The Kuda mount works fine with the Nuvi 660, barely overlapping the speedo. Yes, it's expensive, but it sure places the GPS in a handy location.

 

You can see the actual mount in the 2nd pic piecefo plexi glass cut to fit 2 holes for screws and poof GPS mount. Put the black case over it for leaving it in the car in a good neighborhood and can pull it out in about 3 sec for the more shady ones.

 

The Kuda is nice, but it is also now $80. That's just ridiculous.

 

It is kind of pricey, but I put them in both of our MINIs with the idea that they'll be the last mounts we'll need to buy. From here on out, if we change devices, it's just a matter of getting a different adapter for the Kuda mount. If I wanted to get really industrious, I could just convert the Kuda mount to a standard 1" RAM ball mount, and I could move devices between my motorcycle and the car using the same mount.

 

Scott:

So will the Kuda thing fit an '04 MCS? Can they be bought cheaper than the $70+$10 s/h on Ebay?

Thanks,

Paul.

 

The pre-R56 dash version of the Kuda mount is *great* - it's solid as heck, and doesn't require any tools/drilling to install, and you don't even have to remove dash panels or anything like that. You slide one end of the mount under the oval defroster vent on the dash, and the other end under the edge of the dash. A little wiggling/forcing, and it pops into place very securely.

Unfortunately, I haven't found it for much less than the $80 you've found.

 

Thanks Scott. Due to a lack of options, I may just go ahead and get one.

Cheers,

Paul.

 

Have you seen the aftermarket Nav Mini offers as an accessory? It looks like a rebadged Nuvi 360 (see link below) for $600. I saw this after having owned a Nuvi 360 for about a year and I was curious how it was mounted. As luck would have it the dealership had one installed on a new model MINI when I was there for service yesterday.

The mount is an 8-10" black metal bar that screws into the two holes on the back of the speedo and attaches to the nuvi mount, minus the ball arm. The GPS sits off to the left as shown in the picture in the link and is very similar to the metal bar mount posted earlier in this thread, but is smaller and looks like a factory part. I asked the parts guy how much for the mount and he told me $180. Pricey, but includes everything you need, requires no work and looks pretty.

I like the mount, but I don't have the GPS up all the time and don't want to have an empty mount. I'd like to take that 8-10" bar, cut it in half and add a joint so that the mount arm can swing up and behind the speedo out of my line of site when not in use.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...catalogid=3751

/zp

 

I used a KUDA mount to install my NUVI 360 and while I was at it I also used a KUDA with swivel mount and universal MP3/PDA mount to install my new iPod Touch.

Install of both was very simple. The KUDA NUVI mount has two tabs that slide under the top dash cover and under the center vent. The fit is very secure with no screws at all! I loosened four Torx screws in the long vent near the back of the dash cover. I also found two more under the lip of the dash, by the dimmer and hazzard light switches. Loosening those made it easy to lift the front edge of the dash cover to push the power cord underneath. I did this with a wood shim covered with tape to prevent scratches.

I used the stock car cord and it runs under the dash lip, behind the gauges on my steering wheel and then down the steering column. It's connected to one AC socket that I attached to the fusebox using an add-a-circuit. The finishing touch was the two MINIBee splash screens on the NUVI and the iPod Touch.

The iPod mount attaches to the right downtube using one of the existing screws. The DICE iPod connection cable comes out of the glovebox and I just close the glovebox on the cable. There is plenty of clearance and the cable does not get pinched at all. With the swivel mount I can go vertical or horizontal. The universal mount will hold an iPod, phone, PDA, GMRS radio or whatever.

With the DICE connector set to Simple IPod mode, I have full control of my playlists, tracks and volume from the steering wheel. And I can also use the touch screen on the iPod Touch to select albums, tracks, etc..It can also be used to browse the web when near WIFI. And a passenger can watch movies with the audio coming through the stereo (or with headphones). So there is a lot of flexibility.

iPod Touch horizontal, using the "Coverflow" feature to select albums:


NUVI 360 and iPod Touch with matching MINIBee splash screens


Playing "Apollo 13" in horizontal movie mode


KUDA mounts from the side


NUVI 360 with Liquid Yellow/Black car icon

 

Looks great Mini Bee. That's what I've been thinking about doing. I sure I want the Kuda mount for the Nuvi 760 when I get it but I'm undecided about loosing my cup holder. Thought about getting a Minifini and then the mount like you have your iPod on but not sure if it would end up being too crowded.

 

Thanks to this thread I also ordered the Kuda mount and ordered a Garmin 360.

$80 isn't as much as you guys are making it out to be for a no hassle install product that does the job. I'm sure many people on here have pissed away more on other less worthy things....

 

You're gonna love the way it looks. The NUVI ball mount that comes with the KUDA has to be attached. It ships with screws and tiny bolts/nuts as an option. I drilled small holes and used the bolts for better long-term stability.

 

Can anyone inform me what size Torx screws these are and the location? I've only found 2 screws under those two tabs that pop off and my Torx sockets don't fit the tiny openings so I have to go out and buy a Torx screwdriver to reach them.

Thanks.

 

On our '06's, loosening those Torx screws didn't really do anything - the dash vent was still on tight even after I removed them.

What I ended up doing was putting some masking tape on the dashpad between the oval vent and the edge of the dash to protect it from scratches, and then installing the Kuda mount without loosening/removing anything at all. Once you have the one tab under the dash vent, and the other tab under the lip of the dash, it just takes a little wiggling/pressing and everything pops into place. Then I removed the masking tape and I was finished.

 

I found this to be a rather inexpensive way to mount my GPS. Best part is that it leaves no indication of a GPS being in the car after everything has been put away.

 

Hi All-
Just got my Nuvi 350 and, inspired by the earlier posts of OctaneGuy, I set out to sacrifice a GCH (no tears, please) and develop a trick Nuvi mount. My total investment was $2.75 and about one hour of time.

As I haven't taken any pics yet, I'll try to talk you through this mod but feel free to PM if you have questions. The GCH elements used were the plastic mount which screws into the right downtube and the formed wire rod which attaches to the mount at an upper and lower location.

If you look at where the lower rod attaches to the plastic mount, you will see two 90 degree bends (in different planes) followed by a relatively straight section of rod. I measured the overall length of the upper and lower rod holes on the plastic mount, added 1/4" to that measurement and cut the rod with a Dremel tool. I inverted this piece such that the section containing the two right angles will now be at the top. I then proceeded to tap 1/4 -20 threads on the end of the rod. On the straight section of rod, I chamfered the end to facilitate ease of assembly into the mount assy.

I found a 3/4" black plastic ball with a brass 1/4-20 threaded insert at my local ACE hardware store ($2.75), chucked it into a drill press and sanded it down until it was a tight fit in the NUVI swivel mount.

Looking at the GCH plastic mount, you will notice that there are two reinforcing ribs which will need to have holes drilled through them in order to allow the straight section of rod to be inserted from the top. I purposely drilled these holes undersize (to provide a friction fit for the rod). I installed the rod into the mount, screwed the ball on the rod, attached the Nuvi swivel mount, installed the assy to the downtube and road tested to verify no vibration or other operational issues.

So there you have it - a trick NUVI mount on the cheap!! Check out my gallery for the pics.

Smoothy58

 

I really like this... Did your mini come with the dual cluster? Or did you purchase that somewhere? Also how big is the screen on the gps?