navigate that buick

August 8, 2008

I received the 2nd DVD from Garmin today (the correct one this time) so my little StreetPilot i3 is now officially back in the saddle. Good deal. I’ll be writing about that more in another post.

Concerning the Buick I have given thought to what GPS unit I’m going to put in there. It’s definitely going to be Garmin and definitely not going to be in-dash.

I’m a big fan of GPS and even if you don’t own a vintage Buick, here are some good tips on how make GPS work best in a vintage ride.

1. Go Garmin.

Garmin is the only company that does GPS right. I’ve been using their products since 2005 and they have the best routing ability of any unit. In addition they also have the best customer support. It is nothing short of shocking how nice, well-spoken and accurate Garmin tech support is.

2. Mind that cigarette lighter.

The problem with cigarette lighter ports on older cars is that its a bad idea to have anything plugged in there when starting the car. When the engine is initially turning over to start, a surge will go thru the port. 99% of the time this small surge is okay but that other 1% of the time it can wreck whatever is plugged into it.

For example, if whatever you have plugged into the port has a thicker part of the cable containing a fuse, there’s a small chance the surge will pop that fuse. Yes, this is what’s supposed to happen to kill the cable and save the device. But then you have to either get another fuse or replace the cable completely – and that’s a pain.

To avoid any likelihood of this happening, unplug whatever is in the port, start the car, then plug back in. You’re a-okay at that point.

To note: Newer cars don’t have cigarette lighter ports that surge. They’re made in such a way where it doesn’t happen anymore. These newer ports were put in cars right around the early 1990s.

3. Get a friction mount.

Friction mounts are “bean bag” freestanding mounts that rest on the dashboard with a rubber underside so it doesn’t slide anywhere. Use this and you won’t have to use the suction mount that always leaves a nice smudgy circle on the glass.

Make sure your friction mount is manufactured by Garmin and not someone else. You can locate these mounts easily on eBay. For example, if you have a Garmin StreetPilot c550, just search for c550 friction mount in eBay and you’ll find what you’re looking for. Cost is around 30 to 40 bucks.

4. Secure the power cable with a twist-tie.

The power cables that come provided with GPS units are long on purpose to accommodate any vehicle. But what happens is that the slack goes on the floor and gets in the way. Use a black twist-tie to tidy up the cable so no one (driver or passenger) kicks the cable by mistake.

Granted, if you’re running the unit on its internal battery you don’t have to worry about this, but many people (myself included) prefer to operate the unit plugged in.

5. Set your favorites before venturing out.

If going to an event to show the car, use the Favorites feature to program in the locations before leaving. Entering in information in the unit while driving is stupid because it takes your eyes off the road, so take care of it before you go.

6. Use a GPS that has anti-glare coating on it.

The glass in some older cars will reflect on the inside and make the GPS screen almost unreadable. Garmin c3xx series StreetPilots do not have anti-glare coating on them, but c5xx and all nuvi models do. Believe me when I say that this is an absolutely necessity.

7. Use common sense.

GPS does not replace the driver; it will not drive the car for you. There will be times when you know the better way to get somewhere. Always remember that GPS is meant to assist and not drive.

How much does GPS cost these days?

You can pick up a Garmin nuvi 200 model at Best Buy for 99 bucks with a coupon. Cheap.


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