Adventure gone wrong

[SubwaySurfer39]

Snapped my mom’s cars antenna mast recently and now her car radio is dead, carpllay keeps glitching, and the compass just says CAL. Dealer quoted me $3000 to fix it, which feels way too high. I already bought a new antenna base and mast, but can’t find any good guides or videos on how to replace it. Has anyone done this before? Do I need anything else, or can I just swap the parts?Appreciate any help, thanks!

 

[gettinfreaky]

Haven't done myself, but considering the position I doubt it's going to be a tough job. You'll need to remove the plastic tabs for the headliner from the trunk to get access to the connector and bolt holding the antenna. Disconnect the connector unscrew the bolt and remove the old antenna. Installing the new one is just the reversed process.

One thing to remember, tighten the new antenna well and make sure the rubber seal or whatever it has on the bottom is not damaged. This is so that water doesn't leak in. For the plastic tabs, use one of those prying tools so that you don't damage them. Finally, check the new antenna before you put everything back in. just plug it and see if it works and them put everything back together and tighten it.

Should be a strighforward job, I think

 

[Carzz]

What exactly did the dealer say needed replacing for $3000, just the antenna components, or did they claim the whole module, wiring, or roof electronics were damaged too?

 

[Trailblazer.2x]

Sounds like the antenna affects more than just radio...GPS and systems like carplay too, replacing the mast and base is good, but you may need a system reset or reprogramming afterward and swapping parts yourself is doable if you're careful, then maybe just pay a shop for the programming to save on costs.

 

[PWilson_]

Snapped my mom's cars antenna mast recently and now her car radio is dead, carpllay keeps glitching, and the compass just says CAL. Dealer quoted me $3000 to fix it, which feels way too high. I already bought a new antenna base and mast, but can't find any good guides or videos on how to replace it. Has anyone done this before? Do I need anything else, or can I just swap the parts?Appreciate any help, thanks!

Oof, that's rough. @Trailblazer.2x is right, the antenna base on the Trailblazer is also for the SiriusXM, the radio, and the GPS receiver for the navigation and compass. That's likely why everything is freaking out and why the dealer gave you that insane price tag.. Replacing it isn't too bad, but it can be a bit of a pain. You'll have to drop the headliner a bit to get to the nuts holding the base on. You'll want to be super careful not to crease the headliner. There's a single nut holding it on, and then a couple of wiring harnesses to disconnect. The new base should just plug right back in. Once you have the new base installed, you'll probably need to do a compass calibration. The owner's manual should have the steps for that. If you feel confident, you could try that before taking it back to the dealer. Good luck!