Hardwiring Garmin GPS

**earhythmic** · 05-13-2008 01:36 PM

Like the title states, has anyone done this? I see tons of threads about hardwiring radar detectors and all but nothing about GPS. I searched but all I found was one pretty old abandoned thread. I do have my radar detector hardwired to turn on with the car but I'm kind of weary of trying to do the same with a $700 piece of equipment.

**b00st** · 05-13-2008 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by earhythmic

Like the title states, has anyone done this? I see tons of threads about hardwiring radar detectors and all but nothing about GPS. I searched but all I found was one pretty old abandoned thread. I do have my radar detector hardwired to turn on with the car but I'm kind of weary of trying to do the same with a $700 piece of equipment.

honestly i wouldn't suggest it. since its a real common issue of people stealing portable GPS's. i know i'm an insurance agent. Insurance wise...typically your auto policy does not cover anything that isn't installed in the factory position. its also not covered under your homeowners personal property because anything powered by the vehicle is excluded from the home personal prop. so hardwiring this expensive item in...doesn't sound like the best idea. next thing you know...you have a broken window and minus one gps unit. i tell all my customers not to leave that thing out. it really is a common item that is stolen. especially around xmas time. parking lots are packed...people are shopping in malls...come back to their car and find their GPS gone. i wouldn't hardwire this in. and when you leave the car...put it under the seat or whatever...glovebox. but don't leave it visible.

people break-in and steal ipod still....your just making yourself an easy target.

**wwb4** · 05-13-2008 03:20 PM

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the RNS-E (or other OEM Nav option), I'd recommend selling the Garmin and using the proceeds to get a Pioneer AVIC D3. One can be had for ~$450.

**b00st** · 05-13-2008 03:44 PM

yeah i got an AVIC-D3X myself. so ipod integration and BT + NAV plus i run the bypass so i can watch movies.

**earhythmic** · 05-13-2008 06:08 PM

yea, of course I wouldnt leave it out in the open. those little drawers under our seats are awesome

. I've been thinking about an Avic Z1 for a while but I like the portability of the GPS, as I can take it out to use in a friend's cars or just walking around or something. Only downside is that it looks like a 3rd party accessory and if it's not installed properly it looks tacky, hence why I'm trying to hardwire it and hide the cables. Mainly what I'm trying to do is hardwire the base, since the actual screen and GPS unit clips onto that and provides charging and what not. I did a little poking around and apparently the wire for the cigarette lighter charger has an antennae built into it for traffic updates and weather etc. There's a ciggy plug available through Garmin without the antennae built in which is cheap enough that I wouldnt mind hacking it up. The thing is, I dunno if the part that plugs into the ciggy lighter has a transformer of some sort in it to dwindle 12v down the proper voltage for the Garmin, kind of like a wall wart. I read something about 5v? I'll figure something out...

**ngng** · 05-13-2008 06:59 PM

same idea as wiring a radar detector, just get the proper 12v kit, and splice it in with a fuse.

**EYE4SPEED** · 05-13-2008 08:06 PM

Is there a way to shutoff the cigarette lighter power when the car is off?

When I'm at work or in my garage, I prefer to leave my GPS plugged in - when the power shuts off to the car (cigarette powers off), then my GPS would automatically turn off.

**b00st** · 05-13-2008 09:27 PM

i have a garmin nuvi 360...but now i keep it in my wife's car. it is good for portability but hardwire kinda defeats that.

probably the only way to shutoff the cigarette lighter power would be to splice in a toggle switch that cuts power to it.

**likewater** · 05-13-2008 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by wwb4

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to the RNS-E (or other OEM Nav option), I'd recommend selling the Garmin and using the proceeds to get a Pioneer AVIC D3. One can be had for ~$450.

Cheers to that!!!

**apatchin** · 06-04-2008 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by b00st

honestly i wouldn't suggest it. since its a real common issue of people stealing portable GPS's. i know i'm an insurance agent. Insurance wise...typically your auto policy does not cover anything that isn't installed in the factory position. its also not covered under your homeowners personal property because anything powered by the vehicle is excluded from the home personal prop. so hardwiring this expensive item in...doesn't sound like the best idea. next thing you know...you have a broken window and minus one gps unit. i tell all my customers not to leave that thing out. it really is a common item that is stolen. especially around xmas time. parking lots are packed...people are shopping in malls...come back to their car and find their GPS gone. i wouldn't hardwire this in. and when you leave the car...put it under the seat or whatever...glovebox. but don't leave it visible.

people break-in and steal ipod still....your just making yourself an easy target.

hardwiring does NOT

mean its permanent, it simply means you dont have to plug that ugly ass cord into the lighter to charge the battery. After all audi only has one cig lighter in most cars. leave them for when u need them. Mine is hardwired so i can plug it in without having any cords and guess what, when i leave i can just unplug and take it off the mount...whoever posted this just look on ebay for 12v hardwiring kits. if your handy look at the DIY for hardwiring a radar its basically the same...just make sure if you do it to put the positive charge into something that turns off when you turn the car off, like the homelink, which is what i used.

**ghoonk** · 06-04-2008 10:47 PM

I have a Garmin Nuvi 710 and here's what I did:

1. install/stick the hard round and flat mounting base in the pop-out cupholder (I'm driving an RS4, but I think the position is pretty standard). make sure you push the two flaps down, so that the rear end of the cupholder does not pop up. You may need to push in the extended cupholder a bit to get the rear to stay down and to get the two flaps on the front down.

2. install the Garmin holder in a fashion that prevents the rear end of the cupholder from popping up.

3. Snap on the bracket for the unit and voila, you're done.

4. To remove the unit from the bracket, simply angle the bracket back to get access to the release button on the bottom. This should not cause the base holder to come off.

5. To get it back on, remount the unit in the bracket, then tip the bracket forward until the release button sits inside the inner diameter of the cupholder

6. In the event that you need to retract the cupholder, simply release the suction lever and remove the whole assembly from the base, but leave the flat, black plastic disc in the cupholder.

I don't even use the cigarette lighter adapter since I get pretty good battery life off my unit, but i do switch it off when I leave the car. I charge the unit once a week via USB when I update my music library on the 710.