I suspect it goes largely unnoticed because reviewers in the course of testing spend only a few hours with a unit unlike buyers who - once they've handed over their cash - are stuck with their purchase for a few years at least.



Let me set the scene.

You're driving along minding your own business when, for reasons best known to itself your navigator, without warning, suddenly parts company with your windscreen.

By the time you look down your costly gizmo is either nestling in the comfort of your lap from where it continues to issue its instructions or it's trying to do so from the dark depths of your foot-well.

If it wasn't the first time it probably came as no surprise. So more than likely you spent the preceding 20 minutes or so getting wound up and distracted waiting for the dreaded moment when you're going to have to pull over and sort the thing out yet again.

It's the budget navs we're pointing the finger at for the most part but even at the top end problems can surface.

Plainly, low end navs are built to a price and aimed at buyers on a limited budget. That's fair enough. Not everybody can afford or even want a no expense spared top of the heap GPS after all.

Look, budget navs are a compromise. Makers will always give you the basics sure but they lock down costs by throwing the more desirable (and expensive) features found on top of the range models over board.

But despite the need to keep costs down, you wouldn't think that manufacturers would compromise on an absolute bare-bones necessity like providing a suction cup that really sucks up, would you?

Well, it seems some do and that's why some cheap sat navs literally do suck, or more to the point, don't suck hard enough.

So you've made extensive use of the car navigation review search button, read up on loads of sat nav reviews and ended up with a good all rounder that refuses to suck up, now what?

Before your frustrations start to get the better of you make sure you, or rather your windscreen, isn't the problem. Try again after giving the area you intend your nav to live in a good clean.

If you don't get any joy (very lightly) moisten the suction cup with a little water and try again.

If it sticks like super glue all well and good, if not my advice is to do your blood pressure a favour and apply the ultimate cure - shove the thing back in its box and return to sender forthwith.

Now save a few more pennies, hit the car navigation GPS review search button again and go for something that's a little further up the sat nav food chain and less of a compromise in build quality.

Copyright (c) 2008 Tony Elliot