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Drilling into "nicer" cars

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LIScanner101

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OK, I know many of you out there have Crown Vics and trucks that you have no qualms about drilling holes into. I have a 1996 Ford F250HD 8’ bed pickup that has a permanent NMO in the middle of the roof I installed in the about 12 years ago and I had only a moderate amount of hesitation of doing it because, well, it’s a pickup truck and it's been on the beach more times than I can count. However, I have a Cadillac CTS-4 I bought only a couple years ago, it's my "baby" :D and as much as I would love to get all the benefits of a drilled NMO I just cannot bring myself to doing it! To be specific, it couldn’t be in the roof anyway, because it’s got one of those front-to-back sunroofs that leaves very little metal on top. What I was thinking about was drilling in the trunk.
I hear that drilling into a vehicle – when done professionally – will only have a very minor impact on the resale value of a vehicle but does this apply to ALL cars? Anybody else out there that wants to drill but cringes at the thought? Will it really kill my resale value if I do it?
 
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902

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OK, I know many of you out there have Crown Vics and trucks that you have no qualms about drilling holes into. I have a 1996 Ford F250HD 8’ bed pickup that has a permanent NMO in the middle of the roof I installed in the about 12 years ago and I had only a moderate amount of hesitation of doing it because, well, it’s a pickup truck and it's been on the beach more times than I can count. However, I have a Cadillac CTS-4 I bought only a couple years ago, it's my "baby" :D and as much as I would love to get all the benefits of a drilled NMO I just cannot bring myself to doing it! To be specific, it couldn’t be in the roof anyway, because it’s got one of those front-to-back sunroofs that leaves very little metal on top. What I was thinking about was drilling in the trunk.
I hear that drilling into a vehicle – when done professionally – will only have a very minor impact on the resale value of a vehicle but does this apply to ALL cars? Anybody else out there that wants to drill but cringes at the thought? Will it really kill my resale value if I do it?
Even now, there are many CVPI resellers who will civilianize the vehicle by professionally filling in the antenna holes and repainting the work, making the vehicle look as close to pre-service as possible. That's what you'd have to do if you were to sell your Cadooo. When that's done right, you won't be able to tell. Really, it will leave less of a mark than screw marks from trunk lip mounts or potential scratches from magnetic mounts.

Maybe the bigger question you should be asking yourself is TIME. How long are you intending to keep that car until you decide to sell it? If you're not going to sell it anytime soon, you might as well knock a hole in it. Depreciation seems to be logarithmic. After a while it doesn't matter if you have a patched hole or not. If you are going to flip it within 2 years or so, why bother? Just use one of the convenience mounts (magnet/lip/L-bracket). With an L-bracket, you just seal it with colored RTV and you're good to go.
 

rescue161

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I don't condone the use of magnetic mount antennas, but there comes a time when you shouldn't drill a hole. That point is reached only by the person who owns the car. I drilled a hole in my Honda Accord and several in my truck, but I'd draw the line in a vehicle that costs as much as a Caddy. I'd never drill a hole in a Ferrari or any other expensive car.

Now that that's out of the way, if you do decide to drill, just replace the antenna with a GPS / pancake style antenna when you intend to sell. It's cheaper than body work.

On the other hand, if you decide to not drill, you should invest in some screen protector material and cut it just larger than the mag-mount. Now stick that material directly on your CLEAN car. Then, just place the magnet on that area. Then when you go to sell the car, you just remove the material and there won't be any scratches. As a matter of fact, it may even look better in that area than the rest of the car.

I cannot take credit for this idea. I read it in another post and thought it was an excellent idea.
 

mmckenna

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I've done it. Mounted it up front of the sun roof. Brand new one at that.

My wife had a brand new Pontiac G6 and I put a GMRS radio in it for her. Used a glass mount UHF antenna and it worked fine.

On the other hand, one thing you can do when you sell it is:
Install an NMO cellular type antenna. Tell people they can hook up their cell phone to it for "more bars". This has worked for me in the past.
We've also put some 3/4 inch hole plugs in them too. Did that on a few small pickups. Got some spray paint that was the same color and painted them to match. Turned them into the dealer and they didn't care.
 

rescue161

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Used a glass mount UHF antenna and it worked fine.

That's all we use at work on all of the installs for radios. They do work fine as long as the infrastructure you are using supports it. In other words, if your system has awesome coverage, then a glass mount would be the ticket.
 

mrstangblb

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On the other hand, if you decide to not drill, you should invest in some screen protector material and cut it just larger than the mag-mount. Now stick that material directly on your CLEAN car. Then, just place the magnet on that area. Then when you go to sell the car, you just remove the material and there won't be any scratches. As a matter of fact, it may even look better in that area than the rest of the car.

I cannot take credit for this idea. I read it in another post and thought it was an excellent idea.

Great idea. I got in on an Amazon deal the other day that I paid 45 cents shipped for Samsung S4 screen protectors. Now I have a great use for them!

------------

Barry

Jeremiah 29:11-13 / John 3:16
 

wx5uif

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I've done it. Mounted it up front of the sun roof. Brand new one at that.

My wife had a brand new Pontiac G6 and I put a GMRS radio in it for her. Used a glass mount UHF antenna and it worked fine.

On the other hand, one thing you can do when you sell it is:
Install an NMO cellular type antenna. Tell people they can hook up their cell phone to it for "more bars". This has worked for me in the past.
We've also put some 3/4 inch hole plugs in them too. Did that on a few small pickups. Got some spray paint that was the same color and painted them to match. Turned them into the dealer and they didn't care.

