How to get GPS to stick to windshield?

I used the windshield suction cup with my Garmin Street Pilot for years. I always cringed a little when it popped off the windshield and went crashing to the floor. I promised myself that I'd check it more often and be sure that it was securely fastened.

On a recent trip, it crashed to the floor one final time and never came back to life. I was in California, about 900 miles from home with a half dozen POIs mapping my route home. So, I hurried out and bought a replacement. The clerk told me of the CA windshield mount law and I bought a bean bag on the spot. I haven't regretted it. While the suction cup may give way after a while, the unit simply slumps forward. Disaster avoided!!

Take the one you saw listed on eBay - but be careful with teh shipping and all, it may end up more expensive than on Amazon, for example. Like, where you might be buying your Dad a prsent for Father's Day, or any other grouped expense occasion that might get you off the shipping costs there.

And yes, TODAY is father's Day where I live. That'd be in France, with a grand view of the bay of Cannes from where I'm typing

Use 1 drop of Glycerine and rub it around on suction cup. This sticks very good. It is water soluble, so can be wiped off very easily.

Mine is a few years old. The rubber part has started separating from the base so it doesn't pull vacuum any more.

You may want to check that. If that is your problem, you need more than spit to hold it on.

glass cleaner helps my gps to stick better.

The window suction mount method doesn't sound so good. I'm glad I custom mounted mine. It's also much better than those vent mounts you see.

paper towel, wet, wipe the glass, and the suction cup...seems to work. i.e. clean both surfaces...

Since my first Garmin I have had 4 now and all I use is the beanbag mounts, never had a issue with them

ok, bought the one from ebay:
dashboard mount but w/o beanbag.

looks slimmer and easier to store when not in use

I used oil from my forehead one time. After I had removed the GPS from the windshield, I could still see where the cup rings on the glass from several yards away. I always use the Garmin bean bag, which is easily moved from vehicle to vehicle.

I used mine for a few years in my Landrover Freelander, with great joy. I then sold the Hippo, and bought a Jeep Wrangler that comes with an integrated GPS. I soon learned the hard, paper-slip way, that the mounted GPS was lacking an important function: speed indication and speed limits... So I decided to get the Nüvi out of the glove box once again, and enjoy its functionalities. Guess what, the fact that your new GPS mount's foot can be folded and twisted, allowed me to place it where I wanted on the dashboard, despite the weird shape of the pen bin that's there. And I'm happy again !

Just use some rubbing alcohol and make sure the windshield is nice and clean where you plan on putting the suction cup.

This works good but sometimes when it's real hot here in Orlando and then we get a cool downpour, it falls off. May have to go to a bean bag mount.

+1 on the bean bag mounts, simply awesome.

I tried all the suggestions. Sometimes the answer is, short of using liquid nails, nothing can be done to get your GPS to stick to the windshield. It's a function of the shape (curvature) of the glass.

You can try both water based and oil based moisture on the windshield.

No secret. For many of us switching to a friction based mount on the dash is the solution.

Ebay pricing makes it easy to give it a shot.

Just wondering what the O.P. decided to do and how it worked out.

He wrote

Try wetting the edge of the suction cup with a wet finger (from your mouth or from a bottle of water) always works and always leaves a ring regardless of the source of moisture.

Why not switch to another type of mount? The suction cups simply won't hold for long. I've been using a vent mount for a number of years and am crazy about it. Others use the beanbags, etc. Any choice would be better than the suction cups.

i boguht the non-bean bag friction mount for $12 shipped:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=26046...

i placed it on the far left of my dash in the corner. fits snug, thanks to the flexible base.

so far for a week it's been great. i've made sharp turns on purpose and it moved liked 1cm.

You may consider sticking the suction cup to the glass using the product Stickysuc. I've used the kit on my gps and it ended my constant headache of having to pick up the gps off the floor. You can find out more at www.stickysuc.com. I bought mine on Amazon at

http://www.amazon.com/Stickysuc-Stick-Suction-Replacement-Mo...

I used this kit sold by amazon to hold my Garmin nuvi 2460 to the windscreen. I've had two suction cup mounts that went bad and got tired of replacing them. I've tried the bean bag thing but it too will start slipping when the bottom gets dirty. I think the kit is called stickysuc, or something like that. Search for it at amazon. The kit comes with two different size barriers. I recommend using the larger size. Make sure to clean your window with the alcohol pad that comes with the kit. It has been on over a month now with no problems. I'll let you know how it works out.

just clean the part that sticks to the window with some cleaning alcohol every now and then it will
help a lot

Was starting to have problems with the sucky cup too. Had bought a beanbag a few years ago, but the GPS did not fit. Anyway adapted the top of a paint spray can and glued it into the beanbag. Fits great now.

As for the slipping you can buy no slip material, maybe in a local Dollar store. That works much better than the beanbag bottom especially if you cut a piece the same size as the beanbag bottom!!!

The first few times I found my expensive new GPS laying on the floor of my car made me swear off windshield mounting for good. For me, the beanbag is the only way to go.

Besides, windshield mounting always leaves messy residue that has to be cleaned off.

And it's much easier moving the GPS from car to car.

I've never had good luck with the windshield mounts. They seem to fall off at the most inconvenient time.

I'm so used to the bean bag mount now, I don't think I could get used to the windshield mount now.

I also believe at least half of the problem is because of the suction cup being dirty. They also wear out over time. Clean it with an alcohol swab/pad often.

Nothing wakes you up on a lonely night drive along I95 in Maine like having the Nuvi windshield mount fail! Between the crashing and the flashing as it hits the dash, the console, and finally the floor as it disappears at your feet, it's enough to bring on heart failure! The last time it happened I got the Garmin Bean Bag mount. It stays where you put it.

Mine never hits the dash or floor. I place the mount high on the windshield near the mirror and then wrap the power cord a couple of times around the mirror mount shaft (a suggestion that someone else made in these forums). If the suction cup releases (mine very rarely does), the Garmin only drops a few inches and then is safely supported by the cord. Plus the power cord is further outside the main field of vision, and mounting the Garmin high on the windshield actually gets it closer to the driver and easier to read and reach (due to the slope of the windshield) and keeps it from blocking anything relevant to road activity.

If you have a tinted band at the top of the windshield then the Garmin can be mounted there and will be nearly invisible from outside the car. Unfortunately, many cars now lack tinting and instead have a thick black dotted ink band around the mirror. Don't mount the suction cup on this, it will not stick.

My bean bag stays put, but the same problem exists; the suction cup lets loose from the bean bag mount every now and then.

Clean the windshield, clean the suction cup, apply forehead oil, sticks forever.