Not sure if this has been discussed before, but, where do drivers put theirs?
I've read some put it to the bottom right of the windscreen, but wouldn't the power lead trail across the steering wheel?
It must not obstruct your view of the road. I place mine behind the rear view mirror and down just enough so I can see the full LCD screen. Yes, the cable is a nuisance. I clip mine to an air vent.
I have a built in one now, but before that I would stick it on the little triangular bit of glass on the side of the car. So it wasn't stuck on the windscreen but was still in easy view. I just tucked the power lead across and behind the steering wheel so it didn't get in the way.
I use a Nav Mat, so that I can position it exactly where I want on the dashboard. It is annoying though, that few sat-nav manufacturers make a UK version with the lead exiting from the right-hand side.
Mine are always clipped to the dash or the A-Pillar using 'Brodit Proclip' vehicle specific mounts.
That way they are not causing any obstruction of the windscreen and are generally closer to be able to touch them if needed.
The mounts are made to clip between existing panel gaps/trim on the dashboard, are no drill and can be removed when the vehicle is sold if required. I have one to mount the sat nav on the A-Pillar and another for the phone that is just by the head unit.
As the SatNav is by the A-Pillar, the cable runs behind the rubber door seal and is plumbed into the fuse board via a piggy back fuse connector and an 12V socket. Nice and neat.
Not sure if this has been discussed before, but, where do drivers put theirs?
I've read some put it to the bottom right of the windscreen, but wouldn't the power lead trail across the steering wheel?
Why do you need a power lead?
I charge mine beforehand so no lead is needed.
Like barbeler mine sits on the dash anywhere I choose to place the "mat" - it's like a fairly heavily weighted beanbag with a clip on fitting.
Why do you need a power lead?
I charge mine beforehand so no lead is needed.
You need a power lead because they only last a limited time on battery, and also run at reduced brightness to try and extend the battery life. In the case of mine the same lead also contains the aerial for the radio traffic updates service, it also means it turns off automatically when you turn the engine off, and stores the current location so you can use the GPS to find your way back to the car.
Personally I have mine in the centre of the windscreen at the bottom, where it's instantly visible yet doesn't obstruct the view in any way.
Not sure if this has been discussed before, but, where do drivers put theirs?
I've read some put it to the bottom right of the windscreen, but wouldn't the power lead trail across the steering wheel?
I put my sat nav in the bottom right hand of the screen. The power lead that cam with the unit is pretty long and I have no issues with feeding the lead behind the steering wheel & steering column controls.
I've had one of these for a couple of years now. I always put it in the right corner of my dashboard. I would recommend it.
I used it in Australia in a hire car and coming home I put it in my take on luggage and forgot about it. I ended up getting my bag searched in Australia and Singapore as it showed up on x-ray as a suspicious dark black ring
The one in my car is down by the centre console near to the gear lever (plugs direct into the power socket). At work I use a compact, portable air vent clip which mounts it just below the level of the dash. Hate the marks left on the windscreen by rubber suction mounts (and don't trust them anyway). I use an L-shaped USB lead to power it which mean the leads does not stick for miles out of the bottom obscuring cubby holes etc. These can be had in both right-handed and left handed-forms to suit.
I've had one of these for a couple of years now. I always put it in the right corner of my dashboard. I would recommend it.
I used it in Australia in a hire car and coming home I put it in my take on luggage and forgot about it. I ended up getting my bag searched in Australia and Singapore as it showed up on x-ray as a suspicious dark black ring
That's the type I was referring to. Place it anywhere and it won't move.
I still don't understand the need for a lead.
Fully charged mine will last for many hours and can always be switched off for long sections of a journey. I only really need it for specific location of the end destination.
You could always do what I saw one moron doing on the M40 a few years ago as I came up alongside him in a jam.
He had the Sat Nav directly in front of his nose on the windscreen.
God knows how much of his view he was blocking like that. The only saving grace was it was one of the smaller screen models. But given the traffic density that evening any obstruction to vision was a bad idea.
Why do you need a power lead?
I charge mine beforehand so no lead is needed.
