Batboard

Thought I would stir things up a little....


Reading through the threads, and talking to people, what is it with the huge reticence to make a permanent change to their vehicles?

I mean, they seem to let the car drive them, so to speak. You should be having vehicles that perform what you want them to do, and not have one that you are afraid of getting a ding or a screw hole in it because it might piss off a potential buyer or lessor.

I understand that sometimes the lease people will dock you hard for any modifications, but then there you are again: a vehicle that dictates to you, instead of one that does what you want it to do.

I can also understand a car owner looking inside a lot of public safety or ham installs, and seeing sloppy, extra holed, bent and broken stuff and turning pale. I agree with them - I wouldn't want my car to look like some radio installer changed their minds a dozen times, either.

But what about this? Go buy parts off a junker. Might cost a bunch, but if you are that worried, it's a route to go. Find your car in a junkyard, and get a replacement lower dash piece or face or console or whatever. Then, when time comes, you can take out the whacked out part and replace it with a fresh one that shows little to no wear or sun fade, because it has been sitting wrapped up in your shed or garage the past few years.


What do you all think? I think 99% of the time a mag mount implies a lack of committment (LOL)....


-Shawn

Fact is that leasing companies differ a lot in their approach to the question of
"what you did to the car when you had it." I turned in three PH&H cars years
ago and each one had a 3/4 inch hole in the trunk from the NMO mount I had
installed. However, each hole was filled with a nice 3/4 inch rubber plug when
I went to turn in the car. OTOH, I had a Wells Fargo leased Pontiac 6000 that
I had personally leased with the company paying all the bills and I left the car
with the company when I left as the lease had six months to run. As you can
guess the company ran the car into the ground so WF came after me for what
they perceived they were due for repairs. I had to get a lawyer who got the
company to pay the entire bill but the lawyer cost me several hundred bucks.
Moral of the story: Cut one hole and you're probably okay; really mess up the
car and you're definitely in trouble.

Last car I traded in for a new car, I asked my sales guy about the 2 holes in the trunk from antennas. The sales dude said that if the car has over 65,000 miles, it goes immediately to the auction. Furthermore he said it would make NO difference in the trade-in price if my old car had antenna holes or not.

If you plan on keeping your car "till it drops dead", why not drill a few holes, carve up the dash a bit to make a radio or two fit. It's not going to make any diffierence when your car is towed to the bone yard.

If you have a leased car, your nuts if you drill holes or anything close to that.

Buy an SUV...

No one looks at the roof when you bring 'em in.

When I traded in my truck they test drove it with the console in, antennas on the roof, etc. they didn't say anything short of your going to put the stock console back in.

I ended up shipping them the stock console as they said they were willing to install it again.

That was the only concern he had.

My friends explorer got turned in with 4 holes in the roof, no plugs, just NMO's, and they didn't care either.

-Alex

Antenna mount on a leased car? Screw a cellular antenna on there before you turn it in, it's now a "feature"

Matter of fact, I just had a lease I was on come to end of term.

I wound up deciding to purchase a new car rather than lease for a variety of reasons, one of them being that I could feel free to punch holes in it as necessary. I'd never modify a leased vehicle.

Now, where did I put that 3/4" hole punch?

I say to each their own. You have to do what works right for you, and your vehicle. While I agree drilling holes is better I personally get very sick of seeing, "Nice install, next time drill holes", or "Man up and get the drill out" when people are showing off their ride. If people are having problems with a setup it is great suggestion that will no doubt improve their performance but it gets obnoxious when anyone with a lip or magnet mount posts some pictures.

A friend of mine had leased a car and only installed antennas on the trunk. When it came time to return the car, they wanted a disgusting amount of money because of the 'damage' to the trunk. It was cheaper for him to buy a 'new' trunk from a wrecker and put it on than it would be for him to pay the leasing company. So that might be an option to consider as well.

Things like that happen because people are too weak to tell some idiot dealer to F off and deal with it. The only people who perpetuate this idea not putting hole in vehicles are dealers trying to make money and or get you to loose money on the value of a trade in.

Anyone honest in either the body shop or vehicle sales business will tell you it doesn't make one bit of difference if a vehicle has holes in it when it comes to value and condition.