I had 4 holes in one of my old trucks. Dealer didn't care, said it was a non issue.
 

mmckenna

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I had 4 holes in one of my old trucks. Dealer didn't care, said it was a non issue.

Yep, never had an issue with it either. Most of them don't look at the car, or don't really care. A lot of the cars/trucks we traded in end up getting auctioned off and end up getting shipped off to a different area. Dealers don't care because they don't have to sell them.

I understand it's hard for some people to do it, but some of the excuses for not doing a proper job are kind of stretching it.
 

bear780ks

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Good Antenna's Great Mounts..

LIScanner101

Give NCG Company a Look they have all kinds of Mounts for all Makes of Vehicles). The place i get my scanner Equipment he is a NCG and Comet Dealer and one Day i was there a Ham operator had his Cadillac setting there in the parking Lott and he had two of the Them mounts on the Car they Looked really Good on his Car and he said even the location he had them setting @ they did well at Transmitting and Receiving.. Ra


Here is there Info: NCG Companies:...
Chino CA
1 (800) 962-2611
1 (909) 393-6133

NCG Company::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 
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LtDoc

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If a dealer balks on a trade in because of an antenna on it, go to a different dealer. You're being taken for a ride anyway. Antenna holes are not a biggy unless they are done really badly or there's a bunch of them. Filling those holes with a cell/GPS antenna is certainly an alternative too.
- 'Doc
 

KZ9G

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Properly capped antenna holes are a non issue. The dealer will not even look twice at them.
 

LIScanner101

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Ok, thanks for the replies folks. I am getting a little closer to taking the plunge.

However, I may have run into a snag:

I noticed that there is a sort of "ridge" running along the centerline of the trunk lid. It's very slight, but it's definitely there. My concern now is that even if I do go ahead with this will this ridge prevent the NMO from sitting flat or, worse, prevent the O-ring from making a good, waterproof seal?
 

mmckenna

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Probably. The mount tightens down with the o-ring between the mount and the outside of the body. and would likely result in a compromised seal. I wouldn't mount it in that location.
 

W2NJS

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If you do a search on this board for this subject you'll find literally hundreds of posts and you'll come away with the impression that it's purely a matter of personal choice and it doesn't mean anything when you to to trade or sell the car. One particularly neat, non-hole way to do it is to use a small, black, NMO lip mount on the trunk near the rear window on the right or left side. No hole and near total invisibility of the antenna to all the non-techies who don't know a mobile antenna from their morning toast.
 

rapidcharger

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Since going digital, I just use a portable with rubber duck antenna while in the car. In-vehicle radio installs are a thing of the past for me now and I'm not looking back. It looks like you have a few DMR repeaters in your area.
I would disagree about capped antenna holes not having any impact on resale value. Especially if you go to trade it in, they're going to go over that car with a fine tooth comb and deduct dollars for every little thing they see.
 

zz0468

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The current vehicle is a 4wd SUV in the $40K class, and it received a half dozen NMO mounts on the roof, and a ball mount on the first weekend I had it home. Same with the previous vehicle. I've drilled multiple holes in every car I've owned since I was in high school. I have never had any dealer even mention the holes. Generally, what I do is just leave the mount in, and put something like an 800 or UHF spike on. Ball mounts get a CB whip. In a 4wd vehicle, that could be a selling point.

In negotiating with dealers, if a dealer starts to steer the terms in a direction you don't like, you just take your keys, thank him for his time, and walk. They usually back down before you get to the door. Depending on the make, model, age, and condition of the car, many go to an auction house where the buyers really don't care about the antenna mounts.

The story might be different in "luxury" cars where image is more important than functionality. I wouldn't go drilling holes in a Lamborghini or Ferrari, for example.
 

mmckenna

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Right. Don't let a dealer do that to you. Don't ever put them in a position of control. They'll walk all over you and look for reasons to deduct from the value. You should have walked at that point.

I've turned in a lot of vehicles with NMO mounts, some with up to two, I've never had them deduct anything from the cost. I went into the deal with the trade in price secured ahead of time. You never wait until you've selected a car off the lot and made the deal before negotiating the trade in value. When you do that, you are basically giving the carte blanche to make up whatever profit they lost on the new car deal by devaluing your trade in.

I have had family members with leased cars. We put NMO's on them and had no issue at all when it was time to turn them in.

Don't ever give a car dealer that much control over the situation. Remember, you are the one that has what they want: your money. If you go into the deal with the opposite perspective, that they have the car that you want, you've already lost. Always be ready to walk and go to a different dealer, and don't be afraid to tell them that.
 

LIScanner101

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Probably. The mount tightens down with the o-ring between the mount and the outside of the body. and would likely result in a compromised seal. I wouldn't mount it in that location.


Then that seals it. I will not drill any holes in the trunk other than dead-center near the trunk edge (close to the rear window). Putting the hole off-center will look horrible.

I think I've made my decision - no holes for me on this car :(

I'll go with an edge-mount or trunk-lip mount. I know magmounts are bad for paint, it ruined the roof on my 2003 Honda Accord.
 

LIScanner101

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The current vehicle is a 4wd SUV in the $40K class, and it received a half dozen NMO mounts on the roof, and a ball mount on the first weekend I had it home.

Generally I believe SUVs and 4x4 vehicle can "get away" with add-ons because they are viewed as utilitarian and tend to be modified for off-roading, roof racks, hitches and, yes, NMO mounts. I just think it's harder to get away with that if you did the same thing to, say, an Acura, Lexus, BMW or Cadillac.
 
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