Leave GPS in car or take inside?

 

Just wondering what most people do.

I'm not so concerned with theft, living in a small town with nosey neighbors and a huge locking console in my truck but I'm kind of paranoid at what effects the extreme temps may have on the unit. Mostly the screen. Would be interested to hear if anyone has had any bad experiences leaving their units to the ravages of temperature extremes, or for that matter if someone in Death Valley or Nome, Alaska has never had a problem.

I bring mine in the house when it's not in use. So what do ya'll do?

Thanks for the input!

--
Brian Garmin nuvi 255W
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Bring it in.

Personally, living in the Washington DC metro area where tonight, at 2100 hours, it's 18 degrees and where it goes up to 90+ ambient temperature in the summer (but it's /much/ higher in a closed car), I bring it inside.

Extremes of temperature are /not/ good for batteries.

YMMV,
Speed3

--
Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

My Rule of Thumb

My vehicles are in a garage - so they don't see all the extremes - but my rule of thumb is if I would be uncomfortable spending the night in the car - then the GPS doesn't either.

I have not noticed any problems on my gps. Today it sat in my van at the job site and it is was 8 and snowing. Turned it on to come home and it responded as it should. My scanners do show lcd display problems when cold. So I usually let them warm a bit before turning them on.

Daniel

--
Garmin StreetPilot c580 & Nuvi 760 - Member 32160 - Traveling in Kansas

How cold does it get?

The type of display used on the older generation GPSrs such as the StreetPilot ColorMap took forever to brighten up if left to chill overnight (40°F). The newer generation of receivers like the nüvi don't seem to have that problem. Manufacturer's of many devices with LCD panels don't suggest storage temps below 0°F or operating below 32°F.

If you counting votes, I slip my nüvi into its case and bring it inside. Like you, I'm not concerned with the theft issue in my locale.

--
"There's no substitute for local knowledge" nüvi 750, nüvi 3597

I leave mine...

I leave mine in the car as I sometime forget to take it with me when I drive. I just take it off my dash board and hide it under my seat just in case some juveniles want a toy to play with.

Weather or whether

The units built into the cars seem to be OK with Florida's changing weather conditions, but my nuvi comes indoors when I do.

--
nuvi 785 nuvi 350, nuvi 270, GTM 20, jag in dash, mercedes in dash.

I always bring it inside.

I always bring it inside. Never leave it in the car in my opinion.

Bring it inside

always exclaim

--
Tampa, FL - Garmin nüvi 660 (Software Ver 4.90), 2021.20 CN NA NT maps | Magellan Meridian Gold

Lucky for you theft is not an issue

This post came very timely for me to weigh in on. Tonight I pulled into a parking space at a restaurant and saw the telltale sign of glass on the ground. The car parked in front of me had it's front passenger side window broken out.

All I saw as I passed by was the window suction cup mount centered in the middle of the windshield. I couldn't tell if the object of the break-in was a GPS or not, but all the same, it didn't make me feel any more comfortable.

While I usually bring in my GPS with me anytime, this time I was more concerned about my computer bag in the trunk, figuring that if any signs of a GPS might lead to a break-in then not finding that, to checking somewhere else in the car.

As it turns out, before I got to the restaurant, the vehicle owner already had the police attend to his car. Which means, I had the police next to my car during most of my dinner. Still, I didn't feel totally comfortable throughout my meal. It sucks that such an action by a lowlife makes us all feel worse off.

--
NEOhioGuy - Garmin 2639, MIO Knight Rider, TomTom (in Subaru Legacy), Nuvi 55, DriveSmart 51, Apple CarPlay maps

GPS Theft a Major Problem Here

I live in one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., Montgomery County, MD.

GPS unit theft in this county has risen to the point where the police are giving out microfiber cloths so folks can wipe away the telltale marks of suction cups from their windshields.

Check out this link from GPS Magazine:

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/09/gps_thefts_rise.php

Speed3

--
Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

My GPS stays in the car all the time

Of course it's completely out of sight. I have it custom mounted in a dash compartment with a door. Nothing is exposed, not even cables.

As for the temps, the built-in dash units can't be removed and they have no trouble with temperature extremes and neither does the radio/CD player.

From temps of over 100 to this morning's low of 16 below zero, I've never had a problem with operating my electronics. Now, if I had a more conventional mount, I'd take it with me for security reasons but not out of worry about temperatures.

