Ok well as you all probably know.. the shark fin antenna is one of the first things cosmetically to go. I did a quick DIY to refinish mine rather than buy a new one. The rubber on mine was all peeling and cracked.. it looked awful.
Things you need: About 20-30 minutes, Painters tape, medium sand paper, automotive grade FINE wet sand paper, a bucket of water, and elbow geese
Step 1: Peel away all the rubber on the antenna using any tool that works (I just used my fingers)
Now it will look really weird because of all the glue and mis-formed plastic underneath. I actually left mine this way for about a month because it looked better believe it or not than the cracked off rubber. The only down side to this fix is at the end the shark fin wont be completely flush against the roof like it was stock, because you remove all the rubber on the outside... so there is a small gap between the base of the antenna and the roof. You can hardly tell in person... and dont worry there are no leaks when it rains!
Step two: Once you remove all the rubber coating be sure to tape off the roof area all around the antenna with painters tape so you do scratch off your paint. If you are using a tool to pull the cracked rubber off it might be a good idea to tape off the area before step one.
Step 3: Using a medium to course grade sand paper, start sanding the shark fin. Try to use a common pattern so you do not create deep groves.. and be gentle.. its plastic.
Step 4: After smoothing down the antenna as much as possible with the heavy paper, switch to an automotive grade VERY FINE wet sand paper and begin sanding keeping all moments in one direction throughout the process. Make sure you have a bowl of water with you to keep the sand paper wet at all times, and all the particles off the paper. You want to try and keep all dirt and dust off the paper so you get a smooth finish.
Step 5: Rinse off the antenna, remove the tape, and admire how much better your saab looks than your neighbors.
(Please note in these final pictures I only had one side of the antenna completed, and had not finished the wet sanding to get grooves out.. because it started raining/snowing and I finished the next day)
Noow I know it doesn't look as nice as putting a new one on... but it looked 100% better than it was peeling and cracked. I hope this will help some of you that don't want to spend a lot of money or time installing a new one. Good luck! :cheesy:
Things you need: About 20-30 minutes, Painters tape, medium sand paper, automotive grade FINE wet sand paper, a bucket of water, and elbow geese
Step 1: Peel away all the rubber on the antenna using any tool that works (I just used my fingers)
Now it will look really weird because of all the glue and mis-formed plastic underneath. I actually left mine this way for about a month because it looked better believe it or not than the cracked off rubber. The only down side to this fix is at the end the shark fin wont be completely flush against the roof like it was stock, because you remove all the rubber on the outside... so there is a small gap between the base of the antenna and the roof. You can hardly tell in person... and dont worry there are no leaks when it rains!
Step two: Once you remove all the rubber coating be sure to tape off the roof area all around the antenna with painters tape so you do scratch off your paint. If you are using a tool to pull the cracked rubber off it might be a good idea to tape off the area before step one.
Step 3: Using a medium to course grade sand paper, start sanding the shark fin. Try to use a common pattern so you do not create deep groves.. and be gentle.. its plastic.
Step 4: After smoothing down the antenna as much as possible with the heavy paper, switch to an automotive grade VERY FINE wet sand paper and begin sanding keeping all moments in one direction throughout the process. Make sure you have a bowl of water with you to keep the sand paper wet at all times, and all the particles off the paper. You want to try and keep all dirt and dust off the paper so you get a smooth finish.
Step 5: Rinse off the antenna, remove the tape, and admire how much better your saab looks than your neighbors.
(Please note in these final pictures I only had one side of the antenna completed, and had not finished the wet sanding to get grooves out.. because it started raining/snowing and I finished the next day)
Noow I know it doesn't look as nice as putting a new one on... but it looked 100% better than it was peeling and cracked. I hope this will help some of you that don't want to spend a lot of money or time installing a new one. Good luck! :cheesy: