Yesterday I bought a new Garmin nuvi 360 that weighs about 5.1 ounces and was wondering if it was okay to use the provided suction cup mount on the center speedometer glass and if it would cause a problem by doing so?
Down the road I will probably buy a dash friction mount or even a permanent mount for it but this is temporary right now.

Keep in mind this is just for when I travel to Minnesota in 2 weeks which has a state law prohibiting mounting anything on the windshield.

I bought it to replace my old Garmin StreetPilot C340 which is much larger and bulkier.

Thanks.

 

My Nuvi 350 has been successfully mounted on my MCS' speedo for nearly a year. I place the suction cup in the NE corner of the dial, just above the gas gauge, in the 90- 120 MPH sector. (This is a speed range which I seldom ever use, so no vital information is obscured. The tach's digital readout gives redundant coverage in any event.) The speedo mounting puts the Nuvi iwithin easy reach, and it is easy to see, angled towards the driver. I coil the excess power cord length and store it in the glove compartment, with the lighter plug emerging discreetly.

This setup is admittedly a bit less elegant than some of the hardwired GPS mounting schemes featured on NAM using KUDA or other commercial mounts. But I find the speedo mounting system appealing because it is simple, easy, cheap, quickly removable, lo-tech and - most importantly - it provides excellent functionality. It's such an obvious solution, made possible by the generous dimensions of the R56's mega-speedo. Stick on your suction cup, plug in the power and be done.

 

Mine goes in the NW corner which makes it a bit easier to reach. All information needed is in the tach and I'm convinced the only real purpose for the center speedo is to show off to the rear seat passengers and the cars behind you how fast you're going (oh, and hold up your GPS...).

 

On long trips I used to mount my 360 on the sunroof. Inside, of course.

 

The other day I saw that a vendor, I think it was outmotoring, sells a bracket like the factory mini 360 one - it attaches behind the tach.

Edit: it was Cravenspeed I think...

 

Craven also sell a mounting system for Nuvi's. It is an arm the attaches to the tach and you can position it however you see fit. I am currently useing the Speedo until I can find the time to mount it using the Kuda mount and run the wires behind the dash. I have the 780 and also have the MP3 player hooked into the aux port and it sounds just as good as an iPod.

 

If you want a clean install for the Nuvi, the best route to go is the OEM bracket for the Nuvi 350, 360, 370. It is sold either with the Mini branded Nuvi 360 or separately if you have your own Nuvi 300 series. The retail for the entire kit is $650 or $175 for the mounting kit alone. Classic Mini in Ohio sells the entire kit for $520 or $140 for the install kit minus the Nuvi if you mention NAM. It mounts to the back of the Tach with two provided screws and is hardwired into the car via a socket that is tucked up under the dash. Due to the length of the bracket you can only mount the Nuvi 300 series though. I installed mine myself but it can be a little tricky if you aren't use to pulling apart pieces in your car. It does look great and work great however.

 

Do you have any pictures???

Thanks

 

I've also installed the OEM bracket myself. Info and pictures are in this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=135002

 

I do. My computer isn't cooperating. Will post mine as well in this thread as soon as I can.

 

I just got a Nuvi 200W as a birthday present a few days ago. I've been attaching it to the windshield w/ the suction mount just to the left of my V1 in my R53 so far. I'm thinking about trying out the provided suction disk mounted on my dash to the left of the Speedo when I take delivery of my R56 to make it a bit easier to reach and reduce some of the washout from the sun.

Anyone tried this out? How's it working for you? Should I be worried about the adhesive screwing up the dash should I decide to uninstall it in the future?

 

First off thank you all for the quick replies.

I am glad to see that some some of you have mounted the suction cup directly to the center speedo and it will do no harm.I will do that then for now.
I use the digital speedo in the tach all the time anyway since the center speedo takes ones eyes off the road while driving.

STLMINI it never even occurred to me to suction cup the mount to my sunroof which is a very good idea.I will check that option out.

playtowin I just checked out the provided thread of your OEM bracket install which looks top notch.

Down the road I will invest in a permanent mount like the Kuda or one that mounts to the back of the tach for my GPS but just right now I need to budget myself for this long trip.

 

I did the same thing. The speedo mount is actually pretty good considering. After doing it this way for a bit I got used to using it with my right hand so I went the KUDA option when the time came to do a more permanent solution.

