There was another thread on this, with a simple thermometer mounted in the round groove behind the cupholders. Pry out the cupholders and route the wire down thru and up under the dash. Pop out the accordion pleat to pass the wire out thru' the fender and mount the probe in the grill. You can install the thermo with hook n' loop for battery changes. I'm 1200 miles from my car right now, so I can't give any further details.

Trust me on this, I've installed thermos on cars for twenty years. The only way to get an accurate reading is to put the probe as far out front as possible. Anywhere else will be subject to waste heat or sun heat.
I've noticed mine will drift up a little when sitting in traffic (turning on the air and it's attendant fan helps). I've tried 'em in the doorjamb and other more convenient places, and they don't work. You have to get past the firewall and mount the probe out front and down low.
Moon

 

[quote=circa40;820585]How about $8 and a little fiberglass?
Where does the sensor go? I contacted the sellers at Sure Electronics and they said the sensor is only 3 feet. That will barely reach the windshield. Is it accurate? Explain the wiring, please.

 

It seems the only quality one is Teltek and maybe Cyberdyne, as they both use 12V power and have a long enough sensor to put in the proper place. I do not want the cheap ones posted. Based on your 20 years, what do you recommend?

 

Mine is a silver rectangle 4" long; it does indeed use a self contained battery that also powers a light for night time viewing. It was inexpensive and almost certainly bought at WalMart. It is similar to the ones I've been putting in cars for quite some time.
The two critical issues are making the base fit where you wish; as noted, I have mine behind the cup holders. I attached it with stick on velcro that enables you to remove the unit to replace the battery. Then I concealed the wiring in the console, routed it up under the dash, and used the accordion pleat on the door to get the wire outside the passenger compartment. Unsnap the boot, slip the sensor thru', and replace the boot. The second critical issue is wire length. It has to reach from the console to the grille, so about 5' is likely necessary. My sensor is circular with sticky tape on one side. Attach the sensor to one of the grille slats; keep it relatively low. Mine is underneath the larger center slat.
While I'm sure there are more expensive options (and I apologize for no longer knowing the brand), it has made a neat job and a handy feature.
I am quite sure you can find a more expensive solution to a relatively simple question, but this was cheap and required virtually no permanent mods to the car. If it quits working or you get bored with it, pull it out and give it the toss. No harm, no foul.
Moon

 

It ain't cheap but it is first class and worthy of your Fit: Amazon.com: Gentex GENK21A Auto Dimming Mirror W/compass Temperature: Automotive [$168]

I pondered all the options and decided I wanted something that looked like it came with the car - not a JCW add-on.

Genex actually is an OEM supplier to the industry.

 

more models pictures
http://www.becarelec.com/?controller...tDetails&id=56

 

you can have some models in our website Becar
Email: sales@becarelec.com
Web: www.becarelec.com
Skype: nicklewai
Msn: wjz168@hotmail.com

 

anyway you can post some pictures of the thermometer and wire placement?

 

Hello everyone, I just wanted to share my experience regarding the Gentek Auto dimming mirror with temp and compass I recently bought for my car. Unfortunately my car did not have outside temperature gauge and I recently bought one of these mirrors and had it installed at Honda dealership.

Unfortunately for me the outside temperature is usually not accurate until the car is driven for 5-10 minutes, especially when the car is parked for a few hours and I get back to it, the temp is showing around 100 F when the outside temp is actually around 60 F. However after driving it for 5 minutes it shows the correct temperature.

I wanted to see if any one else has such a experience with these mirrors or if it is due to bad installation and I should follow up with dealership. I appreciate your comments.

 

Hello, thank you for the reply. Mine is also accurate after some driving, but still I was wondering why it should show such a tolerance when the car is parked. I will go back to the dealer to have it checked tomorrow but I am pretty sure they will blame the mirror manufacturer and temp sensor for it, and since I did not buy the mirror from them (they didn't have this), I don't have much of an argument with them. I thought about using a smart phone but since they cost about 80 bucks a month with data plan here in Canada, I think it's cheaper to pay for the mirror once.

I have a Toyota corolla which is incredibly accurate in showing outside temperature. I often listen to the news while driving and every 10 minutes when the weather report comes up, I get reassured that my corolla is fantastic all the way.

 

the surface that the car is parked on heats up as well from the sun... so even if it's not the direct rays from the sun hitting the car, the hot air from the ground around it gets blown and caught inside the bumper. that results in the difference in temps. you will notice much less difference at night if installed correctly. as soon as you are moving, more air hits the thermocouple giving you a better overall average of the ambient temps.

 

The manual says it must be installed in the front grill, since I supplied the dealer with the manual I am assuming it was installed there. I am going 2 check the temp right now to see if it is in the right ball park!

 

I just checked it, the weather network website is showing 9 degrees Celsius, my Honda is showing 14 degrees Celsius and the Corolla is showing 13 degrees. This comes after a few hours of staying in the drive way. I wonder if I should still follow up with the dealer!

 

If sometimes it is showing hotter than the other cars and other times colder than the other two, you will likely have to go back to the mirror manufacturer for any answers.

Hunt around on forums for your other two cars to find out where the sensors are placed in those vehicles and then try and locate yours in the same relative spot.

~SB

 

considering you took the measurement at night this is normal... but then you said your temp was showing 100F while it was only 60F outside during the day. that's not normal.

i see 5-6 degree difference as a norm. my car can be sitting outside the entire day baking in 95F+ and my car shows 100F, not 120F when i get inside.

 

I removed the Bell from the Fit. It stopped reading the temp right after about 1.5 years.

I had the temp sensor in the frame of the door which worked pretty well. it was off by anywhere from 5-30 degrees depending on if the sun was hitting the pavement next to the car.

~SB

 

Thanks everyone. I parked my car in a lot today waiting for someone and as I was looking at the mirror. The temperature went up from 58 F to 90 F as I was waiting. The actual outside temperature was around 55 F. I think it is acting very strange, I just need to know if this is the norm for after market temp sensors or mine is not installed correctly.

 

I bought the CIPA 36500 off Amazon; the only time it isn't within 3 degrees fahrenheit of actual temp is when I'm idling for more than a few minutes. It's usually spot on accurate when I turn the car on. I attached the sensor right next to the front license plate on the grill, because the directions said it needed unobstructed air flow.

The directions said if your temps are consistently wacky (5 degrees off or more) you need a new sensor and wiring harness. To get that you need to contact the manufacturer. Personally, I'd freak out on the installers. I would expect that the more expensive brand that you got should work better than my cheap version (which is awesome BTW, and the easiest electrical mod I've done to my car so far.)

As a side note, I used to idle my car for long periods of time and after 20+ minutes I only saw it be off by about 20 degrees.

 

To each his own.
But unless you are filming a documentary that includes Morgan Freeman talking about Penguins what's the big deal about knowing the outside temperature as you drive?
I think for most people it's information overkill. If it's really hot outside? Turn on your radio...someone will tell you how hot. If it's snowing outside? Turn on your radio someone will tell you how cold it is....
Meanwhile, My Fit is my automobile, not my weather station.

 

If you have a smartphone, an app will do the job. I've got dash mount nicely located with "Car Home Ultra" as my default home when [android] phone is on the car dock. Temp and forecast is right there.

Given that the phone is in place for music, traffic alerts, and navigation (plus heads up speed display), there is nothing added to clutter the dash.