Rear cam keeps falling off of rear SUV windshield. Any solution?

[smithdean]

You asked where to find neodymium magnets and I merely provided various sources.

You know, @smithdean, this is the second thread you've posted to today about this problem. The other thread, "Can't get my rear camera to mount on the plastic, keeps falling off" provided various solutions to the problem from several members, including me, along with information that should be helpful to you here. Did you bother to read them?

I would suggest going back to read some of the posts I (and others) made last August in that other thread such as THIS post and THIS one.

If it were me I wouldn't bother with magnets. As I described in the other thread I would use Scotch (3M) Grey #4941 VHB instead of the black 3M VHB #5952 tape that is usually used to mount dash cams to glass. Long time experience has taught me that Grey #4941 VHB is what you want if you are having trouble mounting a camera on textured plastic surfaces in a vehicle. Aside from superior adhesion it also removes easily without leaving any residue even after years. It is a conformable foam tape that will work better on the textured plastic.

I live in northern New England where cold winter temperatures are pretty extreme. Mounting a dash cam can be almost impossible in cold weather. I do my best to avoid it. The best you can do in cold weather is to try to get your vehicle into a heated garage long enough to warm it up and/or crank the heat in your car before attempting to mount the camera. Also use a hair dryer to heat up the mount and the surface before applying the tape and (firmly!) pressing the camera onto the surface. Make sure you clean the surface with ispropyl alcohol. Be sure to wait for the tape to bond before driving on bumpy roads.

I happen to use side facing Mobius cameras in my vehicle but I've used side facing cameras now for more than seven years. After experiencing many failed mounts where the cameras would fall off, especially on the bumpy mountain road I live on I learned that properly applied Scotch (3M) Grey #4941 VHB is the best choice. My current cameras have been securely mounted for several years without problems. (And they are "ceiling" mounted on very similar looking textured plastic to what you show in your photo.)

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You want this product - the GRAY type #4941, not the BLACK version type #5952. @DT MI says the 30lb Black tape version of #5952 has worked well for him and you could try it but I find that stuff is difficult and messy to remove compared to the gray version and it didn't work as well for me.

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I did read all. I just wanted various options and ways to reinstall my rear cam. I think ceiling mount like you did is good cos that way , you don't have to worry about the rear cam becoming loose every time you open and sometimes forcefully close the rear SUV trunk. I think this is what is causing the rear cam to fall off and it maybe the small adhesive tape that is not strong and sticky enough to hold the rear cam. My rear cam and the sticky pad on it is glued to the rear windshield and the cable is right above the plastic trim as you can see in the screenshot pic. Should I stick is to the grey plastic trim instead using the grey tape you mentioned? your ceiling mount may look bit ugly since the wire will be open and partly visible? Thanks. Whatever I have to redo like removing the sticky pad to move it to the plastic trim or opening the cable from the plastic trim and hiding it back , hope it is not something that I can not do myself. Thanks

 

[kamkar]

I think if you stick to the trim like dashmellow have done, your camera will be outside of your wiper coverage, this is at least something you should keep in mind.

 

[DT MI]

...not the BLACK version type #5952. @DT MI says the 30lb Black tape version of #5952 has worked well for him and you could try it but I find that stuff is difficult and messy to remove...

No question that it's difficult to remove, not impossible but does take some effort. The reason I first used it versus the grey was my initial use was on the glass and, from experience, the black tape is less visible from the exterior of the vehicle. I'm going to pick up some of the gray and try it out on those surfaces not visible from the outside, which of late is where I've been mounting most of my cameras.

