Customer Reviews

Garmin Suction Cup Mount including speaker w/12V cable (iQue 3600 not included)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First I had bought the Auto Navigation Kit to keep my Garmin iQue 3600 on the dashboard. Any quick acceleration though and my Garmin would be on the floor, waste of money.
Then this Garmin Suction Cup Mount came out; works perfect. We just cruised 3 weeks through Italy, France and Spain in my Alfa Romeo (V6 and sport tires & suspension = good test). Did some 4,000 km of all kind of road and driving conditions, including cobblestones, curvy coastal roads and bumpy secondary and mountain roads. Not once did the suction cup mount come loose from the windshield. Also, having the car sit parked in the hot sun for hours did not do any harm to the windshield-mounted device.
The cup mount installs and is removed in seconds. Clear voice sound from the speaker with easy volume control.
Other than that, it keeps your iQue 3600 charged, which you need as the battery does not last too long.
A definite must have if you want to use your iQue 3600 for car navigation.

I purchased an IQue 3600 and I realized that I need a car adapter. So, I bought the Garmin suction cup car adapter. It works great. With a built in amplified speaker I can hear it loud and clear, and the convinience is that you can hang it any place on the glass in the cars.

This mount works very well.

The iQue 3600 clips into the cradle and is held very securely (it won't release until you press the release button on the side of the cradle.) Look at the back of your iQue and you'll see two small rectangular holes--the cradle has tabs that fit into these holes which securely lock the PDA into place. Simply place the PDA onto the cradle and rotate backwards until you feel it "click" into place. I've never had my iQue fall out.

Power is supplied to the iQue via integrated power connector on the base of the cradle (the power and speaker connect automatically when you place the PDA into the cradle.) The cradle is connected to the vehicle's power via a cigarette lighter plug. This plug, in addition to power, utilizes an integrated speaker (with volume control) which routes all sounds (and voice prompts) through it. This is very nice, although the external speaker sounds just as "tinny" as the PDA's built-in speaker.

The suction cup mount works very well. Others here have complained that their suction cup won't stick to the windshield, or that it falls off easily. I too had the same problem until I moistened the surface of the cup with a wet finger. Once moistened, the suction cup stays put! Actually, now I have a difficult time getting the suction cup to release from the windshield!

I only have two complaints about this mount:

1. It seems a bit flimsy. It's made entirely out of plastic and I can see the plastic tab for the suction cup breaking if not used carefully.

2. If you're using an external antenna, it must be connected manually to the top of the PDA. Garmin should have included some type of integrated antenna connector in the base of the PDA (and mount) so that an external antenna would connect automatically by placing the unit in the cradle.

I've traveled frequently and carry my iQue 3600. I have gone through two of these units. I replaced the first one when the plastic portion of the tip of the power port connector broke off. It looked like a case of material fatigue. However I recommend caution on inserting/removing the connector in your vehicle's power port to ensure it doesn't break its tip. Easy does it with inserting/removing the power connection. On the second unit, the cam lock (on the lever that tightens the cup up on the windshield) has worn out through use and now won't tighten up enough to create sufficient suction to hold the mount against the windshield. I tried to find a way to adjust it using a shim but have not found a good solution. An adjustment capability to compensate for normal wear on the cam would help a lot. An alternate design which uses a screw mechanism to tighten the cup up against the windshield would be a big plus because cam wear wouldn't be a factor. Other observations are that on rental cars they often swipe the inside of the windshield with a cleaner that leaves a soap film residue which prevents a good suction cup seal. I usually have to wipe a spot clear to create a place where it will stick. Also in high summer heat if you've gotten the mount to stick to the windshield by moistening the inside of the cup (not much wetness is required) the heat may cause the moisture to evaporate out which then causes the mount to fall off the windshield. Finally, some windshields, for example, on the Chevy Trailblazer SUV, have a very slight curve to them that can be hard to see. So on those vehicles it can be hard to find a place to the left of the driver's vision where the mount will stick. In conclusion, I have used this windshield mount frequently and in general have had good experiences with it. It holds the iQue 3600 very securely in the holder itself. That is not an issue. However it could be improved if there was some way to get user feedback to Garmin.

