A great way to mount your Garmin

Over a period of time with the jolting and weight that the GPS, with mount, puts on the vents it can cause cracks or damage to the vanes.

You also want to be careful of the cold air from the ac and the heat from the heater. It could cause you some problems also.

I once had a similar mount for my XM radio receiver (considerably smaller and lighter than a GPS unit) and within a week the small vanes in the vent were shards of plastic on the floor.

Just a thought.

I have questioned these mounts and have wanted to try them, but have been afraid of what they would do to my vents. I am sorry to hear what they did to some but happy to know it really isnt that good of a deal.

I cannot figure out why there is any other mount but the Bean Bag.

Pitched it!

Pick up a bean bag mount and save your vents and the cost of repairs

ohwogo nuvi 750 with a bean bag mount.

Yup, ditch the vent mount. Save your vents and let the air in! Get the bean bag mount.

Ditch it, it's noisy and risky.use the bean bag

I appreciate the replies, that was the purpose of my question. But I am surprised at the problems that some of you have had. I used mine last winter with no problems and this summer with no problems! Thanks for the feedback!

I have been using a vent mount for the past year and like it. The GPSr is in a good viewing position, and when parked, it is not obvious, although I do remove my GPSr when parked in a suspect area.

I just bought this one
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-deta...

I use the Garmin 010-10969-00 mount that can be purchased from Garmin for $5.00 and it is far more permanent and far more stable. Tried the vent one but fell off twice, blocked one of the vents and was hard to dismount the GPS from the cradle without the whole mount coming loose every time.

This is a website with some additional good mounting suggestions. Option # 3 is the one I went with and it is rock solid, doesn't block a vent and when not in use is barely noticeable. Don't let the website name scare you. Well worth a view if you have a Nuvi.

http://www.crackaddict.com/~flynn/z/garmin_mount/index.html

I had a chance today to take some pics of the Garmin 010-10969-00 mount that I used. It is almost invisible when the cradle is not attached to it, it is very stable, easily viewed by driver, allows easy access to the screen for both driver and passenger and it makes the GPS less obvious to thieves.

I tried the windshield mount, beanbag mount and AC vent mount but all had problems. This mount only costs $5 from Garmin and if you have a location that will allow a permanent mount I would highly endorse this one.

Link to photo group:

http://home.comcast.net/~rjrsw2005/Garmin%20760%20and%20010%...

I agree the vent mount is probably a bad idea, if the hot and cold dosent damage the unit the vanes will break up over time

Well, almost: Only problem, only sell to US, impossible to buy on internet with garmin for canadian custumer and so far no sign of it on E-Bay.

Too bad, I really thought I've found the solution to my problem.....

It seem to be very practical and solid. A permanent installation of good quality.

How's the reception? I can't believe the nuvi works in that guy's 350Z cubby.

Do you remove the bracket from the ball, or leave the bracket?

The reception is excellent. If I access the sat screen while in the car the sat strengths show near the top and the accuracy is less than 20'. The traffic receiver power supply cord that is plugged into a hidden power connection also comes in great.

I usually leave the bracket on the ball and sometimes I will hang a cap on the ball and it just looks like it is hanging on a dash knob. If I remove the cradle and tuck it in the slot next to the phone and close that door just below the radio the remaining ball mount nearly disappears.

I can't imagine blocking my air conditioner vent with anything! It gets kind of hot here in the summer.

You might try these links to see if they can ship to you:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/garmin-mount-replacement-010-109...

http://www.tvnav.com/vibacc.htm

http://www.newagemarine.com/gar0101096900.html

Thanks for the info.

Optics Planet work fine for intern order. My order should reach Montreal in a few day !!!

amen!

I've used a vent mount for 3+ years without a problem for my etrex gps, cell phone and/or iPod. When I got the Nuvi 200w I tried the suction cup mount to the windshield. It was OK, but a little bit of a pain to switch from vehicle to vehicle. I got the beanbag mount and it is very portable, hidable, stable, etc. I don't think I'll try anything else.

Dear Papa,

I hope you are using protection.

david

The bean bag mount works best for me. My Nuvi 660 was too large and heavy for the vent mount on my Impala. The bean bag seems to sit very nicely on the dash, the console or on the passanger seat. And it doesn't slide around at all.

Because there are those of us that just don't like bean bag mounts, I happen have one in the closet. Give me a good old suction cup mount any day.

Bob

I have both and I found that the type of vent that you are using makes a big difference. I use the vent on rental cars because it is easy to take with you. At home the bean bag is #1

basically you want it as close to your hands as possible while driving

I went with a bean bag in my Uplander. I did not even try the windshield mount because of the depth of the dash. I initially installed the stick-on suction disk on top of the dash, but I was a bit worried after my dad had his SUV smashed for a simple knapsack.

So I got a Scosche bean-bag at La Source. It was a bit pricey, but I was squeezed for time and sometimes, the deal on the internet is not a deal anymore once you add the shipping costs...

Also, I did not bother to look into a more permanent type of mount as my lease on the car is due next May.

One thing I will definitely look into for my next car is the number and location of power outlets. During our summer trip, it was a fight between the GPSr, the electric cooler, the kid's DVD player, the cell charger, the Gameboy charger, ... guess I'm not a Ludite.

Simon

hmmm.. I didn't know about the bean bag mount. I might buy it for my nuvi 200...but it might be a little too far while driving, right?

I prefer to have it hang on the windshield on the left so I don't have to keep my eyes off the road for more than a couple of secs.

I purchased the Bean Bag mount for my Nuvi 750-Rock solid, could not be more pleased. I highly recommend it. A word of caution I used a vent mount in the past, now this was for a cell phone and it messed up the vent. I would go with the bean bag mount.

Len

thanks for the ideas

How did you install the mount on your dash?

Is the way to go.

I ended asking for a refund and purchased the bean bag mount instead. So far the bean bag is working out great!

and still do. The mount has a third arm that rests on the border of the vent take the stress off the vanes. The only thing the clips on the vanes do is keep it steady while the weight of the GPSr leans down on the third arm, helping keep it steady. I don't use the A/C much and if I use the vent mount, I make the air go through the other vents rather than have it blown in my face. I have the beanbag as well. Never used it yet.

No one has mentioned Arkon mounts in this thread.

http://www.arkon.com/garmin_nuvi_mount.php

Even with the rave reviews here about the beanbag, it did not appeal to me. Following several threads on this site as well as googling on my own, I cam across and eventually purchased Arkon's GN111 visor mount. There were several other "just missed" mounts in their lineup for me, but this one seemed to be the best all around for my needs... All of these just missed were better solutions for me than the bean bag would have been.

We just got back from a 850+ mile trip and it worked like a champ.

In my Mustang or in my girl's Jeep, you can't see the clip on the visor from the outside and it is hard to see the unit through the windshield even when it is mounted. (I always take the unit down and with me, so that's not a major factor.) If you bend over and look up into either vehicle, without the unit mounted it looks like just another ubiquitous item on the visor.

None of their designs may work for your needs better than the bean bag, and very few like the windshield mount.

I'm just pointing out that there are more choices than just the ones already mentioned in this thread.

I drive a Chevy Blazer. The Suspension and ride on my SUV are a bit bone jarring. A mount like that would just destroy my vent. Cool concept, but probably not a good idea for a stiff riding car or truck.