Antenna or not?

[Da0ne]

i ordered the shark fin 3 days ago and they just emailed me that its shipped and provided tracking number

[Da0ne]

It arrived Sat and put it on right away

Edited April 1, 2013 by Da0ne

[smr2112]

Looks great, anybody know how this will hold up going through a car wash?

 

[Da0ne]

had this on my previous car and never had any problems

[Riggo]

Is it easy to put th original back on with no problems if you choose to? How does the shark adhere to the roof?

[Da0ne]

it uses 3m double sided tape so you might need goo gone if you choice to take it off and go back to the original

[shaggy314]

Looks nice, but how much are they?

[Da0ne]

81$ shipped they said it can take 2 weeks but i got it in less than 5 days

[neod192]

Looks nice, but how much are they?

http://www.visualgarage.com/Order.php - $69 + tax & shipping.

[acdii]

That 3M tape is the nutz, as long as you do a good job cleaning and dewaxing, it wont come off without some muscle and prying.

[cnsheets]

I have had my sharkfin on my 2011 explorer for almost 2 years now and it is still stuck solid as a rock. Non-brushless car washes have no affect on it. The brushes glide right over it......

[GrySql]

Okay, you talked me into it, I just ordered one... :)

My FFH is the Platinum White, paint code UG.

They usually ship within 2 weeks but told me it will be sooner.

Visual Garage just notified me that mine shipped today, should arrive end of next week.

[Riggo]

I really want to get a sharkfin but I'm also really scared I'm going to screw up the roof or install it misaligned, incorrectly or worse, break something. Oh what to do...

[GrySql]

I really want to get a sharkfin but I'm also really scared I'm going to screw up the roof or install it misaligned, incorrectly or worse, break something. Oh what to do...

Measure twice, cut once.

I'll check the cross width of the roof right at that spot, put some blue masking tape as alignment marks.

Then do the same on the Sharkfin, hopefully that does the job.

 

I'll probably put it on backwards anyway... sigh.. :doh:

[acdii]

Measure twice, cut once.

I'll check the cross width of the roof right at that spot, put some blue masking tape as alignment marks.

Then do the same on the Sharkfin, hopefully that does the job.

 

I'll probably put it on backwards anyway... sigh.. :doh:

Would be unique, thats for sure!

[GrySql]

My Sharkfin came today and I installed it.

I think it's a nice improvement, the car looks more 'Euro', slicker and, dare I say, more BMW-ish.

 

Before I stuck it down permanently I connected it's antenna and tried Sirius and the GPS, ran through a few series of evolutions of each and found no fault.

I then became committed, removed the 3M tape backer and stuck it in place.

Feels real solid. Put a little wax on it too.

 

[aaronj1159]

That looks pretty good. I'm considering it, but remote start (I got one without it originally) and window tinting is first on my list. On the plus side I've already taken care of all-weather floor mats, molded splash guards, and my own interior ambient lights. All that in about a month. Remote start goes in Saturday too. Anyways I'll probably look into one of those in a couple months or so.

[Riggo]

Does the old antenna just pry off or unscrew or what? Do you have to splice the wires to reattach or do they have clip or plug type connectors that easily hook up with the shark? It is a big improvement over the giant black dart antenna. Is the black area around the bottom of the shark some kind of gasket rubber, the 3M tape, or is it a gap? That was a lot of questions, sorry!

[GrySql]

1. Does the old antenna just pry off or unscrew or what?

2. Do you have to splice the wires to reattach or

3. do they have clip or plug type connectors that easily hook up with the shark?

4. It is a big improvement over the giant black dart antenna.

5. Is the black area around the bottom of the shark some kind of gasket rubber, the 3M tape,

6. or is it a gap?

7. That was a lot of questions,

8. sorry!

:)

1. The whip antenna unscrews.

2. No splicing, it's all well thought out.

3. There is a fractal antenna adhered inside the dome of the Sharkfin which is connected to a coiled wire with a circular electrical fitting on the end.

The kit comes with 2 different sized screws and a round washer.

Use the appropriate sized screw & the washer to attach the Sharkfin's antenna coiled wire to the black base, replacing the Ford whip antenna.

4. Agreed.

5. It is the 3M tape, it's a thin, dense foam gasket, covered with a paper backer (which you remove to stick the Sharkfin down).

6. Not an air gap, the Sharkfin base is sealed 360 degrees by the gasket.

The 3M thin, sticky gasket is cut to the exact contour of the Sharkfin's base, you're seeing the thin gasket.

7. S'okay.

8. No problem.

 

BTW, the paint match was perfect, the application of the paint was perfect - no drips, holidays or imperfections.

My wife likes it, it's a success!

[Riggo]

:)

1. The whip antenna unscrews.

2. No splicing, it's all well thought out.

3. There is a fractal antenna adhered inside the dome of the Sharkfin which is connected to a coiled wire with a circular electrical fitting on the end.

The kit comes with 2 different sized screws and a round washer.

Use the appropriate sized screw & the washer to attach the Sharkfin's antenna coiled wire to the black base, replacing the Ford whip antenna.

4. Agreed.

5. It is the 3M tape, it's a thin, dense foam gasket, covered with a paper backer (which you remove to stick the Sharkfin down).

6. Not an air gap, the Sharkfin base is sealed 360 degrees by the gasket.

The 3M thin, sticky gasket is cut to the exact contour of the Sharkfin's base, you're seeing the thin gasket.

7. S'okay.

8. No problem.

 

BTW, the paint match was perfect, the application of the paint was perfect - no drips, holidays or imperfections.

My wife likes it, it's a success!

 

Thanks! Really good info there. So if you ever want to take the sharkfin off I guess there could be a problem huh? It looks really good though, well done.

[GrySql]

So if you ever want to take the sharkfin off I guess there could be a problem huh?

It's stuck pretty well, removing it would require patience and the proper tools.

That's why I did some tests before actually sticking it to the roof.

[smr2112]

So on a new car - that hasn't been waxed yet - you just need some alcohol to clean

the area. Nothing to be stripped off I guess. I guess even with cold/rain/sun this

isn't going anywhere.

 

I ordered mine and doesn't seem hard to install at all. Will just measure the heck

out of it as us geeks aren't always the best at these mechanical tasks :)

Will have to rely on my wife's eagle eyes. She can spot a crooked line

from 10 miles away...

 

 

[fusionTX]

How good is the color-matching?

I'm wondering if a lack antenna would look better with my sterling gray car.

If the colors are not exact, I thinkI prefer the black contrast.

[GrySql]

How good is the color-matching?

I'm wondering if a lack antenna would look better with my sterling gray car.

If the colors are not exact, I thinkI prefer the black contrast.

The color is so close to the cars Tri-platinum white as to not be noticeable. I'm very happy with the overall workmanship.

I have to say that the shape and contours of the Sharkfin II gather light differently than the flat roof, therefore there are shadows or brighter hints on it than the roof.

I held it next to the FFH's door when I first received it because I too was wary, it looked the same as the door color and that was that.

 

Edit: It sounds like I'm selling these things but am not. I like mine, YMMV.

Edited April 10, 2013 by GrySql

[keithsm2]

I dont have one of these but in speaking to the alignment......I think if you pre cut some cardboard or something similar to the width of the offset you want from the window.......You could then line up the cardboard with the back window......maybe tape it down with some of the blue painters tape......then when ready to stick the antenna down...just line it up against the cardboard....this way youll be sure its square with window...... I guess you could also mark the center on the cardboard and antenna to make sure its centered before sticking it down.....

 

Hope that helps.

 

Keith