Apco25, you're absolutely right, but you're kind of like a fish in a barrel with a lease.

When I turned in the lease yesterday, the dealer had a big checklist from Chrysler Financial with a lot of little checkboxes in it for each and every kind of scratch, dent or ding that he might find on the vehicle, each with an associated price tag. HE certainly doesn't care if the vehicle is smashed up or not. He just turns the form in, and I get a bill from Chrysler Financial for any "damages". Any amount of yelling or screaming I'd do towards him probably isn't going to change that, although I might feel better.

Hey, it isn't my truck - I'm just renting it. I'm not allowed to modify it if I can't put it back the way it was.

That aside, I asked the dealer where the SUV was going to go. Right away, he says, "Oh, this'll go to auction." Did he get his ladder out and check the condition of the roof? No. Would a hole in the roof plugged up with a nice rubber cap influence the resale price? Of course not! Is it a money maker for the leasing company? Ya think?

Of course, Chrysler Financial also has a $300 "vehicle disposal fee" at lease end, which they gladly waive if you get another vehicle from them. Decide to get a Ford or whatever instead, and you're screwed. "Thanks so very much for being our customer! Please stand still while we slap you senseless."

Unless you really need or want to, don't lease. Buy yer own, and blissfully chop away! There's nothing quite so beautiful as a high quality custom install.

I still haven't found that hole punch yet.

but it gets obnoxious when anyone with a lip or magnet mount posts some pictures.

That's because, often times, you see people that compound problem upon problem with what I call "mag mount syndrome".

I am NOT saying that there can't be a professional job that includes the use of a magnetic mounted antenna. Or that people can't do what they want.

I am saying, however, that more often than not, a person who is going to nut up and pop a few holes generally does a better install job.

On the other hand, I can't count how many times I have seen antennas with crushed coax fed through a window, causing interior water leaks, and generally ran to something wedged in between the seats, or velcroed to a console.

Or the antenna dangling where it got knocked off.

Or a plethora of issues that generally arise from the use of a temporary antenna on a semipermanent issue.

Just an observation....

-Shawn

I have 2 leased pick up trucks where the lowband antennas are mounted on L brackets fastened to headache racks behind the cab. The performance of the radios have not been as good as they could, especially in areas where there should be no issues. With that being considered, the most recent leased crew cab has the antenna mounted right in the middle of the roof. No problems with how that radio works! The Maxrad lowband antennas (NMO) will always get mounted in the centre of the roof from now on, lease or no lease.

LG

In my case the wife has firmly ordered NO holes on her wagon, despite the minor hail damage. She "may" allow a glass mount, if she even lets me install a radio. When I get my car it will be drilled regardless of what it is. Even if for only 1 antenna.

I guess, as others have said, people do what they want to their personal vehicles. I few years back I bought a brand new F350 with a sticker price of $54,000 (it had everything from a moonroof, to a kitchen sink lol). The first thing I did when I drove it off the dealer lot, was to my radio installer and had a CDM1550 put in. Yes, he drilled a HOLE in the roof, and a few more HOLES in/around the dash for the radio to go. Didn't bother me in the least. To this day I LOVE the radio in my truck, and any new vehicle I get, will always have a mobile radio in it. On the other hand, I bought my truck, it is not a lease. When you lease a car/truck I would understand not wanting to permanently mount anything on/in it. Also, just so happens when I traded my old truck (also an F350), I had a GM300 mounted in it. I had it taken out before trading it in. The dealer did not even question the holes in the roof or dash.

Before buying my Yukon 3 years ago, I had a leased Ranger. I bought the extra "damage insurance" or whatever it's called because I knew I was going to be modifying. It only cost me a couple hundo. When it came time for turn in, no one said squat about the couple holes in the dash, above the RVM, the 2 plugged NMOs in the roof, and other various holes thruout the vehicle. They said it was going to auction anywyas, so not like it mattered.

As bad as people beat on their cars when they don't give a crap about them, I'm sure the companies appreciate a properly maintained/cleaned vehicle with a couple holes than one someone trashed.

I will always NMO mount when it's in my power to do so. Far less problems.