Garmin GPS Mount

You’ve just bought the top of the line Garmin and now you need a mount. Or most likely something happened to your old mount, like the kids ate it or the dog lost it. Whatever your reason is, you obviously are considering buying a mount. Well to help keep you “in the know” with Garmin GPS mounts we put together this little guide for you. Happy Garmin mount reading!

There are two basic types of Garmin mounts on the market; the friction model and the suction model. Which one you use will depend on your driving habits and type of vehicle you drive. We’ll go over which type is good for what and give some placement and maintenance issues for both. Yeah, it sounds kind of silly, but you need the mount, not me; I took care of mine.

The Garmin Friction GPS mount is more or less a suction mount with a silicone non skid bottom. What on Earth would you need one of these for? Well for one thing you don’t have to worry if your windshield is cracked. For another if you have one of those Indian cars that basically a moped stuffed inside of a milk carton and limited windshield space, they’re good.

The Garmin Suction GPS mount has (gasp) a suction cup on it. These are pretty good for most mid-sized vehicles and up; anything with some windshield space. Probably the biggest problem with these has to do with heat and improper placement. Unlike the friction based Garmin GPS mount, this one has limited flexibility with some model Garmin GPS units, keep that in mind if you think you might have limited options for placement.

The difference between the two types of mounts go beyond suction versus friction. As stated there are some differences in flexibility. Typically someone who buys a friction base mount will use it on a console or someplace down low to avoid any sort of visual obstacle. The suction base units are fairly useless in this regard. They are just not designed to stand alone, they have to be mounted somewhere.

Proper placement of the Garmin GPS mount should be anywhere that does not provide any sort of visual obstruction. Down low, in front of the steering wheel is probably not a good idea. In fact nowhere near the steering wheel is a good idea. Above the rearview mirror is okay if you can not obstruct the mirror. Driver’s side window is not too bad. Use your best judgment and when you are finding the sweet spot think about the kid on the bike in front of you vehicle later. That should help you find a good spot.

When not in use, make sure you take down your Garmin GPS mount. This is especially important if you live in a very hot place. Exposure to heat and sun will dry out the suction cup. When the cup becomes brittle it is prone to breaking, when this happens your Garmin GPS mount will no longer suck. This is ironic when you think about the fact it’s one of the few things in life you actually want to. Using a car vinyl treatment will not always help prevent cracking, but it couldn’t hurt.

Having a good Garmin GPS mount for your Garmin GPS unit is not optional really. They need to be mounted, there’s no doubt about it. When you take our tips into account you should do well. One final tip would be to make sure that the mount you are buying will work with your model. It would be bad to travel all the way to the store or wait for your online order only to find out that you still do not have a functional mount.