RAY'S MONTERO SITE
MY MONTERO MODIFICATIONS
Alarm System
THE RATINGS
Function
Installation
Fit n Finish
Overall
Car Alarms is definitely one area I'm not that knowledgeable about. Let's just say that I know enough to be dangerous... (to me).
My primary criteria was that it had enough coverage zones to handle all the Montero's Doors including the hood and tailgate, plus I wanted remote auto start capability. I'm quite often in inclimate weather and the remote start option is great when you're commonly in the extremes. Avital (merging with Clifford) had the features I needed so I went with it.
To date, I'm quite happy with my decision. My next option will be to get the tailgate relay in so I can lock/unlock it as needed.
AREA'S FOR IMPROVEMENT
One thing I don't like is that it doesn't come with decent manuals, so learning what the valet switch does was quite a pain.
GPS System
THE RATINGS
Function
Installation
Fit n Finish
Overall
Going off road all the time, I knew that I would eventually need a GPS unit. One that I could take with me in the car, or on a hike. There are a number of different GPS Systems available today and I chose the GPS III from Garmin because I was able to figure out how to use it very quickly while just playing with it in the store.
The other alternative was to get something like their Street Pilot model, but cost became the primary prohibiting factor here.
In addition to the main unit, I also got a power cord for the cigarette lighter (it's attached to a recepticle unit that's wired (with an inline fuse) directly to the battery. This way, if I ever need to take it into another vehicle, I can still use its cigarette adaptor for power.
I also purchased a mount plate and have Velcro'd that to the car.
Overall, I'm quite happy with my GPS III. It's kept me from getting lost a number of times and with the US Government lessening the degredation on civilian GPS signals, my GPS is now even more accurate.
AREA'S FOR IMPROVEMENT
The one thing I don't like is that it sometimes takes a couple of minutes to locate itself once I turn it on. I wonder if an auxiliary antenae would help with this.
Hits since created on 10, June 2000