I recently ordered a fully retractable antenna for my 1983 westy. The
others I have had over the years did not retract fully. They tore my car
cover and got bent doing this and that, and I decided to go retractable.

For those who have never fooled with such, think of the difference as this:
if you consider the mount through the front of the car, the sheet metalwith
the hole that the antennainstalls through as "ground level," the standard
antenna lives 100% above ground. Beneath the sheet metal, under the dash,
there is nothing but the cable to the radio. Everything telescopes into the
six or eight inches of aerial protruding above the mounting point.

The fully retractable antenna, on the other hand, lives "below ground
level." That is, everything telescopes into a tube that hangs down from the
mounting point, all stored within the underdash area of the car. Almost
nothing sticks out on top.

The problem you will encounter making this switch is that there is not
enough room to fit the underground part of the aerial between the big front
stiffener (that runs behind the grill on the interior of the car) and the
sheet metal it protrudes up through. But not to worry! VW, even on my old
1983, put a rectangular rubber grommet in place in a hole in the top of the
big front stiffener, exactly below the hole in the front sheet metal. Ths
hole allows the antenna to extend down through the rectangular hole, once
the plug is removed, and give the "underground" part of the aerial a place
to live.

Probably everybody but me knew that the rubber grommet and the hole was
there to allow the installation of a fully retractable antenna, but in case
not, I'm letting you know how it is possible to install one.

Jim