Garmin295 GPS installation

I too decided not to pay 5k for the Toyota GPS option when I got my car 2 years ago, figuring that I could always add a GPS later. As a pilot, I wanted a unit that would work in the plane and in the car, so it had to be an easy install setup.

All of the (removeable) adhesives I tried would not stick to the black plastic panels on the dash, but would stick easily to the silver vertical bands (that surround the air vents). I wanted an installation that could be removed in its entirety, as well as allowing for easy removal of the GPS while the mounting bracket would be left in the car. Rather than remove the plastic panels and bolt on some sort of bracket, I used adhesive velcro patches placed on top the silver plastic panels on either side of the steering wheel. I had a black plexiglass piece custom cut to form a bridge across the top of the dash, with velcro on the underside. I used 400 grit sand paper and took the gloss off the plexiglass, and the result is a near perfect match to the black dash panels.

The GPS came with a dash mount as well as an airplane yoke mount. The dash mount is in two parts: one is an oval plate with a snap release and the other is a bracket that snaps onto the unit and slides into the oval plate. The oval was glued to the custom plexiglass piece on the left side so that the GPS doesn't intrude into the line of sight for the speedometer, etc.

The velcro adhesive backing is industrial strength and won't come off when you try to pull apart the velcro fastening, yet it can be removed, slowly, with no damage at all to the dash should you want to get rid of it.

The Garmin is reasonably good at street naviagation; you can buy a city map CD with pretty good data and street references. It's dynamite in the airplane, though.
The 295 is discontinued, and you can get them on eBay for about 500 bucks; they were 1300 bucks, new.

The advantages to me are switchable portability and being able to use the MFD on the Prius at the same time the GPS is running.

Bob