Best Place For Satnav & Connect2 & Power In Verso?

[yoast]

Since I do not like the factory fitted sat-navs (too far behind, too inflexible & too expensive)

I bought a Garmin Nuvi (with full European Maps, £74 on Amazon.). Rather than stick it to the front-window or on top of the dashboard I fitted it inside the glove-compartiment on top of the dashboard.

Since the Garmin comes with an SD slot that accepts SDHC cards I added an 8gb card with mp3-audiobooks (Roald Dahl etc. for the kids) and music for myself and the kids (less than £10 from Amazon with free super-saver delivery).

Halfords fitted the Connects2 unit that uses the CD-Changer port of the Headunit to allow music through AUX (one of those headphone plugs that will fit any MP3 player). This allows me to play the sound from the Garmin over the car-stereo. The headphone-plug sits in the top-compartiment and can be plugged in the satnav.

Halfords also fitted the power for the satnav to the cigarette-lighter. It ends in the top-compartment. Invisible when the compartment is closed. Great.

Here are some pics.

1. The USB-power and the audio cable come in form the left.

2. The audio cable can be unplugged from the satnav and simply be plugged into any audiosource. An mp3 player or ipod can just lie in the compartment beside the satnav and be used.

3. The headunit displays CDCH which means the audi-cable is used as input.

The advantages are:

1. When you start driving, you open the compartment and leave it open, click the satnav in its holder, punch in postcode if you need to go somewhere. and drive off.

2. The lid of the compartment shields it from glare etc.. The steering wheels still controls the volume and allows you to switch to radio or CD.

3. The location of the satnav (just above the radio) allows it to be operated easliy.

4. If you want to listen to an mp3-player, a phone that someone brought or whatever you can just plug in the wee headset-plug.

5. Unlike with factory-installed satnavs this one can easily be updated etc. It can also be used in the house to feed info from Google-maps, databases with speedtraps etc.

6. You can leave the car at a location outside a major city (Paris, for example) use the satnav to find your way around and find you car back at the big car-park.

7. Since the power for the SAT-Nav is through USB you can easily power other appliances (mp3-players, phones etc.).

8. An extension lead for headphones can easily be used to play audio from anywhere in the car over the car stereo.

9. A couple of old 2Gb SD cards can easily be brought along to listen to all kinds of music (one 2 Gb stick will hold about 30 to 40 albums).

Disadvantages:

a. The top compartment is just not high enough to hold the satnav on its holder when closed. So you have to lift it off.

b. You cannot control the player from the steering wheel. With an IPOD and ICE you can supposedly skip tracks etc. Not with this. (it is within easy reach though. )

c. Sometimes there is a small amount of electric buzzing audible. This is because of the car-powering the appliance.

d. A satnav that does bluetooth as well can easily be the centre of all audio in the car. but I do not have that at this moment. The connects2 will allow 1 and only 1 input source where the CD-Changer used to be.

e. I wonder if he SD card etc. might get too hot in the sun. Still, it should be better under the lid of the compartment than stuck to the glass.

What are your experiences? Does anybody have a better location for a portable satnav (for not to much money I could have the cables relocated)?

[Mikeangelo]

hi there,

good job with the sat nav. I've asked some time ago the same question about fitting a portable sat nav in the top glove box. Looks nice, even though a bigger screen would have been better. How did you manage to bring the power cable to the glove box? Did you have to disassemble the dashboard? Could you please provide some more info on this task.

Thanks

Michail

[HoneyBear1980]

I put my TomTom in the same place an do like the way the lid stops glare and the rubber base prevents it moving when cornering. However a word of caution, if someone runs into the back of you and you have a passenger in the middle rear seat they are likely to have a sat nav embedded in their face!

[yoast]

Hi Michail,

I did not disassemble the dashboard. I am not sure if Halfords did disasseemble that, but they probably did.

The power cable was fitted at the same time as the headphone-in connection to the connects2 was fitted (I had it done at Halfords). I just asked if they could pull the Satnav's USB/Power cable through as well. They actually fitted a feed of the cigarette-lighter into the glove compartiment. From thee on they pulled the original Garmin cable to the Satnav. If I want I can power other things from the glove-compartiment as well.

If you plan on doing the same: Try to fit the disc & suction cup as close to the centre as possible. I have it as far to the right as possible and have found that it is a bit fidgetty with the wires and putting the lid down. It is easy to reach wether it is in the centre or to the right.

I hope this is enough detail. If you want to know more about disassembling the headunit search on fitting a conncets2 they basically advise you to use any of the manuals from the toyota tech website that deals with disssembling the headunit.

Good Luck.

hi there,

good job with the sat nav. I've asked some time ago the same question about fitting a portable sat nav in the top glove box. Looks nice, even though a bigger screen would have been better. How did you manage to bring the power cable to the glove box? Did you have to disassemble the dashboard? Could you please provide some more info on this task.

