Where to stick TomTom

[Mishkyn]

I have searched for info on this topic but cannot seem to find an answer: where on the windshield do you feel it is best to mount/stick the Tomtom for the easiest and safest use?

I also worry about it mounted and slanted out to read as it takes so much pressure to ask for information or make a change that I am afraid I will loosen the connection in no time.

Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Mishkyn

 

[dhn]

Moved to relevant forum.

It's a personal decision. Some like it up at the roof liner to protect against sun glare. Others might prefer it in the middle on the bottom of the windshield. Even others keep it on the left lower part of the windshield.

If the connection is made properly for the mount, just tapping the screen shouldn't loosen the unit.

 

[Mishkyn]

Thanks, DHN, for answering so quickly.

M

 

[canderson]

Some of us don't use the windshield at all. Check to see if lower parts of your dash have smooth enough areas to use as well. Reception down low has always been fine for me, too.

 

[Mishkyn]

Thanks, that is a great solution I never would have thought of.

Mishkyn

 

[canderson]

I've had as many as three going at once in a comparo test, but only the two on the outsides were actually "mounted". There are also alternative 3rd party mounts available if you don't have any flat wrap area on the dash
. http://www.arkon.com/tomtom_gps_alternative_mount.php

 

[- et -]

I've had as many as three going at once in a comparo test, but only the two on the outsides were actually "mounted". There are also alternative 3rd party mounts available if you don't have any flat wrap area on the dash
. http://www.arkon.com/tomtom_gps_alternative_mount.php

Personally, I ended up with a third-party mount that slips into the cup-holder of my car, for reasons that I'll outline below. This works very well in my car and in my wife's car, and I've been very pleased with it. However, it would be a terrible choice for my son's car, as the cup-holder in his car is in the center console, behind the shift lever and almost at his elbow.

I went with this mount for my car because of several factors. Attempting to mount on the windshield would put the GPS so far away that I could not reach it without leaning far forward - definitely very inconvenient. The dash of my car has a shape that also forces me to mount the GPS too far away if mounted securely on the dash. I considered the mounts that attach to the grill in the air vents, but the grills in my car look rather wimpy, so I decided against that choice. Fortunately, in the two cars that I am likely to be driving, the cup holders are in a very convenient location, and several companies offer mounts that use the cup holder.

Bottom line - I don't think that there is a "one size fits all" choice that would be good for everyone. Look at what's available and use what works best for you.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

 

[Mishkyn]

Began using the TomTom today and realized my windshield is at a far slant and I wonder if the sticky side will adhere to the dash or do I need to buy something else to handle that?

Thanks, everyone for all your creative and kind answers.
Mishkyn

 

[canderson]

It's a VERY rare (and typically very OLD) dash that is smooth enough to get a suction cup to stick. There are adhesive disks that you can mount to surfaces that the cup will stick to, but I have no personal experience with what happens should you eventually want to remove the disk from the dash surface.

 

[Andy_P]

If you can't use the windscreen, other alternatives are the (already mentioned) disk stuck somewhere for the suction cup to stick to, or completely different mounts can be bought that fix to the air vent vanes or on brackets that wedge between panels on the dash.
Brodit and Carcom are two good makers of alternative mounts.

 

[Mishkyn]

Thanks all, for your kind and generous help. You are right, Canderson, who knows what the dash might look like post suction. And why bother when there are bean bag type mounts.

I was hoping to avoid buying another "thing" since you sometimes buy the wrong thing and then...well, we've all been there. But from all your guidance, I think the bag mount will work fine.

 

[adidas1124]

ProClip Dash Mount

 

[canderson]

Take a LONG look at how that mount on the 55 works before you consider going to a bean bag. Some of the device mounts really don't lend themselves to bean bags very well. Haven't seen a Start 40/45/50/55 yet, but it might not work out as well as you hope.

 

[Andy_P]

It should be fine Chris.
I've got a Start 60 here (I think the 40-55 will be very similar) and the Easyport mount will swivel to sit on a flat surface OK, and the device ends up about a centimetre in front of and above the front edge of the sucker.

It even automatically flips the screen display up the other way for you.

 

[Chris__M]

I was looking for something suitable for a while - I actually bought a cup mount, but didn't like the position it placed the GPS.

In the end I bought a very cheap little thing from Halfords. It is basically a shiny black plastic disk, about 10% larger than the average suction mount. You stick it to a suitably flat part of your dash (it is self-adhesive on the back), and it provides a smooth surface for the suction mount to hold onto.

This means the suction mount can be removed easily, and what is left behind is this anonymous black disk on your dash, which really doesn't look out of place (depending in where you stick it, of course!).

I've been using it for months, without any problems, and it cost me a couple of quid, I think. When in place, the GPS is solid as anything, as it is standing on the suction cup, rather than hanging from it.

 

[canderson]

@Chris_M
I had mentioned that earlier, but am never sure what will happen to the dash if the disk is later removed.

 

[Chris__M]

Ah, I see now what you meant - I thought you were talking about the adhesive disks you can buy that actually glue the suction cup to the dash, as opposed to the flat plastic disk that the suction cup clings to.

My instructions suggested that the disk could be removed with the application of a hairdryer on high to soften the adhesive, and then a suitable solvent to remove any adhesive residue.

 

[canderson]

And there's the rub ... applying any solvent that will remove any typical adhesive is probably inappropriate for application to the plastic of a dash. I don't doubt that the disk can be removed .. it's what happens to the dash in the end. Oddly, WD-40 may be one of the few things that works that won't do much damage.

 

[Mishkyn]

Chris-M, the cheap plastic disk you said you bought from Halfords, well, one of those came with my TomTom 55. I did not know what it was for, but thanks to your reply, I do now.

Too bad I just ordered a bean bag! Well, we'll see what works better. Perhaps the disk can be used on the bean bag and the TomTom on top of that---depending on what the "sticking" surface of the bean bag is like.

Thanks again, everyone for even more great ideas.
Mishkyn

 

[jim407]

adhesive remover

And there's the rub ... applying any solvent that will remove any typical adhesive is probably inappropriate for application to the plastic of a dash. I don't doubt that the disk can be removed .. it's what happens to the dash in the end. Oddly, WD-40 may be one of the few things that works that won't do much damage.

I was thinking the same thing, WD-40 would probably do the trick, which is in contrast to your picture. Another thing that is very effective at removing adhesive is liquid lighter fluid. The kind that is used in Zippo lighters.

WD-40 is not a lubricant !!!