Skip navigation
SKIP THIS AD >>
ADVERTISEMENT
You will be redirected to your destination in 10 seconds.
Electronics Industry Search

Polling Question

Should the government bail out U.S. automakers?

  • Yes
  • No



View Previous Poll Results
Advertisement
« Maxtor support conundrum | Main

Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (19)

John Dodge
John Dodge

Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck

November 16, 2006

function LoadGallery(pictureName,imageFile,titleCaption,captionText){ if (document.all) { document.getElementById(pictureName).style.filter=”blendTrans(duration=1)”; document.getElementById(pictureName).filters.blendTrans.Apply(); } document.getElementById(pictureName).src = imageFile; if (document.all) { document.getElementById(pictureName).filters.blendTrans.Play(); } document.getElementById(titleCaption).innerHTML=captionText;}

Welcome to my new and second blog. My intention is to identify consumer products that work well or badly,   focusing on design and and quality. No I am not an engineer, but as I mention in my blog profile, I love mechanical and electronic things. My experience includes working in factories and machine shops and a very good lay understanding about how motors and things you'd find in those venues work. My first blog, by the way, was The Dodge Report at my former publication, Electronic Business.

My first victim is the suction cup bracket that came with my Garmin GPS nüvi 350. The nüvi is a great little GPS unit, but the suction cup that holds the unit to the windshield sucks. Or actually, it doesn't stay sucking like it should, constantly falling off the windshield even though it feels solidly built and looks smartly designed. Part of the problem might be that I keep removing it so as not to advertise the presence of this nifty little $600 unit (which tied for first place in Consumer Reports tests on portable GPS devices). Still, it should stay put every time I affix it to the windshield. Such irony: Garmin can get the sophisticated electronics right, but  blows it with something as trivial as the bracket. When the whole thing collapses, it's very irritating and what will be even more of a travesty of a mockery of a sham  is if the nüvi ends up breaking the next time it crashes against the console of my car.

Garmin GPS nüvi 350

The nüvi is a great little GPS unit, but the suction cup that holds the unit to the windshield sucks.

More Images:

Posted by John Dodge on November 16, 2006 | Comments (19)
Industries: Gadget Freak

October 5, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Eugene Barlow Jr. commented:

I have a Garmin Nuvi 350 unit. The suction cup doesn\'t work. Please let me know if there\'s a better product to use. It does not stay on the windshield. I like the GPS unit very much. Any suggestions please, for the suction cup to work better?


September 28, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Ram Iyer commented:

I have the same problem with the Garmin GPS the suction cup is terrible keeps dropping off the dash the windshield! Any solutions our there?


September 2, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
ashley commented:

my suction \"sucks\" also- the 360c flies off the mount I bought and nearly hits me in my lap or flies across the car- dangerous on the road! DOes the silicone oil work?


September 2, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
ashley commented:

my suction \"sucks\" also- the 360c flies off the mount I bought and nearly hits me in my lap or flies across the car- dangerous on the road! DOes the silicone oil work?


September 2, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
ashley commented:

my suction \"sucks\" also- the 360c flies off the mount I bought and nearly hits me in my lap or flies across the car- dangerous on the road! DOes the silicone oil work?


September 2, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
ashley commented:

my suction \"sucks\" also- the 360c flies off the mount I bought and nearly hits me in my lap or flies across the car- dangerous on the road! DOes the silicone oil work?


September 2, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
ashley commented:

my suction \"sucks\" also- the 360c flies off the mount I bought and nearly hits me in my lap or flies across the car- dangerous on the road! DOes the silicone oil work?


August 3, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
watonsk commented:

I purchased a Garmin 350 in July 2008. The suction cup fell of the windshield under a hot summer day. Afterwards, I had a hard time re-mounting it. It finally mounted after running AC in my car for a while. Now, it would come off always daily. Temperature of the sun has a lot to do with it.


