matt-c

Nice stencil work!

And this is my intention for wiring the housing into the stereo wiring. Unless I can get hold of the standard plug (was quoted nearly £25 by a breaker!) I'm gonna use a computer molex connector, so it's easily plug and play if I need to remove it; Then for the GPS power, I'm just gonna spur a female 12v cig plug off the existing one by the gear shift, and just plug the supplied USB adapter into that - again, easily unpluggable.

I see there's a lot of interest in this project LOL. Oh well, I'll just keep "blogging" about it as I go... So while I'm waiting to see if the GPS PCB can be fixed, I made up some temp wiring to test the nav housing - yep, had it 2 years and not even powered it up to see if it even works! I used to have a nice little 240-to-12v box, but I'll be damned if I can find it (think I binned it actually :( ) so I just hooked up directly to the old battery that came out the Lexus this winter! Wired the perm and switched live pins together, to positive, and ground pin to negative, and it works! Using the same wiring, I took the illumination negative and ground pins to battery negative, and the illumination positive to battery positive, and they work too!

Project on hold now, as one of the wires for the power switch also broke - so now I can't turn it on, or charge it! Guess I'm gonna have to buy a soldering iron and brush up my (non existent) skills!

Decided to follow up on this sat nav build, since I never got round to it. I bought the 7" housing a couple years ago, and bought a cheap Chinese GPS off eBay, then when it got here, realised it didn't have an AV input (for reverse cam that I also want to install), and when I tried to send it back under their "no quibble 14 day UK distance selling regulation" return policy, they would only accept returns to China, even though they were advertising as a UK seller! Complained to eBay and got full refund, inc postage, and was able to keep the GPS! So they've both sat here for a couple years doing nothing, until I decided I should really give it a go, hopefully with help on the wiring (my achilles heel) from a work mate, after I put in the physical build work. So, the other night I ripped it apart; Did a quick. slot in, test fit with the tablet; And then set about ripping the tablet apart - the connectivity is all on the side of the unit, and there isn't room inside the housing to plug anything in. I'd have to rip it apart to get to the PCB anyway, and I wanted to relocate it if possible, thus avoiding having to solder directly onto it for power etc With the PCB loose, I can easily plug a USB cable in for power without having to solder directly onto the PCB, thus making the USB port still operational if I need to plug it into a computer for updates etc. Then, I broke a wire off the PCB! Turns out to be the wire that lets the battery charge, so I can still boot up at the mo, but not charge. Not the end of the world because it will have constant power once in the car and wired in Anyway, with a couple holes drilled in the back casing to cable tie the PCB down, I glued a couple of crude wooden blocks to the sides of the housing. Reason for this is it holds the tablet perfectly snug and tight, but allows me to pull the tablet out if need be - more on that later; The reason for being able to slide it out is 1) in case I need to plug it into my computer for anything, and also 2) this is just the test bed. Because this GPS owes me nothing, I'm happy to experiment with it (I've also compromised the screen ribbon cable, so it's a bit iffy displaying an image), but if we can get this all working how I'd like (which is to try to replace the GPS on/off switch with a trigger, so that it powers on with ignition and off again with power cut) then I'll buy a newer one, this time with the AV input for reverse camera, and possibly also with bluetooth so I can (hopefully) connect my phone to it for handsfree (the idea is I can plug the 3.5mm jack from my Grom into the tablet, and possibly solder a separate mic onto it, rather than use the internal mic, which of course will be inside the housing. Also, I spotted this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361119746945?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT which would be good to connect to the microSD card slot on the PCB, run it behind the head unit and under the console and maybe have it come out in the ashtray? That way I can load stuff onto a regular size SD card and hot swap it on the move, rather than having no access to the mSD slot without removing the entire tablet. Wiring is my problem - I can't solder and I'm useless with electronics! But hopefully a work colleague is gonna help me try and get it all working. Plan is to wire the power for the housing to a computer molex connector, and then tap into the cars wiring for that power, to another molex - making it completely removable, rather than hardwired (should I want to sell it or move it to another car later on). As for power for the tablet, the plan is to simply use the USB to cigarette power adapter, but wire a female cig socket (probably into the wiring for the existing cig lighter) and just mount it behind the dash and plug directly into it - again making it simple to unplug if need be. And hopefully, with the newer tablet, I might be able to get this logo to be the default splash screen during boot (can't get it to work on the current one)

It's interesting to see which of the posters here immediately got defensive after I posted. Interesting indeed.

