Show off your installation

No offense, but it looks like a real magnet for the thieves. I hope you don't get burnt.

Especially your mount -- they would break the window and snatch it very easily...

You can also try using a vent clip.

Here are pictures of how it is used...

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&thr...

I smell a photo shop job! Those two don't even look like the same GPS because the second photo has a much thinner border. I didn't think any of the Nüvis had the North pointer, either.

Nothing beats "El Baggo del Beanos"! Period.

Hey, I coined that phrase here!

So, what's up with this "phantom" North pointer on a Nüvi???

Yup - Flash totally washed out the screen in one shot. Had another shot where the screen came out better but everything else was too dark. Just pasted from one to the other. A poor job looked better to me than a white screen. Dunno what anyone is talking about the north pointer though. Do some models not have that? I guess not, judging from the question. Seems like a pretty basic feature to expect. Makes me glad I passed over some of the cheaper units for the one that I got.

Bean bag won't work for my car. The only place the dash is even close to horizontal is right in front of the driver.

As a bifocal wearer, anything much lower than the gauge cluster level would require turning my head downward to be able to read the screen. Starts restricting available mounting options for me. Road safety and usefullness end up trumping security for me.

Leaving a sticky disk in view just doesn't seem to be quite that much of a risk. At $99 brand new from the store, demand for "hot" GPS units has to drop. Unless you leave the unit in plain view, someone smart enough to know what that disk means would still not know if you have something of value or a $99 unit.

Hmm - didn't expect this sort of response at all. Saw a few other posts here and there showing various mounts and such and got lots of ideas from them. Thought a similar thread here might be both fun and informative.

I know my 660 doesn't have the North pointer and I've seen several unhappy people voice that it was gone on their Nüvis, too. Do you have the pointer in 3D mode?

I agree with you this would be a good topic.You read so much about the different mounts it would be a little more informative to see what new ideas are out there on how othere install their units.I seen some good ideas on some of these forums that many people would not thought of and that includes me.

You're missing the whole beauty! it does NOT require an horizontal surface, not even a planar one! the beanbag is flexible and sticky enough to mold to the dashboard's fancy top face. It will definitely stay on the dash on top of mid airvents, shown in the second posted picture; my car is having the same configuration (only 2 vents though) and it works like a charm.

By any chance have you tried to remove the sticky disk from the dash?I want to do a similar set up but would remove my unit when I exit the vehicle.I have been reluctant to use the sticky disk in case I can't remove it or damage the dash in the process.My dash is grey so have idea to paint the disk the same color so it would not be that noticeable to others shopping for free GPS.

I wanna hear more about this North direction pointer on a Nüvi... Does ANYONE else have this feature on a Nüvi? It's one of those things that always makes it on to the wish lists.

Second pic is her car. It almost never gets used in there. Mine is a lot tougher. Immediately to the right of the instrument cluster, it slopes downward towards the passengers. It gets reasonably horizontal way up front where the glass meets it, but that's too far forward.

Check out my mount....

http://unexco.com/open.jpg" target="_Blank"

John, and anyone else with this "feature", PLEASE tell me more about the North pointer. What screens is it on? 3D mode? I liked this feature on my 2720 and I'd like to get it back on my 660, if possible.

I think I saw your post somewhere else. I think the only thing that might beat that setup would be something along the line of one of the BMW's that has the GPS rise vertically from the dash when used and it auto-retracts back into it's compartment when turned off.

I have the Garmin nuvi 680 and it doesn't have the north pointer either...

The bean bag looks kind of ugly though sitting out don't you think? I kind of like the way johnc has his current mounting... looks clean.

JSFJr has a nice mount too. I wish my truck had that kind of a compartment to put it in and then hide it by simply closing the cover.... very nice.

John that is the perfect setup.I have a Ford Freestyle with the compartment on top that closes that would be right for that kind of mount.The problem is that the c340 is to large for the lid to shut down when you want to hide it.Next unit will the flat screen.

All the Nuvi 300 series have a north pointer on the middle left side of the screen right under the minus sign for the zoom feature. Take a look at the product photos on the Garmin Website. The 200, 600 and 700 series apparently don't. At least they do not appear in the display screen shots.

I use the suction cup unit that came with the Nuvi in my car, but I travel a lot in rental cars and hate to haul all the cords, etc. I find the battery lasts a long time anyway, I carry the unit and one of those "sticky" pads and just lay in on a flat area on the dash or the console. I am in a wide variety of different vehicles based on the whims of the rental car companies, it works pretty well and the compromise for light travel is not a bad one.

Drill a small hole for the power cord and wire it directly into the car's electrical system and you would be all set. No wires sticking out, and you don't have to mess with it.

Was thinking of doing just that! Except first I have to get a new car power cord, because I do move it among several vehicles.

Anybody know if I can pick one up other than from Garmin?

I did a quick search for you on ebay and this one would do the trick. This is designed for direct hardwire and it has lots of extra cable length to allow you hide the wire real nicely.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Direct-Hardwire-Power-Cable-Nuvi-Garmin-...

I thought that all nuvis had the north pointer, guess not. Mine shows up no matter the map mode.

Thank you, sir!

I just found this website. Each mount is specific to car and GPS. Check it out http://www.proclipusa.com/choosecountry/choosecountry.aspx

You are most welcome... I wish I could find a similar hardwire direct cable for the MSD Direct services for my nuvi.

Hey Stan thanks for posting the ProClip link. A little pricey but some great looking solutions for a damage free mount.