Let's find a better way to mount a Garmin NUVI in the R56...
 

I already had a Garmin NUVI, so when MINI released theirs, I was quite excited to find that someone had posted the files here! With my MINI NUVI update done, I set upon a way to mount it nicely. There are a number of ways to do this, including purchasing the MINI bracket and wiring harness. I didn't really need the NUVI to be powered, as mine is often fully charged anyway, so I checked out Proclip, http://www.proclipusa.com. Proclip make a nice bracket system that looks good in the MINI and works well too. I ended up buying one for my Z3 coupe.

Here is the bracket in the MINI, with the Garmin ball mount attached
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...m/IMGP2368.JPG

Now, with the NUVI attached and booting up!
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...m/IMGP2371.JPG

Look at the little MINI on the NUVI...one of the SRF files you can find here on NAM...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...m/IMGP2376.JPG


The system as seen from the driver's point of view. The NUVI is accessible, both by driver and passenger. The install takes about five minutes, and one could run a 12v cable to the Garmin bracket and tuck the connector inside the dash. (I have not done this... yet)

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...m/IMGP2379.JPG

Nice job - looks great! Which Nuvi is that?

Looks good. One tip, though - if you have the room to fold the antenna down, you might get better reception. The "patch antenna" used in the Nuvi is meant to be parallel to the ground, so if the Nuvi is upright, the antenna should be at a 90-degree angle to it. The position your antenna is pictured in is for when you're walking down the street holding the Nuvi flat.

The MINI is in my signature... a 2007 Sparkling Silver Cooper S.

The NUVI, a 360, never seemed to care which way the antenna was pointing.

The Kuda Mount is still way better than this. (and proclip is not much cheaper either).
Also, this position is not ideal for a quick view of the map. That's a good place for your ipod, not for the GPS.
I think the best is Kuda mount, hands down.

Do you have a picture of the Kuda mount in place? And as an aside, could I use this clip for both an iPod and a Nuvi and buy different mounts for each device?

kuda mount is def. better. search for pictures.

Here's a good thread with pics.:thumbsup:

There's one thing to keep in mind with the Kuda mount, having your gps that high up at night, even with the display dimmed, is a bit distracting. I ended up going with the Pro-Clip mount and am very happy with the choice.

Agreed. I chose the Proclip mount because it was lower and out of my field of view a bit. I have a hard time driving at night with glare, and didn't need a bright NUVI shining in my face. I also like the fact that you can't see the GPS from outside of the MINI when looking at the windshield. (Ie a radar cop can't see it) Finally, I use the NUVI's speech instructions when driving, staring at a screen, regardless of where it is place, can be very distracting.

the kuda mount looks cleaner, but the install looks more difficult. how easy was it to install the proclip? where do you hook it in to?

kreative,
I just did the Kuda install, including hard wiring and I am no expert at these things. I really found it surprisingly easy following the various instructions on the other threads. Like you, I expected it to be a bit of an ordeal but it really was not. And I love the way it looks.

I prefer the Kuda mount and location as I can quickly glance at the Nuvi w/o looking way down and to the right - We are all entitled to our own opinions!

Pat

it might not care, but the manual says to have the antenna parallel to the ground. ...

Craven Speed added a new option for mounting last week;

http://cravenspeed.com/index.php?productID=211

http://cravenspeed.com/published/pub...-B-lrg_thm.jpghttp://cravenspeed.com/published/pub...-2-lrg_thm.jpghttp://cravenspeed.com/published/pub...-3-lrg_thm.jpg

If the Kuda did not exist, the Craven would be the way to go. I have the Kuda mount and it works great for my needs.

I just ordered the Craven mount for my Nuvi. Have a special going that expires today, the whole package to mount the Nuvi for $65. Glad I saw it because if I waited until I got home from my current overseas trip the special would have expired. I like the way it give lots of choice where to put the Nuvi. Hopefully it is as good as it seems it should be.