Removing SunPass mini transponder from rental car

[WelshDH@98CPAlum]

I haven't been able to answer this. The SunPass website explains that the SunPass mini transponder (basically just a sticker the size of a credit card) cannot be re-used. Once it is attached, and then removed it cannot be re-used. Not sure why. The only thing I can find is that it must be completely attached as it uses the windshield as an antenna.

My main question is, then, I guess - have you ever removed one from a windshield? Is it going to easily come off of the rental window?

I am hoping the hardest part of removal will be to remember to remove it when turning the car in and rushing around trying to get bags and kids into the airport!

(Also, if you have re-used the mini transponder successfully - that would be nice to know too).

Thanks for all help!

 

[Ali]

It's practically impossible to get that transponder off. It is a full sticky mess. I sold one of my cars witht he transponder still on and then remembered I had to have part of it to get the credit for having the transponder so I went back tot he dealer to pull it off. I took a knife, a scraper, and a razor blade thing on a stick. Couldn't get more off than a sliver.

Basically a bad bad bad idea to put one in a rental car. If you are going to do it, stick the sunpass to a piece of paper and tape the sucker to the windshield. Then remember to take it off when you turn in the car.

 

[WelshDH@98CPAlum]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! That's exactly what I was afraid of! Going to put some double sided tape on the back of the thing or something and at worst leave some tape on the windshield. Just as long as we remember to remove it! I even put on the application "rental car" where it asked for make/model/license.

I didn't read about it not being able to be moved from car to car before ordering it. I couldn't believe when I received it that it was a one-car use only, and that it might be hard to remove! So frustrated it wasn't clearly stated on the application, or they couldn't notify me before processing since I stated it would be a rental.

Thanks again!

 

[nacho113]

Basically a bad bad bad idea to put one in a rental car. If you are going to do it, stick the sunpass to a piece of paper and tape the sucker to the windshield. Then remember to take it off when you turn in the car.

Unless it is affixed directly to the glass, it's not going to work. It has to have direct physical contact to a GLASS windshield to act as the antenna in order for it to register when passing through the toll lanes.
This is the info from the Sunpass website:

The SunPass Mini Sticker Transponder cannot be hand-held or moved from car to car. It must be permanently mounted to the inside of the windshield or it won’t work, because the windshield acts as an antenna. Once removed, the Mini will no longer function and cannot be reattached to the windshield.

If you put it on with tape or on a piece of paper it won't have the contact to the glass it needs and you will be going through the Sunpass lanes thinking you are using your transponder but will actually be getting tagged by Platepass and incuring the toll plus the Platepass administration fees.

If you are only using it for a week or 2, hopefully it will not get too baked onto the windshield... hopefully anyway. They have to be installed near the top of the windshield just to the left or right of the rear view mirror, so if it leaves a mess when it is removed, it will be really obvious (to the rental car company). I wouldn't want to get dinged for a cleanup charge from the rental company if it left a real mess.

If you are just doing the airport to WDW run, I think I would just use the pay cash lanes and not bother with the mini transponder.

You may want to try to contact Sunpass to see if they will let you upgrde to the regular transponder or returning the mini for a refund

 

[Dacky619]

If you search the transportation boards you'll find threads where people have taken them off without issue. Some of them state that there was residue on the windshield when they got their rental so obviously the people before them were using the stickers too.

 

[MillauFr]

I had no problem removing the sticker from the windshield of my rental car. Looks like many people had done this as there was quite a bit of sticker residue on the windshield.

If you put it on with tape or on a piece of paper it won't have the contact to the glass it needs and you will be going through the Sunpass lanes thinking you are using your transponder but will actually be getting tagged by Platepass and incuring the toll plus the Platepass administration fees.

Have you ever tried it? In Washington State the transponder readers are extremely sensitive and can even read your transponder if they are in a backpack on the floor of the car. I wonder if Florida uses different transponder technology. They may be less sensitive.

