Garmin power plug is just a bit too small for glove box power port

[jim515]

I have a car Garmin nüvi® 2597LMT that I use on my bike (with a clear baggie and rubber band kept close in case of weather, all objections to this will be entertained at a later date).

The power plug for this and another Garmin I have are both just a hair small for the power port in the glovebox. This results with them vibrating out, the Garmin goes to battery and then dies usually at the most inopportune time, see Murphy's or Sod's Law.

I have tried to add thickness with electric tape. I have grabbed wood coffee stirrers and jammed it in when on a trip. I have applied a fair amount of cursing. I tried to find an adapter for the plug and only can locate ones that take it to a BMW plug size, not the reduced few mm I need. The size difference is about 1mm per my calipers.

Does anyone else have this issue and have solved it?

My current thought is can the USB plug pump out enough juice to keep it charged? I would lose the benefit of the antenna in the plug that picks up traffic information.

-Jim

[GavJ]

I had same problem with my previous Garmin, not ideal but I cut a car wash sponge to size and stuffed it in to put pressure on the plug. My plug corroded after some time? (before I get asked, it was a dry sponge  ) Don't know why but now have a motorcycle Garmin hard wired in.

[karl]

I bought a USB adapter that plugged into the power point in the topcase.  It is also too loose to hold it in place.

[Xsv]

Originally Posted by karl

I bought a USB adapter that plugged into the power point in the topcase.  It is also too loose to hold it in place.

I tried using rubber bands or electrical tape to tighten up that connection so that it was solid. Always plug my phone in my top case ,by the time I arrived at my destination it wasn’t charged because the plug had vibrated loose.

 This was a much better solution.

https://www.triumph-trophy.com/index.php/topic,6108.msg75680.html#msg75680

[1675]

My top box charging port was a loose fit on my plug as well allowing it to come loose. (Not sure if it is the same size as the one in the glove box) I made up a brass sleeve on the lathe which took up the slack. Don't deem to be able to attach a picture

[trophied]

If you can find a TomTom power cable with Mini USB instead of Micro USB it may work better.  My TomTom lighter plug fits the top case socket very tight and doesn't feel like it would ever vibrate loose.  It looks to have two springs on the side of the plug that are twice as wide and stronger than any of the other lighter plug charge cables I have hanging around.  I'll plug it in back there while I'm out some time and let you know if it stays secure.  Might be an option for some that need to use that plug, but I don't know if you can get it in a Mini USB that Garmin uses (at least all those that I've had).

[Jeffb]

I had this exact situation, using a Nuvi 2597, on another bike.  I stumbled across a solution by accident, and it probably isn't one you want to do, but....  In addition to my Garmin, I wanted to run a handheld CB, so I added another power port. The way the bike was set up, it made more sense to plug the Garmin into the new outlet. It never came loose again. It was just a replacement outlet I bought at Meijers (big box store for those unfamiliar)I don't use it for the same purpose, but I have wired in an extra power port on the Trophy, and have it behind one of the fairing mirrors.  You can also try looping a rubber band around itself with the plug caught in-between. The rubber band can hold the two pieces together with pressure. By-the-way, I covered every outlet on my 2597 with electrical tape, which made it "waterproof."    It was behind a fairing, but went through quite a few downpours and kept working.