Used one for for a couple years now with my Garmins. Also adapted one with the use of a couple of ram-mount part for a Maestro. They work very well. You also may want to get one of those "sticky pads" to set the mount on if needed.

The friction mount does surprisingly work well.

If you're looking for neatness, I still think that the way to go is to install the mount to the dash with the "permanent" adhesive. I put that word in quotes, because with enough scraping and a little heat, the 3M disk is not permanent at all and you can remove all residue from the dash.

I prefer this method because I'm not a fan of mounting the unit to the windshield. To me, a gps on a windshield mount looks kind of cheesy and cheap. That's just my personal opinion.

But, for security reasons, the friction mount seems to be best. As you said, you can easily hide it under a seat.

Great idea!
Could not find it on the Garmin site.
Does anyone know where I can buy it?

Sorry,....I did a search and found it at:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=806

Yes, I had the ring around the windshield problem too, once the weather got hot. Now I have one of these and it works great. My dashboard slopes down at an angle so I keep it up near the windshield right next to the instrument cluster. This is what I will use from now on.

Charlie....how did you adapt a Garmin mount for a Magellan?

I just picked up my 3140 and was wondering about a friction mount.

What do you mean by "used a couple of ram-mount parts"?

Thanks!

I've seen them at Best Buy, along with the 2008 maps.

This worked on the 4040 Maestro. You will need to drill out the holes in the metal plate in the base of the beanbag to accomodate flat head 8-32 x 1" screws mentioned below.

You need one 1.75 inch arm
RAM-B-201U-A
And 2 Round 2.5' dia Plate with 1' Ball
RAM-B-202U
You'll also need some screws and nuts from your local hardware store. I got my ram parts from gpscity.com

You can also order the heavy dash mount from a place called mountguys.com for the Maestro
Part # RAP-B-168-MAESTRO for $34.95 + shipping. This is basically the same idea as the beanbag mount and it is heavier.

They both work but I found the beanbag conforms to my oddly shaped dash a little better.

Either way costs about the same.

You need one 1.75 inch arm
RAM-B-201U-A
And 2 Round 2.5' dia Plate with 1' Ball
RAM-B-202U
You'll also need some screws and nuts from your local hardware store. I got my ram parts from gpscity.com

You can also order the heavy dash mount from a place called mountguys.com for the Maestro
Part # RAP-B-168-MAESTRO for $34.95 + shipping. This is basically the same idea as the beanbag mount and it is heavier.

They both work but I found the beanbag conforms to my oddly shaped dash a little better.

Either way costs about the same.

Anyone who wants to see the Garmin beanbag adapted for use with the Maestro 4040 I've uploaded some pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ces1948/Beanbag2

I called Garmin last month to see if I had to most current maps and the rep offered and sent me one of these for free. (including shipping) SO yo can't seem to beat this company. However, now that Navigon has "free traffic" and virtual lane assist with real reality view on their latest GPS..i'm not a defector but...thats awfully compelling..wudden you agree?

To John
check out this link
http://www.tristatecamera.com/lookat.php?sku=NAVDM&cs=find.php&action=search&target=products&keywords=navdm&search_method=all

To Jack
Nice find on that, looks like they also sell that model in many BestBuy stores. I'm going to try to go by BestBuy and check one out.

The question that I have is... how well does it stay still? If i poke at it punching in the address and while taking turns do I have to warm my passenger to hold on to it?

I've had one of these for years now, and thinking of buying a second as the original is getting well worn. I use this to support my Mio C310x, and use it on both my boat and in my car. As long as your dash is clean and dust free, and not shined up with Armorall, it works wonderfully.

I travel professionally and break it down to stow in my briefcase, then plop it on the dash of the rental car. I days gone by, I've left a suction mount of two in a rental car, but never my trusty bean bag mount.

Great site here!!!!

Hi Matt,

It stays surprisingly well. In addition I would use one finger to poke, and the rest of my fingers would rest on the Garmin friction mount (not intentionally - this is how I normally tap), further stabilizing it as I entered data.

My boyfriend got me my GPS for Christmas , the beanbag keeps my windshield clear and makes my Garmin portable !!!

I like the look of the friction mount beanbag.

but, surprise surprise, the on line store only ships to USA, UK and France!! Can they not spell

A U S T R A L I A ?

How can this be? And how can I get one?

Please help.

Mountguys.com ships to Australia. That's where I got mine.

Does this let the unit fly around the car in case of an accident?
Also, will it stay in place on emergency stops or lane changes?

Thank you

I use one with my Garmin GPSmap60cs (now that my Magellan Roadmate 700/760 has been stolen) and even with a more top-heavy vertically oriented handheld GPS the mount works surprisingly well! I haven't done any "panic stops" with it yet, so I don't know if the GPS will go flying, but I imagine an accident WOULD send it tumbling. Still, a nice alternative to the windshield mount!

Regards,
Steve

I have the Garmin beanbag. It works unbelievably well. Got mine from Amazon with the 350. Get it and you won't be disappointed.

I found the rubber dash mount for a c340 at an Online supplier for about $29.00, much cheaper than the usual retail. Just do a search.

Will this work with my Garmin Nuvi 660?

I've been using Garmin's "bean bag" mount with my handheld GPSmap60cs (with add-on "street" software), and even with a vertical (top heavy) unit it stays nice a secure! I haven't had to do any panic stops but I'm guessing it probably WOULD move a bit ... and in an accident you can pretty much count on it tumbling.