 

I have read several articles in the press lately noting a growing plague of auto break-ins by thieves looking for portable GPS. Apparently these are very easy to fence and will bring almost a guaranteed $100. One article commented that hiding the GPS under the seat or in the glove compartment will not deter these GPS specialists (who reportedly work mostly in parking lots and do their business quickly, usually in seconds), because if they see evidence that the car is equipped with a GPS they will simply break in and search in the obvious hiding spots. Even a suction-cup spot on the windshield can be a giveaway, it is reported.

With this in mind I have consciously avoided any kind of permanent GPS mount which would give away the presence of a GPS. No hardwire, no permanent mount. One major advantage of the speedo mount, ad-hoc as it may seem, is that when parked, the entire GPS apparatus -GPS unit , mount and cord - can be quickly removed and stored away, leaving no trace that a GPS was ever present. I thus feel much more comfortable about leaving the car unattended, having no visible incentive for GPS bandits to break in.

 

^^A very good point Diploman which I already knew but I am sure some others haven't even thought about that.


On a side note:
I did see today that the Garmin nuvi installation kit from the Mini dealership costs a pricey (naturally) $175 but Cravin Speed sells the Garmin nuvi mounting arm ($39.95) and bracket ($33.95) that attaches to the tachometer for a lot less.Do I get some sort of a NAM discount if I order from them? I did search some other online Mini parts dealers but didn't see a mounting kit from them for the Garmin nuvi.

Thanks.

 

RussKeys, do you have a mini installation guide on how you installed it to the back of the Tach and where you ran the power to? (or did instructions come with the install kit?). <<Never mind this question, I found the link above to a post on installation>>

I like the sounds of the Cravin Speed price better then the $175

 

I do not think the Craven bracket supplies power to the Nuvi like the OEM install kit. You can get the OEM kit for 20% off which brings it to $140. Still pricey but then you don't have wires running across the dash.

 

Which is correct it is just the mounting arm and bracket.The reason why that is more appealing to me is that I don't plan on using my GPS all the time just for when I travel to unknown places in my area or taking long road trips.Plus the internal battery has a decent life before needing to be recharged.

 

anyone have a picture of the craven bracket?? and know if that is detachable?? I was gonna go w/ the kudo mount but like Diploman after reading those article I am not sure if I want a perm mount on my mini now

 

^^Here you go this is the FlexPod mounting bracket and the Garmin nuvi mounting module.Click the X for the FlexPod mounting bracket in the link since you need both items.

Link:
http://www.cravenspeed.com/index.php?productID=115

 

hrmm... while this wont leave a suction cup mark on the window... it leaves the ball head in your car and that will be a more obvious sign of telling the thieves that the owner of this car use GPS

it would be nice if I can detach the ball head easily w/o the use of a hex wrench oh well

 

i have made one it was a bit of work but just love the final product

 

In my opinion at least the Kuda mount would be a bit less obvious than the Craven mount. the real advantage i see with the Craven mount is that you do not have to take the dash apart.

I still plan to go with a Kuda mount and buy a MINI hat to place over the mount. The other idea is to use the Garmin dash mounting disk on the Kuda dash mount and use the suction cup. A thief would only see the strange little protrusion sticking out from the Speedp housing and keep walking. Since most thieves are of low intelligence and would put two and two togehter and get five they would not make the connection that there is a Nav system in the car

 

Here is my mount. It's the first working prototype--I'll be finetuning it over the next week or so. It's fabricated from mild steel.

Why I like it:
1.) Doesn't require tools to install or remove
2.) Can install or remove in seconds
3.) It's not bulky
4.) Should you remove it, no evidence is left behind for potential thieves to see
5.) Puts the Nuvi in a position that's easily viewable and controllable.
6.) Rock steady--doesn't shake or vibrate during hard driving
7.) Doesn't block drinks in cup holder or access to HU controls

What still needs to be done
1.) Lengthen mount so Nuvi can sit level with bottom of dash as pictured below.
2.) Offer more side to side adjustments
3.) Explore different coating/paint options





I plan to bring it up level with the carbon fiber above the Nuvi in this pic and set the Nuvi back against the Dash a bit more.

 

Very nice look like mine but cand it be instal on both side of those down tube..

MC 2