Never leave it

I always bring it inside. arrow better to be safe then sorry.With The extreme temperatures it may not be good for the unit, then there is always theft to.

Garmin Nuvi, 750

--
Garmin nuvi,750

Subject field is required.

johnc wrote:

...As for the temps, the built-in dash units can't be removed and they have no trouble with temperature extremes and neither does the radio/CD player....

But they don't have Lithium Ion batteries either. Do you consider that you may be reducing battery life or reducing it's capacity?

I live in a good area in

I live in a good area in Queens New York. I normally leave my nuvi in the car on the dock. But if I'm visiting somewhere, I'll take if off.

Take it with me...

I've heard it said...and I believe it somewhat... that locks only keep honest people honest. No need to take chances.

I take mine with me. I also try to wipe off the suction marks too.

--
Be the change you want to see in the world. - Ghandi

It depends...

Mine is on a Kuda mount next to the speedo. If I'm not worried about where I've parked (home, at work), I put my hat over it. Hidden somewhat, and also protected from the sun.

If I'm worried, I take it off the mount and put it in the glove box.

I've also got 2 other LCD control heads visible lower down on the center console -- a ham radio control head, and a car monitor (ScanGauge II).

So far, no problems...

--
Nuvi 2460, 680, DATUM Tymserve 2100, Trimble Thunderbolt, Ham radio, Macintosh, Linux, Windows

205W

I left my 205w in my car in sub zero temps the other day and it would not turn on. I put it in my coat pocket for a couple of minutes and it was fine but it kind of scared me thinking I broke it.

LCD melting

It wasn't a GPS but I did have a rally calculator sort of melt one hot summer. The liquid ended up on the bottom of the screen and although it came back when it returned to a normal temp, the screen had turned negative. I would take the unit out above 70 and below 0 just to be safe.

Bob

--
Robert Woodcock

bring it in

I never leave my nuvi in the car! He wld get lonely.....hee hee

Bring it in

I went with the bean bag mount so I bring in the whole thing.

Bring it in

True!!!

Bring it in

dr.mindbender_@hotmail.com wrote:

True!!!

Mine never stays in the van if i'm not in it. When I leave the van it is in my jacket pocket.

ohwogo nuvi 750

In-Dash units have no batteries.

"As for the temps, the built-in dash units can't be removed and they have no trouble with temperature extremes and neither does the radio/CD player."

But these have no batteries. It's the batteries that the excessive heat and cold will affect; the newer displays seem not to be affected.

Speed3

--
Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

You definitely have a point there!

Frovingslosh wrote:
johnc wrote:

...As for the temps, the built-in dash units can't be removed and they have no trouble with temperature extremes and neither does the radio/CD player....

But they don't have Lithium Ion batteries either. Do you consider that you may be reducing battery life or reducing it's capacity?

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. You have a point. Then again, since it's left in the cradle, the 760 doen't actually shut off when I switch it off. It just blanks the screen and goes into charging mode, but it's still actually on and receiving sat signals. Might be keeping the electronics a little warmer than if it was totally shut off. I've been doing this for a couple years and haven't seen any ill effects so far...

I guess we'll see. Today is a good day for testing! Actual air temp at my home this morning is 30 below, with a wind chill of 51 below. My 760 is outside in the car, as usual. Right now I'm more worried about the car than the GPS inside it. sad

Usually...

I take it with me, unless I know that I will be away from the car for only a short while, in which case I move it and the bean bag mount under the car seat.

At home where the car is parked in the garage, I leave the GPS in the car.

the world we live in ...

... {sigh} I live in the same area as Speed3, and am totally programmed to remove the suction mount, wipe the tell-tale ring off of the glass, put the mount in the glove box and my nuvi in my pocket... for the same reason.

Ironic quote of the century-
"Can't we all just get along?"

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

Bring it in

Mine comes in with me no matter what - in the garage, at a store, etc. Years ago I had a radar detector stolen, so not even considering temps, it comes with me for peace of mind. However, I have, and do, depending where I am, leave the window mount up.

I bring mine in

No matter how short the time I expect to be out of the car, the 765T goes into it's case, and in my pocket, and the suction cup mount goes under the seat. I don't have to worry about the telltale ring, as my mounting setup doesn't attach to the windshield.