 

[Judique]

Unless it is affixed directly to the glass, it's not going to work. It has to have direct physical contact to a GLASS windshield to act as the antenna in order for it to register when passing through the toll lanes.
This is the info from the Sunpass website:


If you put it on with tape or on a piece of paper it won't have the contact to the glass it needs and you will be going through the Sunpass lanes thinking you are using your transponder but will actually be getting tagged by Platepass and incuring the toll plus the Platepass administration fees.

If you are only using it for a week or 2, hopefully it will not get too baked onto the windshield... hopefully anyway. They have to be installed near the top of the windshield just to the left or right of the rear view mirror, so if it leaves a mess when it is removed, it will be really obvious (to the rental car company). I wouldn't want to get dinged for a cleanup charge from the rental company if it left a real mess.

If you are just doing the airport to WDW run, I think I would just use the pay cash lanes and not bother with the mini transponder.

You may want to try to contact Sunpass to see if they will let you upgrde to the regular transponder or returning the mini for a refund

Wrong. I just hold mine up and it works. I've never stuck it to the windshield. (Also, never read that instruction on the website so was clueless.)

 

[nacho113]

Wrong. I just hold mine up and it works. I've never stuck it to the windshield. (Also, never read that instruction on the website so was clueless.)

You are talking about the mini "sticker" transponder?
I learned the hard way in Feb 2012 when we purchased a sticker type transponder for our trip to the Florida Keys and a week in the Miami area.
I loaded $25 on the Sunpass account to cover the tolls, "taped" it to the windshield and merrily went about our vacation.
A few days after our return home we started getting extra charges on our credit card from Platepass.
When I checked my Sunpass account, none of the tolls had registered.
I called Platepass about the tolls and was told that none of the Sunpass lanes had picked up my transponder.
Sadly, by the time that the 15-20 tolls had all been sent by Platepass (with an admin fee on each one), we had been billed over $150 in tolls.
I called Platepass back for the second time and fortunately since I had entered the rental car info to my Sunpass account when we arrived in Orlando, Platepass agreed to charge me for the tolls only and waive the admin fees. Took several weeks to get the whole mess straightened out and my extra fees credited back.
Needless to say, I ordered the regular transponder for our next trip to the Miami area later this year

Makes me wonder sometimes if they don't try sticking it to the tourists, then if they don't complain they just get extra cash. Just my twisted thoughts on the matter

 

[Judique]

You are talking about the mini "sticker" transponder?
I learned the hard way in Feb 2012 when we purchased a sticker type transponder for our trip to the Florida Keys and a week in the Miami area.
I loaded $25 on the Sunpass account to cover the tolls, "taped" it to the windshield and merrily went about our vacation.
A few days after our return home we started getting extra charges on our credit card from Platepass.
When I checked my Sunpass account, none of the tolls had registered.
I called Platepass about the tolls and was told that none of the Sunpass lanes had picked up my transponder.
Sadly, by the time that the 15-20 tolls had all been sent by Platepass (with an admin fee on each one), we had been billed over $150 in tolls.
I called Platepass back for the second time and fortunately since I had entered the rental car info to my Sunpass account when we arrived in Orlando, Platepass agreed to charge me for the tolls only and waive the admin fees. Took several weeks to get the whole mess straightened out and my extra fees credited back.
Needless to say, I ordered the regular transponder for our next trip to the Miami area
Makes me wonder sometimes if they don't try sticking it to the tourists, then if they don't complain they just get extra cash. Just my twisted thoughts on the matter

I didn't want to stick it to my window so we held it against the window as we went through the toll and had no problem. Probably went through 20 times. I use my regular transponder the same way for ez pass as I don't want it hanging on my windshield. Perhaps your tape was not tight enough for the transponder to register?

 

[ParrotBill]

Those of you saying you help the Sunpass trasponder or taped it - please clarify that you really had the mini transponder that clearly says you must apply it to the window. You can order either kind from Sunpass - the mini meant to use in one car only permanently applied to the windshield - or the larger one with suction cups.

