Help someone who should know PLEASE!!

[apolloa]

Hi,
I can give advice on Phone Sat Nav but I still need help.
My sister wants to get her hubby a tomtom one for his birthday, fine, I got tomtom on my P990 over Chrimbo and LOVE it. BUT
They have a brand new Ford Galaxy with heated front windscreen, does this affect the satnav??
Also, is it cheaper to get a UK TomTom one for around £150 and upgrade it to include the European maps (Is this possible?) or just buy a European TomTom one for around £200???
I know after getting into to it on my phone it'e easy to add and remove maps but is it the same on a dedicated TomTom??

THANKS

[Slipperystevens]

I had to run some tests last year on a couple of vehicles, specifically looking at this problem. Those vehicles were a Ford Mondeo and a Renault Espace. The screens of both vehicles were found to cause a problem.

The Mondeo had a heated screen. The screen of the Espace had a reflective coating, which apparently has a metallic content.

I'd advise a trip to a Sat Nav dealer who'll let you try before you buy. Any decent dealer will have demo units, and it won't take you long to check. That said, it may work fine out in the open, but may well struggle a bit in very built up areas of cities where tall buildings are quite close to each other. A lot of GPS devices we have used can struggle in certain parts of London.

They could always keep a small external antenna in the car for emergency use. We've got some small ones that aren't much bigger than a thumbnail.

Good luck.

[apolloa]

Originally Posted by Slipperystevens

I had to run some tests last year on a couple of vehicles, specifically looking at this problem. Those vehicles were a Ford Mondeo and a Renault Espace. The screens of both vehicles were found to cause a problem.

The Mondeo had a heated screen. The screen of the Espace had a reflective coating, which apparently has a metallic content.

I'd advise a trip to a Sat Nav dealer who'll let you try before you buy. Any decent dealer will have demo units, and it won't take you long to check. That said, it may work fine out in the open, but may well struggle a bit in very built up areas of cities where tall buildings are quite close to each other. A lot of GPS devices we have used can struggle in certain parts of London.

They could always keep a small external antenna in the car for emergency use. We've got some small ones that aren't much bigger than a thumbnail.

Good luck.

Thanks Slippery, what about the cheapest option for purchasing a TomTom one with the european maps??

[Slipperystevens]

Sorry, no idea.

[trevor.dowle]

Originally Posted by apolloa

Thanks Slippery, what about the cheapest option for purchasing a TomTom one with the european maps??

Currys are currently selling both versions of TomTom 1 for the same price. A special offer that's time limited and I forget the limits.

[hornydragon]

there are other units which have external antenna connection points (make sure you have this option so you can fit an antenna if necassary

[Napster]

Yeah id recommend the external aerial too, otherwise your signal will keep dropping out.