Should I remove the antenna before going through a carwash?

[Rebel Ranger]

I never had any issues with my factory one, but I did change it to a stubby model just for peace of mind. I really only listen to Sirius or music from my phone, so I wasn't worried about FM reception, so I don't even know if it affected it.

Sponsored

 

[Jmarler]

I go to a car wash that rolls you through and I don't have any issues. I don't remove mine.

 

[KJRR]

I go touchless with the Ranger but apparently my daughter took the Fusion through the brushes and antenna broke off. Granted, it's probably been through some 30 or so washes and after 11 years it finally gave it up.

 

[Trigganometry]

Out of caution I remove mine. First time I went through I left it on. The sounds I was hearing made me wonder if the whole mount got ripped off. It’s pretty simple really. A quick unscrew and it’s off. Car wash even has a sign not responsible for antenna damage.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Out of caution I remove mine. First time I went through I left it on. The sounds I was hearing made me wonder if the whole mount got ripped off. It’s pretty simple really. A quick unscrew and it’s off. Car wash even has a sign not responsible for antenna damage.

Hi Rick,

There is a car wash in the city of Detroit that is ancient car wash technology. This car wash can strip the exhaust off a car in the blink of an eye and rip off a roof antenna and is part of our test procedure until it is either remolded or torn down. It can also damage step bars and rock sliders.
It has rails to trap the tires and a chain to attach to the vehicle to "drag" it along.... Amazing it was still in business when I retired....

Best,
Phil

 

[OrangeStreak]

A head's up about antenna damage. The arm on my garage door opener will catch the antenna if I pull in directly underneath it. I line up the left crease in the hood with an A/C socket on the front wall of my garage when pulling in to prevent them from coming into alignment

 

[miken]

I replaced mine with one of these, got tired of the loud "boing" noise it made when it rubbed on my garage door.
https://www.cravenspeed.com/stubby-jr-antenna-for-2019-2022-ford-ranger/

Sponsored