June 22, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Beans commented:

I've heard quite a few people mention that they had the same 'non-sticking' or 'sticking TOO well' problems. They called Garmin and had a replacement sent to them free of charge! (though they had a bit of a wait on the phone)...


May 3, 2008
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
used car price commented:

I guess we''d be living in a boring, perfect world if everybody wished everybody else well


November 17, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
desire2retire commented:

Lobsang has it right. My next problem is that you can't buy just the rubber. All you have to do is pop the pin and the rubber cup comes right off but they want to sell you the whole thing for $30 bucks. If someone knows where to get the part please let me know.


July 31, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Lobsang commented:

I had a similar problem. It would never stay put the first time I tried, and then, at some point, it would get so stuck it was hard to remove. At some point, I removed it and it left a ring of rubber in the windshield, ruining the cup. Some believe saliva is the culprit for this, but I don''''t believe so. We''''re talking about RUBBER, and that should be strong enough to withstand the most "enzimatic" spits :) I believe it has to do with the intense temperatures that rubber experiences when the car is in the sun. Over time, the rubber degrades and gets stuck to the windshield.


July 19, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Larry906 commented:

Why oh why did i ever get sucked into buying this Garmin crap whose cup sucks!!!


July 10, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
srparedon@yahoo.com commented:

i had EXACTLY the same problem with the same product-- BUT, i suspect that LICKING the suction cup is the culprit-- enzymes in spit degrade rubber.... i will not lick my replacement suction cup...


July 9, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
DaveA commented:

mine has sticking problems, nuvi 350, i was licking it and it would stick, then i was afraid to take it down, when i finally took it down it left a ring of rubber on the windshild...i need a new one, the oil sounds better to me


July 1, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Bob commented:

Perhaps try a little drop of water on the suction cup, I'd guess that it would do the same thing as the silicone oil without the associated mess. Plus you want to remember to physically wash the cup on occasion in addition to avoiding touching it with your fingers since the oils in your hand will transfer to to cup.


June 29, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Kevin commented:

We have a Garmin Quest with the same suction cup problem, in addition to the unit dying after three months (Gamin was kind enough to send us a new one). Too bad the new suction cup does not work any better than the old one. Thanks to ROJGER, I will try some silicone oil. What kind of silicone oil do you use?


April 7, 2007
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
rojoger commented:

I have a Garmin Quest and have experienced a similar problem with the suction cup falling off shortly after I adhere it to the windshield. I have found a applying a little bit of silicone oil to the suction cup, and spreading it over the suction cup before mounting not only ensures that it will stay in place but it makes taking it off a whole lot easier too!


November 21, 2006
In response to: Suction cup bracket doesn't consistently suck
Piense El Tanque commented:

Is this a problem with all of the units? Or is yours just perhaps defective?

POST A COMMENT
Display Name
captcha

Before submitting this form, please type the code above:

Advertisement
Advertisement

Design News Partner Zones

AnarkCAD/CAE Model Clean-Up: Reduce Iterative Cycles
This webinar featured research and survey results related to problems associated with preparing CAD geometry for CAE applications.  We discussed how Recipe-Based Automation can help create "just-in-time" CAE-ready geometry each time a cad model is updated. Watch the Presentation

Light Matters: Systems Level Approach to HBLED illumination applications
Its good practice to apply a systems-level approach to high-brightness LED (HBLED) illumination applications. Minimally, the system includes the optical, thermal and electrical characteristics of the of the HBLED, the lens (if any) which is built-in to its package, secondary optics such as external plastic lenses/reflectors to direct the light as your application requires and power driver electronics. Read More

Design Engineers' Portal for Sensing and Machine Safety
Whatever industry you're in, or whatever product you manufacture, the right sensors to automate your plant, and to improve your overall efficiency, quality and safety are a must. You'll find Banner Engineering to be an amazing resource of products, training and people with expertise.

Design News Partner Zone Directory »

Please visit these other Reed Business sites