That's a pretty good idea -- it looks really convenient there. Had you considered using adhesive Velcro instead, so that you can more easily remove the remote as needed (to borrow for another car, to stash away if you're parking long term at the airport, to change the remote battery)?

Also I'm curious how well the adhesive will hold up when it gets hot.

We currently have our remote on the visor. I'm thinking about clipping it to the lip of the driver door storage pocket, with the remote unit on the inside of the pocket, and the clip facing out. We don't actually store stuff in the door, so this would also get the remote out-of-the-way and mostly invisible.

 

Sticky mess

I'm curious how well the adhesive will hold up when it gets hot.

The sticky Velcro/adhesives work, but I used sticky Velcro in another car to mount a small trash bag to the console. It held up for about two years, then the adhesive failed leaving the trash bag on the floor and a gooey mess on the console. So, I'd like to try a different tact with the door opener.

My desire is to remove the circuit board from the garage door remote, solder a lead onto the contacts that activate it and mount an "extension button" someplace on the dash or overhead console. I plan to mount the circuit board inside the overhead console so that it's high in the car and easily accessible for battery changes. I could drill a small hole in the overhead console and mount the button there, but would like to put it in one of the three dummy buttons if possible; I'll route the lead extension around the door frame and under the dash. First, though, I just need to figure out how to remove the dummy buttons without wrecking them!

 

Ohhhh, never thought to do that in any of my cars. Mine are usually stored in small nooks and crannies that are out of sight. Adhesives of any kind always worries me in case I ever want to remove them. But the tape doesn't seem like it'll be permanent.

 

If that is the 3M brand of automotive tape, it will hold almost forever. That is the strongest tape that vehicle manufacturers use to mount external labels and trim. I have two rolls for my own use (one wide and one thin). I get them usually at Pep Boys.

 

That's pretty clean and tucked away but I would also be worried about removal.. looks like it may be a pain to clean off. But if it works for you, that's golden!

I'm too sketched to leave my garage door opener inside of the car though.

 

I purchased a used Homelink unit and used double sided tape to attach it to just below the start button. I plug it into the 12 volt receptacle and it works nicely.

 

There are many phone apps (GarageMate, et. al.) which Bluetooth to a relay device attached to the motor in the garage. The main problem is cost (the physical relay, not the app)!

 

Great idea, timeToy!

 

I really have to look into those apps, I completely forgot that we have apps for everything.. it would make my life a lot easier!

Edit: Just checked out Garage Mate and you need to buy the receiver... time to find that...

 

Hey dude well i think that's brilliant information about the hidden garage door openers .Thanks alot!!:nerd:

 

Many years ago (30?), I was faced with the same dilemma...where to mount the garage-door opener. Truly a First-World problem! I bought an aftermarket remote, removed the (12V!) battery, disassembled it, and soldered the push-button "open" contacts on the circuit board together. (The remote now was permanently pushing the "open" button.) I then soldered two wires to the the + and - battery contacts in the remote, and attached them across the terminal wires to the headlight "bright" contacts. I re-installed the remote board in its little case, and zip-tied the assembly to a convenient cable bundle near the headlamp.

I just momentarily hit the brights when I wanted to open the garage door. What thief would think of that? More, now, probably, but I'm willing to risk it to share the method. (I think it's pretty cool.)

Works for any vehicle (I did it on a motorcycle, too.) If the remote has other than one of those funky 12V cylindrical batteries, a series resistor might be necessary in the bright headlamp power wire, to drop the voltage to whatever.

Enjoy!

 

Many years ago (30?), I was faced with the same dilemma...where to mount the garage-door opener. Truly a First-World problem! I bought an aftermarket remote, removed the (12V!) battery, disassembled it, and soldered the push-button "open" contacts on the circuit board together. (The remote now was permanently pushing the "open" button.) I then soldered two wires to the the + and - battery contacts in the remote, and attached them across the terminal wires to the headlight "bright" contacts. I re-installed the remote board in its little case, and zip-tied the assembly to a convenient cable bundle near the headlamp.

I love this idea but alas, it won't work for modern rolling code door openers. I'm sure your 30 year old opener used a dip switch to program a fixed code. The way rolling code works is that the receiver predicts what the next 256 codes the transmitter could possibly send. The receiver is waiting for any one of 256 numbers from 4billion possible numbers all the time. Each time you press the button, the transmitter advances to the next pseudo random number. Each time the receiver hears a code that it expected, it calls that code the new "starting point" and predicts the next 256 possible codes. It resyncs with the transmitter every time when it opens the door.

