Bell Automotive Digital Compass with Mirror Mount - 22-1-29001-8 Review

This compass assembles and appears to work except it does not have a backlight as advertised. You must have very good eyesight to read it, or wear reading glasses when driving down the street and dodge traffic a bit. Seriously, don't waste your money on this. I even put in a new battery but there is still no backlight.

If you have V6 or above, DO NOT BUY! The engine block is too big and the compass always points north. In addition, this is already the third model that I have bought, since the first two turned out to be defective. Now that I have one that works I love it. It's discreet, aloof, and very helpful as I'm a Lyft rider. This will ALWAYS come in handy.

Installed, then it worked. The letters are barely legible, especially in direct sunlight. The button to turn on the backlight only stays on for about 2 seconds and requires a second press. The time spent looking at the device can lead to an accident. I returned it and spent the money on a self-dimming mirror with a built in compass. Dealer is installing today.

The product is smaller than the photo, which is a good thing. I wish the wire to attach the sensor was a little longer and the wire from the battery compartment to the LED a little shorter. It would be great if it came with a battery that could be charged from the car's cigarette lighter or USB port. I was disappointed that despite the battery discharge tab, the battery that came with it was dead.

So I usually ignore negative comments. So bought and installed. The setup was very ez. But I could read letters. Too dark. So I bought a new battery believing that was the problem. But! Plis, even after calibration, he did not indicate the correct course. I have purchased several items from Bell Mfg and have been satisfied. This is a complete waste of money. It's garbage! Do not buy!

For those who don't understand the compass this will be very confusing. The real compass had a red arrow pointing behind you, showing you the direction you came from; the white arrow shows you the direction you are moving. This device reports ONLY the direction you came from. Factory installed compasses indicate the direction you are heading. It's not like this. You see north as you travel south. It is very difficult to see at night; the light is not on. Better than nothing. The next car I rent

While easy enough to install, the display is difficult to read and impossible at night due to the dim backlight. I ordered a replacement thinking I had a bad unit, but the replacement didn't work at all even after replacing the batteries with the original unit. I checked the batteries in both devices and both batteries showed less than 50% charge right out of the box. I even bought a new battery to try out both devices. The only device that actually worked was too dim to read at night and the…

Wish I'd read the accuracy ratings before buying - Installed for a day, returned promptly. The only readings I can get from the compass are quick readings alternating between East and Northeast, even when I'm obviously going due south. Also, the backlight only stays on for about 3 seconds. If I get lost and try to orient myself, read street signs, turn the other way, etc. I'll probably need the compass for more than 3 seconds - trying to hold down the button to turn on the backlight doesn't…