My 2012 Ford Explorer Limited with Shark Fin Antenna

[peterk9]

I went to the Visual Garage website, but was unable to pick Ford from the Make drop down. Which one should I buy? I have a White Plat Tri Coat. Same as your

http://www.visualgarage.com/Order.php

kalyanverma, I copied the answer from NY1PR2012's post above (01-31-2012);
"Yes, when it comes to Ford you will have to email them with the paint color code of your car and they will get back to you and explain how to proceed with the purchase."

Someone else had the same problem with the drop down list.

Peter

 

[kalyanverma]

Sorry, must have missed it in the long list of posts.
Thanks. I will email them.

 

[jeeden]

Can anyone comment further on radio reception? I am thinking a little about this mod so my cargo box can sit further back on the vehicle and be a little more aerodynamic, but I heard the reception was not as good?

 

[Blueflame16]

Can anyone comment further on radio reception? I am thinking a little about this mod so my cargo box can sit further back on the vehicle and be a little more aerodynamic, but I heard the reception was not as good?

I have no problem with my reception. Had the shark fin for about two weeks.

 

[kalyanverma]

Sent them an email with Color Code yesterday. Ordered today, can't wait to install!!!

 

[cnsheets]

Had mine for a few months with no reception problems, no NAV problems, and NO Sirius problems

 

[houtzb]

How tall is the shark fin? I'm curious if the factory cross bars will slide over it during install/uninstall.

 

[filzam]

How tall is the shark fin? I'm curious if the factory cross bars will slide over it during install/uninstall.

You shouldnt have any trouble at all. I installed my roof rails without having to touch the wired antenna, and I believe the fin installs directly over this.

 

[kalyanverma]

Just installed it on my 2012 LTD...Looks stunning and premium...

 

[Spengracin]

No problem, had mine since last September, works great, and my box does not hit r cover the fin.

 

[JCredo]

Once again, very nice car! I'm still trying to decide which of those DeeZee boards will look best on a sterling gray metallic. But I've been leaning towards the exact same ones you have. Are those the factory cross bars? Are they pretty quiet?

 

[Coronel]

I ordered my shark fin yesterday and this is the reply I got back:

Thank you for your email.

Our pre-released Mark II VG shark fin antenna is compatible with your 2013 Ford Explorer, but because the paint Kodiak Brown Metallic / J1 is new, we may have some delays in sourcing the paint.

Regards,
Visual Garage Inc.

 

[Coronel]

I replied back saying "I would like to place the order, do you have a guestimate on how long it would take to get the paint?" Got a reply back ten minutes later, here's the email:
Thanks for your message.

I just spoken to our paint shop and paint supplier and they currently don't have the color available but mentioned that it is being worked on. Best to check back with us in 3-4 weeks to see if we have more info available at that time as we don't want to keep you waiting too long after ordering!

Cheers,
Arthur


...guess I need to wait to place my order :-(

 

[cnsheets]

Best to wait to make sure they get the match correct with it being a new color. Mine is platinum white metallic, they did a great job matching it......

 

[peterk9]

I ordered my shark fin yesterday and this is the reply I got back:

Thank you for your email.

Our pre-released Mark II VG shark fin antenna is compatible with your 2013 Ford Explorer, but because the paint Kodiak Brown Metallic / J1 is new, we may have some delays in sourcing the paint.

Regards,
Visual Garage Inc.

Welcome to the Forum Coronel. :wavey:
That is not an unusual reply as it is a new color. I believe another member ordered one for which they also did not have the color and he had them send it with the prime coat applied and had it painted locally.
Unless you're in a rush, I would wait until they have the paint and get it finished by them.

Peter

 

[EKY]

Does anyone have feedback in regards to the sharkfin antenna and car washes? How has it held up in a carwash? Thanks for any information.

 

[midnght69]

I would like to know how the sharkfin holds up as well from the car wash. I like to keep my vehicles clean, and this looks like an awesome add on. I ordered a new 2013 Explorer Sport, and would love to put this on before it leaves the lot.

As for the illuminated sill plates, as far as I know, they are only available with an illuminated "SPORT" on the new 2013 Explorer Sport. This was one of the features that Ford added on the Sport to make it stand out, along with the blacked out headlights & taillights, and the Explorer badges on the front and back.

As a side note, does anyone happen to know what lightbulbs are in the 2013 Explorer XLT? I might want to replace mine in my Sport when it comes in with brighter, whiter HID bulbs. Any idea on which of these to get as well? I want extreme white bulbs for both the headlight and fog/driving lights.

 

[peterk9]

I would like to know how the sharkfin holds up as well from the car wash. I like to keep my vehicles clean, and this looks like an awesome add on. I ordered a new 2013 Explorer Sport, and would love to put this on before it leaves the lot.

As for the illuminated sill plates, as far as I know, they are only available with an illuminated "SPORT" on the new 2013 Explorer Sport. This was one of the features that Ford added on the Sport to make it stand out, along with the blacked out headlights & taillights, and the Explorer badges on the front and back.

As a side note, does anyone happen to know what lightbulbs are in the 2013 Explorer XLT? I might want to replace mine in my Sport when it comes in with brighter, whiter HID bulbs. Any idea on which of these to get as well? I want extreme white bulbs for both the headlight and fog/driving lights.

Welcome to the Forum midnght69.:wavey:
I wouldn't think that the shark fin antenna would have any problems with a car wash due to its design. There a few members who have installed them and are very happy with it.
As for the HID light conversion, you can't just buy bulbs, it's a little more complex than that. You will require the proper balast as well. I think you would want light temperature in the 4300K range for pure white. Not sure why you would want extreme white for the fog lights. I would think that would defeat their purpose. They are not driving lights.
I had the Philips Xtreme Power bulbs in my previous Highlanders and was very happy with them. They were not HID.

As for the illuminated sill plates, they are available as an accessory for the 2011 Explorer as well but not for the 2012 nor for the 2013 non Sport, I believe.

Peter

 

[midnght69]

Well, I ordered the shark fin antenna. That should be in soon. I'll update things once I get the actual vehicle to mount it on.

As for the headlights, I was thinking of trying to swap out my headlights on my new one to the HID lights, but since the new Sport is coming with the blacked out headlights and taillights, I just want to replace the bulbs with bright white bulbs, that are as close to the HID lights as possible.

The fog lights I want to be bright white as well, because I feel they are more of a driving light than a fog light, being that low. They help to whiten some of the darker areas of the road down low.

Jerry

 

[peterk9]

Well, I ordered the shark fin antenna. That should be in soon. I'll update things once I get the actual vehicle to mount it on.

As for the headlights, I was thinking of trying to swap out my headlights on my new one to the HID lights, but since the new Sport is coming with the blacked out headlights and taillights, I just want to replace the bulbs with bright white bulbs, that are as close to the HID lights as possible.

The fog lights I want to be bright white as well, because I feel they are more of a driving light than a fog light, being that low. They help to whiten some of the darker areas of the road down low.

Jerry

Jerry, foglights are supposed to be mounted low to reduce reflection in foggy conditions. They are not driving lights. Using brighter lights down there in conjunction with your headlights will make it harder for oncoming traffic to see properly at night. I live in a rural area and have never had a need to use fog lights at any time other than a few times in limited visibility. This applies to all 4 vehicles I've driven over the past 13 years. The headlights should be all you need. What the world doesn't need is more light pollution on its roads. In fact some jurisdictions prohibit the use of fog lights and headlights unless you are in a situation (fog) of limited visibility. Darkness does not count as one of the situations.

Peter