Mount for new 5" XXL 540S?

[tracker]

Hello,

We just placed an order for our first gps, the TomTom XXL 540S which has the 5" screen. My question is does anyone else have this gps and could recommend a mount that works well with it. I don't want to stick it to my windshield due to theft, so I was looking into either maybe getting a beanbag mount or a clip-on vent mount that might work well for cheap. Since this is a bigger gps I was just worried about it falling off. Our center dash slops down just a little bit on our 2006 Accord.

I was looking on Amazon and saw these these two mounts that looked interesting:

Bracketron UFM-100BL Nav-Mat GPS Friction Dash Pad - $11.18

Mobi 70072 GPS Universal Vent Mount with QuickGrip Holder - $19.99


If anyone can help me out I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[TomTomWooter]

I don't have a 5" GPS but I doubt it would fall off.
I have the Bracketron mount and it works with my TomTom 510 since the suction cup is conical and tall. It doesn't work with the 340XL-S because the suction cup is flat.
I recently bought the "Gilsson Portable Bean Bag Dashboard Mount" last week from Amazon and it seems great so far. It also has very good reviews and is priced well. It's one of the only flat beanbag mounts.
It's not obvious but it has to be used like a diamond, as opposed to a square. One corner should face the front of the car, and one should face the back.
It should work for you.

 

[tracker]

Thank you for your suggestion about the Gilsson Portable Bean Bag Dashboard Mount. I really like the looks of that one better since its flat. Many of the other beanbag mounts that I have seen look more like neck pillows.

A couple of days ago I sat in my car thinking about which would be better a beanbag mount or a clip on vent mount for the gps. I think a vent mount would be best if it works like it should. It would be much closer to reach and the screen shouldn't get washed out as much from the sun. So a few days ago I went ahead and purchased a swivel vent mount from the MountGuys. I'm hoping that it works out ok. If not then I'll go ahead and purchase the beanbag mount that you mentioned. My gps is supposed to arrive Friday and the vent mount should be here soon too since they sent it out the same day that I paid. So Im hoping that this weekend I'll be able to test the two of them.

 

[TomTomWooter]

You're welcome!
The reason I stay away from vent mounts is because I fear that the vent may break and also because it'll cover the airflow.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[mikealder]

I use Brodit kit in my car, Not too sure if there is a mount for the XXL as yet in their product range but there will certainly be a Pro-Clip to suit your car, in fact there will be a number of different mounting positions available for your car, this might give you a few ideas and note this is called a vent clip but it doesn't secure to the flimsy parts of the vent at all:



Remove the backing tape from the mount before pushing it in to the gap, remove the spacer tools and the clip is now very secure. Note this particular clip is named as an air vent style attachment Pro-Clip but it doesn?t secure to the vent at all ? don?t be put off thinking the clips secure to the flimsy vent they don?t all.



Now we have to attach the TomTom x40 Live accessory dock to the Pro-Clip, you will need to rotate the mount around to gain access to each of the four screws. The supplied screws take considerable force to start before they bite in to the plastic clip, but only tighten them lightly or you could possibly strip the threads.
Consider attaching the mount to the Pro-Clip before you fit the clip to the car as you could damage the vehicles trim should you slip while fitting the self tapping screws.


- Mike

 

[tracker]

You're welcome!
The reason I stay away from vent mounts is because I fear that the vent may break and also because it'll cover the airflow.
Let us know how it goes.

Yeah, I thought of those two things before I purchased the vent mount. On our Accord the center vents for some reason don't put out much air though so I wasn't worried about it blocking airflow or even perhaps overheating the gps in the winter time if the heats on. In most other vehicles I can see how this could be an issue however. The vents on my car are very strong. I tried pushing down on them pretty hard just to see if they would hold up under pressure and they did.

When the vent mount arrived it came in pieces and needed to be put together which only took a couple of minutes. The gps snapped right onto the mount much like the stock mount does which was nice. The biggest problem with the vent mount are the clips that come with it. They are solid hard plastic clips with teeth at the ends of them to hold onto the back of your vents. When I attached them to my vent for the first time I thought oh this will be nice. Untill I tried to remove them from my vent and couldn't. The plastic is so hard on the clips that they don't flex much at all. So its extremely difficult to get them to let go from the back of your vent. I struggled for about 5 min until I was finally able to get them off my vent. It was horrible! The clips that they made for this mount are complete junk and make the mount completely useless unless you plan on leaving it on 24/7. I tried sanding down the teeth on the clips a little bit to see if that would help any, but it didn't make any difference. It was still too hard to remove. I eventually ended up sanding the teeth down too far and the mount wouldn't hold onto the back of the vent good enough anymore and was ready to fall off. So this ended up being a complete waste of money. If they would have made better clips for this mount it would have worked good Im sure. The clips should have been made with a spring inside them so that they could easily be attached and removed.

After this fun experiment was over with I then sat in my car thinking about thinking about what I should do next. Then an idea came to my mind. What about trying to attach the suction cup mount that came with the gps to the face of my radio which is pretty large? So I put the gps with its suction cup mount onto the face of the radio and turned the mounting lock to the right and to my suprise it grabbed a hold of the face of my radio really tight. I tried pulling it off and moving it around but it woouldn't budge. Whats nice is that I can tilt it so that it faces the drivers seat so that its easy to see and also extremely easy to reach. I mean its way closer then what a beanbag mount would be and even a little closer than a vent mount. I don't have to stretch and reach at all to touch the screen, its just right there. Also its not blocking my windshield view at all which I really like. It really is the perfect solution! The only minor draw back that I can see is if I have the radio on I can't see what the station is. But thats not a big deal though since I'll be more focused on the gps and getting to where I need to go.

The suction cup mount that TomTom included is really nice. Its short and compact and really holds well to plastic and glass. Im very happy with the outcome.

 

[tracker]

mikealder,

Thank you for trying to help me out. The Pro-Clip mount looks like it would work pretty good.

For me personally I need something that I can easily remove and tuck under my seat when I leave my car. I work in a high crime area so if I tried to use any kind of mounting system that was left in my car at all like that it would be a huge red flag for thieves that I have something in my car that they might like to have. So the less obvious it is the better.

 

[mikealder]

In which case you could use the Brodit Mini Move it clip which acts as a quick release for the device mount from the Pro Clip leaving very little on show in the vehicle, I have used the move it clips in my previous car but didn't fit them in this one because I stupidly forgot to order them when I got the Pro-Clips! - maybe one day I will gat around to adding them though as they are very effective at hiding the hardware - Mike

 

[tracker]

The move it clip sounds like it would be a nice thing to have if you are going to be using the Pro Clip. Whichever mounting system you use I think its important to be able to effectively hide any evidence that you may have something in your car. Gps are such a hot thing right now to steal. I hear people all the time complaing that their gps got stolen.

I'll try to post some pics this weekend of my gps suction cupped to my radio. It really works great I couldn't believe it.

 

[theparson]

I just got a Bracketron NavMat II. It lies nice and flat on the dash and adheres well - Bracketron - NavMat II Dash Mount - UFM-210-BL