Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the necessary steps for permanently mounting a GPS unit in a 2008 Mercedes Benz CLK 350. Permanently mounting your own GPS unit is a nice way to achieve a clean factory look, eliminate dangling wires, portability and reduce the cost of owning a GPS unit and most importantly, the satisfaction that you pulled it off a professional installation. Although this tutorial is specific to a specific make and model, it doesn't mean that you couldn't apply the same concepts to a different make or model. The most important phase in permanently mounting a GPS unit is the planning phase. This involves making a list of the parts you would need, the modifications you would need to make to your car, how you're going to run wires, how permanent you want the unit to be, etc. Even though this tutorial is for permanently mounting a GPS, very little permanent modifications (damanged) has been done to the car which gives you the option of removing it one day for some reason or another. If you have any questions/comments or something you would want to add, feel free to drop me a line at mods@narbware.com

Disclaimer

I take no responsibility in the damage that might occur to your vehicle during installation. Anything you read and apply to your vehicle from this tutorial is your 100% your responsibility.

The parts used and cost of this installation:

1. Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS Unit ($305)
2. KUDAUSA Mounting Base & Garmin Adaptor ($100)
3. Cigarette Lighter Outlet ($10)

Total Cost: $415

KUDAUSA Mounting System Review

I looked on the market for a mounting system that would 1) blend in nicely with my car. 2) Look OEM. 3) Quality and fitment. I came across a manufacturer that designed and sold custom mounting solutions for a large number of vehicles (KUDAUSA). I couldn't find any other manufacturer that had a mounting base for a GPS unit that was as nice and high quality as the KUDA mount. Most importantly though, you want your GPS unit to sit in the right location and not obstruct your view of traffic. This mount does that job nicely with no permanent damage to your dash. This mount just clips between dash components and uses the speaker grill to hold it down. You can tell the quality of the mount by looking at (Fig.2).

1. Begin by popping out the speaker cover on the dash. Believe it or not, this is one of the more difficult steps in this entire installation. First, take a look at Figure 1 to know where you will need to insert a flathead screwdriver. Slip a flathead screw driver between the dash and the grill where you see the arrow, then you want to grab the screwdriver with both hands and apply upward force to the grill. Use your hand as the lever, NOT THE DASH. Do not pry on the dash as it is made of soft material and will become damaged. You need quite a bit of force to pop it out so don't be afraid. Once popped out, unplug the two speaker wires and remove the grill.
   
   
2. Next, open the glove box compartment and remove the CD changer. The changer is only held in with one star headed screw which you can see in Figure 2. Unscrew then pull the changer forward from the right side. Once pulled out enough, reach back and unplug the wires (Figure 2). Next remove the CD changer from the mounting bracket that is held in with 4 of the same size star headed screws. (No Photo)
   
   
3. Next, mount the Garmin GPS Adapter to the KUDA mounting base (Figure 3). Hold the adapter in place, mark one of the holes, drill a hole then screw into place. Continue to mark and drill the remainder while the adapter is held in with the one screw. This is so you won't drill too far out preventing the screw cover from sitting into place. If you can't get the screw cover on due to the protruding screw heads, use a small file and carefully file the edge of the screw head. It looks like Figure 4 once you split the screw cover on.

1. Now you will need to feed the Garmin power adapter cable through the opening in the glove box and out from the speaker cover. This is the most time consuming task and could be frustrating so take your time with it. You will need a stiff steel wire for this (Figure 1) so make sure you have some before you begin. Begin by feeding the steel wire from the right side of the speaker opening on the dash. Snake the wire until you can see it though the gap that the CD changer wires are run through (Figure 1). Again, take your time on this as it took me a good 30 minutes until I got it by chance. Make sure you have enough of this steel wire so it sticks out from both ends. Keep in mind that the wire DOES NOT go through the same wire loom the CD changer wires go through. This is difficult to see from the picture.
   
   
2. Next, bend the steel wire around the Garmin power adapter plug and tape it into place using electrical tape. Now pull on the end of the steel wire that is sticking out of the speaker grill while guiding it through the opening in the glove box compartment. The gap in there is quite small but it gives so you may need to apply quite a bit of force to get it through but once it goes through the gap, the rest slides up pretty easily.
   
   
3. Once you pull enough of the power adapter wire through, remove the electrical tape around the plug and discard the steel wire. (Figure 2)

1. I chose to tap into the CD changer wires for several reasons. First, it avoided having me drill and run wires directly to the battery so it was quite convenient. Second, it had a constant battery power supply despite ignition position so I could charge the GPS even if the ignition was not on (more on this later), and finally, I know it wouldn't be a problem tapping into this circuit due to the power requirements the Garmin needs (details below).
   
   
2. Begin by peeling back the black wire tape and expose the wires you need to tap into. You will see three wires but you only need to be concerned with two of them. The Red/Blue wire is the +12V source and the Brown wire is the ground. (Figure 1). Here I used a razor to cut away a portion of the insulation so I could solder into place two of my own wires. The reason I didn't use a tap here was because the wire sits on top of the CD changer and there is just enough room for the wires. A tap would prevent the CD changer from sitting into place.
   
   
3. Once soldered into place (Figure 2). wrap a small amount of insulation tape around the exposed areas and replace the black power tape. NOTE: These wires are live so if you accidently short them out, expect a popped fuse so either disconnect the appropriate fuse or disconnect the battery.
   
   
4. The completed tap should look something like Figure 3.

I did a quick test and found that this Garmin draws about .5 Amps while on or off charging. I didn't have the time to test to see if the current is reduced once the battery is fully charged and the unit is off but I will once I get a chance. If the GPS unit is removed from the cradle, the power adapter itself draws a small bit of current also due to the LED light it has built into it. This measured a mere 10mA (.01 Amps). This means that you don't want to have the GPS in the cradle while the car is off for too long or else it'll drain your battery.

1. Run the male cigarette lighter end and the two source wires through the hole on the top of the CD changer mounting bracket (Figure 1), then screw the CD changer back on to the mounting bracket. Next, plug in the CD changer wires then carefully reinsert the CD changer into place. Make sure you don't pinch the CD Changer wires. They are run from the TOP of the changer, NOT the back. Once the CD Changer is inserted into place, avoid screwing it back in for the time being since you may have to adjust the wires etc. The inserted CD changer along with the source wires would look something like Figure 2.
   
   
2. Next, cut the source wires down to size (Again remember these are LIVE) and crimp on the some connectors. Follow up by crimping connectors on the female cigarette lighter adapter then connect the wires.
   
   
3. Now is a good time to test and make sure everything is working so just plug in the Garmin cigarette lighter plug into the female adapter, plug in the Garmin plug to the cradle and test the unit (Figure 3).

1. I wanted the ultimate clean look so instead of running the Garmin power wire from the top of the mount, I drilled a gap in the front and back of the mount so the wires run underneath the mount. You can see it a little in Figure 1. I then marked and notched out a gap on the speaker grill itself so the wire can run through. I went and ordered a new speaker grill cover just in case I want to return the car back to stock so I didn't feel too bad drilling into the grill. You need to take your time with this as it's these details that will show the quality of your work.
   
   
2. Pull the Garmin power cable from the dash to eliminate the slack in the wire but leave enough slack on top to avoid getting the wires pinched between things. Again take your time with this step.
   
   
3. Replace the CD Changer screw and tuck the power source wires in the opening next to the changer.
   
   
4. Insert the Garmin GPS unit in the cradle (Figure 2,3,4).
   
   
5. Get out and enjoy.