Replacing glass-mount cellular antenna with 2001 dipole roof-mount antenna. I have the 5000VR analog phone and get perfect reception using this antenna.

NOTE: The phone module pictured on this page has since been removed from the car and replaced with a BMW Bluetooth ULF. See page 9 for additional information.

This antenna DOES work with the Bluetooth setup.

10/6/2002: Since there has been so much attention given to this subject lately, I have added some comments to explain the upgrade a little more.

New antenna mounted. This is performed simply by locating the center mark of the roof, removing the backing material from the new antenna and placing it firmly on the car with the lip positioned in the rain channel. ***Be sure and clean the area where the antenna will be mounted well and allow to dry completely before applying.

Note the big white mark where the old glass-mount was. I had to get the rear window re-tinted to cover the hole left behind.

Rear window re-tinted. If you look closely, you can still see the old coax hanging from the headliner. I removed the inner driver's side C-pillar panel and tucked the extra cable inside; replaced the panel.

In this shot, you can see the antenna cable running in the rear window seal channel. This was a temporary fix. As the cable is very thin, it can be run under the weather seal with a little time and patience.

Where the cable enters the car. I drilled a hole through the trunk panel to allow the cable to enter the inside of the trunk without passing over the weather seal. On newer model E38's, There is a pre-drilled hole covered with a rubber plug. The location is slightly different than what I used, but this worked best for me.

Cable running in electronics compartment.

Cable connecting to phone module.

Note: This phone has since been removed from the car and replaced with a BMW Bluetooth ULF. See page 9 for details.