ChrisCM Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Hi Guys, I have just purchased a Garmin 770 Sat Nav for my new to me 2015 Devon Aztec PVC based on the Fiat Ducato. It occurs to me that I won’t be able to leave the suction mounting cup and arm attached permanently to the windscreen because of the Remis blinds (I don’t want to be continually taking it on and off leaving those horrible round marks). I know there are many types of dashboard mounts available ranging from plastic discs to what look like beanbags so I’m hoping that someone will be able to recommend the best solution for my issue. I will also be using the Sat Nav as a back up camera monitor so want to mount the Sat Nav more or less centrally on the dashboard. Thanks all, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 I have a 5”-screen Garmin sat-nav that I use mostly in my Ducato-based motorhome, but occasionally in our car. For the car I’ve fitted one of the self-adhesive plastic disks centrally to the top of the dashboard and the sat-nav’s mounting arm is attached to this via its ’sucker’. As I’ve found that the sat-nav mounting arm’s ’sucker’ will detach from the disk after a while (usually at the worst possible moment) for the motorhome I’ve glued a Garmin sat-nav mounting arm (with the ‘sucker removed) directly to the top surface of the hinge-up ‘flap’ in the centre of the Ducato dashboard. This mounting arm was a ‘spare’ from an older Garmin sat-nav that I no longer use. Obviously, if the ‘gluing’ approach is to be taken, it will be essential to ensure that the mounting arm is positioned correctly for the desired usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Chris, Have a look at Brodit mounts... https://www.brodit.co.uk/brodit/vehicles/Fiat/Ducato/2015.htm?steer=rhd I have one of their mounts in our Mercedes Sprinter and find it excellent. It holds the Sat Nav in a very good position and is absolutely rock solid. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pottypam Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Different satnavs have different mountings. We have an Avtex made by Garmin and you can buy the correct dashboard mount online. If you remove the mount from the dashboard, do be careful with the adhesive pad, don’t put it down on any fabric surface as this will affect its stickiness. (Yes, been there, done that!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millcourt Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Another vote for Brodit. Have their mounts on both our MoHo and our VW Colf, so that can easily move SatNav and Mobilephone from one to the other. The website is https://www.brodit.co.uk/ The ProClip Center mount for Fiat Ducato 15-19 in all countries (Item # 655085) and the Mount for Garmin Nuvi 770 in all countries (Item # 215547) combination should be ideal for your needs. Not cheap at £33.98 plus P&P for the two items, but well made, easy to install, and very stable hold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCM Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 Thanks Guys, for the fast replies! I’ll check out what you’ve all suggested, going to be a big CC bill this month ?? Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneb Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Similar to Derek's post above, I permanently secured a Garmin mount to a suitably sized rectangular backing plate (actually the base plate of an old ADSL router that was gathering dust) which is suitably sized to clip into the mounts on the folding tablet holder above the Ducato radio. I can unclip it and store it on the shelf above the passenger glove box if required, but it sits nicely positioned for a centrally mounted sat nav without obstructing the Remis blinds. Previously, I had stuck a suction mount disc to the top of the dashboard between the instrument cluster and the offside A-post, but I found satellite reception to be very poor in that location, and also in general careful routing of the sat nav power lead can make a noticeable difference to satellite reception wherever the unit is located. It seems that the built in GPS aerial (if you also have the uConnect radio with navigation) and routing of other wiring beneath the dashboard and through the windscreen pillars can adversely affect other GPS units, presumably via interference through the power cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeco Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Hi Chris and welcome to this great forum. To mount my Tom Tom GPS I used a bracket that fits into the DVD/CD player slot. The benefit is that there is no glare on the screen as it is infront of the dash. As I use the GPS for our overseas travel I needed a mounting that allowed the GPS to be easily removed. Only negative is a little flexing of the bracket on our less that smooth roads. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Geeco - 2019-03-07 9:44 PM Hi Chris and welcome to this great forum. To mount my Tom Tom GPS I used a bracket that fits into the DVD/CD player slot. That'll be a CD Slot Mount... https://www.cdslotmount.com/ I've got one but never found a car it will fit! It won't fit the aftermarket radio in our Sprinter as it's got a removable front panel. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 I have a Garmin which has a sucker type mount that I find sticks to the windscreen very quickly and easily by flipping over a lever. I always remove it when leaving the van and it leaves no marks. I don’t find this to be much of a hassle really. The advise is that you should not leave any sign that you are using an aftermarket satnav and should remove the device and the mount and remove any marks. Surely having a permanent or semi permanent mount visible is an open invitation to break in to see if there is a device in the van? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way2Go Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 A complete treasury of mounts to take your pick from :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=satnav+mount&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 or more specifically, I've used these for years and they only cost a couple of quid :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pama-Sticky-Adhesive-Dashboard-Suction/dp/B06WGLKS8S/ref=sr_1_54?keywords=satnav+mount&qid=1552023788&s=gateway&sr=8-54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Don636 - 2019-03-07 10:27 PM ...Surely having a permanent or semi permanent mount visible is an open invitation to break in to see if there is a device in the van? Would thieves nowadays be interested in breaking into a vehicle simply to steal a stand-alone ‘old tech’ sat-nav that MIGHT be stored somewhere because a sat-nav mount is visible? Although top-of-the-range sat-navs are fairly expensive to buy new, they won’t have much ‘resale’ value if stolen. I’m somehow reminded of the story where the owner of a car that had been broken into several times sticks a large notice on the car’s windscreen saying "There’s nothing worth stealing in here”. Shortly after, when he goes to his car he finds a side-window smashed, the doors and boot unlocked, and on the dashboard a piece of paper with “Just checking” written on it. When my motorhome is parked at home I remove the sat-nav from its mount, but the device stays on the mount when the motorhome is in use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCM Posted March 8, 2019 Author Share Posted March 8, 2019 Way2Go - 2019-03-08 5:50 AM A complete treasury of mounts to take your pick from :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=satnav+mount&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 or more specifically, I've used these for years and they only cost a couple of quid :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pama-Sticky-Adhesive-Dashboard-Suction/dp/B06WGLKS8S/ref=sr_1_54?keywords=satnav+mount&qid=1552023788&s=gateway&sr=8-54 Yes, this is my problem which one, still all your various replies have given me food for thought! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 I have tended to go for the Brodit clamps. They do a variety of different clamps to fit somewhere on the dash without much trouble and a variety of 'mounts' to take the different model of GPS, phone etc. They are not the cheapest and you need one of each but very stable and well worth the money.. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCM Posted March 8, 2019 Author Share Posted March 8, 2019 Re the various mentions of Brodit mounts, I have a Landrover Defender and on that I made extensive use of the RAM mount system for my mounting my iPad, GoPro etc. If I could combine that with the Garmin mount in some way that may be the way to go? The RAM system is based upon a 25mm ball, bit larger than the Garmin but built like a tank! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackyjane Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Hi Chris. We got one of the Garmin beanbag satnav holders. I had my doubts when I saw it, but we have just done 4500 miles around France and Spain, and it didn't budge. Would highly recommend. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Derek Uzzell - 2019-03-08 7:44 AM Would thieves nowadays be interested in breaking into a vehicle simply to steal a stand-alone ‘old tech’ sat-nav that MIGHT be stored somewhere because a sat-nav mount is visible? We had a VW Up that had a VW satnav unit (Maps & Me) which was clipped onto a bracket that fixed into a mount on top of the dashboard. We always removed the satnav unit and popped it into the glovebox but left the mount on top of the dashboard. One night someone smashed the side window and took the mount and the unit from the dashboard so the answer to your question is Yes!! The unit only works in a VW Up and is coded to the particular car so no idea what they did with it. Costs about £200 to replace which we never did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Sorry that last post was unclear, the thieves took the visible mount from the top of the dashboard and the Satnav unit from the glovebox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Did that happen recently, or not? If not, how many years ago did the theft occur? As Chris will be using the Garmin device as a reversing-camera monitor as well as a sat-nav, and consequently wants to mount the device roughly centrally on the dashboard where it wil be conveniently close to the driver and in his’her sight-line, the best option will probably be the ‘beanbag’ approach mentioned by Jane in her posting of 8 March 2019 2:29 PM above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 The theft from the Up was about three years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Perhaps there’s a black market for VW Up! sat-navs and mounting brackets... In my case there’s no doubt what a thief would be getting - a several years old 5” Garmin sat-nav - as the device stays mounted when my motorhome is being used. Plainly, if there were absolutely no visual evidence of a sat-nav being present in a vehicle, that should minimise the risk of sat-nav theft, but then I’d need to remove the semi-permanent wiring that powers my sat-nav as well as the mount and the device itself. It might be interesting to know what percentage of motorists always remove sat-navs and/or dash-cams (including their mounts and power supplies) when the vehicle is left unattended. When my neighbours have been long-term jet-setting abroad and I’ve been keeping an eye on their cars, I’ve noticed that, although the vehicles have stand-alone sat-navs, the devices are just left lying in full view on the central consile between the seats. Presumably, when the cars are being driven the sat-nav is stuck to the windscreen, but it’s been found that - after a while - the device falls off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I used a bean bag with a plate in the middle and used the sucker on the satnav to hold the two together. The problem was that the satnav and bean bag used to dance across the extended dash panel on my A-class. It was so bad on the Aclass I have at present - stiffer front suspension - that I resorted to sticking the satnav with the sucker on the side window - not a success for visibility.Then in the centre of the bottom edge of the windscreen - some distance away but in perfect eye-line and when it fell off [usually caused by the cold glass heating up] it didn't wander too far as it was almost at the end of its cable]. I now clip it on the centre dash clipboard and it works OK. The only reason I do this is because there is nowhere in this van to affix written direction instructions which I prefer. I still stick with the idea that a satnav is not better than a map except for reading the speedometer. The satnav and stand etc are all removed from sight when the van is empty or, at home completely from the van. Of course, the rear camera screen is visible ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive_Adams Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I have the same Avtex sat nav which is the Garmin 770 and have mounted it using a "Halfords" circular disc mounted on the top of the dash, actually on the fiat clipboard, its totally secure and can be angled slightly towards the driver if necessary by angling the sat nav mount. This allows the bit between the sat nav and the mount to always be square, as after a while movements through vibration is the natural return position. Another tip for those using the clip board especially the newer ones with the hinged joint is not to use all of the disc stuck down, this is easily achieved by scoring or cutting the peel back sticky cover to the desired shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaman Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 Garmin beanbag type, brilliant , used one for a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCM Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 Thanks for all the ideas! One for the easy life I’ll try the beanbag, if that doesn’t work I can return it and try one of the other suggestions! I’ll let you know. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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