I've used this mount for over a year now, and once I figured it out, I haven't a problem getting it to stick to my windshield. (Often it sticks too well.) When attaching the suction cup to the windshield, position the locking lever so that it is perpendicular to the windshield. Place the suction cup against the windshield, apply pressure with the lever still perpendicular, and while applying pressure, lock the lever. (It helps to make sure the windshield and suction cup are clean.) Using this method to apply the mount, I've have it stay on for weeks at a time and not come off until I needed to remove it. Once in a while the mount will come off in the heat, but cleaning both surfaces fixes that.

Also worth noting is the intermittent interference from my cell phone (I keep it about a foot away from the speaker and blame the cell phone for that). Otherwise this mount has worked perfectly and has been worth every penny.

I use this for my iQue 3600. Space in my vehicle is at a premium because it is a sporty model and this fits into a small space and locks securly with its suction cup locking feature. Great little item well worth the price.

I bought the iQue and this suction mount for my husband's birthday. I had a hard time deciding between the suction mount or the friction mount and am so happy I made the right choice.

I was a little concerned that the suction mount might obstruct the view out the front window but that has not been a problem at all. The mount has several joints and is very adjustable for any angle of windshield and can be placed in any position on the windshield.

I also never really trust suction cups to remain attatched and yet this one remains securely attatched on any window we have tried, including both of our own cars and in a rental. The suction cup is not just a straight lick it and smack on the window type. It has a lever thing that you fold down after pressing the suction cup to the window. The lever pulls the suction cup forming a tight seal.

The speaker is attached to jack part of charger that you plug into your cigarette lighter/outlet. Since ours is right above one of our cupholders, this slightly obscures the cup holder making it a little akward to use. It does fold some but not enough to completely clear the cupholder. Still this is a very small price to pay.

The speaker works great. It is hard to hear the iQue even at full volume over the traffic but when plugged into the charger/speaker it is plenty loud enough and we actually turn the speaker down.

Buying a car charger for the iQue makes it truely useful and choosing the suction mount turned out to be the perfect choice.

I like the suction cup mounted to the side window so the GPS screen is right above my field of vision to the side view mirror. Even though I need an accessory extension cord to drape the power cable over the steering column, I like not having the dash cluttered and my view of the road obstructed.

I saw the other reviews of the suction cup not adhering, and also the one reviewer with the tip of how to overcome that problem. I found the same result. If the suction cup is attached and removed a lot (like with my switching vehicles twice a day, so I switch sometimes more than four times a day) the device gets 'broken in' and loosens up. I have found that now it's possible to make it suck much better than it did than when it was new.

It takes two hands to do it though. Hold the mount flat against the glass, with the suction cup completely compressed. Leave the suction cup lever loose and upright through the next step. Now, with your other hand, use your index finger and thumb to push the suction cup's lever toward the glass. Keeping the pressure with your thumb and index finger, push the lever down now. You can let go now, and if you have mastered the action without being too clumsy, the mount will be attached tighter than you could have imagined.

I have had trouble with the suction cup before I learned this trick, I called Garmin about it. Garmin just sent me a new one! I had the fuse burn out on another one about a year later, I called Garmin. Garmin again sent me a new one! Garmin never charged me for these services. That's why they got the five stars. Have to admit I was on hold a long time though!

I bought this to replace the flimsy beanbag type that came with the auto kit. Every time I accelerated the mount would come flying at me. I purchased this mount for a recent 2000 mile road trip with the hopes it would do better. I placed the unit to the left of my steering wheel as the cord was long enough to reach the plug and it stayed in place the entire trip. I moved the unit 2-3 times during the trip and each time it was fairly difficult to remove even after releasing the clamp. We had temperature fluctuations from mid 50's to high 90's and the suction cup held without problems. I would recommend this mount to anyone tired of having their GPS come flying at them when leaving a toll booth. One of the few cons was I would have liked to have one more axis of rotation, as it is fairly hard to have the GPS not face perpendicular to the windshield.

I had been using the dash mount auto kit ever since I purchased the Garmin iQue, and got tired of it sliding around on the dash...even with the new rubber things they have out now trying to hold it down! So, I decided to try this, and I love it! I like being able to place it in a better line of sight, which is directly under the rear-view mirror for me. It is very sturdy, and can be placed at many different angles after it is mounted to the windshield, so that it is convenient for all makes and models of vehicles.

The only problem I have, is that when the temp outside goes over 95 degrees, it sometimes loses the suction and falls to the floor...but I am so happy with it otherwise!