 

[Bacon4Ever]

I haven't been able to answer this. The SunPass website explains that the SunPass mini transponder (basically just a sticker the size of a credit card) cannot be re-used. Once it is attached, and then removed it cannot be re-used. Not sure why. The only thing I can find is that it must be completely attached as it uses the windshield as an antenna.

My main question is, then, I guess - have you ever removed one from a windshield? Is it going to easily come off of the rental window?

I am hoping the hardest part of removal will be to remember to remove it when turning the car in and rushing around trying to get bags and kids into the airport!

(Also, if you have re-used the mini transponder successfully - that would be nice to know too).

Thanks for all help!

The Sunpass Mini costs $4.99 and when you activate it they credit $4.99 in toll credits to your account (essentially making it FREE.)



They say that removal of the "non-transferable Sunpass Mini renders it unuseable, but that is straight bull.



I have reused my Sunpass Mini several times. I took Scotch tape and framed the edges on the sticky side (to facilitate removal,) and stuck it to my rental car, our U Haul when we moved, and it is now affixed to my current vehicle. As long a the majority of the sticky side is making contact with the windshield, and you take your time slowly peeling it off when you move it, it will be fine. I have not had any issues.



The $20 bulky, "transferable" unit is big, ugly and a waste of money.

 

[keishashadow]

I have one with suction cups, easy peasy, only used in FL. We have EZpass too for ‘at home’ travel, at the time we ordered the Sunpass couldn’t utilize it.

 

[OKW Lover]

I have read several times that the mini-transponder must be attached to the windshield in order for the antenna to work but I've never seen an explanation of exactly what that is. There is no way a glass windshield could be "part of the antenna" as glass is non-conductive. I wonder if somebody with good RF engineering knowledge could explain.

 

[goofy4tink]

The Sunpass Mini costs $4.99 and when you activate it they credit $4.99 in toll credits to your account (essentially making it FREE.)



They say that removal of the "non-transferable Sunpass Mini renders it unuseable, but that is straight bull.



I have reused my Sunpass Mini several times. I took Scotch tape and framed the edges on the sticky side (to facilitate removal,) and stuck it to my rental car, our U Haul when we moved, and it is now affixed to my current vehicle. As long a the majority of the sticky side is making contact with the windshield, and you take your time slowly peeling it off when you move it, it will be fine. I have not had any issues.



The $20 bulky, "transferable" unit is big, ugly and a waste of money.

Seriously??? I sure as heck wouldn't be telling others to count on what SunPass says isn't true. Perhaps you haven't been caught. But it sure wouldn't be tough to catch you....that transponder was meant to go on one car, and one car only. Once you start registering different plates, you could be in trouble. And yes, it reads the plate...I know this because I registered my dd's car before she got her mini-transponder. And her car was recognized! Without the transponder.
I would ask that you don't suggest others try to circumvent the rules....it's on you if they have an issue.
I live in Mass, but have a portable transponder. I'm in Fl a fair amount and it has paid for itself. As for the mini-transponder, the SunPass site is pretty honest in saying it isn't reusable.

 

[seashoreCM]

The antenna consists of thin foil lines going around the perimeter of the sticker. According to a description I read somewhere, the sensitiviity of the antenna differs depending if the parallel foil lines have glass between them (or nearly between them) as opposed to having only air or paper between them. So the inventor of the sticker antenna could take advantage of that fact and design the sticker to not be removable or reusable. I think the words dielectric and inductance and capacitance have to be used to describe the behavior.

Incidentally, if the sticker antenna were designed to work with the sticker not adhered to the glass, it would not work as well if it were nearly juxtaposed to the glass, It would be unpredictable how the user/driver could position the sticker correctly for best performance. With the sticker optimized for fastening to the glass, it should be easy to instruct the user how to stick it on.

The foil lines are fragile. They might not break every time someone tries to peel off the sticker for reuse but if they break occasionally it is expedient to just tell the user the sticker is not meant to be peeled off and reused.

 

[mmouse50]

Sorry I don't have any experience with the mini transponder - I just bought the portable one, sit it up on the dash and don't worry about any tolls. I have used it on many trips to Orlando, just rent the car and stick the transponder on the dash and go.