REVIEW COMMENTS: Arkon CM656

[Dave]

Please post any comments regarding the Arkon CM656 here.

[lurkr]

Hi Dave - nice review. You mention a concern about the arms/clamping mechanism.

I've had 2 Arkons , and the arm clamp has failed on both. The internal parts are small and plastic.
The 1st failure occurred within weeks - and the online retailer hapilly replaced the unit without issue (but keep in mind that Arkons warranty is only 90 days). This failure was due to the end of the tiny plastic pin which holds the cogs (thereby preventing the arms from springing out), breaking off. This is the pin that is released when you press the release button on the arms, and to prevent the same failure again, by slightly squeezing the mounting arms before pressing the release button, you will relieve the pressure on the pin when releasing it.

Using the above method certainly extended the life of my replacement Arkon ... by about 18 months. This time, the thin plastic spool on which the "cog" is mounted, completely snapped. This happened without me being present - i.e. heat inside the car cabin, when left parked in the sun on a warm day, weakend it enough so that the pressure of the spring alone has eventually caused it to break (in combination with 18 months of use).

I lov(ed) my Arkon - did everything you could want a mount to do. But for the price, having to replace it every year or so is a bit rich. I'd rather they made a simple, lightweight mount, with the only feature being that it had a built-in power connector (to prevent any stress on the iPAQ connector due to cable stretching etc). No speakers, no FM etc. And make the internal components that the clamping relies upon, a tad more robust.

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