Mobile My new car has defeated me.

M0GVZ,
We have mics connecting to radios via bluetooth. Once we have radios connecting to antennas in that manner, your problem (and everyone else’s is over).

In the meantime, perhaps someone will have a solution for you. No one is more deserving given all the help you’ve provided others here.

There has to be a way to do it. I thought there should be a YouTube video and I think I found something. The way this guy routed the power wire from the battery, I don't like. But he shows the trim so hopefully it will give you some clues.

EDIT: oops wrong car

Agreed with that sentiment on contributions.

Body shops (vehicle accident) must be able to make repairs. That’s where I’d go next. With US cars of old, the Chassis Manual was a separate volume. Body work even in 1970 had quirks that only a schematic made clear.

The downside (even after some free advice) my be the cost of tools and attaching bits.

Handy Andy today wrote a post re this very problem (description) on Undertaker’s antenna thread (Wilson to Tune).

My concern (and likely yours) is in upsetting wire harnesses, sensors and the dreaded airbags.

K0BG has noted quite a few Amateurs elect to run cabling UNDER the chassis. Hold that as last resort.

I would in the meantime be trying to get ahold of the Body Manual. Pages applicable, if nothing else.

(trumpet fanfare) “What Ford has joined, let Man pull asunder”

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Here is a 2013 - 2017 Focus, might be similar?

Well, give us a photo of the car in general.
I'm currently working with - read frustrated, a Ford Fiesta (which should have been more aptly named Siesta)

• Although never look a Gift Horse in the Mouth, I'd take back my Scion xA anyday...

The issues are many, because as I've worked thru interior rearrangements to accommodate the needs of my workday to be spent driving a 5-speed stick in typical Michigan roads and their inherent condition - I have found the need to re-think a lot of how these cars today are put together.

I talked about it earlier but to keep it simpler, the rust-thru warranty as well as crash protection reputation it must uphold - you arrive to conclusions that; to make this work, you have to think like the people that put it together.

It's not impossible - just tedious for one and of the many tools of the trade, well - most of them are Torx now so if you have a set of those already, just be prepared to disconnect the Battery cable and begin to remove the seats - it's the only way you're going to get any true access to the center console and dashboard.

It's how I found out about the seat belt bolts and grounding points - they're not what you think they are.

I like my USA 2000+ miles/week versus your route, OP. Iron Man. I’d had to have been born there to imagine life behind the wheel as you do it. Here, present warm body, walk & chew gum simultaneously appears to be the latest qualification.

I set cruise just below 65-mph (normal Governor speed many fleets), and spend my day avoiding pack entanglement. Only a bureaucrat takes away an effective tool (throttle) and has the gall to name it Eco& Safe. (Designed to eliminate owner-operators; outcome for the stupid or the smart must be the same). Insurance companies are the enforcers (pay the legislative lobbyists — attorneys — to bribe and write regulations). “Safety Score” [CSA] drives rates. Trucks AND shippers. The really big boys get low-cost financing.

Body shop manual is online proprietary. Is the vehicle used by government fleets? Who is using mobile two-way? Have any friends in truck insurance business? Etc.

Don’t forget going straight to Ford, as well.

Maybe a wrecking yard. Would be great to “find my way in” on a totaled vehicle.

I know a solution will come, but the next car purchase will have an additional line-check item, won’t it?. Warning to the rest of us.

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Although a sobering and painful thought process in my life, it was and is - going to a junk yard, a great way to introduce yourself of a vehicle you may want to buy.

The sobering part is your vehicle you have now, may wind up like their pile of stuff is - soon enough.


If any of you ever seen this thing rolling down the road, yeah...it was me...(sigh)

For as ugly as it was - man I sure had a lot of fun in the backwoods life I had with that thing...

Everywhere I went - I fit right in...(LOL)

Anyhoo...

Head to a dealership, work with their parts department - LEARN about your vehicle - it can save your life and a lot of $$$ in the process of knowing how to get what you need, let alone what needs to be done. It can save hours of shop time when you're no longer under warranty.

