Remove Replace Rewire Antenna

[ZubenElGenubi]

First post. Think I'll need a cigarette after this...Has anyone successfully removed, replaced or repositioned the antenna on the Vibe? It's current position sure wasn't thought out well.I'm planning on getting a Vibe in May and have a Yakima Space Cadet cargo carrier that I'd like to use (after upgrading the cross bars, of course). I'm wondering if a rear-window antenna would work...any suggestions?-Glenn aka "Zuben El Genubi"

[ebslopp]

You can replace the factory antenna with an extremely short one. They are a screw on replacement and you can find them on eBay. I think they put it there because that's the current fad. Personaly, it reminds me of the bumper cars with the poles that rub on the ceiling for power...lolOh yeah, and welcome to GenVibe! I'm sure you'll find lots of helpful info here.

[scherry2]

if you removed your antenna there is going to be a big hole there.

[Jahntassa]

To be honest...i'd unscrew the existing antenna, get a little rubber cap for it, and get an XM subscription. If you're going to be driving around a lot, why waste time on FM?

[ZubenElGenubi]

Thanks for the posts, folks.ebslopp: The shorter replacement antennas are still too tall; they'd still extend past the cross bars. I could get taller cross bar mounts I guess, but I'd rather not.scherry2: Yep, there would be a hole...at least until I plugged it! However, I don't think there is a single, large hole; rather two mounting holes and a feed for the wire. Those should be easy enough to plug.Jahntassa: That's exactly what a friend of mine told me after he got XM installed last week! (Funny thing is that the base of the antenna is still taller than the current cross bars.)Guess I won't know for sure what to do until I see how the new Yakima cross bars will look on the car...just a couple weeks... -Glenn

[Jahntassa]

Heh... Definitely go hang out in your friend's car. You can ask anyone on these boards, XM is worth the money (see my sig, heh)I'd say it's a good idea for you to wait... at least try to keep from removing the antenna mount completely. Unless you could plug it REAL good, I think it'd look a bit awkward...Let us know how it goes though!

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »(Funny thing is that the base of the antenna is still taller than the current cross bars.)Depends.I have a SkyFi and the antenna provided is only about 1/2" high. VERY small. BUt it would likely be blocked by cargo, thus making it pointless to replace it with an XM antenna.Anyway, I just looked at my service manual, and it appears there is, in fact, one large hole for mounting.

[Herb]

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »Has anyone successfully removed, replaced or repositioned the antenna on the Vibe? It's current position sure wasn't thought out well.-Glenn aka "Zuben El Genubi"Last fall I accidentally snapped off the antenna from the base when I backed out of my garage. The door didn't open up all the way, but enough that when I looked out the rear view mirror it looked clear.I ended up denting the roof at the same time. As for removal all you need to do is to take out the headliner, and unscrew the base, and disconnect the cable.For headliner removal:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=4600To look at the roof of my car:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5967

[ZubenElGenubi]

Well, I might not have to worry about it after all....got my new Vibe last night and it's got XM. OTOH, I wonder if a cargo carrier might actually block the signal; haven't checked it yet.My wife pointed out a better solution that was so obvious, I feel a little embarrassed. She's got a 2002 RAV4 (also a great car, BTW) and we bought the carrier for that vehicle in the first place. She suggested that if we think we need the cargo carrier for a trip, the RAV gets to go. Pretty simple, huh? Better than plugging up the roof!Thanks for all your posts!-Glenn