How to Install XM in an '05 Nissan Altima

An XM radio receiver will be wired into your stock stereo that came with the car. The stock stereo in the 2005 Nissan Altima comes pre-wired for satellite radio and amplifiers. The passenger side of the dashboard will need to be removed from the frame of the Altima to gain access to the rear of the stock stereo and hard-wire the XM receiver directly into the stock stereo. No antennae installation will be needed because the stock stereo has one and the XM receiver also has an antenna built into it. As of 2010, XM satellite radio had 170 channels and 69 of the channels were commercial free. You will enjoy your new XM radio for years after you complete the installation.
Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
Phillips-head screwdriver
Wire strippers
1

Open the glove box and remove the screws from around the edge of the box using the screwdriver. These screws are some of the screws that secure the dashboard to the frame of the Altima. Remove the screws from the the passenger side of the dashboard where the door meets the dash using the screwdriver.
2

Pull the dashboard away from the frame. Get on your back and lie on the passenger-side floor and locate the rear of the stock radio receiver. Find the yellow wire. This will be the remote lead wire that will turn the XM receiver on and off when you turn the car on and off. Locate the red, yellow and white round inputs on the rear of the stock radio. These colored connections are the RCA connectors for audio.
3

Loosen the screw that connects the yellow wire to the stock receiver. Pull the wire from the receiver. Strip the end of the remote lead wire that is connected to the XM receiver using the wire strippers. Twist the yellow wires together and reinsert the wires into the connector on the rear of the stock stereo. Tighten the screw on the connector using the screwdriver.
4

Plug the RCA inputs that are connected to the XM receiver into the corresponding colored connections on the rear of the stock stereo. Conceal the wires between the cracks where the dash meets the console and place the XM receiver on the front of the stereo using the adhesive that came with the XM receiver.
5

Replace the dashboard to its stock position and replace the screws to their holes. Tighten the screws using the screwdriver. Turn on the Altima and try out your new XM radio.