Garmin Portable Friction Mount

I am using this mount with a Nuvi 855.Overall I think it is fantastic. I have used a friends car often in which there is a GPS (TomTom) stuck with a suction cup to the circular disc mounted to the dash. I found her GPS would often fall off when I was touching the screen. I would resort to taking it off and fiddling with it on my lap whilst drive. Not such a safe way to go. Also, with that kind of mount it was not easy for the passenger (my beloved co-pilot) to access the GPS or move it around or take it into her hands for full control (an important manoeuvre for full co-piloting).It was because of the experience with my friends mount that I bought this one at the same time as my Nuvi 855. I am very happy with this mount.PROS – Things I really like about it:- It is SUPER grippy. It has an incredible surface on the underside which makes it not slide at all. Even if I try to nudge it 8as a test), it is hard to move it. Excellent. There is certainly NO movement whilst driving, even when I am driving fast into a tight bend. And yet, if I want to reposition it, or my passenger/co-pilot wants to change the position, it’s so easy. Just lift it a little (as in, just a slight upward motion whilst pushing it to a different position) and move it.- The Nuvi rotates well in all directions. It rotates from side-to-side, pivoting where the mount arm goes into the mount base. Very nice. Makes it real easy for my co-pilot to view it and take control when I am hectic with busy traffic. It also pivots where the bracket joins the mount arm, which is a ball-and-socket connection. I can see that the fixed dash/windscreen mount that comes with the 855 uses a ball-and-socket connection too, so nothing extra gained in that regard.- When put away, NOTHING remains on the window or the dash. No round disk stuck to the dash. No circular mark left on the windscreen. Both of these are giveaways that a GPS may be hanging out someone in the vehicle… and is something savvy potential GPS thieves know to look out for.- When it comes time to put it away, the Nuvi easy detaches from the bracket. Requires pushing a button as you grab it. One relatively easy manoeuvre. Then putting the mount away, is as simple as picking it up and sticking it somewhere. Couldn’t be easier. (See Bulky issue below)CONS:-It is a little bulky. I can’t, for instance, stick it under the seat without first detaching the connector arm from it. This makes for an additional step when getting in and out of the car. I then have two objects to store/hide… a mount base and an arm with a bracket stuck to it. I find this a little inconvenient, though not a major issue.- It is relatively heavy. I travel (internationally) a fair bit, and I’ll be taking this GPS and the mount with me. It is on the heavy side compared to other mounting solutions, beacuse it has four little “sand bags” on it. But if you are primarily just using this in your home car… I don’t think this will be an issue at all.- Ball and socket system: I do actually prefer the way the TomTom connected to its mount. It would just slide down onto the mount. No buttons, no bracket, and no bracket based DC power system (this last point may be specific to my Nuvi 855). This means more parts to wear out and/or break. This, to me, appears to be the weakest part in the over all design. The Nuvi is solid. The mount is super solid. But this additional bracket that connects the Nuvi to the mount arm has clips, and spring loaded buttons… relatively weak compared to the other parts.I prefer the way the TomTom attaches to its mount. There are some slots build into the moulded rear panel on the TomTom. I can see, however, that this potentially is what makes the TomTom thicker than my Nuvo 855.So, this attaching system on the Nuvi is something I can easily live with… as I like how thin it is.CONCLUSION:The cons I have mentioned, are purely to be thorough in my review. I don’t consider them an issue for myself. I think this mount simply rocks. I have researched all the mount solutions available on Amazon and the Garmin site, and I think this one is the best one available.What’s more, it’s a great price here on Amazon.Bottom line? Get one with your Nuvi order!!TIPS AND TRICKS- Getting the bracket on and off of the ball on the arm can seem hard to do. The trick is that you need do it on the side of the ball (any side, top, left, right, bottom). Just stick the ball into the bracket with the arm itself touching the bracket (as a result of it going in at an angle rather than straight on). Then it pops in and out easily.

I usually don’t get duped, but I ordered a Chinese thing similar to this thinking it was Garmin. WRONG. I ordered this Garmin and it works beautifully. I’ve used these often on for 15 years and they grip well. You can bend them to fit different contours. Mine sits on a motorhome dash and the front part falls down over the edge of the dash and it sits there right in my field of view and doesn’t move.

I’ve been using my Garmin gps unit for a while before I bought this mount. I was using the included suction-cup attached to my window for a long time and the integrity of the suction-cup started to dramatically worsen. I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t use enough water on the rubber part of it or pushed with enough counter-pressure on the suction cup while installing it to my window. Since I would always disconnect the suction mount from my windshield when I parked my car at a store, restaurant, etc. as to not “advertise” I have a gps in my car, over time this may have loosened the suction of the rubber seal, rendering it almost useless. A couple times while driving, it fell off my window with my gps unit in tact. This, of course, is not only a frustration but a safety hazard. It was time for a different mount option for my gps.I was reading many reviews for this mount before I ordered one myself and the majority was extremely positive. Every reviewer said “it stays in it’s place” or “won’t slide when driving”. It was difficult to fathom a mount NOT moving around while driving (especially at a higher speed on the highway, or with sharp turns) and wasn’t sure if I could believe it would stay still on my dashboard. I was delightfully surprised at how well this unit stays in the location you put it in. The reason for this as I discovered from examining the mount more closely is the four separate bean bags that are build into the mount, allowing continuous balance regardless of speeds, sharp turns, and other variables that would shake other things around. It is extremely sturdy and it’s not even attached to anything in the car! The engineering of this mount that adds to the reliability is on the bottom. It is covered with a rubber “foot” to enhance the grip on the dashboard.The mount comes with a long chord with a plug for charging. The chord has more than enough length so you can be sure to have enough room to place your gps in the mount anywhere in your car. I like the little red light that has a dim glow when it’s plugged in to indicate your device is charging. The clip or “teeth” on the mount has an audible “click” so you know your gps is securly fastened on the mount. I like knowing that I can move the mount a little bit if I need to (to avoid glare from the sun on the gps screen) when in the car without the fear of it accidentally falling off while driving.One thing I noticed after having it for about a year is the the part of the charging wire that meets the back of the clip (where the gps rests) is the rubber casing at the top slid a little bit over time and the wires are somewhat exposed. This might be from just regular use and not something that can’t be fixed with a little electrical tape. I’ve been using this mount with my gps for almost two years. It’s made of very durable materials. It’s small enough to hide under your seat if you want to conceal it when you’re not in your car. The last thing we need is more distractions in the car and Garmin found a smart and reliable solution.

This is the second one of these I have purchased. If you drive an SUV, you don’t want to mount your Garmin on the windshield. You probably can’t easily reach the device. This mount will stay much closer to you and will make reaching the unit easy. Let’s face it, if you have one of these, you will be reaching for it every time you go somewhere new. Plus, you can pick it up and set it on the floor when you go shopping. Highly rated!

Like I said, Garmin was useless in trying to find the goose neck for the bean bag. Your best bet will be on Ebay. Guy down in Texas sales them for $4.50/each. It’s actually called a Garmin Puck Arm Friction Mount Adapter…. G145-00775-55… TMS eStore in Bryan Texas. The SKU is GRMPUKARM