What's a 3M Sticker?

[JoeJoe]

As, for example, in

(see description). Also mentioned in various other mobile car holders that are attached to the dashboard.

Are they removeable? Permanent? etc

[Bob Eager]

Well, 3M do removable stickies (as in Post-It notes). But I suspect this is the really strong stuff; I have it on the holder for my Dart Tag (which sticks to the inside of the windscreen). You get one go at getting it in the right position!

[Steve Firth]

A 3M sticker means something fixed using double-sided foam adhesive tape (in this context). The name refers to the maker, 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company as was) better known as the maker of "Scotch tape" and "3M abrasive paper".

With some difficulty and they tend to leave a residue/damage the surfce they were stuck to.

Best treated as permanent, but in practice they're a cheap and nasty solution to sticking two things together that can, and will, fail over time. Especially inside cars where the interior temperature can get up to the softening point of the glue on a sunny day.

[Dave Liquorice]

If you look at the second picture down in the link you gave the base has white circular backing. This is one of those self adhehsive double sided foam pad things, normally made by 3M. When applying clean and degrease throughly first.

When it come to removing them the foam normally fails first leaving bits of it and the adhesive still stuck. Lighter fuel and bit of elbow grease will probably remove the rest or maybe one of the propritary "sticky stuff" removers.

[JoeJoe]

Cheers all for the detailed description.

I'll stick to one attached to the air vent then...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yup. Had a number plate fall off. ;-)

[Peter Parry]

Chose the right product from the 3M range and they are neither cheap nor nasty and will last for many years.

Wow. You had better not think to hard about the bits of aircraft stuck together with them then and going through temperature cycles somewhat higher and lower than any car will experience in a lifetime several times a day.

[Steve Firth]

Wow. You actually think that the same adhesive that holds on aircraft components is used to stick mobile phones to dashboards?

Here's a clue, 3M make a range of different products, including PostIts. Do you think that the glue used in PostIts is used to hold aircraft together?

[Bob Eager]

Exactly. Whatever the 3M product is that they use on Dart Tag holders...it has survived some very very hot conditions, and was a bugger to remove when I actually needed to!

[Peter Parry]

Quite often it is, the adhesive is the cheap part.

[Steve Firth]

Next time I work at Boeing, I'll let them know that you think that wings are held on with double-sided foam adhesive.

Not always.