Customer Reviews

PNI Wayfinder V2000 Deluxe Vehicle Information Center

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Interesting gadget, the kind of thing that's great to get but the usefulness is questionable. Set up was easy. The compass is of good quality. It would be great to just put it in the car and forget it. But the instructions say to remove it from your car and not to expose it to heat or cold. It's just a little too big to put in my pocket each time I get to my destination.

After searching for something decent in local stores, I found this unit while searching the net.

Where cheaper models only show the degrees reading, I like the fact that it shows the numeric reading, the letters (N, W, NW, etc.) and the graphical representation. For the most part, you could skip the numbers, since the graphic and letters say it all.

Calibration was a snap, and it's been dead-on for a couple of months now. The suction cup mounts can vibrate a little, but taking some time to clean the windshield and securing them well will eliminate any problems. The pivot screw between the unit and the mount did loosen once, but a quick re-tightening fixed that issue.

The backlight works very well in a dark vehicle, without being too bright and annoying. Daylight visibility is also very good. The auto-shutoff feature is very nice to save the batteries, and not force you to remember to turn it off.

We've left it in our van during one of the hottest summers on record, and have not had any problems with the unit. Time will tell how it will handle the cold Wisconsin winter, but I don't anticipate any problems.

I haven't connected the temperature probe yet, but this was one of the very few units I found that combined the compass and temperature readings together. An interior temp sensor inside the unit would have been a nice addition, however.

All in all, this compass was very useful when navigating the north woods of Wisconsin. You can get turned around pretty easily while exploring the back roads, and know what direction you're heading is very nice.

This is a quality item, and worth the money.

I received the PNI V2000 as a gift in September 2002. It seemed to work fairly well until the temperature got below 30 degrees. The accuracy of the thermometer below 30 is very poor, and as it gets colder the accuracy gets worse. I exchanged the unit, and the new one was even worse. The thermometer was at least as inaccurate, and it did not display any temperatures between 9 and 15 degrees. If the thermometer did work, the fact that it doesn't register temperatures below 1 degree limits its usefullness in Vermont. The compass seems accurate most of the time but is prone to go out of adjustment and requires re-calibration fairly frequently. It would be a fun device to have in your vehicle if it worked.

This state of the art compass works well and stays on for as long as the car is changing directions, and when it's connected on the DC power sorce the night light comes on automatic when it gets dark enough and stays lit for as long as it's dark. BUT, the light sometimes stays on after you park and shut the car off and not shut off at all which can drain the car battery. It also does a good job showing the temperture and warns you when it's showing a temperture of 35º or lower to tell you that it's cold enough for the roads to freeze. BUT, it sometimes will show false temperture, for example, it may be 20° outside and it will show 70° and may not correct it self for a long time or not at all, my is still showing the temperture about 50° higher then what it really is and that's been since 12/26/2001 and I don't think it's going to correct it self anymore. BUT, it does work good as a compass and always right dead on of showing the direction that's it's pointing to and it's so easy to set up as it only takes matter of seconds to do.

It only goes down to ONE degree - will not show temps below ONE. Need I say more? It's horrible and the company, when contacted had NO explanation why their product wouldn't read the full range of temperatures to be expected in the USA.

I was so reluctant to buy this item. Having read the user review of it's relative models and it sounds so horrible. Anyhow, it turns out that this one work like it's supposed to. I read the manual and follow the instruction carefully and it functions like a magic. Very darn accurate for my standard (ordinary people who get lost every now and then). Compare to the map, it'll be off no more than 5 degree. I'm happy with the purchase after finding that the $2 compass sold in Target won't work in my car. Now we're travelling with more confidence.

Although the information is useful and accurate, the product is cumbersome to use for gauging external temps. You need to find a suitable place to put the sensor in order to get a "true" outside temp. We placed it in the door jam as a suggested placement, but found the reading to be off 10 degrees. If placed under the hood or in the grille, you would need to buy an extension cord.
Also, the unit can not be left in the car during extreme heat or cold so it would require remembering to take the unit inside and back to the car in summer or winter months. To me, it was not worth the extra effort. Easier to turn on the radio and listen for the temp.

I bought the V2000 last year and it has worked great since then. The compass has always given me accurate directions and has lasted through one winter and one summer so far. I always left my V2000 in the vehicle, although the manual did state that you should take the device with you when the temperature is hot. The V2000 has visible at all situations. I can see it clearly in the dark with the V2000's automatic backlight, and see it clearly on a sunny day. Finding a good place to put the temperature probe, however, is a hassle if you want to get accurate results. Calibration was also a hassle for me. You have to be on leveled ground and make a fairly even circle in order to get accurate readings.

This digital compass @ around $50 - is worth about $2 (at the most) at the most. I would have given this '0' stars, if that were an option. First of all, in order to get a temperature reading, you must attach a sensor to the outside of your vehicle. It is never accurate, because if the sensor is in the sunlight, then the reading is way off, so what good is it??? I certainly wasn't able to constantly go out to my car (from my job) to change the direction that it was parked in order to avoid direct sunlight.

As far as the product itself, and how you effectively place it in your vehicle - well, the suction cups for the window are extremely ineffective and were constantly falling off the window; the 'sticky' stuff to keep the extensive amount of wires attached to your dashboard come off in the heat, and since the suction cups didn't work on the window - I had to find a way to attach this unit to my dashboard, which was by using velcro. This also didn't work because the suction cups on the unit had to attach to the sticky side of the velcro, and they eventually came off if the unit was in the sunlight.

Another problem is that the unit backlight only works if you have the unit plugged into the lighter input in your car, and not with the use of the battery alone. To attach this cord to the unit and the lighter input, the cord would need to stretch across the area on the dash that holds the radio, temperature controls, etc. - and would really be a nuisance, so I was unable to use this unit at night, since I wasn't going to have this thing plugged in all the time.

As far as the directional feature, the calibration process is a pain in the neck, but I do understand that it needs to be done. However, with the least bit of movement, it is inaccurate, and needs to be re-calibrated. Well, with the product always falling off the window or the velcro, it was constantly incorrect.

At this time, the unit is in the back of my car in one big pile. What a waste of $50!

After reading the instruction booklet, it only took a few minutes to mount and calibrate this unit. It not only is very easy to view, but is also very accurate and responsive! It is not a toy! I found it to be easy to operate and the fact that you don't have to worry about leaving it on and draining the battery when you exit the vehicle was a nice touch. Also, in another members review, the person complained about having the compass fall off the windshield, and that the connection keeping the compass and mounting base together was poor; I am absolutely positive that the person did NOT install the "screw" which keeps the base and compass together! This is an oversite by the installer, and not a defect! It is a very tight fit, and will not come apart until you take it apart. One more point, and that is the above installer also complained about having to re-calibrate the unit because it was always falling off; this "problem" does not come into play if it is installed correctly. A great product with no drawbacks!