Should I get a shark fin antenna?

I've never read a post from anyone complaining of condensation causing paint damage because of a Shark Fin Antenna. Besides, once you get one, it's usually a pretty permanent situation. When or why would you ever remove it to see if there even was any damage? Once it's on your vehicle...that's your antenna. Seems to me like worrying about condensation damage underneath the Shark Fin is akin to worrying whether the light goes out when you close the refrigerator door.
You're never really going to know....so just let it go.

You can use search, and I would, but I'm pretty sure there are those with solar roof that have gotten Shark Fins.

 

No such issue. Visual Garage (the PC shop one) makes a SR-compatible version and you specify it when ordering. Beat Sonic isn't compatible and will protrude onto the solar roof.

 

As long as you are buying one of the bigger names (Visual Garage/Beat Sonic) and not some cheap E-Bay knock off, I'd think you are pretty safe. Look at it this way, a lot of high end vehicles come automatically with shark fins, I have literally never read any post from anyone that admitted to the presence of a Shark Fin antenna causing any long term damage, original equipment or aftermarket.


Your bare roof is exposed to condensation/rain and other elements. I really think the risk you are outlining is minimum. You're not removing the paint underneath the shark fin, so the protective and repellant properties of the paint and clear coat should remain. In fact, I would think being sealed underneath the antenna would potentially protect and extend the protective qualities of that small area.

Could I be wrong? Yeah. I don't have a Shark Fin, even though I think they look better and have considered getting one for months.

If ANYONE has a story of this being an issue, I'd be just as interested in hearing it as you. But I have to evaluate the risk as being almost non-existent.

 

I was thinking of getting one as well. My question is, do I need a specific type since I have navigation? Such that, its not just an am/fm receiver but also receives gps ? or is all my gps info built into the brain and nthe antennae is totally separate ?

 

No, the shark fin goes over the XM base and connects to/replaces the AM/FM whip part.

 

i have a fin (i guess it was visual garage because I bought it from here) and I love it. I was worried about it being too fat or affecting reception, but they are very well made and worth every cent. The main reason I got mine is I was getting tired of removing the whip antenna when bringing my car to the car wash. Not and issue anymore

 

Oh okay great. So I get the fin antennae (one that actually works as i keep finding these "Decorative" fins that dont actually do anything). And then Gps has nothing to do with it ... awesome!

Still dont get why someone would put a fake fin antennae ? lmao.

 

We bought our first shark fin when we got our 2008 Touring Prius, which we just traded in for our new 2013 Prius. LOOKS:
The regular antenna on Prius cars always looks so odd to my eyes, like a German Kaiser helmut really. The fin, on the other hand, looks sleek and really emphasizes the modern clean lines of a Prius.
RUST or other damage concerns:
I can only tell you we had zero issues over the years.
PERFORMANCE:
We noticed zero decrease in reception compared to what came stock. It was outstanding in all ways.
We hope you enjoy yours as much as we did... and still do with our new one.

 

First time we put one on was our '08 and it just fit right over the base one you unscrewed the ant.
On our '13, our detailing shop just put in on for us, no charge, before they did the winter/first multilayer wax on our new black Prius. It is REALLY easy, if you follow instructions - that come with. NOTE: we bought ours from priuschat's own storefront. There are lots of cheap knockoffs and you have to watch out for those. They don't work as well for reception, and the paint finish doesn't hold up I'm told... one very important thing - as the instructions indicate, don't put it on over wax. Use the cleaner first... you'll see when it arrives w/instructions. You'll love it!

 

I've had mine to about two year, now.

I've had absolutely no problems.

I've heard of others who have had the OEM antenna damaged in a car wash or torn off by the bottom of a garage door.

If you damage the base, where there is a circuit board within the housing of the OEM antenna, you are looking at hundreds of dollars for a replacement and hours of installation labor costs. The entire headliner has to come out as well as many panels to replace the wire lead to the control head under the dash.

The shark fin was a NO BRAINER.

 

They are made and painted in Canada by the Visual Garage Inc. Mine was shipped to me by Priority Mail. Each one is custom painted when ordered. So, there will be a wait. Mine was two weeks.

A check of their web site reveals that they are upgrading to sell an NEWER updated version.

http://www.visualgarage.com/

So, they may are VERY busy and may be preparing the NEWER version for you.

It might be worth the wait.

In January 2013, Canadian Post, as well as the US Mail doubled the international shipping rates. On that consequence, the company is making a once a week trip across the border to the US to ship. That's to our benefit, since it keeps the price lower.

 

I'd contact Visual Garage, directly. Their email is on their web site.