Calling all Garmin C320, 330, and 340 users.... How have you set up your GPS in the Prius?

I mounted my 340on the dash to the left of the steering wheel. With the supplied disk..
I love it there...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p626808 @ Nov 9 2006, 07:44 AM) [snapback]346154[/snapback]</div>

Would love if you could provide a photo. I've got the MagellanRoadMate2000 and at the moment I have mine in the same position but with the windsheild cup. Would rather it be attached on the dash so am thinking toward the Proclip.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Roger3125 @ Nov 7 2006, 12:20 AM) [snapback]344842[/snapback]</div>

Results of my great plans for those who are thinking similarly: Plan 1 is a bust. Forget it. Velcro holds it very well but not steadily. didn't like it. I never got to the last options as i had already found the best solution. Go to wwwProClipusa.com and order the bracket for your car and GPS as some other person did in earlier post. It will allow you to place the GPS neatly between the START button and the screen. I got the Magellan Road Mate2000 (Costco or Circuit City for $349) and its the exact right size and has same features as more expensive models do such as Detours, Gas and resturant locations. I love it!

I'm waiting for a bracket. When I get it installed I'll post a photo. It looks however very much like Garbageman's in an earlier post. Only differene is the Magellan is somewhat smaller.

Happy trails and Happy Thanksgiving
Roger

 

If anyone is looking at the Garmin GPS for Christmas, I was in a Walmart Saturday and they have rolled back the price of the Garmin nuvi 350 to just under $489. Also, the C320 is $269 and the C330 $329. The price of the 350 is tempting me........

Edit: Not to be outdone, Amazon now has the 350 for $487.88 with free shipping.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FL Buckeye @ Nov 27 2006, 11:11 AM) [snapback]354433[/snapback]</div>

Just a year ago only the Rich and Famous had GPS's. Now they are all over the place. It used to be you had to hide them to protect from theft...no more. Whose going to risk it for a $200 item. I've seen them that low.

Question: How do the 2.1-inch screens stack up to the 3.5-inch screens?

But for those of us that spent the extra buck and got an expensive unit how do you protect it? Some say the only sure way is to remove it and take it out of the car. That protcts you from theft but notg breaking into the car for those who leave their windsheild bracket up.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(garbageman @ Oct 29 2006, 07:46 PM) [snapback]340423[/snapback]</div>

Great install! I just bought a Nuvi 350 for my wife and her '04 Prius and I'd like to perform an install like this. How did you figure out which conductors carry the 12V? Trial and error?

 

Final outcome: I tried the Garmin C 340 ($349.95 at CostCo). The only way to attach is with the windshield mount which is very illegal in CA. I decided to stay with the MagellanRoadMate2000 found the voice on the Magelan easier to understand.

That and when the Magellan is connected via the ProClip it looks almost built in. AND it can be easily hidden or removed for further safety.

Thats one's man opinion. Happy Holiday everyone!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Roger3125 @ Nov 27 2006, 10:01 AM) [snapback]354463[/snapback]</div>

For me, the big difference between the 2.1" screen of an i-series and the 3.5" of a c-series or Nuvi is the input method. Although I'm pretty good with the thumbwheel while holding the unit in my hands, input is faster and easier with the 3.5" touchscreen, especially when the unit is is mounted.

The difference in price is so small that I would go for the larger screen. Even though I rarely use it, I regret not buying a c320 instead of the i3.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lifelong @ Dec 14 2006, 01:47 PM) [snapback]362450[/snapback]</div>

Sorry for the delay, I just saw your post.

Honestly, I don't remember exactly.

(hold on)

OK I went out to the car and got the mount. There AREN'T four conductors in there, there's only TWO!

That simplifies thing a bit, doesn't it? There's the black sheath on the outside, then a braid layer (conductor 1) then a white sheath, then conductor 2.

Just make sure that when you wire the plug and the jack that conductor 1 mates with conductor 1 etc. and you're golden!

Good luck!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Roger3125 @ Dec 14 2006, 05:11 PM) [snapback]362465[/snapback]</div>

I'm finally able to include a photo you can see how well it fits and looks. The ProClip places it at your finger tips and not on the windshield. People tell me that the Ca Police don't enforce the windshield law but I say better to error on the safe side.

