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996 Turbo - Help, what's this in my car?

willglennon

willglennon

PCGB Member
Member
Hi,
I'm after some help and it may just be a simple answer, but I asked my local OPC and they didn't know.
I bought a new 996 turbo last year and there's something, with wires attached to it, stuck to the windscreen next to the rear view mirror.
The seller didn't know what it was, a previous owner must have installed it.
When the car went in to my OPC for a check they didn't recognise it, so I'm assuming it's not standard kit.
They suggested it might be an electronic tag for a road toll or something like that?
If I don't need it, or am not going to use it then I want to take it out, but I'd rather not wade in blind.
I'll hopefully attach photos here, as long as I can work Imgur.
Any help with identifying it appreciated.

Will


NmtMCQ9


qTpmEUp

 
You definitely don't need it, but do you have any after market technology in your car that may be attached to it? like a DAB radio? It could be a DAB radio antenna.
 
Thanks for the reply.
The correct original PCM is in the car with no DAB currently.
That doesn't mean there wasn't one previously though, good thought.
 
Pictures didn't make it.
Very likely to be an antenna for Dab or , sat nav 3rd party telephone module. Get your specialist to identify next time your car is in for work.
 
So the Imgur thing doesn't appear to have worked.
I've manually attached an image.
Here's another I hope.
If anyone recognises it please do let me know.
Thanks,
Will

 
It looks a bit like a combined GPS and cellular antenna I used to have fitted to one of my cars as I was trialling the ‘black box’ insurance from Aviva ... it connected to a telematics box behind the dash ... that had two cables going into it, was about that size. Have a look somewhere near the fuse panel for a box about the size of a large cigarette packet with a SIM card slot and possibly anti-tamper labels on, with power and a couple of cables plugged in.
 
Yes! Thanks Trapdoor. I looked behind the centre console and I've found a small flattish black box with anti-tamper labels. It says RAC smartnav on the label(?) I've never seen one of these before.
There's no external device in the cockpit and there doesn't seem to be anything extra connected to my PCM either. That's functioning normally. Could it be that a previous owner had an extra piece of equipment attached and has removed it but the wiring and the antenna are still there? And can I just take it all out then without affecting anything?
 
Hmmm ... RAC Smartnav is a satellite navigation system that basically has no screen. There should be an odd button and led (integrated) somewhere on the dash ... However it also runs the RAC Trackstar tracker system, and it’s possible that it was installed just as a telematics box for that. It’s pretty old school though by today’s standards, especially as a tracker as you would just have to cut the wires to the antenna on the windscreen to render it useless as a tracker.

These were all subscription based services so if you don’t need it, I’d say rip it out. It works pretty much exactly as the black box insurance devices work and is probably the same kit that just has different options enabled ... the Aviva one had the facility to give navigation instructions and act as an SOS device if you paid for the added extras.

it wouldn’t have been connected to the PCM. Completely stand alone, but if it was used for the navigation there should be a button connected to it.

HTH.

Mark.
 
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