Still, I think it's a great alternative to the windshield mount ... I wasn't too enthused about using it until I had to (my Magellan Roadmate 700/760 was stolen, so I've been using the handheld much more often in the car). I was very pleasantly surprised!

Does the beanbag friction mount stay secure on a dash that has a dash cover?

I bought the friction mount a couple of weeks ago and have been very pleased. No slipping and no ring on the windshield. Another plus is the mount allows the gps to be closer to the driver. When using the windshield mount, my gps is situated at arms legnth from the driver seat. Having it closer with the friction mount is easier on the eyes and the shoulder.

Purchased the friction mount over the telephone from a retailer in Calgary. I tried to order it from a local Radio Shack store but they never got the order right. I prefer this mount as I have had the windshield mount fall off once while I was driving. When I purchased the friction mount I tested it by going to my local shopping mall early one morning and making some very fast turns, stops, etc to verify that the mount would stay put. It did not move and would recommned this mount to anyone.

I found this mount to work very well and also pevents the chances of your car getting broken into as long as you take everything down. Leaving the window mount up even with out the gps is still enought evidence that there might be a gps in your car. I bought mine from AutoNavDirect.com, they are great.

Thanks

I use the garmin friction mount with my C340 and it works fine. Stays put most of time unless I am going over real rough road. And it is real easy to take down and hide under the seat.

Real question though is how to get the unit away from the windshield and dashboard on a hot summer day. I noticed my C340 gets real hot which cannot be good for the electronics not to mention the battery. Would like some feed back on vent or cup holder alternative mounts for the C340.

Bought this along with my 350 from Amazon. I can't get the ball to snap into the cradle on the unit (the ball on the suction mount doesn't go in either)...it's kind of like trying to stick two things together that you think are magnetic but really aren't and naturally they don't stick. Is there some trick I'm overlooking or is it not supposed to be this difficult and I possibly got a bad part? I felt like a complete idiot trying to get it in for like 10 minutes...

It must be a girl thing. I also purchased the Nuvi 350 with the friction mount from Amazon, and same result... can't get the ball from the mount into the cradle opening. Help!

lindsay... if you are returning to see any followups to your post, I was having the same problem as you. Found out that it just takes a little bit of brute force. The arm/ball from the friction mount WILL go into the cradle. Just push it HARD and it DOES snap in. karen

I have a Nuvi 350 with all the normally-supplied mounting hardware. Do I need to buy the 010-10908-00 friction mount with arm attached, or can I buy the 010-10306-00 mount without the arm, and use the arm that came with the unit?

Hi,

I have a Garmin emap for a number of years and really like it. I just upgraded to the Nuvi 200W and am looking at mounts. I am going to try the dash mount w/ adhesive for my car.

I travel a lot in rented cars so I need another mount that is portable. The friction mount seems a bit heavy for hauling around on airplanes. I'm considering the vent mount and the cup holder mount. Anyone have any experience with these? I need an "easy on easy off" type mount that's portable.

Need to purchase just the ball arm for the beanbag using nuvi650 Garmin,Does anyone know where i can purchase just the arm.
Thlanks
Alan

Will the Garmin Friction mount hold the Magellan 1200 Roadmate unit?

If you're a member of costco, you can get the streetpilot c550 bundled with the friction mount for a good deal.

The "permanent" in the permanent adhesive disk doesn't mean it's there forever, it means it wasn't meant to be taken off and reused. The temporary adhaesive disk can be tken off the dash and stuck somewhere else. Per the garmin manuals.

I have a dash mount for my Magellan and absolutely love it! I can move it from car-to-car with absolutely no problems. Since my car has aftermarket tinted windows and a black interior, I purchased a black hand towel. Now all I have to do is place the GPS on the floor & cover it with the towel. It virtually disappears!

I got this after my car was window was smashed in Cambridge, MA, presumably to look for my GPS. At that time I had my windshield mount always attached.

Now I just put the friction mount on the floor or in the glove box when I park.

Nice product, works pretty well. My GPS did fly off the dash when the drive behind me fell asleep and rear ended my car. That's understandable though.

Lindsay: We just got a Garmin 255w for xmas, and I ordered and received a beanbag friction mount for it. I may have ordered the wrong product, unless I just can't figure out how to put the pieces together. The beanbag came with no arm attached, only a "lock" button apparatus. I am trying to put the arm which came with the 255w, with suction cup on the bottom, into the beanbag friction mount, with no success. This seems like the same experience you had. Did you ever resolve that? Thanks for whatever help you can provide. Kent

Lindsay: We just got a Garmin 255w for xmas, and I ordered and received a beanbag friction mount for it. I may have ordered the wrong product, unless I just can't figure out how to put the pieces together. The beanbag came with no arm attached, only a "lock" button apparatus. I am trying to put the arm which came with the 255w, with suction cup on the bottom, into the beanbag friction mount, with no success. This seems like the same experience you had. Did you ever resolve that? Thanks for whatever help you can provide. Kent

Just purchased the portable friction mount for my Garmon 255w and I am having the same problem. Can anyone help , Is there a special arm attachment that has to be purchased separately?

Just found the answer from Amazon who sells this productSe Below

This portable friction mount requires no installation. Please note: This accessory is a replacement and does not include the entire automotive dash mount. The customer must use the mounting bracket that comes with the GPS unit to attach the portable friction mount. The Garmin Portable Friction Dashboard Mount can be used with Garmin nüvis or the StreetPilot I series.