Finally broke down and drilled a hole in one of the "dummy" switches:

 

It looks good, great idea.

 

Well... that will work.

 

Looks good

 

I like it .

 

seems like you'd have to look down to see the screen, but i guess the factory nav is even lower so...

 

OoOoOOoooO good idea i like it

 

dude WOW!! how did you do that??

 

whats that nipple thing?

 

lol @ nipple thing haha.

i think its a screw

 

AHHH nice

w209 ****

 

LOL

 

pretty nice idea...paint the screw black and I think the install would "disappear" how about a quick write up on how you did this... could be a good option for iPhone

 

Hey sorry I didn't see all the responses and this question! I guess that "There may also be other replies, but you will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again" is really true!

If you're really asking what the ball mount is, as opposed to the screw in it that does look nipple-like, it's a Garmin accessory, Item #: 010-10969-00, that was $5.

I had bought it make a really ghetto removable mount for the cupholder that I posted HERE. That spot was a pain in the butt, so I would just rest it on the open ashtray, which was fine unless I drove like an idiot, which I do often. I'm not a fan of mounting on the windshield, as I find that blocks my view of the road, which I think is a more important view. You gotta look down for everything else, like speedometer, radio, clock, etc, so why not glance down a little at the GPS? Like kevblah said, the COMAND would be lower. Plus, it's not like I stare at it while driving, lol.

As for how I did it, I followed Andy's instructions for removing the whole wood trim piece above the HU, then easily figured out how to get the switches out and drilled a 1/4" hole thru for the screw. Holding the nut with a roachclip while tightening the screw was the hardest part. Then, the second or third time I yanked the GPS off the blank switch came right of with it, which would've been a much easier install! Now I tend to leave part of the GPS mounting bracket to the ball, which ends up being able to hold my ipod, which I had re-routed the cable for thru the ashtray:

 

ok you owe me a beer cus u using my instruction lol. Now question, do you think that will hold the iphone or the ipod touch also ? If so, i might do that too. Where can i find that " Item #: 010-10969-00, that was $5. " ? What else do i need to ? Ok once you answer all these question you dont owe me anything

 

dude, I'd buy you a case if you were local and brought your steady hands and exacto knife, plus a roll of that CF wrap!

 

LOL...I thought you already wrapped your ?

 

no, I've still got wood (haha) showing in the photo above. I was waiting to see what was involved in removing the door parts, but I don't think I have the steady hands and attention to detail to get it right.

 

I got a Garmin 3790LMT GPS instead of installing a comand navigator.

Garmin sells a lumpy looking bean bag dashboard host. Tom Tom
sells a flatter plainer on that I got. It works fine unless I am backing
down a steep driveway, and then it lands in my lap. It's called a
"universal dashboard mount."