Insecure Garmin suction mount?

No problems here.

Keep in mind I have only used mine for 3 days.

Nuvi Newbie
Garmin Nuvi 660

No problem here, I have moved it to several different locations on windshield and yet to have it fall off even on very rough roads. I would hate to see it fall off though and scratch the screen or worse.

The older suction mounts are very unreliable -- C330, Quest 2, etc. The newest ones (C550, Zumo, etc) are so tenacious they need to be pried off the glass using some sort of flat blade tool.

I got some generic gps suction mount off amazon and it sticks like glue.

And the el cheapo handlebar mount looks flimsy but works great on the motorcycle. That's a picture of it on my avatar.

Hi folks!

I bought my i5 in the summer and it was very firmly affixed to the windshield for quite some time. It seemed capable of supporting 100 times the weight of the i5. In cooler weather, however, the attachment has become quite unreliable - or rather, the thing now reliably falls off the windshield within a few hours after mounting.

I notice that the face of the suction mount which goes against the glass is somewhat eroded. It seems to leave a ring of black residue on the glass each time it is removed. I'm assuming that the eroded surface is not as effective at preventing air from leaking under the rim of the suction device.

Replacements of the entire mount are listed on the Garmin web site at $14 - which I think is expensive for something that seems to need replacing every 4 months. I wonder if they would sell me a 6 pack (2 years' supply), LOL. But, apparently one can't buy the thing from the Garmin site anyway, since there is no button next to that item.

I would prefer to buy only the part that is actually failing (soft part), but I haven't looked at it to see how easy it is to disassemble.

-ocelot

Try a little moisture before pressing the mount to the windshield. If it's too cold the moisture will freeze and the gps will fall off so it's a good idea to warm your car a bit before you try to mount the gps. Another option would be a very thin film of vaseline or similar to enhance the seal..

Ray

I had the same problem with my mount. I always keep my gps with me but i like to leave the mount on the window. I noticed that it would always fall off over night. One day i decided to mount it very very good. I clean the part where i was mounting very well and i cleaned the suction cup part very well too. Then i moistened the suction cup with a little bit of water and then pressed firmly and ever since it has never fallen off. It has been 1 week and a half since and no problems. Hopefully it stays like it is.

Also note that temperature will affect it as well. If you get into a cold car (cold windshield) and attach the suction cup, and then heat things up, the air inside the suction cup expands. There is not much air inside it to begin with, so every little bit counts.

I tried xilduq's technique yesterday. It did stay on for 6 hours trip yesterday, but the mount was on the floorboard again this morning.

-ocelot

I only tried the c330 for one day (returned it after deciding to replace it with a 60cx), but the windshield holder worked well. In fact, it was hard to get off the windshield after pulling on the release lever. Now I only tried it for a very short time with a clean windshield and a new attachment, so it's hard to say how it would have been with more use. I was on some fairly rutted winter roads at the time of the test.

I have heard of the rubber disk melting itself to the windshield if left on in hot weather. The salesman had said a couple had used it in Texas without ever removing the disk. This isn't too surprising considering how hot it could get in the car.

First day I had my 360, no problem. However, the next two days, it kept slipping off the windshield and I was so frustrated I was ready to return it.

Then I saw your post and tried a bit of moisture. For today, at least, that worked ... and the mount held firm going back and forth from work ... a 40 -45 minute drive in each direction. (I remove the base when I reach my destination, then re-attach it when I get back in the car.)

Hope this continues to work.

My friend had the same problem and we found that the small bar holding the Piece you snap into place was bent. We also found that it became bent by trying to force the snap closed because the bar had moved and was blocking the snap action to take place, He then tryed to force it and bent the small bar, We removed the bar and with a work bench vise, we straightened it out. We replaced the bar and it works great. Hope that helps!

Make sure the glass is clean and the suction cup as well. Then dampen either the glass or the suction cup.

After doing this I am hardly able to remove mine.---Earl Leeson

I've had mine on my windshield for more that 4 months . It's not going anywhere.

I find it to be very strong as others have mentioned. I have pry it off. So much so I'm thinking of ordering another mount for the wifes car so I don't have to pry anymore.

The suction mount does not hold when there is a drastic change of temperature. Specifically, mounting a suction cup in cold weather will not hold for very long after the heater is turned on in the car. Recommendation: Considering the investment, buy the "bean bag" dashboard mount from Garmin and forget the suction mount. You'll be happier.

I only started having problems today with the cold wheather. I cleaned off the windshield with windex but the drop in temp made the rubber stiffer. Will try a smidge of vasoline.

Try a little fast-evaporating rubbing alcohol to clean the glass. The rubbing alcohol also works great for mounting on the dash disc, especially if you have previously used armorall,

i hated the windshield mount that came with my nuvi 360..especially since i live in San Francisco and have to take it off every time I park (car break ins run rampent here).

So i came up with the perfect solution. I bought velcro tape and put one piece on the back of my nuvi (just on the atttena so attena still folds in) and the other piece on my steering wheel. Driving wih Nuvi on the steering wheel is my favorite locatoin. I also have another piece of velcro tape on my dashboard for times i dont want it on steering wheel.

Any way i found simple velcro to be much better mounting technology then the stupid suction cup.

There are several vendors on Ebay that sell interior car vent mounts for numerous Garmim models on line.
I purchase a vent mount direct and it works great.
Search as Garmin Mounts or Accessories

I have a nuvi 360 and have had it mounted on the winshield for a month now without incident, or without it falling off.

