I do take it through when necessary and I still cringe, but it comes out unscathed. It tends to get wrapped around the brushes and then springs back. If you have the touchfree version - that might be better.

Khaki matches the dirt out here, so we don't have as much an issue

 

I have a white one. With the dirt you could almost call it black.

 

Though I haven't taken mine through yet in my previous Jeeps I took it off and put it back on after getting out.

Rich

 

I take my silver Patriot through all the time with no issues. Silver is definitely the best color to hide the dirt...

 

washing your Jeep by hand is rewarding, because you can see where you've been and how far you've travelled.


... there's that sand from the beach a month ago...

.... there's the bark from that log I drove over....

 

...there's those guts from the rabbit I ran over !

 

...damn that's a lot of snow packed in under the skid plates...

 

I have taken mine through the touchless carwash several times. I have not had any problems with the antenna. However, that is the ONLY time that mine leaks a tiny little bit through the front of the sunroof.

 

I was wondering the same thing. I was going to take mine though a touchless carwash, but the dryer (the robotic arm type) hovers about 2" away from the vehicle, and it would bend the antenna all the way back....so I decided not to do it. I ended up hand washing in my driveway with a -28c windchill....brrrrr... I had a nice skating rink after i finished.

 

I just unscrew my antenna.

I go to a carwash where they detail the inside for you as well. So I pull the antenna off before handing the car over. By the time I get it back, the person that has taken care of the inside of the vehicle has put the antenna back in place for me.

I did forget to unscrew it once and cringed the entire time. No damage, though.

But I try not to forget.

 

As I don't have the pleasure of looking at this on my own vehicle, where is the antenna located? Is it a stationery mast, or does it retract with the radio's power on? During my test drive, I didn't have the radio on, and don't recall seeing an antenna.

Someone enlighten me, please! Thnx!

 

Its an old fashioned silver looking one (at least on the 07s) on right front fender. Its the screw in kind that is one piece and springs back.

 

That's weird mine has a small antenna at the rear of the back of the roof.

 

Another example of the North American market missing out on cool features available in ex-U.S. markets. [sigh]

 

I decided to hand wash my Patriot because the carwash brushes did a lot of scratches on the paint. Has anyone with steel blue noticed the same?

 

yes. seems the steel blue color is delicate. super easy to scratch.

 

All car washes do this to all cars. In order to clean a car and minimise the damage done to the clear coat you really should be using a Lambswool wash mitt and two buckets of car wash. Then hose it off once you have washed it and use a couple of microfiber cloths to dry it.

After that you can either clay the vehicle or, wax/polish/seal the paint. Ultimately you will get swirls in the paintwork but this method will reduce it. You could always go one step further and PC the car to reduce the swirls in the paint.

 

Thanks for your comment Ash...
BTW, how often one must apply wax/polish to the pat? Should I do it by myself or better take it to a shop?
Thanks.

 

I always do it myself. After washing and drying the car I usually wax the car with some Meguiars NXT Tech Wax. Or if I'm feeling really adventurous I use some AutoGlym Super Resin Polish, and AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection to finish off.

You don't have to do it every wash but it's entirely up to you how frequently you decide to do it.

 

I take the antenna off when I take my car through the automatic wash. I just finger tighten it. Hasn't come off yet.

Mine seems to be holding up fine in the automatic wash. I do use the touchfree one when I can, but not always.

 

Anyone any idea of where I can hire a Patriot in Washington? I'm flying in to Dulles in early April from the United Kingdom - any help appreciated

 

I keep a small adjustable wrench in the glove compartment and just remove the antenna before running the car through a car wash, but I don't go through very much. If I have it washed four times a year that's a lot. The rest of the time. I do it myself.

 

Has anyone attempted to replace the mast antenna (on the RH front fender) with a power retractable unit? Is there sufficient space in that area? I believe a past thread showed what was behind the fender. Does the base (or upgraded) radios even have the antenna power output?

Another antenna question: This has to do with the NAV antenna--understand that it lives on the top of the dash just behind the glass. Has anyone with factory nav had any problem losing the satellites, when they were behind you? My sandbag mounted Garmin has problems in that area, as the antenna is shielded by the roof when it is on the dash. Adding an external antenna just over the windshild on the roof seems to have fixed that and I use this remote antenna when we travel and use a rental car.

Inquiring minds need to know!

 

I've come to hate that antenna. It is so close to the front windshield, that it is always getting in my way when I scrape the windows to clear the ice off. More often than not I accidentally bend it down, only to have it come flying back and whipping me

 

I've replaced my front fender one with a short black wound wire (wire wrapping up on the outside just like the original one) one from an auto parts store a long time ago (cost less than $10.00). And it seems to work as well as the original.

 

I love quoting myself - but the fact is that I broke one of those antennas trying to negotiate a tight garage where I leaned on it.
So I can't guarantee a car wash proof situation.

But they have a wide base and you can screw them on and off with your fingers.

 

keep mine on no problem, yeah it bends but that is what it is supposed to do. only thing is that it seems to get loosened by the brushes and I have to tighten it.

( I am replying to the first post, sorry..........)

 

When unscrewing the antenna- dont force it!- I may have had a defective antenna, but the first time I unscrewed it to take it to the car wash the bolt snapped off in the housing. Took several hours of work to replace the housing, which is not easy to get to.

But, the antennas are surprisingly tough- I couldnt cut or bend the broken one to fit in the garbage, but I still take it off when going through the wash so it dosent hit the paint.

 

I remove mine each time I go thru an automated wash system. I always use the brush type as I'm off road quite a bit, especially this time of year, and the touch less doesn't get the job done. I lost an antenna to the brushes once on my 02 Liberty and have removed ever since.