 

[Dashmellow]

I did read all. I just wanted various options and ways to reinstall my rear cam. I think ceiling mount like you did is good cos that way , you don't have to worry about the rear cam becoming loose every time you open and sometimes forcefully close the rear SUV trunk. I think this is what is causing the rear cam to fall off and it maybe the small adhesive tape that is not strong and sticky enough to hold the rear cam. My rear cam and the sticky pad on it is glued to the rear windshield and the cable is right above the plastic trim as you can see in the screenshot pic. Should I stick is to the grey plastic trim instead using the grey tape you mentioned? your ceiling mount may look bit ugly since the wire will be open and partly visible? Thanks. Whatever I have to redo, hope it is not something that I can do myself. Thanks

My installation is on a rear door in a double cab pick-up truck, so it gets slammed shut as much as any SUV trunk. Since the camera is mounted on a door there needs to be a short section of cable from the door frame to the door window to allow it to open and close safely with some strain relief but cosmetically it looks fine and I personally don't consider it "ugly' at all.

Should I stick is to the grey plastic trim instead using the grey tape you mentioned?

I have no idea what you mean here.

 

[smithdean]

My installation is on a rear door in a double cab pick-up truck, so it gets slammed shut as much as any SUV trunk. Since the camera is mounted on a door there needs to be a short section of cable from the door frame to the door window to allow it to open and close safely with some strain relief but cosmetically it looks fine and I personally don't consider it "ugly' at all.



I have no idea what you mean here.

My rear cam with its sticky pad is glued to the rear windshield of my SUV, If I use the 3m grey tape you mentioned, should I stick it to the plastic trim and move the rear cam there?

 

[Dashmellow]

No question that it's difficult to remove, not impossible but does take some effort. The reason I first used it versus the grey was my initial use was on the glass and, from experience, the black tape is less visible from the exterior of the vehicle. I'm going to pick up some of the gray and try it out on those surfaces not visible from the outside, which of late is where I've been mounting most of my cameras.

I used long strips of the grey VHB tape to mount my dash mat on the textured dashboard. Three years later I had to remove the dash mat when I had the windshield replaced. The tape peeled off quite easily without a trace! There was zero residue and you couldn't even tell it had ever been there. Same with the camera mounts on the door frame.

 

[Dashmellow]

My rear cam with its sticky pad is glued to the rear windshield of my SUV, If I use the 3m grey tape you mentioned, should I stick it to the plastic trim and move the rear cam there?

Yes, try it. (with the grey tape) That's what I've been saying. If properly mounted, it should work on the plastic door trim. The challenge is the cold temperatures. See the bonding chart I posted in the other thread. It really needs to be "at least" 50º F for the tape to bond properly and you are "supposed" to wait about 72 hours before applying weight to it but the camera hardly weighs anything. It is possible you may have to wait until Spring to do a proper job with the thing but I think you can at least get it to work for the time being.

 

[smithdean]

Yes, try it. (with the grey tape) That's what I've been saying. If properly mounted, it should work on the plastic door trim. The challenge is the cold temperatures. See the bonding chart I posted in the other thread. It really needs to be "at least" 50º F for the tape to bond properly and you are "supposed" to wait about 72 hours before apply weight to it but the camera hardly weighs anything. It is possible you may have to wait until Spring to do a proper job with the thing but I think you can at least get it to work for the time being.

So just leave the rear cam dangling like it is until June? Here we have summer and winter seasons only with winter being the longest season. Or remove the rear cma form the usb port and just not use the rear cam until the temp reaches 50f or above starting June? Thanks

 

[DT MI]

... Grey #4941 VHB is what you want if you are having trouble mounting a camera on textured plastic surfaces in a vehicle.

What kind of surface prep did you do on textured plastic prior to applying the 4941? (Just picked some up and don't need to reinvent the wheel. )

 

[Dashmellow]

What kind of surface prep did you do on textured plastic prior to applying the 4941? (Just picked some up and don't need to reinvent the wheel. )

I'd recommend cleaning the surface with some isopropyl alcohol, let dry and then apply the tape with some firm pressure. Firm pressure especially helps the tape conform to a textured surface.

Edit: As we've discussed, try to have the car as warm as possible when you apply the tape and during the curing (bonding) period, considering it is the middle of February in MI.

 

[DT MI]

I'd recommend cleaning the surface with some isopropyl alcohol, let dry and then apply the tape with some firm pressure. Firm pressure especially helps the tape conform to a textured surface.