Ok,. you may not have a lot of time to search for stuff. Just search for your car in the Browser, you'll find more and more stuff about it - even Youtube may have a thing or two about Strut replacement or headlamps - watch these - it may not pertain to your problem, but they uncover a lot about the assembly of the vehicle as they try to show you what they did to fix their problems. Any little bit of tinkering they do and "spotlight" shows - makes you that-more 'able and confident enough, to be competent enough, to do it yourself.

Oh ok...LOL...

I meant where you needed the coax to enter...ahemn...

But nice car!

From this view, it looks like that has a sunroof. So that I hope, is not where you want to place the mag-mount...lip mount or ULP - DRILL...

If it's the rear-tailgate / hatch...you'll need a Torx wrench to obtain access to the column and pillar trim.

Remember its a new vehicle so a lot of the "pop trim" pieces may break because they haven't been "broken in" by fatigue.

There are several Youtube vids about Ford Fiesta ST's and various repairs - which are pretty close to what I'm working with here...Just swap-in Focus for Fiesta to help you locate the right ones.

To make a long story short, they DO recommend that you place the CB antenna BEHIND the rear AM / FM aerial.

Attached is a big photo so I won't waste others time due to bandwidth.

Excuse the dirt and Welcome to the Rust-Belt - part of the Midwest...

Remember (this is more of a CAUTION for those whom are following along and wish to do this themselves someday) there is an Airbag ASSEMBLY above and along that pillar and roof junction of that area - it's a crash brace too. So if you proceed just remember to disconnect the battery and short out the positive terminal to FRAME ground too - to discharge any leftover latent charge that still may excite the sqibs and force the detonation of the SRS in that area.

Not sure why you'd take that route when the rear pillar to the hatch as well as bottom step caps are easier to remove and gain access to carpet and subfloor to route from Antenna coax to radio - you have plenty of room and not much added length.

But, if you're running the shortest route, well then I understand.

But you'd be better off to avoid it, that pillar, if you can. That SRS area is hard to re-fit back in once you yank it out. Think of it like cornstarch - once deformed, you have to steam it and repress the fabric to make it fit as OEM. A simple crease and she's done.

So if you're in a 2-door, then ok - I'd still work from the back there is plenty of honeycomb along the rear hatch frame and rear pillar - you can feed thru this - weave actually - to get the coax down to the trunk area then thru under the main bench seat to even make it to the center console letting the coax get snaked thru. At least the rear bench seat is the easier of any seats to remove to gain access and more room to work.

With that being said, the pillar is plate and groove and the seat belt bracket and it's sleeve follow in it. You'd have to remove the clip trim to access the bolt that holds the belt to that sleeve and gimbal. The Pillar trim will come off easily enough but "stays with the belt" until you find a method to pry back that sleeve trim and access the bolt.

Otherwise just remove the two entry side floor caps and pry back the weather-stripping - to remove the lower pillar it is wise to remove or unbolt that lower seat belt bracket holder, just pry up the trim and I believe it's a 15MM wrench. You may find it is a Torx bolt similar to the seats (40). Then for that matter, remove the seat first to gain more access. Yes, you may have to do this so you don't bend or deform trim work. It also gives you an angle in which to approach and see if you can "fish" the coax without having to deform that SRS mess that's there. I've gone front to upper console (without sunroof issues for a nice flush top load radio) and rear - down side pillar. With Rear towards AM/FM antenna being the easier to get away with. That means the best approach may be to work prying down the headliner from the rear to fish thru the coax. You still should remove that interior light assembly so you can "finger access" along it's loom to obtain access and fish feed point to snake thru.

Again, the above is for other vehicles in model years before yours, so watch where you pry and drill - no fun patching up a wiring loom because a screwdriver or prybar nicked wires...

I've already developed a "plan of attack" and I'm trying to pass the confidence I have in doing it, along to you - but you know what you're up against better than I, because you have it right in front of you.

Good luck it's a chore...nothing impossible though.

4-ea (9’) lengths of scrap wire to fix.
As you should’ve known.

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