Garmin Vent Mount - Super Slick!

[Destination: Moon]

Looks like a good system Rufus. I still need to mount my XM radio. I might go use proclip. The vent mount is pretty solid if you place the foot on the vent opening instead of another louver. I would be careful not to press real hard on the GPS with the vent mount though. At 6 bucks vs 50 or 60 for the proclip its not a bad way to go.

[FSETH]

I am not a big fan of covering up so much of the vents. This is my TomTom set up in my e36. I used the adhesive disk that came with my unit and mounted on the top of the dash. It makes for a really stable base and keeps the unit up near eye level so you don't have to take your eyes off the road. I am not sure how hard it would be to clean off the residue from the disk if you wanted to remove it completely. This isn't a big concern in my old e36, but some of you may feel differently with your newer e70's.

[Penguin]

Nice, but what dies it do to the air conditioning flow? It seems like it would take away a lot the ability to direct the flow.

[Destination: Moon]

Originally Posted by FSETH

I am not a big fan of covering up so much of the vents. This is my TomTom set up in my e36. I used the adhesive disk that came with my unit and mounted on the top of the dash. It makes for a really stable base and keeps the unit up near eye level so you don't have to take your eyes off the road. I am not sure how hard it would be to clean off the residue from the disk if you wanted to remove it completely. This isn't a big concern in my old e36, but some of you may feel differently with your newer e70's.

I think that is a Pro-Fit mount. I just pulled one off the dash of the A4 I traded in. Other than being a bit cleaner underneath, it did not seem to leave a mark. I still have an unused one in my garage. I got a ticket the other day for Obstructed Vision for the mount similar to the one you have.... No kidding! I still might use it for the XM. Not sure right now.
I want to live with the truck for a while before doing the install.

Not sure if this is on purpose but very little air seems to come from the passenger side, center vent anyway. The vent still works and you can control the left-right direction, but not the up and down.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by Destination: Moon

I got a ticket the other day for Obstructed Vision for the mount similar to the one you have.... No kidding!

Wow! That doesn't seem right. Most of these portable units are windshield mounted, which obstructs the view WAY more than my setup. The unit actually way sits below the line of sight in my car. A radar detector would block more of the road than my GPS. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been happy about that ticket.

[shashankmittal]

Originally Posted by FSETH

Wow! That doesn't seem right. Most of these portable units are windshield mounted, which obstructs the view WAY more than my setup. The unit actually way sits below the line of sight in my car. A radar detector would block more of the road than my GPS. Needless to say, I wouldn't have been happy about that ticket.

Thats correct, but in some states, drivers cannot mount a GPS or anything else on their windshield. The Garmin user manuals list all those clauses

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by shashankmittal

Thats correct, but in some states, drivers cannot mount a GPS or anything else on their windshield.

I didn't know that.

[shashankmittal]

Originally Posted by FSETH

I didn't know that.

In California, you will want to refer to Vehicle Code Section 26708(a) for all of the details. In Minnesota, you will want to refer to Section 169.71 for the details. These outline what you can and cannot mount on your windshield as well as visibility requirements.

[Destination: Moon]

In a weird twist, it was actually a good thing. I punched it on a yellow. Got caught. The cop was being a good guy in a way. Wrote me for the obstruction and not a moving violation. Would have been better to have gotten a warning but I'll settle for the ticket I got and be happy

[FSETH]

Not to get too far off the topic, but I did a quick search and the only state that I could find where it was completely illegal to mount a GPS on the windshield was Minnesota. Cali appears to just govern WHERE on the windshiled you are allowed to put GPS devises. They are basically allocated to the bottom corners.

I also came across this; There are several different ways you can meet the requirements and still use your GPS device. The lest expensive way is to use one of the commonly included plastic discs. It is simply a round piece of plastic, smooth on the top, and sticky on the bottom. You affix the disc to your dash, and then flip the suction cup over and mount the suction cup to the disc.

It sounds like the obstruction ticket worked in your favor D.M., but I would be upset about a getting a ticket for the way mine is mounted.