Like barbeler mine sits on the dash anywhere I choose to place the "mat" - it's like a fairly heavily weighted beanbag with a clip on fitting.
My lead has the traffic updates so i like it connected all the time.
Why do you need a power lead?
I charge mine beforehand so no lead is needed.
Like barbeler mine sits on the dash anywhere I choose to place the "mat" - it's like a fairly heavily weighted beanbag with a clip on fitting.
The only time I have ever used mine without the lead is when the fuse blew. The battery indicator went down so quickly that I was forced to turn it off and only fire it up again when I was reaching a difficult stage in the journey. I can't see any point in charging it up when it has an in-car lead. I could charge it up while driving if I really needed to.
Incidentally, I'm still using one of the very first TomTom Go models to be produced. I can't remember exactly when I bought it, but it must have been getting on for ten years ago. It's much more bulky than the current ones, but Jane's voice is so much more resonant and lifelike than in the newer versions. The only problem is that they've improved the method of locking onto the satellites and mine isn't compatible with that, so it's sometimes a bit slow in getting a fix on start-up.
I have a holder clipped into my central air vent. That means it doesn't obscure any part of the windscreen and also gets some cooling most of the time.
Why do you need a power lead?
I charge mine beforehand so no lead is needed.
If they are using a mobile phone they'll be lucky if it lasts more than an hour. I have an extended 4.3AH battery in my S3 and I doubt it could provide navigation for longer than three hours just on battery. I think it struggles even to maintain charge levels and that's with a proper 1A power feed.
A dedicated sat nav would probably be better in that respect but it's still a bit of an ask to have something powering a display for several hours just on battery. Maybe if the software switches the display off between turns that might help. I've got co-pilot software that can do that but the stock free Android app doesn't.
Except in winter when it sends hot air through the vents when you should to stop flow to the vent it is clipped to. If you can't turn off the individual vent then change the flow to the feet and / or windscreen instead to stop flow to all the console vents.
Except in winter when it sends hot air through the vents and you need to set it to not use those vents. In my car that means having air to my feet and to the windscreen as I can't turn off that individual console vent.
I don't think that's a problem for long though. In the early part of the journey it might be but once the cabin is up to temp the air vents only put out luke-warm air(*). The back of my S3 can get quite hot when it's charging and running sat-nav software so I reckon the vent output is probably still cooling it.
(*)A thought occurs to me here. I have climate control so that might mean it's less of an issue. I don't have to remember to turn the heating down
Perhaps more modern cars than mine have more sophisticated heating systems. Temp control on mine is purely manual and needs a bit of experimental binary chopping to find a setting suitable for the conditions.
That's the type I was referring to. Place it anywhere and it won't move. I still don't understand the need for a lead.
Fully charged mine will last for many hours and can always be switched off for long sections of a journey. I only really need it for specific location of the end destination.
Mine would probably last for a couple of hours if I didn't plug it in, but, as others have said, the aerial for the traffic information is in the lead and also it makes the volume louder, for mine anyway.
Also I use my good sat nav in Australia so a 'short' trip there would be about 4/5 hours so would need it plugged in anyway or the battery would die!
Surely everyone puts the satnav in the centre of the screen just above the dash, so that it's in an easy eyeline, not obstructing forward vision, and the power cable is out of the way. Why would you put it anywhere else?
Surely everyone puts the satnav in the centre of the screen just above the dash, so that it's in an easy eyeline, not obstructing forward vision, and the power cable is out of the way. Why would you put it anywhere else?
Well, where I have it in my car, at the right lower hand corner of the windscreen it's in an easy eyeline, doesn't obstruct forward vision and the power cable is out of the way too.
Why would you think that having it in the centre is some sort of magical solution?
Well, where I have it in my car, at the right lower hand corner of the windscreen it's in an easy eyeline, doesn't obstruct forward vision and the power cable is out of the way too.
Why would you think that having it in the centre is some sort of magical solution?
Because the area directly ahead is where I'm going, and to the right is where I may go if I'm overtaking particularly on a m/way or positioning the car on right turn roundabouts, parking etc so I prefer that to be clear too. I removed the small dealer sticker from the bottom right of the screen for exactly that reason in the current car. Additionally, secondary information such as radio, heater controls and now the satnav are all better placed to my centre-left field of vision. And the power cable doesn't drape across the dash either.
