I cannot take credit for this idea, about a year ago Perkman87 had a post with his magellan GPS stuffed into his ashtray with some custom wiring to tie it into his cigarette lighter. HIS POST HERE
I decided to do the same with my garmin Nuvi. At first my rig was simple, The unit sat on a block of bondo that I made to fit in the bottom of the ashtray cavity. It was held in place by velcro so i could remove it when necessary. I bought an additional cigarette socket and hardwired it to the existing socket behind the trim so the Garmin turns on and off with the car.

I recently decided to take it to the next level and make it look like it belongs there. Its basically all bondo, a lot of sanding and paint





In the future I will post a writeup/how to. However I would like to first offer to perform this custom jobby job for other forum members in the near future for a fee.

Some thoughts about my install
1. No its not PERFECT, there are some variances in the surface that can be seen under certain lighting conditions.
2. Many will say its unsafe for the garmin to be there, Its fine as we all divert our eyes from the road at some point. Its not like im reading a book... Id rather have it down there instead of taking up my field of view on my windshield anyways.
3. Somehow I can still hear the garmin loud and clear, I was not expecting this but thought the mod was worth it anyway
4. Directional Inputs should be made when not moving obviously, and yes it is easier to type on the screen when my auto stick is not in park
5. Satellite reception is 100%
6. When the Garmin dies, the trim goes in the trash
7. I FUGGIN LOVE IT!!!

 

looks really good for a DIY

 

it looks good but i would find it way to distracting to look at it so low.

 

Looks good, especially the custom trim. Good job.

 

the job looks amazing...but its too low for me

 

Thanks for the compliments, many hours went into the project. The "custom trim" is actually just a very fine transition where the bondo/frame meets the garmin. In other words the "inner ring" is the garmin itself.

Ok ok, so the unit is below eye level. Do you guys adjust your stereos and HVAC settings without looking? It only takes a downward glance, and thats only if you missed the Garmin telling you what to do more than once.

 

looks good but its too small for being that low

 

Doesn't it have a reception problem being mounted that low with the antenna under all the crap in your dash?

 

Looks good but I'd have a problem with it being that low.

 

looking nice

 

Did the same thing but mine is retractable.

 

how is the signal. I always thought thats a bit low....it looks good but how is the signal? That low would be tough to type I would think and then what if you wanted to go portable, which was the secondary purpose of these.

The install looks real good though so props.

 

I put my satellite radio into my ash tray...

 

Thanks Perkman for spamming your "retractable" *cough* version on my post when i actually gave you due credit for originality with an included link to your thread

Signal is 100%... As i mentioned it is fine to type on, albeit easier to type when stick is not in park. Go portable? For where?? An OEM navi isnt portable either

I cant change the size of the garmin, nor the size of the ashtray opening, nor where the ashtray is located...The beauty of this mod is that it was an ashtray.... Now its a Navi unit that looks OEM ...

Thanks again for the props

 

we gave you credit for good work...please dont be the guy who gets upset because everyone isnt 100% in love with something you did...nobody was rude...people just made comments

 

Too true, point taken

 

looks good nice install

 

Cool idea!

 

ooops, Sorry I Had just gotten home from work and it was 3am, I think yours looks way better tho. I didn't even read it until now

My Bad.

 

I honestly don't like it, there are lots of other places that would be better than there...
Plus where you gonna keep your change now lol...

 

nice install, i used to have mine propped on the ashtray until I found a vent mount

 

this looks great, im def gonna have to do it with my tomtom.

 

awesome DIY. gonna have to agree with the general concensus that its a little low. i have mine mounted to my windshield right to the left of my instrument cluster so i dont have to look down or anything.

but once again, excellent work, looks terrific.

 

gota say i love teh last two..but like was said..thats real low

 

its low yes. but as long as its functional and yet still safe to work with then WHY NOT? I like it. Good **** homie. I've had the idea myself too but to retro fit my cell phone. Love the Droid.

 

Gorgeous...


...too bad my wideband is chillin in my ashtray.

 

Nice job but I'll have to agree with what others have said in that it's too low. If it works for you though who cares? I actually use that compartment to put my cell phone in.

 

Great DIY. If you use the GPS for the voice commands, should be perfect. No need to look at the map. Nice and neat.

 

That's pretty hot bro... I was thinking about doing a similar mod... but above the middle air vents... where the clock is at... I hate it... lol... it looks very generic... but mad props...

 

blends in very well!

 

Thanks again for the rave reviews everyone.

As i briefly mentioned in my first post, If anyone has a Garmin (not widescreen) that they would like me to custom mount, I decided that for $150 I would be willing to outsource my skills. This price reflects the cost of the additional cigarette socket, a straight tipped USB to cig plug adapter, sandpaper, bondo and paint, return shipping and of course hours of my time.

If there is any initial expressed interest, I can hash out more details about guarantees, shipping and other things i can add to your garmin.

Please let me know.

Does anyone know if the 4th or 6th gen have similar ashtrays?

On second thought, considering the general consensus that the unit is too low for ease of use, BJS470 and aqlizzonmymax gave me an idea...

I grabbed my gf's garmin and went out to the max to see what the fitment is like for the garmin to be retrofitted into the left upper air vent. I think its going to be a green light project! This will be alot tougher considering the mechanics of the vent openings. Im going to need t buy a dremel i think... Does anyone have a vent cluster or cheap garmin unit for sale? Looking to pay about $50 to 60 for a used 2xx series.

 

now that would be sweeeet

 

Has anybody done this w/ an iPod?

 

Looks awesome! I'm still trying to figure out where to keep my iPhone when using xGPS...

 

Between this thread and Perkmans that i linked to, I believe you have seen everything that anyone has done as far as ashtray gadgets go. I might be willing to try a custom Ipod build if it was with a 1st gen ipod or an ipod that someone would be willing to take a chance on letting me experiment with. My only concern is that the connections for the ipods shoot straight out the bottom. There would be the unique ipod connector --> cig lighter, then the headphone jack --> Red/White rca splitter that would be an auxillary input to the back of an aftermarket stereo. I myself have never owned an ipod so i would need to get my hands on a similar model to get a feel for it.

All in all I think the chances of a successful flush mounted bondo-ipod would turn out to be an epic FAIL and I would end up buying someone a new ipod.

Still looking for an test subject for a gps vent project or a customer for an identical ash tray mod.