Satellite antenna inside spoiler

Following in the footsteps of others, here's a pictorial of my installation of a Sirius antenna inside rear spoiler.
The idea is to hide the antenna inside the spoiler, behind the center brake light. Since the spoiler is plastic it won't interfere with signal reception.





Remove brake light by simply removing the two screws



After you remove the light, you will see where the stock hole is for the brake light wire. Cut a small hole, just to left of that one, in the center of the spoiler, that you can fit the antenna into. The antenna must be a small or micro satellite antenna. The one that came with the SC-C1 worked fine.

The tools I used to make hole were a drill, dremel with diamond cutting bit and a hobby knife. I used a sharpee to draw a proper sized retangle on the surface, the drill to get a starter hole, and dremel to do cut-out, and hobby knife to clean it up.





Remove all trim panels inside hatch interior. They all pull off, but the large hatch panel is tough to get started and a panel removal tool might make it easier to get the snaps to pop loose. If snaps get left in hatch frame, after panel is detached, remove them and fit them back onto interior panel. Everything else pulls off easily, but the side columns leave there clips in the hatch and I suggest you pull them out and reattach the clips to the column trim panels before re-installing panels. Otherwise you may push the clips through their holes to be lost into hatch frame. They can be retrieved, but it wouldn't be easy.





Fish antenna wire through the cut hole to the interior of hatch and around hatch frame to the hole on left where rear washer tube is , through the left boot, and into interior headliner of car, so that the wire can be routed down passenger side door frame lower trim to front of car where tuner will be.

I used a zip-tie to fish from one side of spoiler to other





Now route wire around hatch frame, taping it to hold wire secure, to botton where you'll fish it through the flexible boot that leads inside the car.......
it's easier if you pull the rubber boot off the plastic frame.
(There that zip tie again)






At this point the headliner must be dropped a little to route wire in interior. Pop the three snaps holding headliner in the rear




When you are ready to re-attach rubber boot it is easier to pop plastic frame ovals from hatch with a screwdriver, wrap boot back around them, and then snap back into place. Wrapping the rubber boot with then in place is almost impossible.









Now it's time to route the antenna wire inside headline, over side curtain airbag, and down passenger side door frame. None of the interior panels need be remove, just the rubber weather molding at top of hatch and corner/back of passenger door. You can just tuck the wire around and behind the trim panels.

From hatch looking toward door, and over side curtain airbag



From door corner looking back





Wire being rounted under passenger side lower trim



And finally to from right kick panel, where it's within easy reach of glove box area, where satellite tuner will reside.



Sirius Antenna supported from below and resting in place inside spoiler



And hole sealed up with duct tape



And light back in place, job done





Hope this helps anyone who's considering hiding a satellite antenna

 

This is the pic of the actual antenna, it's sitting on top of a velcro and foam support. The bottom of the antenna's magnetic base is really all that is visible. Others have used just an adhesive velcro strip on the antenna bottom and inside spoiler. I elevated mine from below to get it closer to the top of the spoiler interior.

 

Overall reception is acceptable. I do get brief cutouts going under bridges and tree-lined road ways, but it's random. I have given consideration to moving the antenna to the roof. The inside-spoiler is just a cosmetic thing.

That is often a typical place dealers will put the antenna, and it most always results in poor reception. I would not do it. It's considered a poor installation.

Gotta remember, there's about 30 nav satellites to choose from, and only one radio satellite. The sat radio antenna needs a better view of the sky.