Well, it's a real shame... but I think Sirius really failed with this car kit, and with the Starmate Replay in general.

I would like to explicitly point out though, that I think TheSiriusStore.com did great on this one. They recognized that no one else was going to carry this product, so they took pre-order requests, and they got these products delivered very quickly. They were the only folks that knew what was going on. I greatly appreciate their efforts on this. And of course I appreciate the hookup they gave me too :-)


But here's my review...


For a satellite receiver and car kit that were explicitly designed to fit into an available DIN slot, Sirius really missed the mark. The DIN plate, which is the centerpiece of the design, doesn't fit into a DIN slot. The dimensions are slightly off, especially the height, and there's nothing to secure the DIN plate into the dash. The snap-in design was a failure, and the plate should have been designed to screw into a DIN cage, like most other DIN-compatible devices do.

Additionally, there are reports that the FM Antenna switch fails, but I have not used this part myself. There are also reports that the hard-wire power was not usable because the wires were too short. The RCA adapter seems to work okay, but I had already bought one for $4.00 at Radio Shack.


Furthermore, the overall concept of the design was skewed. Customers opting to use the STV2 DIN plate are forced to have a permanent installation of their Starmate Replay in their dash. The car kit is not designed for plug and play capability. The only way to get the receiver in and out of the DIN plate is to disassemble the dash. I imagine there are customers that were seeking a permanent car installation, but I believe there are many more who have purchased the Starmate Replay understanding it to be a plug and play receiver. I'm not sure why the home kit would be sold if the receiver wasn't to be treated as a plug and play device.


So, altogether, the car kit is useless. The DIN plate doesn't allow for plug and play use, and even worse, it doesn't fit into the dash. And if you force it to fit into the dash, it doesn't even really get secured into place. The FM Antenna switch reportedly doesn't work, and the wire for power is too short.

I honestly have a hard time believing that Sirius (or Directed) ever field tested this unit with the car kit. Unless the kit magically works in one single vehicle anyway.

Like I imagine many others will do, I plan to pursue a custom-built car kit. This is not at all my forte, so I will likely be seeking help. TheSiriusStore.com said that if a custom kit can be designed, they will assist in having it produced for sale. So, maybe the Sirius Starmate Replay community can out-do Sirius. If you're interested, let me know.


I apologize if anyone is upset that I directed you to purchase your car kit before posting a review. I'm sure you were in the same boat as me, expecting this product to be something that it isn't.