although I think XM uses an offshore call center (it seems like every rep I've gotten over the past couple of years has an accent I just can't place - not Indian, though) so they might not have direct control over personnel there.

The second rep was great (don't remember her name) , although I don't know yet if anything got accomplished. 5-10 business days to get an answer back from them seems way too long. I also sent an e-mail to Lexus Customer Care; we'll see if that goes anywhere, but I suspect they will be more responsive. Lexus seems to care more about their customers than does SiriusXM.

 

After enduring much pain in dealing with Sirius/Xm customer service, I found it valuable to call them only when the car's free trial is over, they screw things up otherwise. Occasionally, there is a problem when there is a conversion from the dealer's account (active on cars for three years) to the customer trial period. Then is when I call.

This is usually within three weeks of ownership.

 

Got a reply from Lexus saying they were forwarding my concern to a higher level and I would hear back from them within 5 days (SiriusXM says 5-10 business days). It's only been a couple of days, so I'll report back when I hear back from Lexus or SiriusXM. In the meantime, nothing has changed; still no Travel Link and my XM account still shows only a 3 month trial.

 

Hi there-

We apologize for your past experience, but we're happy to hear Kathy was able to help.

Let us know if you have any other questions, or concerns.

SiriusXM Digital Care Team

 

Hi there-

We apologize for your experience. Could you send us an email with your contact information to sxm_help@siriusxm.com and we'll reach out to you to make sure everything on your account is straightened out, and also so we can help with anything else.

Thanks,
SiriusXM Digital Care Team

 

When I got into my car after work today, TravelLink was working. I went online to check my account and the trial periods of the Data Services Package was extended to the proper 1 year. A big THANK YOU to whoever at SiriusXM or Lexus that was able to resolve this problem!

 

Picked up my last Friday and the XM Travel Links features did not work. Called SirusXM 3 times since to get it straighten out and the subscriptions are still screwed up. At one point they had all my trial subscriptions removed and none of the XM features work. Have had enough with them...having Lexus deal with them directly.

 

The feature list and trial length has changed for 2013 and if you link an old account it will revert to the earlier content. Occasionally a New Lexus will have everything working except XM Fuel Prices which is a nifty little feature. Usually all that is needed is to have the signal refreshed and the data arrives. In our area the price per gallon can vary as much as a Dollar! You can sort by distance, price or brand. The ES models use 87 Octane regular but the system can obtain pricing for three grades.

Your radio ID is eight digits of alpha numeric displayed on channel zero. For this feature and the rest of Lexus enform you must have navigation.

You can use the XM fuel prices voice command after the beep. It will confirm and then you respond yes after the beep and Voila! When you select a gas station from the list it will superimpose the price on the map along with others. I would like this feature on continuously.

While cruising back from the beach we noticed the prices were identical until we were at least 50 miles inland. Back in DC there are stations that are convenient but charge a lot more. Caveat emptor...

I must add that the new ES300h is a savvy hedge against fuel price fluctuation. Getting 40 MPG in a luxury sedan that is quiet, smooth and powerful is really sticking' it to the man.....

Romeo Oscar Charlie KIlo

 

Picked up my ES300h and Travel Link is not working. The details in the above quote are exactly what happened to me. Anybody have a solution to this? SiriusXM…any input how to solve the problem.

 

This maybe off topic slightly but it does have to do with XM: the dealership told me that we actually have a year's free trial with all XM stations and apps - is that correct?

 

Not according to Xm. I was told that Xm Stations is only 3 months and the apps are also 3 months. As my travel Link was not working, Xm told me that it was not available for my radio, even though when I try to enter the app it say's, an Xm subscription is required I don't like to judge, but some of the employees there are not to bright. I have had Xm on all my cars. and when I get a new car, I dread the moment I have to speak with them for anything. Rude people. You would think that since the original question was posted back on 9-2, Xm or Lexus would have gotten this figured out.

 

Interesting.
My gas prices are working but nothing else XM except, of course, for the radio.

 

I find that interesting - my dealer stated that for 2013 it was definitely a year free and while XM may tell you it's only three months - since this is a new extended period that it definitely would be a year. Has anyone had their car longer than three months who can state emphatically what the actual period is?