Home made air vent mount for TT One

[andygrunt]

I haven't been monitoring this forum for quite a while so sorry if this kind of thing has been covered before...


I've been using my TomTom One (original version) happily for some time now but one thing has always bugged me.

As effective as the supplied windscreen suction stand is, it's not perfect. It's comparatively bulky, can be awkward to use and leaves a mark on the windscreen which can attract thieves (and is difficult to completely remove each time). There's the 'Brodit clip' alternative but for my car (Hyundai Coupe) it would have to go down in the passenger footwell - far from ideal (possibly even dangerous) for a Sat/Nav.

What I've always wanted is a small mount that would clip into the air vent but after searching, such a thing doesn't seem to exist. Well, there are possibilities such as the alternative mounting kit but it would be an expensive gamble for me to buy one of these as I can't be sure it would fit my cars non standard air vents.

So, the other day I decided to have a go at making one. To cut a long story short, I succeeded and it turned out to be pretty easy and cheap to make. It consists of a few nuts and bolts, angle braces and tap washers all bought for around a tenner at my local B&Q (a UK DIY shop) and for that, you get enough spares to make a second. The magic ingredient are two strong 'bulldog' clips bought at WH Smiths which attach to the air vent. It's adjustable (in-car, without tools) in two axies. I even managed to construct it in such a way that doesn't harm the original holder so I can still use that if I need to. Also, the only tools needed were a screwdriver, small spanner and a craft knife. It doesn't even look too bad (well, in the eye of this beholder anyway). I'd also imagine it has the added benefit of helping cool the TT1 in hot weather but haven't had a chance to test that yet. It works perfectly as it is but there are a few tweaks I'd like to make, mainly to make it even more adjustable - I can feel another trip to B&Q coming on...

Photos of it can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/andygrunt/AirVentHolderForTomTomOne

If anyone's interested in making one of their own and need more details, let me know and I'll write up some more information on what's needed and maybe do a few more detailed photos.

[towny]

Looks great I will give it a go, Many thanks.

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