Hello everyone,
Has anyone bought and used the official BMW portable navigation system and have it installed?

I believe its made by garmin.

I wasn't even aware that BMW had come out with a portable navigation system. My wife has a Garmin Nuvi 660. It works great.

I wasn't even aware that BMW had come out with a portable navigation system. My wife has a Garmin Nuvi 660. It works great.

I wasn't aware they have a portable either and I plan on getting the Garmin Nuvi 660 soon!

http://www8.garmin.com/products/BMW/

Ah Ha. Found it.

There are a couple of them available it looks like
http://64.225.94.154/ShopSite/page104.html

I have the Nuvi 360 portable GPS and it's very good. I am looking forward in getting the mount for it.

hmmmm.....I have a 660 and love it, but have yet to find a mounting device I really like. That link mentions a permanent mount on or near the steering column. Anyone have photos??

the other option I was considering is the Mount Guys vent clip:

http://www.mountguys.com/product_p/mfx47-nuvi660.htm

the BMW one is basically a Garmin 360 with a logo on it. The mount requires holes in the dash I believe. Only way to hide the wire. I have a 350 and it works very well. You can replace the splash screen with a BMW logo and it looks kinda oem.

I came up with a flat plastic mount that slides between the bottom of the trim and the dash under the center vents. I put the stick on suction disc that comes with it on that, then the suction mount to it. Pretty clean and it just pops out and goes in the glove box.

If it is not too much trouble, can you please post a photo of your GPS mount? Thanks in advance.

I came up with a flat plastic mount that slides between the bottom of the trim and the dash under the center vents. I put the stick on suction disc that comes with it on that, then the suction mount to it. Pretty clean and it just pops out and goes in the glove box.

sorry about the picture quality.

Nice!! ^^^^^

Where did u pick up that plastic? Home Depot?

I was always wondering about those vent mounts, especially if you live in hot weather area. Just curious if the constant a/c hitting your GPS is a good idea? Or vise versa during the winter months with hot/warm air hitting directly on the equipment. I guess depending on your car, you could possibly turn off that particular vent.

sorry about the picture quality.

Sorry I did not get a chance to see your photo. Can you please post it again? Thanks.

I don't know what happened to the pictures! Here they are again.

Yes, the plastic was just some I had lying around. I traced the shape around the glue on circle the unit comes with, then the suction just sticks to that. You have to make the plastic thin enough that it fits between without distorting the dash material.

Thank you very much for posting the pictures. I have another small flavor to ask. Can you please post the background screen (The BMW logo) on here so I can use it on my GPS too? I will give you the credit everytime someone asks me about it :)

I don't know what happened to the pictures! Here they are again.

Yes, the plastic was just some I had lying around. I traced the shape around the glue on circle the unit comes with, then the suction just sticks to that. You have to make the plastic thin enough that it fits between without distorting the dash material.
Nice work, only problem is once you remove/stowaway the GPS, the mount is still visible and that is enough for thieves to smash and grab even if nothing is in the car to grab. The vent mount is probably the best from a security standpoint since it is fully detachable, but it does block the vents.
TBH, I like the 1 series OEM in dash unit design, it pops up from the top instead of the 2nd hump on the 3/5 series.

It looks awkward to me. I'd rather us a phone GPS. I have one from work. The only thing is the voice prompt is hard to hear (even on speaker phone). I tried to connect the bluetooth to see if the voice worked over the speakers but no luck. I have my XM radio mounted via a vent mount left of the steering wheel. Works great and out of the way. Only draw back is it blocks the air.

the entire mount slides out as one with the unit and goes in the glovebox. Nothing visible, no circle of schmeg on the windshield.

the entire mount slides out as one with the unit and goes in the glovebox. Nothing visible, no circle of schmeg on the windshield.

That's why I am more favored towards your design. By the way, how thick was the piece of plastic that you used to mount the suction cup onto?

its about 1/8" but I ground it down where it slides between the trim and the dash to about 1/16th.

I think this is the logo I used....but many others available on google images

the BMW one is basically a Garmin 360 with a logo on it. The mount requires holes in the dash I believe. Only way to hide the wire. I have a 350 and it works very well. You can replace the splash screen with a BMW logo and it looks kinda oem.

I came up with a flat plastic mount that slides between the bottom of the trim and the dash under the center vents. I put the stick on suction disc that comes with it on that, then the suction mount to it. Pretty clean and it just pops out and goes in the glove box.

Nope! The Garmin series of GPSs has a dash mount that applies with an adhesive. Its basically a flat piece with a locking lever and the unit slides right in.

yes but the power wiring goes where? I think the hardware goes into the dash via a drilled hole.

I would really like to see a dealer installed garmin. The web page mentions that it is placed near the steering column, yet the cover of the owners manual depicts it as installed on the dash. Does anyone have the BMW p/n?

I used that logo for my GPS. It looks very good. Thank you very much, cwoodffr. You are awesome.

based on the photo of the installation kit from here(http://64.225.94.154/ShopSite/page104.html), it looks like there are 3 screws and the cables link to a power box and then the wires are connected to the fuse box. I hope someone here can verify that.

Has anyone heard of a Navigon 7100 Portable GPS? I heard the graphics blow the Nuvi right out of the water.

Thanks to everyone that replied.
For those that may be interested, I just spoke with my dealer about the BMW Portable GPS and yes, they do have to drill holes on the dash to have the unit installed. Im in the DFW area and the total cost including installation is $995 + tax.

Thanks to everyone that replied.
For those that may be interested, I just spoke with my dealer about the BMW Portable GPS and yes, they do have to drill holes on the dash to have the unit installed. Im in the DFW area and the total cost including installation is $995 + tax.
Not worth it IMO plus is someone breaks in to grab your navigation device, you'll end up with a broken window and a hole in the dash.

Yes I agree, the only neat thing was how clean the installation looks. Still looking for an installation method for a portable GPS that looks decent.

I have a 660 and I love it !! I didn't like I-Drive so I passed on the navagation package and picked up a Garmin 660.


I wasn't even aware that BMW had come out with a portable navigation system. My wife has a Garmin Nuvi 660. It works great.

That's a terrifc idea. I put mine on the very left side of the window but your idea is very nice !!! Thanks for posting it !!!

I don't know what happened to the pictures! Here they are again.

Yes, the plastic was just some I had lying around. I traced the shape around the glue on circle the unit comes with, then the suction just sticks to that. You have to make the plastic thin enough that it fits between without distorting the dash material.

I was mounting on the left as well but found that half the time the suction would fail and it would be on the floor. Plus I didn't like it in my sight lines. This way there is no trace of it and it mounts in 2 seconds.