I'm about to buy a new GPS and plan to bring it with us for when we rent a car for the Dolomites. This may be a dumb question, but do the cars have the same connections as we use in ours to connect the GPS (if battery power is low)?
Figured I'd better ask :)
Thanks!
Yes. Remember most of those cars are imported to the US or some to Europe from Japan.
Yes. However in some cases I had trouble keeping the charger in place inside the cigarette lighter and it often popped out whenever I hit a bump on the road. It has happened on both occasions (both European compact models) when I used my own Garmin navigator (sometimes rental cars, especially larger models, came with the GPS so I didnt use my own in those cases). I don't have the same problem with the charger in my cars in the U.S. After trying to fix the problem I came to the conclusion that the cigarette lighter holes in those two models were a couple of millimeters shorter than my models at home and that prevented the charger from inserting inside fully so preventing the spring mechanism from keeping the charger in place. The way I solved the problem was first by having my wife putting back in each time it popped out, but that got old after a few times and finally I managed to hold it in more permanently by sticking a piece of rubber (the type covering electric wires) along with the charger. That kept it in place. I suggest you take a very small rubber wire like that, just in case it happens to your rental car. The other alternative would be to buy a navigator charger locally. All electronic stores sell them.
Also remember to check that the cigarette lighter actually works. We learned this the hard way when our GPS stopped working due to dead battery.
Thanks, everyone!! The wire is a good tip!!
Some countries may have a requirement that the GPS be placed below the eye-line of the driver.
Check and see if your car rental agency has GPS, then it is one less thing you have to worry about, or pack, or leave behind in the car.
Enjoy you trip.
In reference to the last comment please be aware that rental car companies charge about 15-20 euro per day to rent a GPS. With the price of a two week rental you can buy one new and throw it away before coming back home.
Also you do NOT want to try to use a strange GPS in a strange car in a country you never have been in. Also, the GPS in a rental car will probably be set on that countries language. Bring your own GPS that you have used and know how it works. A GPS and a suction cup holder take up very little luggage space. Yes, I took my own GPS to Italy and used it for 12 days of driving. Worked great.
