Well our Brodit satnav mount arrived, so I thought I would post some pictures of it in case anyone is interested.

The mount in place:

With the unit in place:

Driver's view:

Detail of mounting:

If you are unfamiliar with Brodit mounts, you buy the "car" mount (the bit with the flat plate) and the bit for your gadget. The "gadget" part then screws onto the flat plate on the car mount. In this case, the satnav mount is the "ball" part of the swivel mount on a short pillar and flange. The collar and satnav mount is the one that came with the satnav with the suction part removed. The mounts are quite expensive but they seem well engineered and good quality - I've had them in both my X-Type and our Beetle.

I've not sorted out the power yet as the internal battery should be good enough for most journeys.

Mark

It looks very interesting. How does the collar part fix to the A pillar? Is it just a clamp or is it screwed on? I am just wondering it all very easy to remove at the end of a journey.

It looks very interesting. How does the collar part fix to the A pillar? Is it just a clamp or is it screwed on? I am just wondering is it all very easy to remove at the end of a journey.

No, it's designed to stay in place, so if you are worried about someone thinking you've left your satnav in the glovebox, then a suction mount and a cloth are a better option. However with the mount in place, it is much easier just to slip the satnav in your pocket or handbag than it would be with a suction mount attached. The wide C-shaped piece snaps over the A-pillar moulding (which is quite rigid) and there are adhesive strips as a backup.

The last time I had a car broken into, they were oblivious both of the alarm (which had a warning printed on the glass - it was a Volvo 480) and the fact there was absolutely nothing of value on show. I'm sure they enjoyed the two Vivaldi and Bach cassettes they took from the glove box...

The fitting instructions (in Swinglish) are here http://www.brodit.com/?main=productinformation.jsp&anr=604395 - the rubber strip referred to is the one along the door edge of the A-pillar. They also do one that mounts over the centre dash vents, or one for the passenger side of the centre console.

It is a moot point for me, as I have the Columbus, but how does the mount on the A-Pillar not interfere with the airbag in the pillar?

Do you first get a bump upon the head from the satnav, and then get saved by the airbag proper?

Inquiring minds etc.........

Edited 27 February, 201016 yr by Agerbundsen

It is a moot point for me, as I have the Columbus, but how does the mount on the A-Pillar not interfere with the airbag in the pillar?

Do you first get a bump upon the head from the satnav, and then get saved by the airbag proper?

Inquiring minds etc.........

Looking at the manual, the head airbags are above the doors in the Yeti, rather than in the A-pillars like in my XF. But anyway, the A-pillar mouldings are hard plastic and would probably give you just as much of a headache as a flying satnav!

Interestingly, Brodit only do a console mount for the XF - whether this is due to the airbags (and the rotating vents) or due to limited demand (all XFs have built-in satnav) I don't know. It could also be due to the steep rake of the XF's A-pillars.

Edited 27 February, 201016 yr by mbrock

It is a moot point for me, as I have the Columbus, but how does the mount on the A-Pillar not interfere with the airbag in the pillar?

Do you first get a bump upon the head from the satnav, and then get saved by the airbag proper?

Inquiring minds etc.........

My thoughts as well. The head airbag does discharge from the top of the trim but the whole pillar trim does break open along its length in order for this to happen. I am sure that the developers of this product will have done their research though although I would want to see some evidence before I bought one. Looks like a good product though......

Seems to me that the airbag section goes down to about a quarter of the A pillar. No doubt the A pillar cover will be snaped off during head airbag deployment taking with it the brodit holder, but I don't think there's a question of some kind of dangerous intereference from the holder.

By the way, you could tap into some 12v power for your portable nav unit from the nearby fuse box. Would be easy to funnel the wire around the trim and splice into a power and ground wire and have permanent (ignition on) power to your unit.

Great pictures - where did you get them from ?

Have you got one showing how the trim around the radio affixes (will be needing to take mine off soon) ?

Great pics.

I would be interested to know how to disassemble the cover pillar. From the pictures I think are fitted to the two clips . Right?

We are using the Garmin Friction Mount

Review and photos Garmin Friction Mount

Could not get the adhesive metal mounting disc off the dashboard of the Superb when we sold it and reluctant to buy replacement and spoil dash of new Yeti

Sat nav mounting disc

The friction mount fits nicely in the centre dashboard tray and stores in the glove box when not in use.

Edited 2 March, 201016 yr by Y4YETI

I use a cheap holder (found on ebay) for the satnav. It grips into the ventilation grille. I slide the satnav very easily up to remove it, letting a discrete little base only when i am out of the car.

Edited 2 March, 201016 yr by ikons

I have used one of these, Nav Mat, for the last 12 months and it works brilliantly. It has never once slid or moved around and when I reach the end of a journey I put it in the glove compartment so no thief can see that a satnav may be in the car. I don't have my Yeti yet so I have not worked out where it would go on the dash but as long as there is a relatively flat spot as some point, it does not need to be perfect, it will work. You can get these at a number of sources, not just this link, but I would recommend them, they are excellent.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NAV-MAT-NAVIGATION-Association-Initiative-Specification/dp/B001E2SVMC

This is similar in style to the friction mount mentioned above. Both would work equally well.

