Ok, so having made the decision a few days ago to go with the Garmin system rather than replace my Bolero with a Kenwood, I ordered the new kit on Wednesday, arrived on Thursday and I got around to opening up the package and fitting today

Inspired by the other chaps on here who've hardwired the power lead into the car I managed to do the same myself - turned out to be pretty easy in the end

My initial plan was to chop the garmin power cable and add some connectors and splice into a switched feed somewhere, but on second thoughts I took an easier route, and kept the cable intact but added a new power socket (ie a cigarette ligher thingie) wired up out of sight next to the fuse box.

Once I'd worked out how to pull the dash-top-box out (quick search on here, thanks Nick P!) it was a piece of cake to drill a very small hole in the corner then drop the power cable down below the steering column and across. A bit of jiggling and its popped out by the fuse box ready to use.

The power socket was also pretty easy to do, just connect one end to the earth then a spade connector into an unused fuse holder - first one I tried was a permament live, second one was switched so that was ideal.

I was expecting to have to fabricate something to hold the Garmin in the right place in the box but it turns out this is not necessary. I removed the rubber liner, stuck the "disc" you get with the mounting down to the base of the box and it all fits really well. The top of the mount is just touching the lid of the box - perfect!

The reason I chose this particular Garmin was based on its ability to boot up and shut down based on the power status, and as such it works really well. Switch on the ignition and it starts up - switch the car off and it shuts itself down (with a warning "shutting down in xx seconds, press something or other to cancel"). This effectivly means you can leave it in the car and it will switch itself on or off just like a factory OE system.

When you don't want to leave the unit on disply, just separate the mount from the stuck disc and pop it in the glovebox and you can close the lid as normal. As I didn't destroy the power lead to the Garmin it means it can be re-used on a future car, plus when I move this car on once the rubber liner is back in the storage box you won't be able to see the hole.

Very pleased with the result - only took 30 minutes to fit in the end, cost: £190 quid for the Garmin, £8 quid for the power socket from halfrauds. That's a big saving over the other options I was looking at.

Why this particular Garmin, well, good reviews, speed cam database, live traffic info, shows your speed plus the limit for the road you're on, lane assist etc etc its lightyears ahead of the tom tom i had previously.

Pics:

Storage box out, hole drilled, mount fitted (but box still out of the car for now to take the pic):

New power socket fitted up and Garmin power lead plugged in, fits perfectly next to the fuse box:

Fitted and working, lousy pic as the light is fading but you get the idea. The "glare" you get in the pic is only due to the camera - the screen is bright and clear in real life

Nice job Rob. Looks great

good job Rob cheers I have the Garmin Nuvi 1490T its big enough to just sit in as it is I was lucky and lasts me over 4 hours on a charge I need it in other vehicles so just plug it in the odd time I need it in my car to norm 12v socket mine just has a mini USB style plug on back no cradle style holder like yours to very handy has sat there as is with nothing adapted never moved a mm stayed there for a resent 23 hour trip (8 hours of which on a ferry)

Edited 21 May, 201115 yr by FUBAR

Good effort

Due to the picture being a bit hazy can you just clarify a few points please?

Which fuse is switched? before I start manually trying them.

Was it a +5v or +12v feed you needed?

How did you splice into the fuses?

Cheers mate

Due to the picture being a bit hazy can you just clarify a few points please?

Which fuse is switched? before I start manually trying them.

Was it a +5v or +12v feed you needed?

How did you splice into the fuses?

Cheers mate

The power socket came with two flat connectors already attached - one I just tucked under one of the bolts that goes direct into the bodywork as an earth (loosen the bolt, tuck under the connector, re-tighten), the other is just pushed lightly into one of the fuse holders. I just popped out to the car to see if I could identify it by number but I can't, sorry, they're not labelled. You can pretty much see already in the pic where abouts it is in the board - on mine it was next to the blue/15a fuse you can see in the picture.

HTH.

Quick question:

If u take the garmin out, does the holder flatten so that you can close the lid? The reason I ask is because I'm thinking of mounting my iPhone there, but want to be able to open/close the lid still.

Edited 2 February, 201214 yr by thewill

The holder suction clamps to the self-adhesive disc which i've stuck to the bottom of the box so it only takes a second to remove. You need to remove it before the lid will close.

TBH i rarely do this. At home or in the work car park I don't mind having the garmin on view.. if I park anywhere else i pull the garmin off but I often leave the mount in place and the lid up. I probably should pull the mount off and close the lid more often i suppose..?

Very neat. The 3760T is a sound unit piece of kit - looks good, compact and the display is impressively detailed and bright. I've made mine more OEM-looking by importing a Skoda logo jpeg for it's start up page e.g.

http://www.yourlogoresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/skoda-logo.jpg

Edited 2 February, 201214 yr by London Les

. . . . I've made mine more OEM-looking by importing a Skoda logo jpeg for it's start up page e.g.

http://www.yourlogoresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/skoda-logo.jpg

How did you do that?

If you connect the unit to your PC using a USB lead, you will see Garmins internal file structure. There is a folder called images, jpegs, or pictures (I can't remember). Drag your chosen image into that folder. Once disconnected, start the unit's picture viewer (it automatically loads all suitable formats from its internal drive), highlight the picture you want, then from the menu select 'Use as splash screen' or similar. There is some functionality (which is clunky) to resize the image, but I tend to edit the image on the computer first.