This thread does make me chuckle. I do wonder if all those shouting down to us from their moral high ground would actually do as they're preaching? I very much doubt it. If you came home to find a window smashed on your house - not broken into, nothing stolen, just a broken pane of glass, you wouldn't claim for it on the house insurance, you'd just fix it yourself out of your own pocket. Would you then ring your home and contents insurer to tell them you'd just paid for a window to be replaced? Of course you wouldn't. Likewise, if you have a little rub in a car park, and you sort it out with the other party without involving the insurance company, why on earth would you ring them up and say "hey, just an FYI. I bumped my car into another one at Tesco today. Don't worry, I'm paying for it myself, but I thought you should know so that you can elevate my risk status for future policies. Thanks!"

Note I didn't say anything about them asking. I said don't ring them and tell them.

Don't tell the insurance company. If it's all been settled and everything signed and you're both happy, then that's the end of it. The insurance company can't file it as a claim, because no claim has been made, but you are admitting causing an accident, or being at fault in the event of an accident, and this will go against you. It will be noted down on file as part of your driving history. Insurance proposals are all about risk to reward. The lower risk you are, the lower your premium is. The higher risk you are, the more it costs you. You calling them and informing them you were at fault in an accident is putting yourself further up the risk chain.

Yes, those will be fine. I use 35w in mine, as even though the wattage is less, the light output is still more than the halogens you already have

I bought those too. Wasn't long before the driver's one was streaking on the screen and not clearing it properly.

The xenon/HID kits just plug into existing wiring. Fit the bulbs in the headlights > plug wiring in to ballast > plug ballast into car wiring. Done. You're not getting the whole bulb thing. The numbers with k on the end are referring to the Kelvin scale, which (for this intents and purposes) a measurement of the colour of xenon gas bulbs (HID bulbs). You don't get to choose "5000k" halogen bulbs - halogen bulbs are just halogen bulbs. Some claim to be certain colours, but that's down to tinting the glass the bulb is made from. Xenon gas bulbs (HID's) can be different colours due to different temperatures (which is what the kelvin scale refers to) inside the bulbs. So your choices are (again) either you replace the bulbs with standard halogen bulbs (that you already have), or you fit a HID kit, which has xenon bulbs.

The HID (xenon) bulbs won't work on their own - you need the kit (which includes the ballast and the wiring harnesses). Your standard, factory, set up is for halogen bulbs - you can' just swap those with xenon bulbs and expect them to work. Some confusing terminology on this thread, so I'll try to clear up Main beam - these are what you put on when it's really dark (like out in the country) and no streetlights or oncoming cars Dipped beam - these are your normal driving headlights, around town and with oncoming traffic Fog lights - these are in the bumper, and are used when it's foggy, even with oncoming traffic I have HID in my dipped beam. I have halogen in my main beam and fog. The halogens in the main beam are still brighter than the HID in the dipped beam. This is because of how the bulbs are displayed, not because they are more powerful or a different colour. So under when I have the normal dipped beam lights on (HID) and I flick the main beam (halogen) lights on, the end result is more light than I had with just the dipped beams on, throws further and higher. The reason I put HID in the dipped beam is because halogen bulbs there as standard are rubbish and give very little light output. The HIDs are stronger, more powerful and thus give more light output. So, HID in both beams will give more light output, but you really don't need it, as halogen main beams are very good. However, your money, and your time fitting. PS, don't buy the cheap crap from china. I did, and very soon after bought replacement bulbs from a UK supplier. I spent more on the two replacement bulbs than I did on the entire kit from china. Those bulbs were sh*t and the ballasts aren't the best either (I'll be replacing those shortly with a better set)

Personally, I wouldn't bother putting HID in the main beams. It looks good because they bulb colours will match, but who's ever going to see it? You have to flick them off when anything's approaching, and the people behind you can't see them. That and the fact that most times you're using the main beam, you're flicking them on and off, and HID's take time to "warm up", so you're not going to get the best out of them anyway. Same goes for fogs, why bother going to the expense and hassle of changing them to HID when a) you'll barely use them and B) no one will ever see them? Not to mention the fact that they are too strong for fog - you're just going to blind yourself with the reflection and you won't be penetrating the fog for better visibility (in fact the opposite). HID in dipped beam, yes - because the standard headlights are pathetic and are like having two candles. In the main beam and fogs, just use regular halogens. You don't need "yellow" bulbs for the fogs, regular ones will be fine. Comparing a regular halogen to a xenon (say 5000k) bulb, the halogen will give that yellowish (some call it cream) light, while the 5000k xenon gives off a white (snow) light. Some people tint the fog lens covers yellow, which you often see on cars on the continent, as it does give better throw in fog, but looks a bit tacky to me.