Edited 3 March, 201016 yr by Harvey1512

I looked at the possibility of using a clip on device as suggested by Ikons.

From experience with clip on car fresheners preventing air vents from operating properly I decided against clip system on sat nav mounts.

Seen good reviews of the products as linked by Harvey but I chose the Garmin model because I have a Garmin sat nav. The reviews for the model that I purchased were outstanding (and you can still get them) but there has been slight criticism of the latest release that has been reduced in size - consequently it is not quite so efficient.

Of course we would not be having these problems if Skoda included sat nav at a reasonable price where not provided free.

How can they justify £1,435 for the Columbus sat nav?

From discussion on AV Forum - "Honestly, I'm amazed anyone spends £1000+ on OEM satnav, when a £200 tomtom/Garmin will whip it."

Edited 3 March, 201016 yr by Y4YETI

Y4YETI - I quite agree about in built satnavs, they are a nonsense price. If they were a more reasonable price I would go for one but it is just stupid.

I also have a Garmin, a very old Streetpilot i3, which I use on the Nav Mat. The type of Sat Nav does not really matter as long as it can stand on a suction mount. I do like the clip on the Friction Mount you have as that avoids the suction mount falling off but I got my mat on a very cheap deal, not seen since, and so it was worth it. I find that once the sucker has stuck on it does not come off but it can take a couple of goes for it to happen.

It is much better than sticking the sucker onto a windscreen as the vibrations do not come through the mat and shake the satnav off. I was forever driving before and have the satnav fly off the screen and into the passenger seat.

In car Sat navs are insane prices but then ICE upgrades tend to be silly prices as well from motor manufacturers. They must make a huge profit ebvery time they sell one.

Personally to mount my Sat nav I bent a strip of aluminium 90 degrees and then stuck the 'stick on disc' Garmin provide to it. I then wedge the home made bracket in the gap between the trim and the top of the stereo unit in my Octavia. The aluminium holder only goes in 10mm or so and doesn't damage anything. There is a piece of foam stuck to the back to prevent vibration. So my Sat nav mount was free. The Sat nav windscreen mount then sticks to the disc on the holder. The mount is very easy to remove and leaves no sign of a Sat Nav in the car.

As well as not leaving marks on the windscreen it has the advantage of placing the Sat Nav close to the driver so it's easy to see and operate.

i believe some of the professional mounts such as the Brodit ones fit in the same way.

Edited 3 March, 201016 yr by BillScarab

Another use for WD40?

Could the reason for sat navs with suction cups flying off metal plates be due to water evaporating and residual deposits expanding and breaking the seal?

After cleaning the base plate and lubricating with WD40 the re-attached sat nav suction cup stayed put!

Anyone else tried this and what are your thoughts.

I certainly prefer the screen level position of stand alone sat navs to the low position of some built in systems that divert attention from the road ahead.

Edited 3 March, 201016 yr by Y4YETI

Just a thought, but do Brodit or Dashmount produce a 'no holes' dash mount for the Yeti yet? Might be worth checking...

www.handnav.co.uk are a good reseller for Brodit and www.dashmount.co.uk is self-explanatory

Steve

I certainly prefer the screen level position of stand alone sat navs to the low position of some built in systems that divert attention from the road ahead.

The better built-in ones give you a repeat of next turn etc in the maxidot area when navigating.

I'm looking for a mount for my phone.

Mbrock - Why did you choose the A pillar mount against the airvent or the "radio" option? Was this a recommendation from Brodit or your own choice?

I am considering the mount that slips between the radio and the trim but wondered if there was a good reason to avoid this mount?

Alternative to a fixed mount - anyone tried this system? Easy to remove and no tell tale signs.

The website's testimonials are all good but ?????

http://www.navmat.co.uk/shop/product.asp?P_ID=121

Bassa - I have one of these and they do work as described. They are excellent & I thoroughly recommend them. This is not the only source so I am not trying to sell on behalf of the site.

Bassa - I have one of these and they do work as described. They are excellent & I thoroughly recommend them. This is not the only source so I am not trying to sell on behalf of the site.

Thanks for that Harvey, I shall now order one. I'm always a bit suspicious of testimonials when they are all glowing and with no negatives.

Bassa, I am with you. You almost need to see one bad review to believe them. I have had one of these for a year and a half now and it has never once moved a single millimetre on my dashboard. I keep it hidden in my glove box and bring it out when needed so would be thieves have no idea that a satnav is in the car. If I lost this, I am not sure how i would manage that, I would definitely get another one.

Has anyone had any experience of fitting the Brodit Proclip using their gap opener tool? The join between the radio and the trim seems very tight but this is where Brodit claim their clip fits. Any experiences would be welcome.