Nice mounting solution but need help

[daffyduck42]

Ive thought of a good place to mount my tomtom. What Im doing really(hard to explain), is using a plastic arm and sticking it to the dashboard. I tried using locktite today but it wouldnt stick.

I am going to pick up a screw tomorrow at work and screw it to the dashboard.

I would much rather use glue because at least I can clean it off if I want to remove the holder instead of having a hole.

Can anyone give me a name of a product that will 100% stick my tomtom holder to my dashboard.

By the way loctite is crap and my dad tells me car dashboards are very tricky and its hard for glue to stick to them.

He recommends the screw but Im hoping someone can recommend a better glue.

 

[canderson]

By the way loctite is crap and my dad tells me car dashboards are very tricky and its hard for glue to stick to them.

He recommends the screw but Im hoping someone can recommend a better glue.

There are far more types of Loctite material manufactured than there are letters in your "Daffyduck" handle. Using the wrong one probably won't get you the best of results. Do NOT ask me about a buddy I used to work with who assembled a carb with the wrong one -- he swapped Loctite #1 for Loctite #2 and used it to seal the top and bottom since he didn't have the right gasket. Feel for any poor SOB who tried to rebuild it after that. A hammer and chisel would have been necessary to separate the halves.

Anyway - you don't give us a clue about what your dash material is where you want to mount it, and the materials being glued really DO make a difference. For many applications, I like RTV (silicone seal / clear bathtub caulk). Sticks to almost everything, remains flexible, and can be peeled away later if necessary. Rarely if ever does any damage to plastic surfaces. If you are sticking the "disk" that comes with some TomTom models to a textured vinyl dash, RTV should do it. Just be sure to let it cure for the full 24 hours before you use it. A vertical TomTom develops a good bit of inertia when you hit the brakes.

 

[daffyduck42]

Ok, well I have a tom tom go 530. I have cut bits of my mount that came with it(the suction mount). I cut the suction bit off so Im just left with a little arm.

Im trying to stick it in my peugeot 307 at my drivers door just UNDER the air vent. I am doing it under so the arm is sticking out vertical.

Do you think it will still hold.

 

[canderson]

Ok, well I have a tom tom go 530. I have cut bits of my mount that came with it(the suction mount). I cut the suction bit off so Im just left with a little arm.

Im trying to stick it in my peugeot 307 at my drivers door just UNDER the air vent. I am doing it under so the arm is sticking out vertical.

Do you think it will still hold.

Yikes. Would sure help to have a picture of that one! Understand that the wider base created by the suction device is there to support the unit. Having just a little stub left is going to make it very difficult to mount reliably. You don't have much surface area to glue anymore and you'll have to doober up quite a bit of glue to create a stable mounting "base" to replace what you've removed. Without actually seeing what's left and where you're trying to mount it, it would be tough to give you a yes/no on your plan, but I'm not crazy about the sound of it.

At this point, you might want to consider one of the alternative mounts out there. I'm no expert on the Arkon and similar devices, but we've got folks here who have used them all and with luck, they'll pipe up.

Meanwhile, if you've got a way to link us to a photo...

 

[mikealder]

Have a look at the x30 Carcomm mount coupled to a Brodit Pro-Clip, this will provide a quality solution, trying to glue a mount to the car isn't a very good idea for a number of reasons.
The extreams of temperature and humidity plus vibration is a very hostile enviroment, if the unit falls off while at speed it could even lead to a crash as you attempt to catch the Nav unit - Mike

 

[canderson]

The extreams of temperature and humidity plus vibration is a very hostile enviroment, if the unit falls off while at speed it could even lead to a crash as you attempt to catch the Nav unit - Mike

While I doubt it or any other glue will work in his case now, you just described the environment for which General Electric invented and developed the original line of "RTV" (Room Temperature Vulcanization) products (AKA Silicone Seal) -- gas turbine generators! Temperature variation and vibration were the two killers for everything they'd previously. Can't beat a thin layer for old automotive water pump gaskets.

I've had problems with other suction type mounts on glass, and found a good RTV sealant not only holds exceptionally well, but scrapes off easily if you ever need to get rid of it. If I were of a mind to stick a stock TT mount to my windshield, I wouldn't hesitate to use it.