My MCS with piano black trim is on order. I'm planning to get a portable nav unit and use the suction cup to mount to the smooth piano black surface to either left or right of the tach. Do you think this may work? has any of you tried this before?

TIA

 

My gut reaction is that the dash is too curvy... but I haven't tried it...

 

I tried to use a suction cup mount for my portable GPS on various portions of the dash, which is painted silver. The dash is too curvy and the cup won't stick. Glass work very well. I typically mount mine in the lower left corner of the windscreen.

 

PDFLINT,

Thanks for the reply. I'm still hoping to hear a confirmation from an R56 owner. I just hope that the trim surface in an R56 is more flat than an R53's.

 

I tried it on my piano dash and it unfortunately wouldn't hold -- as others have said -- to curvy

 

Thanks.
Is yours an R56?

 

No -- an R 53 but I think my dash where the piano surface is present is bigger.... good luck

 

I have an R56. Mount won't stick to my piano black dash or dashboard. It works well on the speedo top right and doesn't cover up much area. Digital speedometer in tach works well and it is directly in front of you. Windshield is another option but I don't like it there. I think a dashboard mount to the right of the steering wheel would be a good spot. I am experimenting with different ways to attach it to the dash but am hesitant about drilling holes in dash. Anyone else come up with mounting ideas?

 

Velcro?

 

My Garmin Zumo came with a flat disk with adhesive, stick to dash, suction cup from windshield mount sticks to it. I have mine mounted just to the left of the speedo. Works great, and no holes! YMMV

 

I have been using the windscreen cup with my Nuvi, I pulled it off today about 10% of the cup stayed. What a mess!

 

Velcro strips?
Damn didn't notice LynnEl beat me to it.

 

Anyone find a good way to hide the wires? I'm ok with using the FM transmitter but I'd like to keep it plugged into the lighter or better yet somewhere else where the wires are completely hidden.

 

I have tried a number of mounting spots with the NUVI in the new MINI. So far, my conclusion is the speedometer face is the best spot. You can reach the NUVI, it plugs into the stereo easily and it is not visible from the front of the car, nor does it obstruct your view of the road. I too tried the suction cup on the trim, to no avail, (I have the brushed aluminium trim) I also tried the dashboard itself and that doesn't work either unless you are will to stick the included plastic disk there. (I am not) Keep an eye out at www.proclip-usa.com, they should have a solution shortly, their R53 MINI bracket for the NUVI was pretty neat.

 

You can try some of these mounts:
http://www.arkon.com/mountingpedestal.php?selFeat=amps

The last one on the page is an adhesive that attaches to the suction cup and then the dash.

 

Thanks for the info. My only concern with this is the adhesive is permanent and if I decide to remove the base later on it's going to damage or mess up the piano black surface.

 

Just bought a Garmin 2720 and am using the supplied beanbag mount on the dash left of center. Works well.

 

Thanks for this info. I'm using the mount that came with my NUVI 350 on the speedo. I guess you guys with R56's have it a bit easier than I. Larger speedo.

 

It's line $3 get 2 and you can try one out where it's not visible. But I understand your concern, the reason why I didn't get the piano black on my mini is 'cause I test drove 2 cars with that finish and you could already see small scratches on both.

 

I agree with doing a test in an inconspicuous place first. My feeling is that it will mar the paint. The longer it's on there the more likely the damage.

 

I'm having the Garmin Nuvi (MINI Version) installed tomorrow. Not sure how it is attached, but I know it mounts to the left of the tach. I will post pics when it is finished.

 

Great, looking forward to your pictures.

 

Did you get it installed? We want pics!!

 

If you do go the adhesive strip route, I would suggest 2 things.

1) Try to use acid-free adhesive strips. Usually the packaging will say "acid-free" right on it. Over time acid can and will ruin a painted finish. Another thing to look for is a price difference in what seems to be similar products. Acid-free products are more expensive then acid-based.

2) Prior to using any adhesive, make sure that the contact surface is clean, and while removing the strip, keep a blow dryer on the strip to keep the adhesive soft. Doing both will make the separation from the dash cleaner, and hopfully avoids any damage. This process will stretch the strip out, so it would be wise to use a new one.

Hope this helps.

 

Dropped of the MINI at 10am for what I thought would be a 1-2 hour install. Apparently, the installation takes about an hour, but the programming takes several hours, so I had to leave it overnight.(I guess once the GPS is hardwired, it has to integrate with the car's electronics to let the on- board computer know that it is there - or something like that):impatient :impatient

I promise to post pics as soon as I get it back tomorrow.