Hey all, Ive been considering asking my local dealer to install the Portable navigation xl system into my countryman all4 but i wanted to see what people thought of it first.

I really like how the wires are hidden and give the mini a cleaner look, I been playing around with a suction cup cell phone mount on the window and find it kind of annoying to have to take it on and off when its needed. Also trying to determine if the Nav unit has benefits over a cellphone nav like google maps..

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Here is some part and info. I think it looks clean and matches the interior well.

MINI Portable Navigation XL - 2nd Gen
65902348018

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/65902348018/ES2676356/
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Installation Kit For GPS - 2nd Gen 65902351408

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/65902351408/



&

Bracket GPS Mount 65902348476

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/65902348476/ES2679853/



Here is a link to what people liked about it and the install:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...avigation.html

 

Thanks for the info!

two questions (if by chance you know the answer)

Could other garmin portable navigation units work with the mount if i wanted to change it to a different unit other then minis in the future?

Does the power cable retract into the mount? (guessing from looking at the instructions from the thread linked) or does it just dangle when there is no nav unit in use?

Thanks again!

 

Welcome.

If they share the same backing for the Garmins in the future. Check the pics out in the thread. And match them up.

No , the power cable can zip tied back if you want. If no Nav there it hangs a little.

Thanks

 

I'm supposed to get one of these tomorrow; is the position of the unit adjustable from left to right or at the top of the dash. Seems like it's set up for a left handed driver. Just really hard to find full information on the installed unit.

 

Seems like the only information I could find was in either French or German. Here is a nice shot from the German site.

 

Yes, the mount swings all the way from left to top to right. Top suits my Roadster just fine, where left or right have some blocking by the wheel.

 

Pretty cool it swings and has ball mount to tilt the GPS also.

 

Use a Kuda mount with any GPS your little heart desires.

 

It's hard to find too much on the unit. Thanks for the confirmation.

 

Sorry, not fond of loose hanging wiring. Not an option. I'm trying to tidy things up.

 

Not sure what you mean, unless the GPS is battery powered it will have a cord but, whatever?

 

Yes... and no. The Mini portable system does have a power cord, but it is routed through the mount and down the steering column, so you can see only about an inch of it where it plugs into the Garmin box (ignore odd hood over my unit as I'm trying to make it usable in my Roadster with the top down):

 

What did you make the hood out of?
I need one too for both the convertible and when it's on the bike.

 

OK, it was a nice sunny top-down day today and I've officially abandoned the idea of making a visor.

Option 1 was a commercial clip-on visor.



This projects 30mm (1-1/8") from the screen and weighs 40gm (1.4oz). The extra weight on the nav unit made it wobble which it doesn't do on its own and the depth of the visor had no real effect.

Option 2 was a piece of 2mm (0.08") plastic sheet which I bent over a piece of wood with a heat gun and scrubbed all over with wire wool in an attempt to give a non-reflecting finish (looks awful but I don't care).



This projects 60mm (2-1/4") from the screen and sadly weighs the same 40gm. So now in addition to the wobbling, it hung far enough away from the nav unit to make it gradually droop down over bad bumps. The extra depth made it work a bit better but not by much - in any sort of strong sunlight even just the reflection of the back of the steering wheel was enough to prevent seeing the screen. Plus the visor now stuck out far enough that if I raised my hand quickly from 12 o'clock on the wheel, my fingertips hit the visor and knocked the nav unit out of line.

So I've given up on trying to see the nav unit top-down in sunlight and learnt how to increase the volume so that I can hear it at highway speeds.

 

What advantage does this have over navigation on my iPhone?

 

For starters most phones sort of suck when it comes to navigation. The screens are small and they run slower than stand alone systems. I tried it for about a week. I do insurance claims and sometimes do four or five a day. It seems I would ALWAYS get a call from an insured when I'm 1/2 mile from the house with three turns to go. Very inconvenient. Second I run Waze when I'm traveling.


I just found it to be a HUGE hassle.


Then again I like a phone for calls, a camera for photos and a GPS for navigation.

 

live traffic on my android phone has pulled my butt out of being stuck in 2 hours of traffic on the turnpike more than once so for that it makes it worth it. and the fact that you can shoot directions to your phone from a pc make it so much easier to use.

 

I just wish my 3M emblem tape would stick to SOMETHING on the dash so I can use my Scosche mount for my iPhone 6+ :/ the 12v one is in a very odd spot on my R60...gets in the way!

 

OK, so I ended up getting this...LOVE IT, but how does it articulate?

 

Should pivot on the clip for the unit itself to the back, then the main arm moves orbital around the tach side to side.

 

I’m not seeing how it’s articulating...feeling dumb. It’s a solid mount from what I see. This is the dealer part...

 

I found this at OUTMOTORING: Countryman and Paceman bracket is different than shown and does NOT have the swivel feature and is a fixed bar style mount!

 

Forgot about that , thinking R56 version.

 

I got it SOMEWHAT where I want it...too bad on bumpy roads it flops down... :/