Mounting Satnav Bracket on Peugeot Boxer Dashboard

I have a Garmin Camper satnav which I currently mount to the windscreen of my Broadway using the supplied suction bracket.  However, this has to be de-mounted every time the interior window blind is drawn.

I would like to permanently mount the supplied bracket away from the windscreen to avoid this problem. The bracket attaches using three small screws, and I would like to fix it to the top of the dashboard, centrally above the radio if possible in front of the notepad holding bracket but am unsure as to how much space there is below the plastic panel.  I don't want to screw into the air conditioning unit which I understand lies beneath the central panel.

Does anyone know of an easy way to remove the central piece of the dashboard in order that I can avoid this problem when attaching the bracket?

Any advice gratefully received.

My Garmin came with a smooth round self adhesive circle of thick plastic which I have stuck to the nearest end of the clipboard.  The satnav is then suckered to that - not only does it not prevent blinds but it is within reach.
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Or you can butcher a CD case, clip it uner the clip and sucker the mount to that. But not quite as firm and wobble proof.

I have also got a Garmin Camper satnav and my plan is to get the Garmin Friction Mount £19.99 from Argos, (other suppliers are available), so it will be easily removable, then stored well out of site from prowling villains.  I borrowed one to try and it stayed put quite nicely, admittedly only over a short journey but enough to settle my mind that it was the way to go.

Thanks Peter & David for your respective suggestions. 

My Garmin Satnav has a seven inch screen so needs something fairly substantial to hold it in place, hence my initial thought of screwing it directly to the dashboard.  However, if a solution to avoid this is available, I am happy to try it.

Garmin themselves sell a 'bean bag' type mount which I have seen good reviews of but I am a bit concerned that due to the sloping shape of the Dasboard, that it would slide about.

I'll await to see if any other suggestions come before deciding how to proceed.  I'll add my final decision to this thread when I have decided which way to go.

I have a Snooper CC edition, 7" screen. Initially I tried one of the CD slot mounts shown by Peter Brown but found the Snooper too heavy resulting in frequent collapse when moving. I then got 2 adhesive pad mounts fixed either side of the dash board, nearside when co-pilot present, offside when flying alone. Perfect, and only £2.49 for 2.

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I made this for my 7" Garmin, the wire is for the traffic info, unfortunately it has to go up the screen.


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I found a windscreen suction holder that also clips tightly into the dash clipboard - makes a firm holder.

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Well I got the Garmin Friction mount and the proof of the pudding will be tomorrow, when we head to Peterborough, ready for a day at the Motorhome Show Sunday.  I know it worked over a short journey and see no reason for a problem on a longer trek.  I thought about going the 'bean bag route' ScribesWtr, but just didn't think it would be the best solution for us.  Good luck with your choice and I will post on my thoughts on the Friction Mount after the weekend.

Delighted to see this thread: I have somehow missed it hitherto. I asked my dealer if it was OK to fix the alternative mount which came with my Garmin Camper (the mount which has 3 screw-holes in it) to the obvious place i.e. to that part of the dash immediately inboard of the clip. On no account, was the answer, because the gubbins for the air bag(s) are under there.  That's a shame, because it's the ideal location.

I shall sometimes use a tablet to run CoPilot as satnav. So a robust mount will be necessary. And so it seems to me that making use of the clip on the dashboard - as shown in the photo from Steve00136 above - would be very suitable.

Alternatively, if the bean bag described by Wingrider8368 works, especially if secured by the clip, then that might be simpler - although I'll have to remove the dreaded cockpit shine which the dealer liberally sprayed on our new MH!

Looking forward to reports!

Can't take a photo because I'm motorhomeless at the moment (sob) but I'll try to describe.

On top of the Boxer 3 dash (not sure about other models) there is a deep cavity on either side of the clippy thing in the middle. These are  presumably meant to hold small items and stop them sliding about when driving.

I used the "smooth round self adhesive circle of thick plastic" described by Inspiredron, and stuck it on top of a one inch (or so) thick "biscuit" of very rigid expanded plastic foam. (And I do mean rigid - it was so hard as to be almost incompressible. Doesn't have to be foam of course, anything suitable would do. )

This was then firmly glued into the bottom of the nearside "cavity" so that the top of the plastic circle was more or less level with the top of the dash. A standard suction mount could then be used, and the very rigid plastic foam prevented any undue wobble. No tell-tale marks on the windscreen, not in the way of the blinds for overnighting, and when the suction mount was removed and hidden, the plastic disk was not at all obvious to a villainous observer as it sat in the cavity.

Hope this makes sense. One photo would be worth all this tedious blather!!

Dave


P.S. I tried fixing a suction mount on top of the clippy thing as shown in Steve's photo, but the surface was nowhere near smooth enough to hold the suction so it was a non starter.

As an interim measure, and to see how it works, I have attached the supplied 'screw on' mount with the Garmin Camper, to the top of the dashboard using double sided "No More Nails' tape.   It seems quite strong but like Wingrider, we'll have to see when we next venture out.

In the meantime, thanks for all the other suggestions which certainly gives me and others something to think about.

Incidentally, so far, I've found the Camper SatNav to be very good but then again, I've been a Garmin fan for years.

Well we made it to Peterborough and I'm happy to report that the Garmin Friction Mount worked beautifully.  No discernible wobble, even under heavy braking (thanks to a D**k H**d who came close to taking off our front bumper with his poor driving) it stayed put. 
Cymro, I didn't go for the bean bag as I didn't think it would suit, this is a link to what I bought. 
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Those of you that know the VW T4 dash layout perhaps also know that there is an after market accessory tray that fixes to the top of it, in the centre.  I had the friction mount resting on that, so only resting on top of the dividers and it still remained firm. 
Perhaps see some of you tomorrow but I will be looking out for the owner of a Autosleeper Warwick, parked near me at the Mound Lodge site, where we are spending the night.

