New IS350 owner with nav, tint, front plate questions
09-17-08, 10:23 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
New IS350 owner with nav, tint, front plate questions
Just got a 2008 IS350 over Labor Day weekend.. posting pics after I get my tint.
Anyway, I got quoted from a local guy to do the Nav hack (install the kit, no wire cutting) for $350 (normally charges $390, but I asked for less). Is this a fair deal? I know the part would cost me $150 if I got it off ebay, and I'm not so good with taking car stuff apart. I recently got the VAIS ipod adapter installed, and it sucks that I can't go through the playlists and track listings while driving.
I'm also looking to do my tint very soon, and am not sure what %'s to go with. I'm thinking either 50% front / 35% back, or 70% front / 50% back. I live in california so law is 70% front. Btw, my car is black.
Does anyone have any opinions on front plates in southern california? What I mean is that I don't wanna get pulled over all the time for not having it, but I would definitely prefer not putting it on. I think I will just because I don't want to deal with cops, and because I also have 2 circular dents from where the screws for the license plate went through the brackets.
Thanks!
Anyway, I got quoted from a local guy to do the Nav hack (install the kit, no wire cutting) for $350 (normally charges $390, but I asked for less). Is this a fair deal? I know the part would cost me $150 if I got it off ebay, and I'm not so good with taking car stuff apart. I recently got the VAIS ipod adapter installed, and it sucks that I can't go through the playlists and track listings while driving.
I'm also looking to do my tint very soon, and am not sure what %'s to go with. I'm thinking either 50% front / 35% back, or 70% front / 50% back. I live in california so law is 70% front. Btw, my car is black.
Does anyone have any opinions on front plates in southern california? What I mean is that I don't wanna get pulled over all the time for not having it, but I would definitely prefer not putting it on. I think I will just because I don't want to deal with cops, and because I also have 2 circular dents from where the screws for the license plate went through the brackets.
Thanks!
Last edited by mcgo; 09-17-08 at 11:39 AM.
09-17-08, 11:00 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Already looked through a lot of the DIY's and searched through many threads.
However, I'm sure no DIY will tell me the fair price of a nav-hack install, and I wasn't able to find any thread about the price of it.
I was also hoping to get a quick answer to my question about a good looking tint on a black car.
As for the front plate question, that was just something else I threw in there because it just happened to be on my mind at the time that I wrote the post.
However, I'm sure no DIY will tell me the fair price of a nav-hack install, and I wasn't able to find any thread about the price of it.
I was also hoping to get a quick answer to my question about a good looking tint on a black car.
As for the front plate question, that was just something else I threw in there because it just happened to be on my mind at the time that I wrote the post.
09-17-08, 11:09 AM
#4
Driver
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Welcome to a great forum ! Congratulations on the new car !
While it is against the law to not have a front plate, I have not had one on my vehicles since 1969, and have never had a problem. However, I tend to travel as much in stealth mode as possible, dont do stupid things in traffic, dont speed unecessarily, dont street race, dont attract attention to myself.
I let the awesome car do the attention gathering for me.
I got busted for tinted front windows years ago by a real piece of work sheriff in Sacramento and let it go to court, where my attorney prevailed in getting the DA to drop the charges. I didnt know you could now use tint on the front windows in CA- when did that change ?
I found that with dark tint at night it is much harder to see out the back window/s - is this going to be ok? I know you might have the back up camera and that helps greatly, but back up cameras dont have the great peripheral vision our eyes have.
If you choose to not run the front plate, you may look up http://www.aerotect.net/ ; they make these awesome bumper plugs that would fit into the holes, and they are painted the factory paint color.
Dont know much about the IPOD or Nav Hack ideas, I have a fully loaded IS350 with the NAV and M/L big audio system. Good luck with this part, know that many have hacked their Nav, etc.. and been happy with the results.
DanF
While it is against the law to not have a front plate, I have not had one on my vehicles since 1969, and have never had a problem. However, I tend to travel as much in stealth mode as possible, dont do stupid things in traffic, dont speed unecessarily, dont street race, dont attract attention to myself.
I let the awesome car do the attention gathering for me.
I got busted for tinted front windows years ago by a real piece of work sheriff in Sacramento and let it go to court, where my attorney prevailed in getting the DA to drop the charges. I didnt know you could now use tint on the front windows in CA- when did that change ?
I found that with dark tint at night it is much harder to see out the back window/s - is this going to be ok? I know you might have the back up camera and that helps greatly, but back up cameras dont have the great peripheral vision our eyes have.
If you choose to not run the front plate, you may look up http://www.aerotect.net/ ; they make these awesome bumper plugs that would fit into the holes, and they are painted the factory paint color.
Dont know much about the IPOD or Nav Hack ideas, I have a fully loaded IS350 with the NAV and M/L big audio system. Good luck with this part, know that many have hacked their Nav, etc.. and been happy with the results.
DanF
Last edited by Stokdgs; 09-17-08 at 11:19 AM. Reason: added the AeroTect URL
09-17-08, 11:32 AM
#5
Driver
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: CA
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i did 50 percent front and rear windows. no problems yet. (knock on wood).
license plate i would just worry about parking on the streets in el segundo and driving in LAX airport. Parking police are ****'s here.
license plate i would just worry about parking on the streets in el segundo and driving in LAX airport. Parking police are ****'s here.
09-17-08, 11:45 AM
#6
Pole Position
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 384
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have 35% Front & 5% Rear, I live the South Bay Area, it's been about 1.5 years no problems with the cops or CHP. I have my Ford Escape in the same set up for about 8 years no problems either. I don't have the front License plate, no problems either. I think your better off 35% all around its really light. My coworker has Black IS250 with 35 Front and 25 Rear looks really light in the front.
09-17-08, 01:24 PM
#7
Lead Lap
iTrader: (2)
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: VA
Posts: 597
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First, did you get the ML option for your NAV?
Second, save your $200 and DIY. It simple to take apart the dash by following the DIY thread here.
IMO $350 for the install is way to much.
Second, save your $200 and DIY. It simple to take apart the dash by following the DIY thread here.
IMO $350 for the install is way to much.
Trending Topics
09-17-08, 04:57 PM
#9
Pole Position
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: San Francisco & San Luis Obispo
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you want the best all around tint, i highly suggest 35% fronts and 20% rears. Anything less than 35% fronts, the cops will not be able to see the floor of your car when they shine their flashlights through. For the five years I've owned my RSX with that tint %, I've never gotten a fix-it ticket.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
