Greetings from Mercedessource. This month’s focus is on Antennas.
Note: If you'd like to stop receiving these emails, just click the unsubscribe link at the bottom and we will remove you from our customer list
Do you have an older Mercedes that is having power antenna issues? The older original Hirschmann antennas are no longer available new. But that should not stop you from having a working antenna. I have found that approximately 60 percent of these power antennas are repairable if you open them up and find they are not all corroded inside. Since they sit in the trunk corrosion can be a “killer” - especially if your trunk has been leaking and holding water! If you find a lot of corrosion inside then it is probably not repairable. Here is a list of my recommendations for maintaining, repairing or replacing your original power antennas.
1. If your antenna is working properly, keep the mast well lubed. Clean and apply the correct lubricant at least once a month. The special lube we offer keeps the antenna mast working smoothly and helps keep water out of the antenna. Yes, water can wick down the antenna mast and into the antenna motor housing. Here is a link to our lube kit. This comes with free video instructions: https://mercedessource.com/store/hirschmann-power-antenna-mast-cleaning-and-lubrication-kit
2. If you can hear your antenna motor running, but the mast is not going up and down, you may just need a new mast. These are easy to install yourself. This link will take you to the new mast parts we offer with instructions - on sale through April: https://mercedessource.com/store/search?keys=antenna%20mast
3. If your antenna is not running at all, you might want to open it up and see if you can fix it. My On Demand video will walk you through all the steps you can do yourself to test it and maybe get it working properly again. In some cases you may need parts and these parts can be pulled from other non working original Hirschmann antennas. Here is the link to this video which is 50 percent off through April. https://mercedessource.com/store/mercedes-later-power-antenna-inspection-removal-and-repair-demand-video
4. If you find your antenna is not repairable, then I recommend you consider installing a universal Hirschmann antenna. This will work on the W114, W115, W116, W123, W126, W201 and W124 chassis. All our universal antennas are on sale through the end of April: https://mercedessource.com/store/search?keys=universal%20antenna
Check out all our Sale items here: https://mercedessource.com/store/search?onsale[0]=1
If you any order over $125.00 excluding sale items now through the end of April (excluding sale items) you will receive $15.00 of when you enter the code SPRING15 at checkout.
Add to your driving pleasure. Keep that radio in your older Benz working for years to come!
Kent Bergsma