Mounted TomTom

Posted on by Ian C.

After buying my TomTom more than a month ago I have been using it mounted to the windshield using the mount that comes with it. It is a bit distracting being so central in my view, and I’ve heard stories of cars being broken into when the windshield mount is spotted (GPS units are high value and portable).
So finally I have my TomTom mounted where I planned – I bought a new dash trim piece (to avoid trashing the original) and my work colleague drilled a hole and glued a bolt in the back of it. Then he modified the original windshield mount by cutting off the suction bit, and we fitted it to the dash trim piece.
After that, I had MINI of Peabody swap the pieces over (thanks Brian!)

Minolta DSC
Minolta DSC
Minolta DSC

 

Now it’s much more out of the way, and not so easy to spot from outside.
I’ve found that TomTom still picks up the GPS but is less sensitive (seeing only 5 satellites instead of 7 to 10 when mounted on the windshield) – but next I will wire it to the car and install a booster antenna which will complete the install.

8 thoughts on “Mounted TomTom”

  1. Ian – how do you like the TomTom? I’ve been itching to get one for awhile. Is the mount fairly steady? In other words is there any vibration to it?

  2. Gabe,
    With TomTom mounted in the original position with the suction mount on the windshield, the bottom of the bracket rested on the dash so no vibration at all.
    My new mounting vibrates very slightly on potholes, etc – but I don’t look at it continually so it’s no big deal.

    I bought the TomTom 700 for full USA maps and the “ASN” feature – I wonder if the smart card based versions start up any quicker.
    Apparently there is a new GPS receiver chipset out now, I think used in the new miniature Garmins, which is much faster at locking signals …

  3. Looks great Ian–nothing better than your own custom (and free) job.

    The garmins–at least the i2 that I tested–don’t get a lock any quicker. I was very surprised just how long it took before locking on satellites. I usually don’t have to wait for my tomtom at all.

  4. Question…..my wife has Sirius radio, when we go into a parking structure of go through a freeway bypass it stops broadcasting, do all these satellite things do this?

  6. RB, yes the GPS satellite would be blocked just like Sirius or XM radio – the TomTom 700 has a feature called “ASN” that is supposed to help it keep “guessing” your position when it loses the satellites (in a tunnel, say).
    Round here we have the fabulous Big Dig tunnel – but TomToms maps are not up to date so it has no clue anyway …

    The built-in-to-car nav systems can use wheel speed to cope well with lost satellites but these add-on portable units don’t have that benefit.

  7. I can speak to the built-in nav systems. My ’05 MCS has one and even with wheel speed guesstimates, it still misses in some areas – every time. In my case, when I am in the loop of Chicago, surrounded by all of the buildings, it for some reason rarely knows where I am – sometimes as much as two or three streets off or tracks me in between two streets where it cannot register what street I am in fact on. No system is perfect, but in general they accomplish most goals most of the time.

    Admittedly I am only speaking of the MCS nav system (which is essentially the BMW system). My wife’s Acura TSX has Nav, however I have not used it in the loop at all.

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