Greavous
Android Enthusiast
Taking credit for this would be just wrong so first thing to do is acknowledge the thread started by hngu7721 where he adapted a mount using parts from a couple existing mounts. Here is his thread http://androidforums.com/accessories-droid-x/139794-custom-tetrax-garmin-car-mount.html#post1294517
In his thread I suggested he use a heat gun to soften the plastic clip which would allow it to be reshaped so the clip would actually secure the phone.
http://androidforums.com/1294206-post10.html
So, not having two mounts to make one out of I got on Ebay and started looking around for donor parts. It wasnt a long search because once i searched "Garmin car mount" I came up with many many hits and they were CHEAP! These mounts are practically identical to the actual mount you get with Nuvi GPS units and I gave one to the g/f for xmas this past year that I compared it to.
I opted to go with a US seller as I dont care to wait weeks for items to arrive from Hong Kong. The unit I purchased was about $9 shipped. However, if you dont mind waiting for the Hong Kong express to arrive you can buy this mount for $1 and a couple bucks shipping (under $4 total).
Example
FOR Garmin Nuvi 265WT 270 275 275T 465T GPS CAR MOUNT - eBay (item 270611662520 end time Aug-21-10 21:23:43 PDT)
This is the guy I ordered from. The part was here in two days!
Garmin Nuvi 260 265 265wt 285wt 465t Car Suction Mount - eBay (item 160430928218 end time Aug-31-10 19:16:40 PDT)
What I got was this. It has a quality suction cup with a lever and a nice tight ball joint. The Garmin Nuvi that we have has zero shake or vibration and neither does the mount I received.
In order to make this firmly secure your DroidX you need to modify the open width of the clip so it has to be spread open a bit to receive the phone.
Here is a pic of the DX without a case. As you can see it comes far from contacting the phone or holding anything.
In this How-to, Im using a BodyGlove case which adds a fair amount of bulk to the size. The g/f has a DX as well and her phone lives in much thinner silicone one piece case. The approach with either case or even no case is to use a heat gun/hair dryer or other heat source to soften the plastic just enough to allow the business end(s) of the clip to be bent inward. With a heat gun this took about 30 seconds of warming and a slight amount of thumb pressure when the plastic became soft. Once you bend/flex the clip remove the heat and hold it in place until it cools. Once cool, it will retain its new orientation. With my phone case I only moved the bottom (wide) part in about 1/4". With a thinner case or no case I would recommend that both the top and bottom be heated and relocated but do this one end at a time with a test fitting before you do the other end.
I took some general pictures along the way to help illustrate how easy this was.
This shot is of how the part came to me. Noted on the picture is where I heated and bent the clip inward. The tape measure is there to show before and after open width of the clip.
After heating and bending the bottom of the clip. Remember, I have a thick case. Doing both ends equally will be needed for thin or no case situations. As you can see, I didnt change much at all. Just closed the gap about a 1/4".
My tool of choice was a heat gun. I cant stress enough that I only HEATED the plastic. I DID NOT melt it anywhere. You cannot see anywhere on the clip that it has been altered. If you melt yours down to a goo pile it's your fault for not following directions, not mine!
Here it is in the modified mount.
And here it is in my 300zx
In his thread I suggested he use a heat gun to soften the plastic clip which would allow it to be reshaped so the clip would actually secure the phone.
http://androidforums.com/1294206-post10.html
So, not having two mounts to make one out of I got on Ebay and started looking around for donor parts. It wasnt a long search because once i searched "Garmin car mount" I came up with many many hits and they were CHEAP! These mounts are practically identical to the actual mount you get with Nuvi GPS units and I gave one to the g/f for xmas this past year that I compared it to.
I opted to go with a US seller as I dont care to wait weeks for items to arrive from Hong Kong. The unit I purchased was about $9 shipped. However, if you dont mind waiting for the Hong Kong express to arrive you can buy this mount for $1 and a couple bucks shipping (under $4 total).
Example
This is the guy I ordered from. The part was here in two days!
What I got was this. It has a quality suction cup with a lever and a nice tight ball joint. The Garmin Nuvi that we have has zero shake or vibration and neither does the mount I received.
In order to make this firmly secure your DroidX you need to modify the open width of the clip so it has to be spread open a bit to receive the phone.
Here is a pic of the DX without a case. As you can see it comes far from contacting the phone or holding anything.
In this How-to, Im using a BodyGlove case which adds a fair amount of bulk to the size. The g/f has a DX as well and her phone lives in much thinner silicone one piece case. The approach with either case or even no case is to use a heat gun/hair dryer or other heat source to soften the plastic just enough to allow the business end(s) of the clip to be bent inward. With a heat gun this took about 30 seconds of warming and a slight amount of thumb pressure when the plastic became soft. Once you bend/flex the clip remove the heat and hold it in place until it cools. Once cool, it will retain its new orientation. With my phone case I only moved the bottom (wide) part in about 1/4". With a thinner case or no case I would recommend that both the top and bottom be heated and relocated but do this one end at a time with a test fitting before you do the other end.
I took some general pictures along the way to help illustrate how easy this was.
This shot is of how the part came to me. Noted on the picture is where I heated and bent the clip inward. The tape measure is there to show before and after open width of the clip.
After heating and bending the bottom of the clip. Remember, I have a thick case. Doing both ends equally will be needed for thin or no case situations. As you can see, I didnt change much at all. Just closed the gap about a 1/4".
My tool of choice was a heat gun. I cant stress enough that I only HEATED the plastic. I DID NOT melt it anywhere. You cannot see anywhere on the clip that it has been altered. If you melt yours down to a goo pile it's your fault for not following directions, not mine!
Here it is in the modified mount.
And here it is in my 300zx
The wife did leave a tiny bit on that I removed, and it has stayed securely on since then, so I'm happy. BTW our second one arrived yesterday for my van.