Edit: As we've discussed, try to have the car as warm as possible when you apply the tape and during the curing (bonding) period, considering it is the middle of February in MI.

Thanks, so pretty much what I do anyhow with other VHB tape. Won't be doing anything in the car for a few weeks yet, but have a couple little things around the house where it will be useful.

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks, so pretty much what I do anyhow with other VHB tape.

Yes, exactly, it's still just VHB tape, only with somewhat different properties than type #5952. You'll notice the real difference at some point when you go to remove it and it peels off easily and leaves no residue. Only caveat is that I hope it works OK for you in this cold weather.

 

[smithdean]

Will the grey 4941 3m tape work fine on the rear windshield glass for my rear cam?

 

[Dashmellow]

Will the grey 4941 3m tape work fine on the rear windshield glass for my rear cam?

Grey VHB tape works just fine on glass surfaces but it will be less discrete on your windshield when seen from the outside than the black VHB tape.

 

[smithdean]

The weather has warmed up a bit to about 50F here . I have been trying and tried today to stick my rear cam to my plastic trim right under windshield and it falls off easily . On windshield it sticks but falls off the next day . The 3m Grey tape that I bought and sold by amazon itself is not wide enough to fully cover the rear cam and also it is not a strong adhesive tape. I think the one that you get from viofo is better but that too is not strong enough to hold the camera in the back. I think it is very hard for those of us driving suv that has trunk door with rear windshield in one . Every time you open and close the trunk you also are lifting up and down the rear camera and this is why it becomes loose and falls off all the time. I may have to give up on the rear camera and just use the front cam

 

[DT MI]

I think it is very hard for those of us driving suv that has trunk door with rear windshield in one . Every time you open and close the trunk you also are lifting up and down the rear camera and this is why it becomes loose and falls off all the time.

I don't know what your specific issue is but it's definitely not the fact you have an SUV with the rear glass integrated in the hatch. I have the same thing and my rear camera has been in place for at least 6 months now - no problem. Had to take care to properly prep the area where it's mounted but having done that the mount is solid (using the black type #5952 tape).

 

[Dashmellow]

@DT MI, have you done anything with the new grey VHB tape yet or are you waiting for some warmer weather? My guess is that you are experiencing the same severe cold snap we are getting here in Vermont. Not VHB tape friendly for sure.

 

[DT MI]

@DT MI, have you done anything with the new grey VHB tape yet or are you waiting for some warmer weather? My guess is that you are experiencing the same severe cold snap we are getting here in Vermont. Not VHB tape friendly for sure.

Used it on a couple of small indoor projects and am quite pleased with the outcome. One of the projects was for my wife and involved attaching woven cotton fabric to a rubberized surface and, so far, it's holding very well. Really did not expect that to work out as well as it has.

And you're right, other than a couple of 'teaser days' we've not had any weather that's encouraging for outdoor activities other than those having Nordic or Alpine in their descriptions.

 

[Dashmellow]

Used it on a couple of small indoor projects and am quite pleased with the outcome. One of the projects was for my wife and involved attaching woven cotton fabric to a rubberized surface and, so far, it's holding very well. Really did not expect that to work out as well as it has.

And you're right, other than a couple of 'teaser days' we've not had any weather that's encouraging for outdoor activities other than those having Nordic or Alpine in their descriptions.

It's supposed to go down to around zero tonight. It's been like that all week give or take.

Yeah, the properties of the grey tape are somewhat different and kind of interesting compared to the type #5952, no?

 

[DT MI]

It's supposed to go down to around zero tonight. It's been like that all week give or take.

Yeah, the properties of the grey tape are somewhat different and kind of interesting compared to the type #5952, no?

Not that cold for us. Been waking up to temps in the low to mid teens - low enough to get your attention.

The grey tape is different for sure, but I haven't played with it enough to get a handle on where it or the 5952 would be preferable. It does appear to be more 'conformable' so it probably has the edge when it comes to textured surfaces (like woven cotton fabric?).