--
— (Garmin nuvi 765T) — "people who say money can't buy happiness, don't know where to shop"

I take my GPS unit with me

I take my GPS unit with me so I can play MP3s while the wife shops. I put the bean bag with the GPS mount in a small black bag (to match the vehicle's interior colour) which is placed along the side of the seat.

You have been lucky

johnc wrote:

As for the temps, the built-in dash units can't be removed and they have no trouble with temperature extremes and neither does the radio/CD player.

Built-in units and those intended to be permanently mounted in a vehicle are designed with the extreme temperatures factored in. Portable units, not so much. There is a reason that the specs. include an acceptable temperature range for operation.

It is not the storage at extreme temps. that most often causes a problem but trying to RUN it ......after it gets up to 140F. in the summer sun or -10F in the dead of winter.

--
Magellan Maestro 4250// MIO C310X

I have a 2730 which I now

I have a 2730 which I now leave in the car all the time unless I want to load new poi's to it since I don't use it much now that I have a 760. As for the 760, I take it out of the car when I get home just in case I want to update the files on it and don't want to run down to the garage to get it.

--
Garmin SP 2730 and Nuvi 760

Leave GPS in car or take inside?

I never leave mine in the car overnight and if I go into a store or restaurant, I set it and the bean bag mount on the floor of the cat

--
Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

Leave GPS in car or take inside?

I always take them in the house. I do not connect them in the car, so I charge them when I am on the computer.

--
Alan-Garmin c340

Depends

It depends on the device whether I bring it inside or not. If it has a battery, it belongs inside. If not, I leave it in the car.

I have left my Zune in the car in extreme temps and it hasnt seemed to effect it in any way...

Hope this helps.

Bring It In

I always bring it inside. Went with bean bag mount. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Over 90% of the time it goes with me.

When I used the Streetpilot, I tended to stow it away. Back then, GPS theft was not as high as it is now.

Now I use the Nuvi 660. It is so easy to slip in a jacket pocket or small bag.

I use the disk on the dash- leftover from the Streetpilot days (plus the window mount falls off from time to time). Obviously the disk stays affixed to the dash but the Nuvi comes with me. I will take the rest of the mount and the power cord and stow them away.

Every now and then, depending on where I am, I'll leave the GPS unit on the dash, but never in a shopping mall or commercial parking lot- and only if I am within relative view of the car.

With the Nuvi and my XM Pioneer Inno receiver, I have a few things to grab when I leave the car. The ham radio is mounted inside the lower dash and that remains. If I need the car to be serviced or it is valet parked, I may disconnect and stow the microphone so that unintended operation cannot occur.

Stay warm,
Rob

--
Maps -> Wife -> Garmin 12XL -> StreetPilot 2610 -> Nuvi 660 (blown speaker) -> Nuvi 3790LMT

If you are worried about the cold

I left my Magellan Maestro 3225 in the car last night in an unheated garage. The thermometer showed -40 this morning. I didn't try turning it on because I would have needed to remove my gloves and I didn't want to try that in those temperatures so I'll wait until this afternoon to fire it up. Wanna bet it works fine?

Frozen Screens

RM_MN wrote:

I left my Magellan Maestro 3225 in the car last night in an unheated garage. The thermometer showed -40 this morning. I didn't try turning it on because I would have needed to remove my gloves and I didn't want to try that in those temperatures so I'll wait until this afternoon to fire it up. Wanna bet it works fine?

At those extremes of temperatures, it's not so much the electronics that are a concern, it's the screen. Liquid Crystal Screens the LCD do freeze and when they freeze from extreme cold, they quit working. Now with modern screens, I'm not certain at what temperatures it is a concern, but your manual provides an indication of the acceptable storage temperature range.

I had to have a digital volt meter repaired at the factory due to leaving it in a car overnight during one cold MN spell, the bill was about half the price of a new unit and it took them about 3 weeks to get it back to me.

--
ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

Paranoia and Weather

I always take mine with me, just to be safe.

We live in a very rural area without much crime, but car break-ins are not unheard of.

One time in the bigger city around here my wife left her car unlocked in the Walmart parking lot and when she returned there was an evil smell inside with a note that said "You're car has been farted on". Nothing was stolen.

It is cold here for much of the year. The climate is tempered by the lakes and we don't have the extremes of further west of here in Minnesota and North Dakota, but cold nonetheless. It has been in the minus teens and 20's lately, and I haven't even taken it out of the house. I'm afraid the cold temps will do something to the unit. I don't even use it unless the temps are at least in 20's for the most part.

