There are many threads out there on this topic, but I wanted to share my install and some feedback to help anyone that needs to install an EZ Pass on their S. I have a 2013 and so I believe it is the most restricting windshield.
I tried all the following, with little to no luck:
- Front Windshield mount- under the mirror, left of the mirror, right of the mirror, random spots around the windshield, windshield corners, all of which did not work for me. I tried various combinations of the EZ pass as well as trying to mount it in various angles- upside down, left side, right side, etc.
- Rear Windshield mounts- i tried on the top of the parcel shelf, bottom of the parcel shelf, and although I was seeing some success over here, it was intermittent. Some tolls worked, some did not. And sometimes it wouldn't work on the same toll it had worked on before. Some toll booths have overhead readers, and some in the front, and this location was very inconsistent. I even tried it on the rear windshield, which was ugly and also had very mixed results. There are a variety of toll booths in VA and MD, and some have their gates down. So not reading wasn't an option for me.
- Behind nosecone- I began by just taping it on to the beam, that didn't work consistently either- this was again due to the variety of readers and the beam is recessed back a little, which made the location of the EZ pass recessed back enough for the metal beam to cause an obstruction at some booths. So I mounted it on the black nosecone itself and while this worked, I didn't trust how it was mounted. I saw a video of a Tesla where the nosecone fell off through a car wash. If that was a possibility, I didn't want to be driving and have some harsh winds or an object hit the nosecone and lose it.
I also noticed in most of the above scenarios where the toll booth light would flash very quickly. I noticed the better the signal was, the longer the green light stayed on. Such as when I held the EZ pass out the window, it would be a long green light. When I had it mounted in situations where success was intermittent, the times it went green, it was a very quick flash.
So finally- this is what worked: I mounted the EZ pass exterior unit behind the nosecone, on the front bumper beam itself. The trick was to use the heavy duty Velcro strips that come with the EZ pass windshield to 'space' the EZ pass out just a little past the indent in the beam. It is very sturdy and hard to pull off, and unless in an accident, it's not going anywhere. In addition, I've tested it for a week and a half with 100% success (daily routes with 3-5 various toll booths) And all the toll booth lights had a nice long green light. It's also been tested through the overhead readers at speed (75+ mph), the high speed overhead with the green lights, and toll gates. I haven't gone through multiple states- but will be doing a trip from VA to CT in a couple of weeks and another from VA to MI, where I'll test and report back. But so far, it looks like a successful install.
A note on the install- the bumper beam is curved. So if you do this, make sure you use the Velcro strips on the outside. Using them on the center of the EZ pass will not work very well. In my testing, 2 Velcro strips worked pretty well, but I doubled it for added comfort.
Double Velcro strips on each side of EZ Pass:
Mounted to the bumper beam- you can see how the beam itself has the indent where the top portion would interfere with the overhead readers when the EZ pass was flush mounted. Having these thicker velcro strips allow the EZ pass to be spaced out enough to be read clearly, but not enough to interfere with the nosecone. Make sure you clean the area well for maximum adhesion.
Closeup of the EZ Pass mounted:
Overall view of the car w/ EZ Pass mounted:
I tried all the following, with little to no luck:
- Front Windshield mount- under the mirror, left of the mirror, right of the mirror, random spots around the windshield, windshield corners, all of which did not work for me. I tried various combinations of the EZ pass as well as trying to mount it in various angles- upside down, left side, right side, etc.
- Rear Windshield mounts- i tried on the top of the parcel shelf, bottom of the parcel shelf, and although I was seeing some success over here, it was intermittent. Some tolls worked, some did not. And sometimes it wouldn't work on the same toll it had worked on before. Some toll booths have overhead readers, and some in the front, and this location was very inconsistent. I even tried it on the rear windshield, which was ugly and also had very mixed results. There are a variety of toll booths in VA and MD, and some have their gates down. So not reading wasn't an option for me.
- Behind nosecone- I began by just taping it on to the beam, that didn't work consistently either- this was again due to the variety of readers and the beam is recessed back a little, which made the location of the EZ pass recessed back enough for the metal beam to cause an obstruction at some booths. So I mounted it on the black nosecone itself and while this worked, I didn't trust how it was mounted. I saw a video of a Tesla where the nosecone fell off through a car wash. If that was a possibility, I didn't want to be driving and have some harsh winds or an object hit the nosecone and lose it.
I also noticed in most of the above scenarios where the toll booth light would flash very quickly. I noticed the better the signal was, the longer the green light stayed on. Such as when I held the EZ pass out the window, it would be a long green light. When I had it mounted in situations where success was intermittent, the times it went green, it was a very quick flash.
So finally- this is what worked: I mounted the EZ pass exterior unit behind the nosecone, on the front bumper beam itself. The trick was to use the heavy duty Velcro strips that come with the EZ pass windshield to 'space' the EZ pass out just a little past the indent in the beam. It is very sturdy and hard to pull off, and unless in an accident, it's not going anywhere. In addition, I've tested it for a week and a half with 100% success (daily routes with 3-5 various toll booths) And all the toll booth lights had a nice long green light. It's also been tested through the overhead readers at speed (75+ mph), the high speed overhead with the green lights, and toll gates. I haven't gone through multiple states- but will be doing a trip from VA to CT in a couple of weeks and another from VA to MI, where I'll test and report back. But so far, it looks like a successful install.
A note on the install- the bumper beam is curved. So if you do this, make sure you use the Velcro strips on the outside. Using them on the center of the EZ pass will not work very well. In my testing, 2 Velcro strips worked pretty well, but I doubled it for added comfort.
Double Velcro strips on each side of EZ Pass:
Mounted to the bumper beam- you can see how the beam itself has the indent where the top portion would interfere with the overhead readers when the EZ pass was flush mounted. Having these thicker velcro strips allow the EZ pass to be spaced out enough to be read clearly, but not enough to interfere with the nosecone. Make sure you clean the area well for maximum adhesion.
Closeup of the EZ Pass mounted:
Overall view of the car w/ EZ Pass mounted:
