Auto Power On/Off With Ignition?

[Budget Monty]

I just bought a new Tom Tom XL 330 S. I can't seem to find any options for having the unit power on/off with ignition. I also bought my unit from a store that will only do exchanges, and no refunds. This is a feature that I will not live without on a GPS. I just sold my car, and the buyer needed the little extra nudge, so i ended up throwing in my old Garmin that I loved. I went to the store to get a new GPS, and they were out of the Garmin I picked out, so I decided to give Tom Tom a shot. Please tell me I didn't just make a huge mistake, and buy a GPS with out Power on/off! I will literally have to sell this thing if this is the case. Thanks for any help!

 

[canderson]

OFF, yes. Check "Change preferences" / "Battery saving preferences" / "Switch off when external power is lost".

ON, no. It's either press the button or go find another Garmin that will do this for you.

 

[Budget Monty]

Thanks for the reply! I have been playing with the unit trying to find out what I can, and mine does not seem to have any battery options under preferences. Auto off would be more needed than power on, and I might be able to live with that, but mine doesn't even seem to have that option! I can post pictures off all of my options under preferences if needed.

 

[canderson]

Thanks for the reply! I have been playing with the unit trying to find out what I can, and mine does not seem to have any battery options under preferences. Auto off would be more needed than power on, and I might be able to live with that, but mine doesn't even seem to have that option! I can post pictures off all of my options under preferences if needed.

Having not had a chance to fiddle with the front panel of a 330, I'm still surprised that the option mentioned isn't showing up... unless your unit is set to the "show less buttons" mode.

Again under "Change preferences", do you have a "Show fewer menu options" or is it showing "Show ALL menu options"? If the latter, press that button, and the "Battery saving preferences" should become available to you.

 

[Budget Monty]

I am either retarded, or this option is not available. I am pretty sure it is unavailable. I can see making the current method the "Default power method", but to make it not changable is just a blatantly obvious screw up on Tom Toms part.

I knew I should have just held out for a Garmin, I make too many snap descisions like this and screw myself, It's my own fault. I really appreciate the help! I hope I find out It is just me, and i am doing something stupid, but I have been working on this for so long, It seems to me that this is just the way it is. I'd keep messing with it, but I found hundreds of others online with the same complaint, so I am beginning to think, that I just need to step up and get a better brand GPS.

 

[dhn]

Yeah, don't think that model has that functionality.

 

[markjrenna]

They should add the ability for the TomTom to turn on when the car turns on. Like every other PND I have ever owned.

 

[canderson]

Yeah, don't think that model has that functionality.

Rats. Wish we had menu trees for all of the different models somewhere. I didn't realize that they were leaving the battery saving prefs off of any of the models that had 'real' (not EasyMenu) menus.

 

[dhn]

Isn't that the truth.

 

[Budget Monty]

Problem solved, I threw it out the window today (Literally, I realaized that it had been in my car on all night just asking to be stolen, and decided that I really dont need my truck broken into because of a "Glowing, Hey steal me" item on my windshield all night), and got pissed and threw it out the window. Probably not the best idea, but I got a cheap garmin today, and it works like a GPS should! Thanks for all your guys' help! Great community for such a crap product, what a shame!

 

[drew1021]

I guess there is a certain segment of TomTom users who dont want the gps to come on when the ignition switch is made, i.e. driving around town or areas your already familiar with. Just my two cents for what its worth.

 

[markjrenna]

I guess there is a certain segment of TomTom users who don't want the gps to come on when the ignition switch is made, i.e. driving around town or areas your already familiar with. Just my two cents for what its worth.

Totally agree. That is why they need to add an option to Auto On - Yes / No. Problem solved.

I have owned Garmins, Dash Express, Telenav Shotgun, Moto Nav, and now the TomTom. I have a built in car NAV too. I'm kind of a Nav nut. I like to try them out and see what they do in comparison to each other.

So far the "Live" traffic service is on par with the Dash Express (defunct) and the Telenav Shotgun (which is a bad otherwise minus traffic). All of these are paid traffic and you get what you pay for. Free FM based traffic is OK at best.

I do like the IQ routes and coupled with the Live service makes the TomTom one of the best commuter PND's available.

 

[Budget Monty]

I guess there is a certain segment of TomTom users who dont want the gps to come on when the ignition switch is made, i.e. driving around town or areas your already familiar with. Just my two cents for what its worth.

But there is no reason that it should't be an option to have user selectable settings for this. Just a giant oversite, plain and simple. My friend went to go buy a Tom Tom (Would be his first GPS) and I explained why I already had replaced the Tom Tom I just bought, he bought a Garmin (Nicer than the one I bought)

 

[drew1021]

Yes indeed TomTom should have incorporated the option to have auto on/off selectable in config. That said I sure wouldnt ditch my unit for this oversight. As a Garmin owner I feel TT has a significant edge when it comes to routing and this is the most important feature to me in a PND.

 

[oldie67]

I was always under the impression that having an electronic device plugged into the lighter socket when the car engine was started or stopped could damage the device.

Hence I always plug my TT in once I've started the engine, and take it out before I switch it off, Am I wrong about this?

 

[canderson]

I was always under the impression that having an electronic device plugged into the lighter socket when the car engine was started or stopped could damage the device.

Hence I always plug my TT in once I've started the engine, and take it out before I switch it off, Am I wrong about this?

Wow - you must be an "oldie" like me, oldie67. Back in the really "vintage" days of automotive electronics, there were indeed some issues with starting and voltage regulation. They shut accessories off during starting, then when you released the key, you got whatever the alternator and regulator thought might be fun to give you until the mechanical regulator got with the program.

Heck - do you remember the "vibrators" they used to install in cars? Those gadgets that tried to turn DC into AC so they could operate transformer based HV power supplies on tube equipped car radios? Ugh!

It's been a long time since that was an issue, and you'll find the 13.8V is now much cleaner than it was back in the day. I wouldn't think twice about plugging anything into a 12V car adapter and leaving it on. A lot of far more expensive radio gear gets the vehicle on/off cycle these days and survives. A GPS will, too.

 

[oldie67]

Thanks canderson, maybe I am remembering warnings from long ago, trouble is they've become habit now.

My car manual, for a model which only came out last year, advises against having flash memory in the USB input socket (for music) when starting or stopping the engine, in case it damages the media. Maybe flash memory is more sensitive.

 

[canderson]

My car manual, for a model which only came out last year, advises against having flash memory in the USB input socket (for music) when starting or stopping the engine, in case it damages the media. Maybe flash memory is more sensitive.

That warning is applicable, but not for the reasons of voltage surge as we were previously discussing. Rather than a "zap it" situation, they're concerned about whether the power and data are being properly sequenced on the USB pins and the consequences of that. Usually it hurts nothing. Sometimes it renders the thumb drive useless. I wouldn't power my PC up with a thumb drive in it, either.

 

[mporterzn]

Auto on\Off on external Power

Come on tom Tom this feature should be on all units.
Send out an update to all units firmware and allow this option and start getting more sales.
Buyers are turning to Garmin cause this option is on all their units.

 

[oldie67]

That warning is applicable, but not for the reasons of voltage surge as we were previously discussing. Rather than a "zap it" situation, they're concerned about whether the power and data are being properly sequenced on the USB pins and the consequences of that. Usually it hurts nothing. Sometimes it renders the thumb drive useless. I wouldn't power my PC up with a thumb drive in it, either.

Thanks; yes, I can see the difference.