jason_v2

Did a search and couldn't find any pictures of any portable nav systems (garmin nuvi, tomtom one, etc.) being used in the 2IS...

Thinking about picking up a portable nav system soon, just wanted to see what it would look like / where on the windshield it was suctioned...

Does anyone think it would be possible to suction the entire thing on the left side of the steering wheel above the left AC vent? I think the whole thing would look a whole lot more conspicuous in that corner vs. in the center above the AC controls...

Thanks guys!

CAIFAN_64

iTrader: (1)

you didn't search hard enough

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...table+Nav+PICS

jason_v2

thanks for the reply..

i was thinking more in terms of anyone that's mounted the nav unit above the dash..

mikes rx

iTrader: (14)

I've got a garmin unit, and use the garmin friction mount for it. It fits great in the center of the dash above the AC vents, and looks pretty neat too IMO.

I can get some pics tonight if you wish.

jason_v2

that'd be great. thanks mike!

mikes rx

iTrader: (14)

Here's one:

mikes rx

iTrader: (14)

Here's another

mikes rx

iTrader: (14)

Here's it not on any mount, just placed in the corner.

mikes rx

iTrader: (14)

OK, now my opinion:

Although hard to tell in pics, due to the slope of the windshield and the 4.3" screen size, placing it in the corner would not be advised IMO. It actually takes up too much of the visible space through the windshield.

With the friction mount placed in the center, it seems more "out of direct line of sight". Also, you can get the unit closer to you, which makes it easier to see, although also causes less visibility out of the windshield due to angles.

It's pretty much one of those "you must see to understand" things, but just take a PDA or small calculator or something else up to the dash and you'll see what I'm talking about.

ALSO, don't forget that it can be somewhat difficult to get the suction cup to mount how you want it to due to angles of the windshield, etc. And don't forget about the possibly needing a power cord to charge it (although some come with like a 4 hour battery life now). The friction mount is a lot easier to use if you have more than one car, and also easier to take off quickly if needed.

I hope all this helps. Honestly, it is a little large and "attached", which is why I only use mine if I need it...I don't use it as a "I wonder where I am right now" type of thing.

mikes rx

iTrader: (14)

BTW, in case you're wondering:

I have the garmin nuvi 650, which is probably one of the most cost-effective systems. It has the 4.3" widescreen and text-to-speech, which means it actually tells you the street names. The 650 is the same as the 660, only it doesn't have bluetooth (I don't care), and costs A LOT less.

Also, since the 700 series nuvis just came out, you can get the 600's pretty cheap (relatively, at least). The only difference is the 700's have an internal antenna, whereas the 600's have a flip up antenna (only gets flipped 90*, not straight up...therefore it actually isn't ever seen while driving).

I originally had a Tom Tom One XL, and didn't like the interface (as I was used to a factory Toyota nav system). It didn't have text to speech, the way it showed/told you directions was weird, and the backside of the was curved, which meant that mounting it was a little bit of a pain.

IMO, the garmins cost more, but are well worth it.

jason_v2

Wow, thanks for the response mike.

I was looking at nav systems last night and I think I came up with a pretty good combination of parts. I was thinking the exact same thing about the 4.3" screen being too big to fit in the left corner above the vent and creating visibility problems. Because of this I was thinking maybe i could pick up a 3.5" unit like the Garmin Nuvi 360 to accomodate for that.

Then comes the issue of the mount. The windshield slope makes it difficult for most mounts to function properly if placed in that corner. I did a little searching and found that RAM makes a suction cup mount with a flex arm that should help take care of this problem. Ideally, the flex arm should allow me to angle/position the unit in whatever fashion I please.

THEN (I know right, I should just give up now...) comes the issue of power. I did some good old Googling and I found some people that actually modified the power adapter for the Nuvi system so that they could hardwire it into one of the fuse boxes in the car. I've seen some female cigarette lighter adapters that I might be able to use if I am able to tap the fuse box on the driver's side.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can find a 12V power source in that fuse box (or possibly others..) to hardwire the gps system? I know it's been done plenty of times for the Valentine Radar systems, figured it shouldn't be too different for the gps unit...

I'm going to try to put together a shopping list for wires/adapters that I might need. So far I've come up with the following:

1. Female cigarette lighter adapter.
2. Add-a-circuit fuse tap.
3. Solder/soldering material

Again, does anyone know where I can tap to power this 12V unit? Will the fuse box under the driver's side be enough or will I have to somehow route my wire to the passenger side...

Thanks!

IronPhoenX

Nuvi 660. The best features are the Text-to-Speech and Bluetooth. I jammed the suction cup mount in the ashtray, tucked the power wire behind the mount, and plugged the traffic/power adapter next to it. Very neat install without mods or wires hanging anywhere. I can still also easily mount and unmount the unit when I park in a sketchy area.

jason_v2

Yikes.. isn't it difficult to use the audio controls if you do that? I guess you'd still have you steering wheel controls but it'd still be nice to be able to eject CDs etc...

IronPhoenX

I just use the steering wheel controls and I never use those controls down there. I also rarely load/unload CD's. I make MP3 CD's and that's more than enough music with the changer. The pic shows the antenna in the way of the CD slot, but it can be adjusted out of the way.

jason_v2

any thoughts on hardwiring..?