hookah

Hey guys, couldn't find too much on this subject. I ordered a black antenna and black mirror covers to make a little change on the C63. I am wondering if anyone knows whats involved with changing the antenna? Do I need to change the entire unit or can I just swap covers from the unit I purchased? any insight on how to accomplish this would be great, I will be doing this and the mirrors this weekend, also changing the mirror puddle lights to LED. Getting suntek tint this week as well. Will post pics once its done.

Vladds

My opinion is that the headliner has to come out. But I'm curios to know how this works for you and what type of shortcuts you find.

m a x i m u s

I have no idea, but I assume you will have a better sense once you have the new item in your hands. Are there any diagrams online somewhere? That could help you see how that top piece attaches.

Adi-Benz

Did your antenna not come gloss black stock?

Vladds

I can say that the antenna sells by paint code.
Also, from what I can tell the antenna doesn't sell in separate components, such as the gasket, but in one complete assembly.
Doesn't seem to be a fortune.
For my car that has the triple service : teleaid/gps/satellite radio, painted to correct color it's around $350.

I'd love for someone that has one in their garage that is defective, to remove the 3 screws in the base and post pictures.
Let's see if the plastic skin separates easy from the metal base and if all the electronics are in the metal base, or are they cast into the plastic top.
Also, by googling and not using the forum search function, I found in the forum a comprehensive thread that says that the roof antenna can come out.
You're supposed to remove the rear dome light and find under it a hole where the antenna screw shows.
Then you undo that and loosens antenna.
The antenna has 3 pigtails roughly 1 foot long terminated with connectors.
Supposedly, if you pull on the antenna you may rip the cables.
Also supposedly if you replace the antenna, radio may not sound as soon as before.
Which leads me to believe that the placement of the pigtails inside the top of the headliner may be important. Maybe they have to. E positioned away from each other.
So, in that thread someone replaced the antenna without removing the headliner and someone else removed or loosened the rear headliner only.
I'm interested in replacing the skin of my antenna, so in my case, if the skin comes off and doesn't house any of the electronics, I would loosen the antenna, flip it, remove the base 3 screws and hopefully take the skin off.

Again, if anybody could show a pic of the antenna disassembled, that would be great.

chrisridebike8

It might just be easier to wrap the antenna black.

Mort

My car is Palladium and the antenna cover is black. Not sure why some are some are not?

chrisridebike8

My car is black and my antenna cover is black it's weird that MB didn't match everything. I think I have seen a lot of cars with black gutter trim as well. and my door handles are metallic black (for hiding scratches I heard).

hookah

I thought only 507's came with black mirrors and antenna? I am waiting to get the antenna I got off ebay. I unfortunately didn't realize each antenna is different depending on options such as GPS. Mina has all options so if the black cover is not removable I will return it and like just have my body shop try to paint it. I will report back once I get the part. I just really am hoping I don't have to remove the headliner.

Amr_c63

Adi-Benz

well thats wrong

my antenna and gutter trim is gloss black.

OP, I would buy a cheap stick on antenna cover for like $10. Does the same job, no point in swapping it out.
Very difficult, pulling parts from under headliner, etc.

skullbox15

Mine is a 2014 in Polar white and has a gloss black one already. I agree, it would be wayyy easier just to wrap or plasti-dip it.

hookah

I'm still waiting to get the part in my hand. Then I will assess if its worth it, or I may just pay my bodyshop to do it if its not too much money. If I break something I will be pissed at myself lol.

hookah

Can they wrap something like that? I don't think plastidip would look factory gloss would it?

skullbox15

I just used something similar called Superwrap on my wheels and it turned out pretty well:

https://getsuperwrap.com/

Remember, it's on the roof, so most people won't see it up close.

hookah

Vladds

Please post pictures, so that we can see the construction of this thing, when you get it.

Adi-Benz

You say that until you put it back and it rattles

Vladds

Today I took out the rear dome light. In my sedan I cannot see the bottom of the screw of the antenna.
Even worse, trying to look for the screw towards the rear window, right at the rear edge of the opening of the dome light, begins the rear roof reinforcement bar. It looks like the rear roof reinforcement bar covers the bottom of the antenna.
So maybe reaching the antenna mounting screw through the opening for the rear dome light is only for the coupes?

604 C63

The guy that wrapped my roof panel told me that he has done this job, and the headliner had to come out. Says its a nightmare lol. This is why he did a slick little trim wrap around the bottom of the fin, vs loosening fin and tucking it all under. Hes a pretty seasoned guy, I've yet to see him be wrong.

hookah

Vladds

With this good piece of news, I will make another attempt to find the bottom of the antenna. I'm going to try to scope it and hopefully post a picture.
I think that the antenna sits on a clip which is fastened with the screw.
So tightening the screw spreads the clip and tightens the antenna.
So, loosening the screw can allow the clip to slide up and out.
This is the only way that I can think of, where that screw can do anything, because if it's offset from the domelight opening, if you loosen it, it will just drop into the headliner and conversely, there would be no way to get it started on the threads when you try to mount the antenna, through the domelight opening.
I found now a second thread on the W204 forum where people say the screw is accessed through the domelight opening.

Vladds

So, do this:
Take some light out
Move front seats up
Reach with your hand, palm up
You will be able to touch the bottom of the screw. The reinforcement has a big opening for the cables and screw.

Now, I need you to check with your replacement antenna and tell me what size Torx this is, so I can put a tool together, I'll post what I came up with.

Vladds

It's a T20. I used one from a Husky set from Home Depot, L shaped.
I was able to loosen the antenna.
The screw must come out for the antenna to tilt somewhat, to be able to see the underside.
There was a lot of dirt under the antenna, I managed to clean it.
When the antenna let go, it seemed to come out gradually, like if it had silicone, but unfortunately it's dark and I'm tired, so couldn't tell whether there was silicone under, or over the gasket.
However, I just used windex to clean under the antenna and there was no silicone residue.Must have been the compressed rubber gasket releasing gradually.
Getting that screw back into the threads, through the domelight opening and getting it to catch on the threads took good 15 minutes.
I checked the antenna, seems like the radio and the GPS work just fine.
It seems like one of the connectors is within 3 inches of the antenna. Can't tell where the second is.
Once the antenna is tilting loose, I can see how you have to work with a lot of care, to avoid yanking the cables. But it doesn't seem to be that difficult.
For me it probably will be a matter of doing one screw at the time, then a 5 minute break, so that I don't get impatient and start pulling to make myself more room.

hookah