That's not how Lumens work. They are at their brightest, as far as human eye visibility over distance is concerned at around 4300-5000k, anything over that it actually gets darker as the tint becomes more blue. Yellow is the best colour for punching through fog - white just reflects on the fog - but going less than 4300 will see the distance the light is visible become less as the tint fades to yellow (you don't need distance in fog, you need the ability to cut through) That and the fact that blue tinted lights look chavvy and tacky

Headlight fitment for dipped beams is 9006/HB4. Don't install blue tinted, they look cheap and tacky and you won't actually see as much as if they were white or slightly yellow tinted. I wouldn't go above 6000k, personally I use 5000k, but might switch down to 4300k when I next need new bulbs

I agree. First step the police should take is roadside eyesight tests. Soon get those pesky, irresponsible and downright dangerous for that choose to drive with failing eyesight off our roads, making it safe for everyone :)

If it's low light or restricted conditions (such as rain) then common sense says put your lights on. However, I take issue with " there are many people about whose eyesight is deteriorating and they can't see some approaching vehicles" These people are more dangerous on the roads than the people who don't put their lights on. There should be more stringent criteria and tests done for people that have eyesight as bad as this. And from a moral point of view, I think the people that drive KNOWING their eyesight isn't good enough to see oncoming traffic are the selfish ones (and dangerous), not the ones that don't put lights their lights on.

Bit late to tell me that, as I bought one in ECP yesterday!

Well a year after starting this topic and umpteen recharges, I succumbed today and bought a new battery. Was quoted around £57-£60 from Motex (Unipart was the same price before they closed down), and Euro Car Parts had a "Lion" battery for £59, but decided to go for a Bosch battery at £70 (from ECP) because it's a trusted brand (never heard of Lion) and also it had 4 years guarantee instead of three. Bit more than I wanted to spend, as I'm sure I'm going to kill it in a couple years, because of the type of use the car gets..... I guess we'll see!

I had a dead battery and when the AA came out the guy reckoned I had a current drain too but he couldn't pinpoint it. How did you find out that it was the boot light and how did you ensure that the boot light only came on when the boot was opened rather than constantly please? Open the ski hatch and look inside?

Looked better as standard (imo), and even worse with the chrome rings! And LOL @ blanking out the number plate, but leaving the reflection of it in the Hyundai bonnet!

Of course you can scratch glass with a diamond ring. On a windscreen you can scratch it with a non-diamond (i.e. just plain silver, titanium or gold) ring too. Laminated glass scratches more easily than toughened glass, and I've changed countless screens thanks to scuffs made by contamination on the wipers (and from wipers that are just worn down), and many fir scratches on the inside too. I've even changed door glass' that have been scratched by dogs claws

You shouldn't be scratching glass with a rubber blade. Either there was contamination on the blade (grit, sand, small stone) or you're actually looking at a deposit scuff (as in a rubber mark) not a scratch. Or you're just doing it very, very wrong... This time of year I get condensation on all my glass, and use the same rubber edged scraper/squeegee I've used for the past 7 or 8 years with no marks, scratches of otherwise. If it's frost, just use hot tap water. Before all the "hot water will break frozen glass" comments come in - no it won't. Try not to be too stupid and use boiling water from the kettle, but hot water (even steaming hot) from the tap will not damage glass, especially when poured from the top downwards (as in to say, you pour slightly above the glass, onto the metal, letting it run down the glass, defrosting as it goes. The water will be more or less cold by the time it reaches the bottom of the glass/door panels/bonnet/boot anyway)

Factory tinted glass is tinted by pigment in the glass, not a coating (inside or out). It is not susceptible to scratches any more or any less than non-privacy tint glass, however it may show up the scratches due to it's darker colour.