A better way to mount toll transponders

[TheProduct]

I’m addicted to dipping:
i-Pass transponder Before / After:

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Hopefully the removable sun pass in Florida gets this small!

 

[CuriousG]

This is unnecessary since the transponder I use (older FasTrak Flex) works while in the center console cube area. Your concealment of transponder leads me to believe you don't necessarily care that it is in view for cameras either. So unless you're Ice-T and decide to run the toll bridge without a transponder, IMO it is not necessary to mount in the Model 3 unlike the Model S.

 

[NeverFollow]

Well done...but here in CA the local authorities claim that they
(or the cameras that snap a photo of the front of your car with your passengers)
must actually see a transponder, even if it is legal and set to the proper setting

I was wondering if the windshield was not blocking the radio wave and that the location to use was just below the front Tesla cameras?
Because yesterday while I used it for the first time on the San Francisco Bay Bridge I didn't hear the little beep when passing the gate?
I put the transponder in middle of the flat and horizontal area at the bottom of the windshield.

 

[JPP]

I was wondering if the windshield was not blocking the radio wave and that the location to use was just below the front Tesla cameras?
Because yesterday while I used it for the first time on the San Francisco Bay Bridge I didn't hear the little beep when passing the gate?
I put the transponder in middle of the flat and horizontal area at the bottom of the windshield.

I think the sweet spot on the Model 3 is just to the right of the mirror mount. Not sure if anywhere else on the windshield is usable. But I did not try below the mirror/camera mount as this is not in the Tesla manual. And, as I noted, I tried to orient it vertical but ended up mounting it horizontally tight against the headliner and tight against the mirror/camera housing.

 

[NeverFollow]

I think the sweet spot on the Model 3 is just to the right of the mirror mount. Not sure if anywhere else on the windshield is usable. But I did not try below the mirror/camera mount as this is not in the Tesla manual. And, as I noted, I tried to orient it vertical but ended up mounting it horizontally tight against the headliner and tight against the mirror/camera housing.

I wonder if there is a way to test other than passing the tool plaza?

 

[JPP]

I wonder if there is a way to test other than passing the tool plaza?

I gather that in some states and toll jurisdictions they set up a dummy toll lane in a safe location (parking lot) that you can drive through and see on a display if your transponder is being read properly (in addition to listening for a beep). Sure wish we had this in the SF Bay Area.

 

[FloridaGary]

I don’t care about toll highways reading my transponder because we also get recognized using “Toll By Plate”. My frustration with these windshields is that it’s a PITA to enter a gated community because it can’t read my transponder. In my 2015 Model S, I have it in the front bubble which works flawlessly. Not sure how to resolve this in the Model 3. Not a fan of sticking things on my windshield. Anyone else have a solution?

 

[NeverFollow]

I don’t care about toll highways reading my transponder because we also get recognized using “Toll By Plate”.

It's a new car, so I don't have yet my license plates.

My frustration with these windshields is that it’s a PITA to enter a gated community because it can’t read my transponder.
In my 2015 Model S, I have it in the front bubble which works flawlessly.
Not sure how to resolve this in the Model 3.
Not a fan of sticking things on my windshield. Anyone else have a solution?

Some people put it under the ceiling glass.

 

[vashwood]

Here is where I put fastrak.

 

[LM-5]

Some people put it under the ceiling glass.

This is where mine a mounted. To be honest I forget it’s there until it beeps going through the toll plaza. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[surfrasch]

hey folks, I recall seeing someone mention that they were going to mount their transponder on the horizontal support arm for the center screen....ie, can't see it from inside the car, only from outside.

Has anyone tried this, and if so does the signal work okay?

 

[Prunesquallor]

It's a new car, so I don't have yet my license plates.

Some people put it under the ceiling glass.

Just curious. Why are those things so big? Our EZ Pass tags are small transparent stickers with the chip/circuitry embedded. Do these do something more complicated?

 

[KenF]

Just curious. Why are those things so big? Our EZ Pass tags are small transparent stickers with the chip/circuitry embedded. Do these do something more complicated?

I don’t know about the one above, but, in the DC/VA area, the transponder has a switch that you flip to indicate whether you have 1 person or multiple persons in the car. The setting determines whether you can use HOV lanes and certain other roads/lanes without paying a toll (or a fine).

I painted my transponder black (plasti dip) and mounted it with this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CLH8ZDE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[tjbonzo]

Now that this thread is about 2 years old it seems appropriate to update it. For the past two years I've had my I-Pass mounted onto my mirror (Model 3). It has worked just fine for the past 2 years, however now I suspect the battery is fading a bit and it is no longer consistent. I have had to pay some penalties, in part because it isn't mounted "on the windshield". So be forewarned, with a new transponder most any location may work, but at some point the success may become spotty and your first indication may be a bill from the toll authority. YWhMV

 

[dasn]

I tried sticking it to the top of the centre console lid like in this video and its been pretty reliable for me, but I guess it'll depend on the type of transponder/country etc.

 

[Gasaraki]

I’m addicted to dipping:
i-Pass transponder Before / After:

View attachment 347609
View attachment 347611

View attachment 347612

Don't dip, dipping is disgusting....

 

[TypeRx]

I want to share a picture of how we mounted a toll road transponder in our Model 3. This is particularly useful if you have any film on your front windshield or you simply don't like look of a (typically) white transponder stuck to your front windshield.

My wife took some dark paper then cut & bent it to make a "hat" or "coat" for the toll road transponder, leaving an opening in the back for the some "velcro like" attachment on the back of the transponder. We then stuck the transponder to the back of the center screen instead of the windshield. No one in the car can see it at all, and it blends in so well that it's barely visible from the outside.

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Like your post and you "innovating" for a more palatable solution! But, I have to ask since I live near you -- why not just use the tiny toll road sticker rather than the transponder? I am using the stickers on the passenger corner of my windshield -- can barely see it and will work fine even if you have tint on the window.

 

[Gasaraki]

Just curious. Why are those things so big? Our EZ Pass tags are small transparent stickers with the chip/circuitry embedded. Do these do something more complicated?

Since when? I have EZPass and the tags are the same sizes as those.

 

[Prunesquallor]

Since when? I have EZPass and the tags are the same sizes as those.

Sorry, “EZTag”. Little. Like a decal. Been that way for years.

 

[neurocutie]

anybody got ideas for a removable transponder mounting method (rather than these semi-permanent ideas). I am used to moving the transponder from one car to another...