Thanks

Michail

[yoast]

Hi Honeybear1980

Thanks for your word of caution.

I am not sure if the design of your Tom-Tom is different with rgards to the "rubber base". The Garmin came with a metal plate with 2-sided strong adhesive on the back. The front of the plate is used to mount the suction cup (just like you would stick it on the winshield). Pic with metal base-plate and suction cup

I have applied pressure to the suction-cup and the GPS and they seem solid to me. In fact it seems as solid as sticking it to the windshield.

Since safety should be part of the "best location for Satnav" equation (I regularly have a kid in the middle seat) I am wondering if there are legitimate concerns to move it to some other location, or to fasten it more securely.

Is the Tom-Tom just loosely placed on a rubber base?

Thanks Again.

I put my TomTom in the same place an do like the way the lid stops glare and the rubber base prevents it moving when cornering. However a word of caution, if someone runs into the back of you and you have a passenger in the middle rear seat they are likely to have a sat nav embedded in their face!

[hertsnminds]

if someone runs into the back of you and you have a passenger in the middle rear seat they are likely to have a sat nav embedded in their face!

Because of the connections I would imagine it is more likely the person in the passenger seat would have the sat nav hit them in the arm. For a rear impact to cause the sat nav to pull from its connections without them pulling it to the side i.e. toward the front passenger it would have to be at quite some speed.

[yoast]

With the demise of our car I was looking for a replacement for the Garmin disc.

Was in Lidld yeserday and bought a wee metal plate on double sided tape that has "No Advertising" written on it. Scraped off the lettering and presto. A great metal plat for the suction-cup. Better than all the plastic alternatives available and at £0.79 rather than £££££.

Since I do not like the factory fitted sat-navs (too far behind, too inflexible & too expensive)

I bought a Garmin Nuvi (with full European Maps, £74 on Amazon.). Rather than stick it to the front-window or on top of the dashboard I fitted it inside the glove-compartiment on top of the dashboard.

Since the Garmin comes with an SD slot that accepts SDHC cards I added an 8gb card with mp3-audiobooks (Roald Dahl etc. for the kids) and music for myself and the kids (less than £10 from amazon with free super-saver delivery).

Halfords fitted the Connects2 unit that uses the CD-Changer port of the Headunit to allow music through AUX (one of those headphone plugs that will fit any MP3 player). This allows me to play the sound from the Garmin over the car-stereo. The headphone-plug sits in the top-compartiment and can be plugged in the satnav.

Halfords also fitted the power for the satnav to the cigarette-lighter. It ends in the top-compartment. Invisible when the compartment is closed. Great.

Here are some pics.

1. The USB-power and the audio cable come in form the left.

2. The audio cable can be unplugged from the satnav and simply be plugged into any audiosource. An mp3 player or ipod can just lie in the compartment beside the satnav and be used.

3. The headunit displays CDCH which means the audi-cable is used as input.

The advantages are:

1. When you start driving, you open the compartment and leave it open, click the satnav in its holder, punch in postcode if you need to go somewhere. and drive off.

2. The lid of the compartment shields it from glare etc.. The steering wheels still controls the volume and allows you to switch to radio or CD.

3. The location of the satnav (just above the radio) allows it to be operated easliy.

4. If you want to listen to an mp3-player, a phone that someone brought or whatever you can just plug in the wee headset-plug.

5. Unlike with factory-installed satnavs this one can easily be updated etc. It can also be used in the house to feed info from Google-maps, databases with speedtraps etc.

6. You can leave the car at a location outside a major city (Paris, for example) use the satnav to find your way around and find you car back at the big car-park.

7. Since the power for the SAT-Nav is through USB you can easily power other appliances (mp3-players, phones etc.).

8. An extension lead for headphones can easily be used to play audio from anywhere in the car over the car stereo.

9. A couple of old 2Gb SD cards can easily be brought along to listen to all kinds of music (one 2 Gb stick will hold about 30 to 40 albums).

Disadvantages:

a. The top compartment is just not high enough to hold the satnav on its holder when closed. So you have to lift it off.

b. You cannot control the player from the steering wheel. With an IPOD and ICE you can supposedly skip tracks etc. Not with this. (it is within easy reach though. )

c. Sometimes there is a small amount of electric buzzing audible. This is because of the car-powering the appliance.

d. A satnav that does Bluetooth as well can easily be the centre of all audio in the car. but I do not have that at this moment. The connects2 will allow 1 and only 1 input source where the CD-Changer used to be.

e. I wonder if he SD card etc. might get too hot in the sun. Still, it should be better under the lid of the compartment than stuck to the glass.

What are your experiences? Does anybody have a better location for a portable satnav (for not to much money I could have the cables relocated)?