Not quite satisfied with the position so will relocate, but haven't had any issue with the tenacity of the suction cup. I bought a goosneck mounted suction holder by RAM for wife's van, and it works really well, too.

Thanks,
Ken

Hi, everyone! I've seen many posts stating that their suction mount has become "bonded" to the windshield if left in place too long. Normally, my mount is perfectly secure, but every once in a while, "right out of the blue", but usually on a very hot day, my Nuvi and mount falls off the glass. After thinking about it for a while, I've come to the conclusion that on very hot days, the sun heats the space between the glass and rubber suction disc creating just enough pressure to force the mount off the glass. Has anyone else experienced anything similar? If so, have you found a solution?

Thanks, Miki

A very easy and effective way to keep the suction cup stuck for a very, very, long time is to use your finger to collect facial oil from the skin of your face then massage the suctiuon cup for several seconds with your finger before applying.

OMG, that is gross...lol. Just use vasaline. I just got a new mount from Garmin for free. They were great.

The best mount I have found is the type that attaches to your vent. I have a Nuvi 660 and I have it attached to the vent to the left of my steering wheel. It does not move at all and keeps it out of site from bad guys. I think the company I got mine from was call mount guys dot com. It only works for regular vents, not fancy round vents, I think most vehicles it would work for, I have a 2006 Lincoln Town Car. Really a handy extra, I am a professional Chauffeur so it is tried and true.

MY Nuvi 660 mount works great so far...

GTP

I finad that lightly applying moisture in the form of saliva or water enhances the bond of the suction cup, but it will leave a washable ring on the glass.

I use a key wipe Pad every few weeks to clean both the mount and windshield and have found that it helps a lot to have both surfaces clean. I also remove the mount from windshield if I'm going to close the car up. In Atlanta, it can get extremely hot inside the car so if I leave it attached to the windshield and the car heats up, it either has fallen off when I come back or it will with my unit. I also have found by making sure the surface is flat to the windshield will help a lot too. See comments above.

Had same problem of suction not sticking, and poor contacts as other.
You're better off just purchasing and using the friction mount. These work great and have 99% positive review on amazon.

I recently purchased the Nuvi370. This past weekend while driving around for about 20 minutes after securing the unit, the suction cup disconnected from the windshield. This casued the unit to fall, and the screen to crack. I called Garmin back on Monday who told me to send them the unit and the suction cup mount.

Now I'm waiting for the replacement unit, or whatever they are going to do. I told them I need it before the end of the month when I travel to Europe and they said typical turn around time is 7 to 10 business days.

Good cusotmer service so far!

Mark

My suction cup comes off every once in a while. Mostly when it's hot outside. Luckily it's mounted close to the dashboard, so the fall is not that far.

Occasionally my i3 decides to fall off the windshield so I always wrap the power cable around the rear view mirror one full wrap. This has prevented breaking my screen so far.

Ray

The suction mount on my C330 had also "bonded" to the windshield and needed to be scraped off. This pretty much caused the surface of the suction mount to be ripped.

Prior to it being bonded to the windshield, the C330 would occasionally fall from the windshield while driving...this was not a good situation, always seemed to happen when the next offramp was coming up.

IMHO, the mount is not made to support the weight of the C330.

Finally, I returned the C330 and paid the extra to upgrade it for the Nuvi 360 which is much lighter and has not falled off the windshield yet.

I believe that they had issues with mounts, before I got my nuvi, I called and they sent me a brand new mount for my c530. I still can use it with the nuvi.

I found that mounting on the window left a tell- tale mark for thieves to note. also it was difficult to read messages due to my bi-focals. I bought the garmin friction mount. It's a 3 footed unit that sits on the dash (and stays in place).I now pplace it in a convenient location in either of my cars and just drop it to the floor under the front seat when I park to go into a store etc. well worth the money.

I am not scared of theft. I always carry my nuvi with me. If they steal the mount, I have a backup. It doesn't cost anything to replace a windshield.

I live in the Mojave Dessert and this past summer I accidentally left the mount on my windshield for a week (I had to leave town a forgot the darned thing) came back and found it had melted itself to the window. I pried it off, but now it won't stick anymore as it won't seal due to the heat damage.

oh well, I bought the lead bean bag works great!

On the windshield, NO!
Glue it on my dash? NO!
Not in my new truck!

I tapped the suction cup mount on top of the power plug with black electrician tape that plugs into the cigarette lighter and I wrapped the cord around the suction cup mount. Plugs right in and no dangling power cords, works just fine for me.

A little (very little) vegatable oil on the suction cup will help it stick for a long time.

I have the Nuvi 350. The suction cup mount is so bad, that I have lost count of the number of times my gps has fallen off the windshield and hit the dashboard... during the nine months that I've had it.

One good thing about Garmin is its great customer service. They had sent me a supposedly updated suction cup mount (which was no better) and a bean bag mount (awesome!) and a new 350 which was covered under warranty. My unit started to lock up or reset for some reason. Maybe due to the 100s of times it has fallen off my windshield and hitting the dashboard.

The other Garmin units with the larger suction cup that is much better.

I bought the external antenna and just place my C340 on the console without the mount and it works fantastic. Easy to hide when I leave the GPS in the car. Reception increased significantly. Happy camper or should I say "GPSer".

I just found the suction cup too much of a nuisance to put on and take off frequently (like some others, I don't want to leave and invitation to a break-in), and in the cold weather it was even more troublesome. I've been very pleased with the effectiveness and portability of the friction mount.

put some velcro on the dashboard...100 times better

My 360 holds perfect on my F-250, terrible on my Saab. I'll try the veggie oil suggestion tonight.