If you press the transmitter button 256 times away from home, the transmitter will transmit a code the reciever isn't expecting and your door won't open. This also works with key clickers that unlock doors. Do it to your buddy one time.... press the unlock button on his keys 260 times and hilarity will ensue. lol.

Hope this makes sense.

In practice though, how many times do you flash your highbeams more than 200 times since leaving home?

My solution was to buy a $40 "digital ant" bluetooth garage door opener from amazon. Simple installation and it runs with an app on my phone. It's MUCH cheaper than buying a remote for wife, daughter and my car since everyone has their phone with them all the time. Highly recommended.

 

My garage door is slow, so I like to initiate opening from far away so it is open by the time I get to it. This requires as few obstructions to the remote as possible. I'm wondering if locating it under everything if range is significantly reduced?

 

I would suggest holding the remote underneath the console in the suggested location while you operate it the next few times you approach your garage to see how well it works for you.

 

Here ya go guys.... seriously, this works. [ame]https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Ant-Bluetooth-Compatible-Encryption/dp/B073P3VS3K/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1517316871&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=digital+ant&psc=1[/ame]

 

No problem, assuming you don't mind digging out your phone and firing up an app to open and close your garage door every time.

Me...I'll stick with hitting the high beams.

 

Here's my high-tech solution - using the visor clip of the remote to attach it to the overhead console in a position that doesn't interfere with the microphone or light switch:

 

ai4px: "I love this idea but alas, it won't work for modern rolling code door openers."

Ummmm, not true. It would behave exactly like every other remote that has been synced to the rolling code opener receiver.

 

Sean Nelson, I guess you missed the "Hidden" in the thread title? Your solution would work if you park in the garage. Many of us park our cars in the driveway. A visible remote is an open invitation for an opportunistic burglar to ransack your garage and/or home.

 

So I just got my Bolt EV today and it does not have a Homelink garage door opener. Sure I can attach the remote to the sun visor, but that looks ugly and it is dangerous if you just park outside your own home. After looking around the cabin for the best location to hide the remote while being accessible, I think that taped under the center console is a great location.

Again for installation make sure you thoroughly clean the surfaces for isopropyl alcohol to remove any contaminants and grease and press the double side tape as hard as you can, as the glue is pressure activated.

Nice

 

I'm wondering how you will replace the battery in the remote when it is perma-stuck under the console?

 

These tapes are strong, but they can be removed with a flathead and some careful prying. Once separated, the tape itself can be thumbed off the surfaces with a little effort.

 

I used the 3M tape to hold a 12V power strip to the little cubby in the Bolt right next to the single 12V power port. Made sure to heat both surfaces to ambient (this was in the winter) using a hair dryer, then I cleaned them quickly with rubbing alcohol and pressed the two together keeping my hands as "clamps" for a full minute. Made sure I used 6 square inches of the tape (two rows of 3").

At first it appeared to hold well but over time, it become loose. I finally just rigged a thin clamp around the whole thing and all is well.

 

My Solution

Hey everyone, this thread inspired me to join to share my solution to the Garage door opener problem. I 3D printed a bracket to hold mine below where OP taped his.

Here is link if anyone wants to download it https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3419820

Does that cubby serve any purpose btw?

 

Does that cubby serve any purpose btw?

Keep a pair reading glasses and a small bottle of hand sanitizer in that compartment.

Nice solution with the 3D printed holder.

 

OK This is a little different. I like the FOB---but---- Let's say I go somewhere and lose my FOB--or an elephant steps on it. I cleverly use my chevolet app to unlock the car. Now how can I drive the car home? In the olden days when cars had keys it was simple---buy an extra key at the hardware store. Does anyone buy an extra FOB, wrap it in aluminum foil and hide it?

 

In put my sun glasses in there when the cup holder is busy. Accessible from either seat.

 

I'd be wary of putting a garage door opener in any visible location in a vehicle not locked up in a garage. Break a window in the Bolt (or any car, for that matter), and you're in the garage, or maybe even the house. It's a common way for burglars to access a house.

 

I put the rubberized liner from the wireless phone charger cavity in there and use it to hold my Altoids tin. I put a black foam beer koozie in the charging cavity and that's where my iPone 6s plus goes.

 

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I used velcro to mount mine near the top inside of the back edge of the drivers door pocket. It works well enough there that I can trigger the opening from around 75 feet away as I round a hairpin corner just before the house, and I can still remove the control to replace the battery.
I'd recommend a velcro version meant for the high temperatures of cars sitting in the sun, which I found in a local hardware store.