Thanks, WingRider.  I've seen that mount, but the tech description doesn't say it's suitable for the Garmin Camper 760 - whereas this one, as shown on Garmin's site as part number 010-10908-00, is specified for that satnav:

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On the 2015 Nuevo Peugeot dash, there's a considerable curvature down to the windscreen, ending with the long clip; I hope to anchor one corner of that beanbag mount in the clip, for added stability.

I must admit I took a rather lateral approach here. There were two reasons: First, I am around 6’ tall, and the turntable seat means you sit very high anyway; raising the mounting for the interior mirror seemed like a good idea. Our Nuevo has a rear window, so the driver’s mirror can be useful, and if it is mounted higher up, flipping the anti-dazzle lever enables you to see the inside of the van, so I can see when the fridge door flies open.... Second, with the TomTom mounted in the conventional place on top of the dashboard, it is very hard to read if the sun is shining. So, mounting it at the top of the windscreen, where it is always in the shade, makes sense. It also stops the MOT man from taking it off, as that part of the screen is not a "wiped area".



I needed two things, a new mount for the mirror and a way to adapt the TomTom to fit in the old mirror mount. A bit of exploration above the screen, behind the trim, revealed a potential mounting point, and I made up an angle bracket from 3mm alloy strip. The mirror was originally mounted in a dovetailed socket, glued to the screen. I removed it from the socket, screwed it to the alloy strip and fixed that into place with self tapping screws. Apart from careful positioning to avoid interference with the sun visors, that was it for the mirror – easypeasy!



The fixing for the TomTom was a little trickier. I use the supplied windscreen sucker mount, to make it easy to transfer the GPS from car to van etc. Using the mirror mount as a template, I laboriously shaped a piece of 4mm polycarbonate to fit the socket on the windscreen, and attached that to a larger piece that the sucker could stick to. Just pull the tag on the sucker and the device pops off. I obtained a spare TomTom power lead and routed it around the screen (behind the rubber gasket so it doesn’t show) and connected it to an ignition-controlled 12v feed , so it doesn’t drain the battery if you forget to switch it off.



I was concerned that the TomTom signal might be compromised by the overhang above the screen, but this has never been an issue. I was prepared to fit an external antenna, but it has not been necessary, although it might be on a van with a large Luton overhang, especially if it is metal clad. Either way, an external antenna should resolve it.



The other question was about fixing things to the dashboard cover. Most dealers use self-tapping screws as illustrated here. One tip is to drill a pilot hole very carefully, smaller than usual, to make sure the screw has plenty of bite in the soft plastic. Put a sleeve over the drill to prevent it going too deep. You are most unlikely to find electric cables immediately under the dashboard cover, but using non-pointed screws will avoid any possibility of damage. (But as Mr Blatter says, don’t hold me responsible!)



I hope this helps; I can supply more details if anyone wants to try this.

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We have a Garmin 760 Dezl in our 2013 Broadway. It's mounted on the top of the dash in the centre ( on the clipboard lid that on later vans doesn't open anymore ) using the Garmin adhesive shiny disc mount. It's been there nearly two years, has never fallen off and keeps the Satnav secure and vibration free.

I'm afraid my attempt to mount my Garmin Camper on the top of the dash as described in the previous post and earlier in this thread only lasted a couple of weeks before the warmth of the sun through the windscreen softened the double sided 'No More Nails tape.  I've reverted to the widescreen suction cap for the moment until I get round to purchasing an alternative mounting.

I had a similar problem on a car when I used, what I thought was, very strong double sided tape. The adhesive Garmin uses on their disc mounts seems to stick much better. The van has been in temperatures 40c+ and lots of degrees below zero and the mount hasn't budged. I doubt I could get it off now, even if I wanted to. Most important is the preparation. You need to ensure the mount point is totally free of any grease, Polish, Armour-all, etc then place the disc and press. Leave it for a day or so before you mount your sat nav, and It should stay put forever.
Allan

As the originator of this thread, I thought I'd update anyone who is interested on how I finally solved my own particular problem with my Garmin Camper.  As originally explained, it is quite a big (7") screen so needed a fairly substantial support.  I recently saw on Ebay a friction mat which for me has resolved the problem and I hope this may prove to be a cheap but useful option for others still trying to decide how to approach the problem of mounting their SatNav to the centre of their Auto-Sleeper dash.


I purchased an Anti Slip GPS Mat for Garmin Nuvi 2797LMT 2597LMT 2597LM Dashboard Mount Satnav.  It cost £4.59 with free First Class postage from ebay and simply lays directly onto the dash where it clings and stays.  I used the note clip to further hold the mount down.  The following photo shows the finished installation which took all of 20 seconds.

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I hope this information is of use to others.

Alan

There is a small rubber lug sticking out of the sucker. You can see it on Steve's picture a few posts back.

I put this lug under the clip and it stays put without expense or modification. Used it for two sat navs for about 10 years now.

Ideally I would like to site the sat nav in line with the steering wheel so I didn't have to take my eyes off the road.

Have you tried Velcro 
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I have used this with no problems for Sat nav  (fitted on the dash board to the right of the steering wheel) and dash camera (fitted in the centre just in front of the blind) In both cases they can be removed.

Seen this tablet cover for a pound, cut it in half then to length, fixed Garmin mount with countersunk bolts threaded into mount base holes, covered it with cloth. The tongue fits into the slot above the radio with the other end held in place by the document clip.

Has worked well for weeks touring of East Sussex and Kent.

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