Bought a compass for car, doesn't seem accurate

[DaveInLA]

I bought a $6 "navigation system" at Pep Boys yesterday and stuck it in my car. At the store, the compass seemed accurate enough for the price, and even when I put it in my parked car, it was right on. But on my first drive today since, it didn't seem right. I was driving SW, but the compass indicated N-NW. On the return trip, the compass had it right.

I know putting a compass near a strong magnetic field can mess with it, but I have it stuck to the windshield near the dask. It's not near the radio or anything like that. Are these things just unreliable like this?

I want to say that some of the other comparable models at the store came with a small instruction "manual". I figured I know how to use a compass so bought the one I liked best, even though there are no instructions. Is there something I don't know that's written on those sheets?
Thanks

 

[michaelc80]

The electronic compasses that I have had always required me to set them up first-it usually involved pressing a preset button combo and driving around in a circle a time or two on a level area.

I had one that I used to let my wife use-it was never accurate in her Jeep but it was very accurate in mine. After I showed her how to set it up it was fine (she talked me into purchasing one for her shortly thereafter).

 

[DaveInLA]

My compass is one of those spheres with the rotating ball inside. It's not electronic. Those are much more $$$$.

 

[Tosh]

I tried a cheapy as well, and it was thrown off by something in the car, so I got a refund. I would find it useful to have a dependable compass for under $30.

 

[MarkC]

Mine is also a shere, but it has a tool I used to adjust it. Now it's dead-on. I know because I checked it by pointing in directly north, then standing behind it a good distance with another compass and shooting a line through the center of the Jeep.

 

[DaveInLA]

I wish I could get a refund. But Pep Boys (at least this one) doesn't let you return opened packages. I just don't understand why the compass would be correct sometimes, but not other times. I examined every single one at the store, and this one seemed to work the best. Now, it's not doing its job.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Let kindness and compassion be your compass.

BTW, bring the other ones back.

 

[JohnBrowning]

A compass is only accurate when at a steady speed with no turning, yawing,rolling etc..... You usualy have to set it for the magnetic deviation in your area and you have to find a relatively nuetral location in the vechile. Usualy you need to make a compass card for each application that a mechanical compass is installed in due to error caused by all the metal and electromagnetic fields in vechiles. Fluid filled compass's can be so unreliable under some circumstances that gyroscopicly stabilized devices called DG's were created for aircraft. You basicly set it to your compass reading or runway heading brior to take and then re-check it from time to time while in flight. They do process but they are not prone to many types of errors a fluid filled compass are.

What brand is your compass. I would also recomend you go to AutoZone from now on. AutoZones will take back anything they sell under all but the most dubious circumstances!!!

 

[DaveInLA]

My compass is manufactured by "Type S". That company sells various accessories for the inside of your car such as cell phone holders, cupholders, compasses, air fresheners, etc. I liked this one for its size and simplicity. I didn't think brand mattered.

Anyway, this one has a suction cup that I pressed against the inside windshield. It's not near a radio or speaker or anythign like that.

Overall, are electronic compasses (digital) more accurate than these $5 fluid-filled ones?

 

[Bill]

Hello Dave,

I think you already know this but I wanted to chimed in,
a compass does not point to the North Pole,
it points to the Magnetic North Pole which is in Canada,
it is a little North West off of the North,
if your compass appears to point to the NNW and not North that is why.
I have provided a couple of links below:

North Pole

North Pole

 

[Papa Bear]

Now he's blaming it on the Canadians....

P.B.