I leave the mount up all the time though. It's a hassle to remove it whenever I stop. My next purchase is going to be a friction mount in the near future.

I leave my unit in the car

I leave my unit in the car when I am at home or an area I can trust. When I travel, I take the unit in with me. I place the mount at the top of the windshield so the round mark doesn't show through the tinting (also allows for easy reading and easy acess. Lastly, I loop the power cord around the rear view mirror so it can catch the unit when it falls off.

Brian,

JAFOZ28 wrote:

Just wondering what most people do.

you'll be better off not exposing the device (battery) to extreme temp swings - - hot and cold.

I try to take my GPSr, phone and iPod out of the car when it's either very cold or very hot.

--
(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA

Mine gets lonely if she

Mine gets lonely if she stays in the car all by herself, So she follows me where ever i go. Driveway, parking lots, walmart She just hates being alone.

--
Jerry...Jacksonville,Fl Nüvi1450,Nuvi650,Nuvi 2495 and Mapsource.

In car or inside

I always remove my GPSr from my car and bring the unit inside, don't wish to expose the unit to unnecessary temperature extremes. Also living in a large city I don't want to chance losing my unit to smash and grab thieves.

--
Peter

power up doesn't protect from heat

johnc wrote:

.... Might be keeping the electronics a little warmer than if it was totally shut off. I've been doing this for a couple years and haven't seen any ill effects so far...

I guess we'll see. Today is a good day for testing!...

That might be good for low temp. conditions, but even worse for the extreme high temps a car can reach on a sunny summer day. I'm not sure that the "testing" today will really reveal much. If the gps fails completely then yea, that would seem to tell something, but if the battery life or capacity are just lowered then you likely will not even know.

I aways put mine in the case and into my purse

I won't leave it in my car except for quick stops at home. I have an air vent mount, which isn't easy to remove but I'm hoping it's not that obvious to thieves. With 20+ year old car like mine there isn't anything else in there worth breaking in for, so I hope seeing the empty mount convinces any potential thieves that the GPS isn't in the car.

My boyfriend isn't as good about taking his out of the car and that always makes me nervous.

Fine in cold

I live in Minnesota and the temps were well below zero this morning. My Maestro fired right up this morning and there was no lag in the screen refresh rate. Of course I did have it in the garage. smile I am almost more worried about the plastic mounts. At that temp, they get brittle and constant removing of the unit from the cradle may break the attachment. That happened with a SATRAD last year. The plastic snap broke when it was very cold.

--
Magellan Maestro 4250, T-Mobile G1 with Google Maps, iPaq with TomTom, and a Tapwave Zodiac with TomTom and Mapopolis

It's warm now

Since the temperature warmed up to zero, I started my Magellan up and it works fine. I doubt that the battery life was shortened even.

Nuvi Ran just fine at -30F this morning

ka1167 wrote:

There is a reason that the specs. include an acceptable temperature range for operation.

It is not the storage at extreme temps. that most often causes a problem but trying to RUN it ......after it gets up to 140F. in the summer sun or -10F in the dead of winter.

760 ran just fine when I started it up this morning at -30F. Actually, I think my Nuvi started up a LOT more smoothly than the car itself. Or me, for that matter. All kidding aside, I was pretty impressed. My car seat was as hard as a concrete park bench. The Nuvi's touch screen seemed just as responsive as always and just as quick to run and route. Tough little guys, these Nuvis!

I've never seen cold to affect electronics all that much. Mechanical components, sure. When I worked as an electronics technician - some of which was on mobile electronics - we used gallons of Freeze-It spray to test for thermally defective components. Very rarely had to warm something up to work properly. Too much heat is a real killer though, that's for sure! Not too much of a concern for us folks in the Midwest right at this moment. wink

Aways take out of car

Never leave it in the car.

--
Nuvi 50LM Nuvi 2555LM

Since I use mine to get me

Since I use mine to get me to many of my golf courses (mostly for ETA), I have no choice but to leave it in the vehicle. Well perhaps I do, but being in my golf bag would not be much cooler.

Summer temps here can easily be 110+ and haven't had an issue. I do however keep it out of direct sunlight.

--
Jeff...... Nuvi 2460, Nuvi 2595

Always.....

I always bring mine in, only takes a second and if it with me someone can't take it

--
2597 Sometimes I wonder..."Why is that Frisbee getting bigger?"...and then, it hits me.
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