I don't see it as magical putting the satnav at the bottom of the screen in the centre, more logical.
That's the type I was referring to. Place it anywhere and it won't move. I still don't understand the need for a lead.
Fully charged mine will last for many hours and can always be switched off for long sections of a journey. I only really need it for specific location of the end destination.
Because my power lead has a traffic updates antenna built in !!!!
My car has a storage compartment in the middle of the dash so I just lift the lid and the satnav fits nicely in it, it's in the eyeline but does not obstruct the windscreen.
Surely everyone puts the satnav in the centre of the screen just above the dash, so that it's in an easy eyeline, not obstructing forward vision, and the power cable is out of the way. Why would you put it anywhere else?
One reason is that is where the passenger airbag may be sited and could result in a missile exploded at your head in the event of a collision.
Comments
That way they are not causing any obstruction of the windscreen and are generally closer to be able to touch them if needed.
The mounts are made to clip between existing panel gaps/trim on the dashboard, are no drill and can be removed when the vehicle is sold if required. I have one to mount the sat nav on the A-Pillar and another for the phone that is just by the head unit.
As the SatNav is by the A-Pillar, the cable runs behind the rubber door seal and is plumbed into the fuse board via a piggy back fuse connector and an 12V socket. Nice and neat.
I charge mine beforehand so no lead is needed.
Like barbeler mine sits on the dash anywhere I choose to place the "mat" - it's like a fairly heavily weighted beanbag with a clip on fitting.
You need a power lead because they only last a limited time on battery, and also run at reduced brightness to try and extend the battery life. In the case of mine the same lead also contains the aerial for the radio traffic updates service, it also means it turns off automatically when you turn the engine off, and stores the current location so you can use the GPS to find your way back to the car.
Personally I have mine in the centre of the windscreen at the bottom, where it's instantly visible yet doesn't obstruct the view in any way.
I put my sat nav in the bottom right hand of the screen. The power lead that cam with the unit is pretty long and I have no issues with feeding the lead behind the steering wheel & steering column controls.
I used it in Australia in a hire car and coming home I put it in my take on luggage and forgot about it. I ended up getting my bag searched in Australia and Singapore as it showed up on x-ray as a suspicious dark black ring
I still don't understand the need for a lead.
Fully charged mine will last for many hours and can always be switched off for long sections of a journey. I only really need it for specific location of the end destination.
He had the Sat Nav directly in front of his nose on the windscreen.
God knows how much of his view he was blocking like that. The only saving grace was it was one of the smaller screen models. But given the traffic density that evening any obstruction to vision was a bad idea.
My lead has the traffic updates so i like it connected all the time.
Incidentally, I'm still using one of the very first TomTom Go models to be produced. I can't remember exactly when I bought it, but it must have been getting on for ten years ago. It's much more bulky than the current ones, but Jane's voice is so much more resonant and lifelike than in the newer versions. The only problem is that they've improved the method of locking onto the satellites and mine isn't compatible with that, so it's sometimes a bit slow in getting a fix on start-up.
A dedicated sat nav would probably be better in that respect but it's still a bit of an ask to have something powering a display for several hours just on battery. Maybe if the software switches the display off between turns that might help. I've got co-pilot software that can do that but the stock free Android app doesn't.
(*)A thought occurs to me here. I have climate control so that might mean it's less of an issue. I don't have to remember to turn the heating down
Mine would probably last for a couple of hours if I didn't plug it in, but, as others have said, the aerial for the traffic information is in the lead and also it makes the volume louder, for mine anyway.
Also I use my good sat nav in Australia so a 'short' trip there would be about 4/5 hours so would need it plugged in anyway or the battery would die!
Well, where I have it in my car, at the right lower hand corner of the windscreen it's in an easy eyeline, doesn't obstruct forward vision and the power cable is out of the way too.
Why would you think that having it in the centre is some sort of magical solution?
I don't see it as magical putting the satnav at the bottom of the screen in the centre, more logical.