The Garmin arrived in the mail yesterday and seems fairly straight forward for an electronics junkie, but I have a question on the available mounts. I keep hearing that those window suction mounts all fall off from time to time and am not sure that is how I want to mount my unit. I’m not in one of those states that you can’t mount you unit to a windshield so that is not what is prompting the question. I just don’t want the thing coming off and bouncing around in the vehicle.
I have been considering a vent mount. While they list at $30 or so, you can get one delivered to you with shipping included for about $5. Anyone have any comments on window mounts vs. vent mounts, I would like to hear it.
i mount mine on the windshield and it doesnt fall off. i also mount it so its an inch or so above the dashboard so if it should fall of it doesnt drop very far.
however i only use mine for places i dont know how to get to, unlike people that need it on going to the local convience store.
I am going to the grocery store today and will use it, while not exactly a convience store, I’ve been there before
I just want to play with the thing for a few days before I have to use it on any kind of trip. I would like to leave the mount up for a week long tirip and not take it on and off.
I tested the suction mount without the unit attached for a day or so just to be sure it maintained good suction in the extreme cold and being warmed by the sun. It fell off after day one. Then I made sure the windshield and suction cup were completely clean before I reattached the mount. I’ve been using the suction mount on my windshield for about 2 months with no issues. The mount has been attached the entire time but I do remove the GPS unit when not is use. I don’t see any point in letting everyone know it’s definitely in the car.
To all GPS owners here’s one little tip. You may not want to input your exact home address in your GPS. Especially if you have a garage door opener. If someone steals your vehicle or just your GPS and opener they now have access to your home.
I don’t keep anything (e.g. registration) in my vehicle with my home address for the same reason.
You might want to look at a “friction mount” also. It’s kind of like a bean bag that you can just throw your gps up on the dash when you need it and leave it attached all the time.
I have the Tom Tom 910 which is on the heavy side and have been using the windshield suction cup mount for about two and a half years. The only time it has fallen off is when I accidently hit it with my arm.
GPS units are the hottest item for petty thieves at the moment. The suction cup unit leaves a signature circle on the windshield that tells a thief there’s goodies in the car. Even if you take it out, it will encourage a broken side window. I would go with the bean bag for this reason alone.
Sorry to interrupt the discussion but I being doing loss prevention of some type for over 40 years.
The trick to keeping the suction cup in place is too have the surface that comes in contact with the windshield as clean and film free as possible. Wipe clean the area on the windshield too. It’s amazing how dirty the underside of the windshield gets. I notice it the most during humid days and have to kick on the AC to clear the view
We just recieved a Garmin and went with the bean bag mount. A little easier to transfer between cars. Seems like a good tool when you are traveling outside your home area. Kind of fits with the guy thing about not wanting to ask directions.
My Garmin C340 is on a “three legged” dash mount…the legs are weighted & I just lift it off & put it in the case. I alo use a camera case, so there is no sign of a GPS when I get out of the car. My mount was just for certain “Street Pilot” models. The bean bag ones would also work fine. My daughters Magellan DID drop off the windshield & suffered some damage.
ALERT…The suction cup window mounts ARE illegal in a few States, Virginia being one of them, so check that out.
Mike
my garmin falls off in warm weather—Ram products make gps mounts that are (as far as I’m concerned) the absolute best. I have a big Lowrance chartplotter in my boat and have the rubberized ball type mount and the unit doesnt move in any seas.
My daughter, 26, just bought a Jeep Wrangler without nav unit ($2250 from the dealer). She travels a lot (event planner) and needs a unit that takes no serious brain function to operate. She is electronically clever but has a tenancy to multi task while driving. Yes, I know, but who can tell anything to a 26 year old woman?
Anything up to about $800 is in her budget.
Have a TomTomOne and I have a problem with mounting because the width of the dashboard to the windshield is a mite further then can comfortably be reached by the driver. Also, the stick on dash mount won’t work either because of the way the mount opens up. Don’t have room to mount it on the vertical part of the dash as there’s not a flat enough place. So, mount mine on the upper part of the windshield just to the left of the rearview mirror with the suction cup. Also loop the cord over the rearview mirror and that has kept the unit from crashing to the dashboard on two occasions when it came loose. Remove it when not in use as, just yesterday, an article in the paper said that theft of GPS units is really taking off now.
My TomTomOne is mounted on top of dash using the little adhesive disk that came with the unit. Sticky pad goes on the dash and the suction cup sticks right on top of it. The darn windshield is too darn far in the minivan.
Got it a bit to the right of the steering wheel so it does not obstruct my field of vision but I can see it great and reach it with my fingers without leaning. You can order these disks for about 5 bucks. My daughter has bean bag mount - personally I don’t like it. Big bulky mount for unit that fits in my pocket and weighs only few ounces just does not make much sense to me. But that is just me.
Thanks for the security tips.