Hard wiring GPS & XM on V8 Vantage
#1
02-25-2016, 08:36 PM
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Rockwell, NC
Posts: 56
Rep Power: 19 
Hard wiring GPS & XM on V8 Vantage
Since my car did not come with the navigation option, I decided to hard wire my Garmin so I did not have wires draped all over the interior. I also have a Roady XT portable XM receiver that I have used in many cars over the past 10 years. It uses an FM modulator but gives surprisingly good sound. I found the hard wire kits for both the GPS and XM on eBay.
Because of the extreme slope of the windshield, any place I chose to mount the GPS on the windshield was either too far away to reach it or, if it was closer, it blocked my vision. My car has the piano black panel above the radio which worked perfectly for my suction cup mount. Using a plastic tool, I tucked the wire in the seam where the driver's side dash panel meets the center section, ran it down and under the dash and across the tunnel to the passenger footwell.
In that footwell I had discovered an unused plug with four wires. The red/blue wire gave me the ignition 12V I was looking for to turn on both devices when the ignition is on.
I could not find a practical place to mount the XM receiver that would look good. So I resorted to the location I have used in the past...the glovebox. (In doing so, I discovered that even the inside of the glove box is leather lined!!) I ran the power and antenna wires out through the opening at the back of the glove box down to the passenger footwell.
The next decision was where to place the small XM antenna. I immediately ruled out placing it on the exterior sheet metal. The practical solution here was to mount it on the carpeted cargo cover at the rear. Once the location was chosen, it was then a matter or running the wire back to the passenger footwell. I was able to tuck it into the joints of the interior panels and then under the threshold panel. There were four obvious screws mounting that panel. However, after removing those four screws, the panel was still solidly mounted. Removing the plaque revealed the remaining two screws.
I soldered both wires to the 12V wire, ran both grounds to one of the bolts on the plate behind the carpet, and tucked the wires up out of the way by attaching them to an existing harness with a zip tie.
Since my Garmin also has Bluetooth, I can use it to answer phone calls. So I now have GPS, XM and phone answering capabilities. Time to take a drive and see if it all works. Which it did as I received a phone call during the drive and listened to XM. Unless my wife is with me, changing XM channels can only be done while stopped. A minor inconvenience I have lived with in the past.
Because of the extreme slope of the windshield, any place I chose to mount the GPS on the windshield was either too far away to reach it or, if it was closer, it blocked my vision. My car has the piano black panel above the radio which worked perfectly for my suction cup mount. Using a plastic tool, I tucked the wire in the seam where the driver's side dash panel meets the center section, ran it down and under the dash and across the tunnel to the passenger footwell.
In that footwell I had discovered an unused plug with four wires. The red/blue wire gave me the ignition 12V I was looking for to turn on both devices when the ignition is on.
I could not find a practical place to mount the XM receiver that would look good. So I resorted to the location I have used in the past...the glovebox. (In doing so, I discovered that even the inside of the glove box is leather lined!!) I ran the power and antenna wires out through the opening at the back of the glove box down to the passenger footwell.
The next decision was where to place the small XM antenna. I immediately ruled out placing it on the exterior sheet metal. The practical solution here was to mount it on the carpeted cargo cover at the rear. Once the location was chosen, it was then a matter or running the wire back to the passenger footwell. I was able to tuck it into the joints of the interior panels and then under the threshold panel. There were four obvious screws mounting that panel. However, after removing those four screws, the panel was still solidly mounted. Removing the plaque revealed the remaining two screws.
I soldered both wires to the 12V wire, ran both grounds to one of the bolts on the plate behind the carpet, and tucked the wires up out of the way by attaching them to an existing harness with a zip tie.
Since my Garmin also has Bluetooth, I can use it to answer phone calls. So I now have GPS, XM and phone answering capabilities. Time to take a drive and see if it all works. Which it did as I received a phone call during the drive and listened to XM. Unless my wife is with me, changing XM channels can only be done while stopped. A minor inconvenience I have lived with in the past.
