I have one of the new Escort Max 360 radar detectors and I am noticing that the GPS function seems to have difficulty in the XF. Most of the time I am getting a "no GPS" notification. Anyone else have this problem, or perhaps something is wrong with the detector? I would think it would either work all the time or never, not intermittently.

My car does not have the heated windshield option ... they gave me a loaner with one the other day and it was like looking through a screen door with the little wires, that would make me crazy on a daily basis.

 

Welcome to the forum rp911,

The XF is available with Standard, Heated or Climate Control windscreens for both normal and heads up display versions:


(click on the image to enlarge it)

If your vehicle is fitted with the Climate Control option then it will most likely block the GPS signal.

My other car has a Climate Control windscreen and I have to use an extension aerial on the rear window for my GPS speed camera detector. The signal for my French Autoroute toll tag is completely blocked by it.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

There are places on the upper windshield that are alleged to be free of interference. Pages 76 & 77 of the 2016 XF owners manual shows the placement and states that the solar glass will attenuate signals.

 

Interesting ... I looked through the manual this morning but missed that. I take it that's the area that's sort of blacked out with the dots?

For the radar, the antenna is on the top center of the unit, so presumably mounting on the windshield with the antenna more or less lined up underneath one of those areas should improve the signal ... I hope.

 

Ok Graham, I've followed your advice. This is post #2 for me after just placing my first post in the New Member Area. Cheers!

I have a similar concern as the OP, wanting to windshield-mount both a toll transponder and radar detector. In the US, we have two windshield-related options - HUD and Heated Windshield. When you mention a Climate Control Windscreen, is that the same as the Heated Windscreen or is it a different, sun-block type of windscreen option? I know that outside of the US, sun-block windscreens are offered on other European cars and that they can block GPS-type signals as well.

So do you think the HUD and/or the Heated windscreen will block GPS and transponder signals or are there places where devices can be placed without blocking those signals. If so, is there space for two devices?

 

If you have the HUD you probably have the solar glass. Different from the heated windshield that has tiny wires running through it. It is a laminated glass with a special inner layer that blocks UV light. Put on polarized sunglasses and you may see a slight rainbow effect when looking out at certain angles. I have the HUD as well as the 4 zone climate control and the glass definitely is solar.

From Jaguar:

SOLAR ATTENUATING GLASS

The solar attenuating glass windshield filters sunlight passing through a special laminated layer.


Electronic actuating cards, such as toll road payment cards or Radio Frequency (RF) ID tags, can be fixed at the dedicated locations, on the inside of the windshield. If these cards are located at any other part of a solar attenuating windshield, the electronic scanners may not recognize them.

The fixing location is at the top of the windshield, as shown, close to the interior rear-view mirror.

NOTES
The electronic actuating card should be in the size appropriate location, on the driver's side of the windshield.

 

I'm ordering this car tomorrow and was planning on ordering HUD (which I'm very familiar with from several BMWs) and the heated glass with the little wires. But before I do that, I'd like to know whether either will interfere with windshield-mounted detectors or transponders.

 

Take a good, hard look at that heated windshield before you buy ... they gave it to me as a loaner the other day and I really had a problem with it. You can see the little wires zigzagging down the glass, literally like looking through a screen door. You could still see, of course, just as you can look out a window with a screen on it, but it would drive me nuts. Maybe it was just driving the car at that time of day with the sun at that angle, but ...

I have an S, with the HUD but not the heated windshield. From looking at the brochure it seemed like all the US models are standard with "infra red reflective front windshield glass." The cold climate package has the heated front windshield, which I assume is the one I got in the loaner with the crazy wires, but that is only an option on the Premium (base) car. The heated windshield is also a stand-alone option.

The question in my mind would be whether or not that layer also interferes with the radar signal, because there's no way you're going to get a GPS signal if you mount the detector up that high on the windshield (antenna is on the top). Plus it would be difficult to see the display, as well.

If you are using a Valentine One, without a GPS function, then it could be mounted that high, although it's not ideal for the rear antenna to "see" out the rear glass like it's supposed to. The V1 also has remote display options, but I switched to the Escort because the V1 is constantly falsing (I am also in New England).

Hinckley, if you don't mind my asking, which dealer are you ordering your car from? Norwood, Danvers or Sudbury?

 

Magnum, I didn't see the latter part of yout post I think I've got it now. Thanks.

 

I'm ordering from Danvers (Peabody really).

I looked at the heated windshield on an F-Pace inside the showroom. I didn't mind the wires but I didn't think about how it would look with sunshine streaming through. I'll look at it again. I like the concept, but may reconsider.

I currently have an Escort 9600 mounted high on my windshield and use the remote EscortLive unit and/or the Escort app on my iPhone to mute the detector. I was thinking about moving to the 360 Max with a similar setup. So high-mounting for forward viewing could work for me if there's a large enough cleared area to see out of and obtain a GPS signal. However, I did not look closely enough at the XF's rear window to determine whether the unit would be able to see backwards. I may have to re-consider that as well.

Are you using a windshield mounted EZ Pass?

 

If you order the 4 zone climate comfort pat age you will definitely get the solar glass. Further research shows it is part of that package.

 

Thanks, Graham!

I wonder what the glass difference is with the heads up display package.

 

Both the HUD and heated windshield will affect GPS reception.

 

I don't think a heated windscreen will affect GPS reception. It certainly didn't in either my X308 or XK8 which were both fitted with heated screens. My current XK doesn't have one and I do miss this feature in our UK climate.

The fine wires in heated windscreen do annoy some people. They are exceptionally difficult to photograph but can be seen in this one taken on a dull day in my XK8:



Climate control is a UV filtering interlayer in the laminate which does block signals. Some manufacturers do leave a clear area next to the rear view mirror to allow the use of GPS devices.

Graham

 

I finalized my order today and after my sales guy input it, he printed out my detailed "Configuration Vehicle Specification". Listed with the Head-Up Display (code G62A) is Infrared Reflective Windscreen (code D97B).

So at least for the US market, I'm guessing that the reflective windshield is part of the optional HUD.

 

Well, I got a crystal clear (so to speak) indication on how the windshield glass affects an Escort Max 360 radar detector today ... driving down a 2 lane road the detector lit up strongly with Ka band ... illuminating only the rear arrow and registering signal only from the rear. Problem is, the police car was coming toward me. At no time did the front antenna signal meter register but he was so close the back antenna picked him up strongly and continued to track him as he got further away. Therefore I would suggest that a radar detector with only a single antenna in the front is not going to do you too much good or at least be pretty compromised.

Mounting the detector high up on the windshield next to the rearview mirror may allow it to "see" out that area of the glass, but that is pretty much impossible with the Escort detectors that use the GPS technology because the antenna is on the top of the unit, as are the controls for mute, mode, etc. The included mount with the Max 360 will not allow it to be mounted in that location.

Actually, the GPS doesn't seem to work no matter where I mount the detector on the windshield. Switching it to my other car this afternoon, it operated fine. The glass is really anti-radar detector unless you want to go to a system where the antennas are hidden in the front and rear bumpers of the car, which is far more expensive.

My car has the HUD system, but I don't know how different that is from the regular "infra red reflective glass" that seems to be standard across the entire US range (at least according to the 2016 brochure). The HUD unit is just projecting an image from the top of the dashboard in one small area.