I've also had the Magellan long enough to compare to the Gramin. Garmin (any Garmin) is superior in many respects but I choose to keep the Magellan for its low cost, its 90% reliability and the only one that was small enough (3.5" screen and 1" thick) to look almost built in on the Prius. If you can do without all the bells and whisles the Magellan 2000 is well worth the money.

 

Here's how I mounted my Garmin G295:
One problem is that most adhesive backed items won't adhere to the curvy plastic dash material; it's like gluing something to waxed paper. The silver vertical bands, however, will accept adhesive backed items. So....

I measured for and made a pattern for a triangular piece of black acrylic that would form a bridge between the two silver vertical air vents upon which I could mount the bracket for my GPS. The bridge also permitted me to position the GPS within a wide range of left-to-right locations so that I wouldn't obstruct the readouts. I then had it cut for me at a local plastic factory.

The piece spans the upper edge of the driver's side of the dash, and is attached at each end by adhesive backed velcro strips to both vertical silver plastic bands (where the air vents are). I then fixed the GPS "dash mounting" bracket to the black acrylic piece after experimenting with where to place it for ease of use. After a few days, I realized that there was too much reflected glare from the shiny black surface, so I went over it with one of those green kitchen scrubbies to give the acrylic a matte finish. It works very well. If you rub in a circular movement, the scrubbie dulls the plastic to a pleasing non-glare finish that closely resembles other plastic surfaces in the car.

The velcro attachments allow me to remove the entire setup if I want without any damage whatsoever to the surface of the dash. You could eliminate the velcro and just use double sided foam adhesive tape, which I think you can get at auto parts stores or hardware stores. Even using the double sided stuff, you can still remove the black acrylic piece.

The width of the bridge piece, left to right, is the distance from the silver vertical pieces, about 20 inches or so. The end of the bridge that abuts the MFD is about 3inches front to rear, while the other end, which is mounted to the top of the silver strip by the driver's window, is about an inch front to back.
I could have made it wider, front to back, but it worked really well and I had no desire to redo it. You can vary the front to back dimension to accommodate the base of whatever dash mounting bracket your GPS takes; the sticky adhesive in the bracket will adhere well to the black acrylic of the bridge.

The 12v adapter cord is connected to the outlet on the pax side of the car, runs along the underside of the dash where it's secured by cable ties inserted into the seams between plastic panels, and then up to the top of the dash where it's held in place by little strips of copper wrapped around the cord and inserted into the seam between the center and driver sections of the dash. Along the top, the cord lays on the dash behind the black acrylic piece and is pretty much out of sight.

Hope this helps.
Bob

Bob

 

My Garmin C320 rides in the top cup holder and runs on the internal battery. Some dropouts when I was in Philadelphia but no complaints.

 

Roger asked me for photos of my Garmin "dash mounting bridge". Here they are. You'll notice the power cord running next to the MFD held in place by thin copper strips bent around the cord and inserted into the seam between plastic panels. The cord runs across the top of the dash, just behind the bridge itself and so not visible from the driver's seat. I put a thin pad under the bridge where the mounting bracket sits to keep the bridge from bouncing up and down with the weight of the GPS. The rest should be self-explanatory.
Bob

[attachmentid=6312][attachmentid=6313]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Roger3125 @ Jan 22 2007, 06:55 PM) [snapback]379194[/snapback]</div>

where does your power cable run?

 

The parts of Los Angels I occasionally have to visit dictate a stealth mode for my Garmin 340; I place the GPS/mount/charger in the console middle cup-holder. Because it's CA, it can't be on the windshield. I put a small round of rubber cut from a mat in the bottom of the cup-holder to help keep it in place. Initial lock is a little slower from there, but once set it keeps the signal well. I don't need the external antenna.

I run the power from inside the center console and route the wiring near the floor; plenty of cable. When parked, I put the GPS in the console, take out the holder and put it under a seat. Nothing shows.

The 340 does text to speech that's great; but it is "late" in announcing turns; feels like I'm right on top of the street when it tells me to turn. I just added the traffic update cable, and that seems to work pretty well. Probably better units on sale now for less.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(garbageman @ Oct 29 2006, 05:46 PM) [snapback]340423[/snapback]</div>

Garbageman:

I really like this install, and the use of the mini plug. Since it has been a year since you posted this, I am wondering if you still have the same installation set-up, and if you ever got around to wiring in a different power supply connection (freeing up the aux plug). I'd like to do something just like this in my 08 Prius.

 

If you think you might go to europe sometime, frys.com has the NUVI 370 on sale for $450.