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Ripped Off On-star Antenna & Base!!!!

yndio

yndio

Full Member
Joined
May 23, 2003
Messages
4,023
Location
Kansas City, Kansas
The idiots took off both the antenna and the base and I figure realized they didn't need it and just tossed them beside my truck. The problem is the part that connects to the base and the antenna has fallen into the section between the sheet metal and the insullation of the truck and I am having a h... of a time reattaching this thing. Since I don't actually have on-star service, can I just put a rubber bushing or something on the holes? I read on a couple of subjects that some people were getting water coming in through the visor...... this is why, bad onstar seal or completely missing base!! :-[ Any help any of you can throw my way will be appreciated.
 
No, I had my truck sitting out in front of my house. :7: I can't believe no one has posted on how I could fix this. Right now is is POURING here in KC and all I could figure out was to put a strip of black electrical tape for now.
 
Darn Dude, thats bad. My AV does not have OnStar so I can not look to see what the hole in the roof looks like to know what to tell you to do. For a temp solution using the tape is as good an idea as I could think of.

For a permanent solution I think I would take it to the dealer and have them fix it. If the antenna was ripped out you may have bare wires exposed in your roof. If they short out to the metal of the roof it could cause a fire. (I do not know if the OnStar antenna has a power feed or not)

If it was vandalism either use your insurance or pay it yourself if you do not want your premiums to go up. If it was vandalized in your driveway you may be able to use your home owners insurance.

The dealer will most likely have to remove the headliner in order to replace/repair the wiring harness. If you feel comfortable doing the repairs yourself, you could try it. Since the antenna is on the corner of the roof you would only need to pull down one side of the headliner in order to get to the harness. If wiring is not damaged you would only need to feed it back out of the hole and reattach it to the antenna. As for mounting the base to the roof, either purchase a new base and mount it like the original, or use an epoxy on the old one so that the hole will be sealed and waterproof.



Hope this helps,
Reidan
 
yndio said:
The idiots took off both the antenna and the base and I figure realized they didn't need it and just tossed them beside my truck. ?The problem is the part that connects to the base and the antenna has fallen into the section between the sheet metal and the insullation of the truck and I am having a h... of a time reattaching this thing. ?Since I don't actually have on-star service, can I just put a rubber bushing or something on the holes? I read on a couple of subjects that some people were getting water coming in through the visor...... this is why, bad onstar seal or completely missing base!! ?:-[ ?Any help any of you can throw my way will be appreciated.
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Its kinda hard to give you an answer on what your asking! You dont have any back ground on the situation, so no one knows the details of what happened. All you have to do is give a little detail here and you WILL get responses (y)
Frank
 
yndio said:
I can't believe no one has posted on how I could fix this.
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That could just mean that nobody has any experience with your problem, therefore they have no advice to offer.

Normally, the OnStar antenna is rather inert and requires no attention. I have heard reports of the little antenna shaft being unscrewed and stolen, but it is easy to simply screw a new one into place. This is the first time that I recall hearing that the entire base was removed.

Reidan said:
If they short out to the metal of the roof it could cause a fire. ?(I do not know if the OnStar antenna has a power feed or not)
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The OnStar antenna (the upright cellular phone portion) should not have any power. However, starting in the middle of the '02 model year, the GPS antenna was moved from the windshield into an enalarged OnStar antenna base. The GPS antenna is powered, but it is usually only 3 to 5 volts, and low enough current that a fire is unlikely.

Still, it is best to carefully check for damaged wires. I would even go so far as to remove the A pillar trim piece to make sure the wires are not torn where they attach to the pillar and head down to the dash.

-- SS
 
Not to sound paranoid, but they may have done that because they are planning on stealing your AV. OnStar may not be able to track the AV if the antenna is missing. Just food for thought.
 
That sure sounds scary.... it looks like they just screwed it off cleanly..... no wires seem to be cut, etc. I will try to take some pics tonight so you guys can see what I am talking about. I was able to wiggle the plastic piece under the roof and pull a little section of the roof down.... would I have to screw off the 3 screws to the visor to actually get to this thing? Anybody ever done something like this?
 
dayaaamnn,

dont let the water drip in for long!

a piece of duct tape, for a day or three

if you had to , for 5 bucks, you could use a thin piece of plastic, and some silicone sealer, keep it small and neat, ..but sealed!. cut the plastic, to overlap the hole..s
by half an inch,or,so

a month from now, you could peel it off, when you catch up.
 
I would have the hole welded shut! then some paint blended on the spot!
But that is just my opinion of On* ;)
 
Allright, fixed the da.. thing!!!!! Got a new base and loosened the plastic cover on the pillar and SLOWLY inched my right hand toward the part that fell in.... popped that up snapped the base in place and screwed in the antenna part VERY tight. I still was not sure if it would hold up against the rain so I bought some black liquid electrical tape (set me back $5) and painted it on where the antenna and the base meet as well as around the rubber part that meets the metal of the truck. Hopefully this will hold up well. Too bad no one else had this problem, but now if someone does they have something to go by.
 
yndio said:
Too bad no one else had this problem, but now if someone does they have something to go by.
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Actually, I'm glad to hear that nobody else had this problem. (y)

Of course, for you it's too bad... ;)

I'm glad that you got things resolved, and thanks for posting your solution. It should help the next person who is unfortunate enough to be in your position.

-- SS
 
>:DI actually had someone attempt to steal the on-star ant--we used locktite on the threads --not too much as it must make contact for the ant to work properly--can't get it off now.The system works fine and we have more peace of mind---not likely you will ever have to remove the ant anyhow!

Would not want to be without Onstar--been very helpfull over the last year.
 
black_magic said:
Not to sound paranoid, but they may have done that because they are planning on stealing your AV. OnStar may not be able to track the AV if the antenna is missing. Just food for thought.
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Onstar can not track the vehicle if the antenna is broken off. I was told this when I bought my AV.

Rick
 
UPS_er said:
Onstar can not track the vehicle if the antenna is broken off. I was told this when I bought my AV.
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This conflicts with what I had read in some printed material from OnStar. The transmitter is powerful enough (3 watts, as opposed to 1/2 watt on most handhelds) that it is often possible to make a connection without the antenna. But of course, it all depends on signal strength, cell tower placement, and buidings or other obstructions.

Even with the antenna, it is not guaranteed to get a good signal. However, without an antenna, it may still be possible to get a good enough signal to make a connection. While removing the antenna makes it less likely to get a good signal, it does not positively prevent getting a signal.

-- SS
 
Happy Holidays, I took my Avalanche in to get a car wash for Christmas and the black antenna base was ripped off.  I didn't notice till after I was home.  Later that night while on my way in to work I stopped by and the attentdent let me look through the carwash to see if it was still inside somewhere. 

IT WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND!!!  I was not happy.

I e-mailed ONStar and and got a quick responce the next day.  They just told me to bring the truck into the dealership so they could take a look at it.  No big surprise there.

Anyone know where I could get the plastic protector?  I'm not sure how it holds on the antenna.  I haven't taken a real close look at it yet.  I just don't want to take it in to the dealership and have them charge me an arm and a leg for a little installation. 

Sounds like it shouldn't be a huge problem, right?  What are your thoughts?


**Also, first time user of this website and let me say IT ROCKS!**
 
I would suggest getting the Carwash to pay for it. That is why they have liability insurance. Good luck and welcome to the Club. ;D
 
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