iPhone / smartphone Mounts

[babyrocket]

I'll second the recommendation for the Steelie. Very high quality, don't even notice the base on the dash (see pictures), holds the phone securely, and the disc on the back of the phone/case is not a problem.

 

[pete8314]

I'll second the recommendation for the Steelie. Very high quality, don't even notice the base on the dash (see pictures), holds the phone securely, and the disc on the back of the phone/case is not a problem.

Great minds think alike, I put mine in exactly the same spot (after a lot of deliberation!).

As I mentioned on the other thread, if there's any interest in the flexible arm mentioned by Phil, hang tight, I'll have them on my site for quite a bit less money.

 

[rewski]

So I have a solution combining the few listed above. I recently got the Mountek nGroove Snap for my Ridgeline (Mountek nGroove Snap: Multi-Use CD Slot / Dashboard Seam Car Mount, Desktop Stand, and Tripod Adapter for Smartphones & Mini Tablets : HTC). This mount fits into the CD slot or other small gap in dash. This got me thinking about magnetic mounts in the Tesla. The Mountek comes with thin metal plates that you can stick to the back of your phone or inside of a case on your phone (it is only about 1mm thick small rectangle). After seeing the screen mount by Proclip (Tesla S 2013-2014 ProClip Angled Mount - ProClip USA) I was thinking about just adding some strong rare earth magnets to the back of the Proclip so my iPhone would just cling to the $29.99 Proclip base directly (since I already have the metal plate on the back of my phone). I'm waiting for the magnets to arrive and I will install and take some pics for everyone.

Stay tuned.

 

[gbdesai]

I'd love to use the Steelie but a magnet on my HTC One won't work because of the curved back. Plus I don't want to accidentally demagnetize my credit cards... Maybe I can attach it to a slide in case with power connector...

I have a week before I get my car... Where is the closest 12V charge port to the location of the Steelie in the pictures above?

 

[rewski]

I'd love to use the Steelie but a magnet on my HTC One won't work because of the curved back. Plus I don't want to accidentally demagnetize my credit cards... Maybe I can attach it to a slide in case with power connector...

I have a week before I get my car... Where is the closest 12V charge port to the location of the Steelie in the pictures above?

That is why I like the Mountek solution. The magnets are on the mount not the phone.

 

[gbdesai]

@rewski yes, I now see what you are getting at. Look forward to seeing how it works for you...

 

[pete8314]

I'd love to use the Steelie but a magnet on my HTC One won't work because of the curved back. Plus I don't want to accidentally demagnetize my credit cards... Maybe I can attach it to a slide in case with power connector...

I have a week before I get my car... Where is the closest 12V charge port to the location of the Steelie in the pictures above?

While there's no doubt the Steelie magnet is really strong, I've not screwed up my cards yet, and they been in the same pocket as the phone many time. I normally realize quite quickly, but just know that it's not like an instant erase if you accidentally have them near to each other. The charging ports are under the cup holders, so not ideal. I don't plug in when using the Steelie.

 

[gbdesai]

@pete8314 thanks this helps. I think I may still use the steelie. I have a Mount for my HTC One that I can attach to the phone side steelie magnet, I may try tonrub the cable down along the side of the center console area. I will have a black interior so that helps with concealment. I'll post pictures if everything works out.

 

[pete8314]

@pete8314 thanks this helps. I think I may still use the steelie. I have a Mount for my HTC One that I can attach to the phone side steelie magnet, I may try tonrub the cable down along the side of the center console area. I will have a black interior so that helps with concealment. I'll post pictures if everything works out.

You can do this quite easily, as it turns out. I have a 100cm (black) lightning cable that's not quite long enough, but with an 6ft you could easily run it from the USB ports, along the inside of the 'opportunity space', then inside the seam along the edge of the screen. Very easy to do. For now I just have the cable dangling from the phone when it's on the Steelie, which is no big deal, but I might get an 8ft cable and tidy it up. I rarely need to charge though, it's my wife that runs her phone down, so I'll need a spare cable for her.

 

[rewski]

@rewski yes, I now see what you are getting at. Look forward to seeing how it works for you...

Finished the magnet mount for my phone. Pictures were a little dark but you get the idea. Used the Dremel to bore out some recessed pockets for the small but fiercely strong rare earth magnets. Super glued them in place and used magnets on the other side to hold them in place overnight, then wrapped the face with 3M matte vinyl (just picked up my car from getting clear bra installed and asked the owner if he had some scrap vinyl lying around). Since the magnets are so strong I may look for a very thin piece if dense black foam or rubber and glue it to the face for a super clean look.

 

[SteveW25561]

The Steelie looks like it works well, but it's pretty big -- both the knob and the smartphone attachment.

I'm using the Tetrax Xway it has a set of 4 small magnets arranged in opposite poles so when they are mated with the tiny metal button you attach to your phone, the magnetic poles are neutralized, so no interference with GPS and compass functions. I also like that the little button on the phone is not magnetic so it won't wreck credit cards, etc in your pocket. I think the Steelie ring is a magnet that attaches to the phone, so that might be a potential issue aside from its bulk.

The X shaped part clips onto the fins of the AC vents, but in the MS, those vents are pretty recessed and the Xway's pincers are really short. In the end, I used some black thread to tie it to one of the fins. The thread is pretty invisible. The little metal button is stuck to my phone's case, not the phone itself. The unit sells for around $35, and the rubber "X" is meant to help secure heavier/larger items like GPS units and it might help hold the phone rotated, but since my phone-mounted metal button/clip is off center to fit the MS properly, it doesn't stay in the landscape orientation properly anyway.

This mount holds the phone very securely -- no amount of driving or jostling so far makes it fall off -- I can push/pull a lightning cable on and off without disengaging the iphone 5.

I find the rubber "X" a bit visually obtrusive, so I just ordered the Textrax Fix -- it is just the center button of magnets and can mount to the dash, similar to where others are mounting the Steelie. Much smaller and I think much nicer looking, and comes in black, red and other colors. Approx $16 USD. I got it from Amazon: Amazon.com: Tetrax 72010 FIX Smartphone/Cellphone/Remote Control Dashboard Mount Magnetic Holder with Metal Clips, Black: Automotive

Once I get the Tetrax Fix, I'll report back, but since it uses the same magnets as the Xway mount, I hope it holds just as well.

Edit: I just found on the Tetrax site: (Tetrax - XWAY, EGO, GEO, FIX, FIXWAY, XCASE - Tetrax invisible attraction) the Xway can handle up to 300g while the Fix holds 150g -- the Xway magnet is about 2mm larger apparently. So, I guess I'll need to see if the smaller unit works reliably with the iPhone 5 (112 g w/o case). Maybe I'll have to live with the Xway...

 

[rewski]

I made a little modification to my mount. I found some one sided insulating black pipe foam tape at Home Depot. The imperfections in the smoothness of my install were bugging me. The single piece of the foam tape over the top not only makes it look cleaner, but adds a little more cushion to the magnet mount.

 

[DIL]

Side note - At the bottom of your screen, we see how the parking sensors work. I had no idea what the parking sensor display looked like. Fantastic! Seems really useful. There goes another $500!!!

I made a little modification to my mount. I found some one sided insulating black pipe foam tape at Home Depot. The imperfections in the smoothness of my install were bugging me. The single piece of the foam tape over the top not only makes it look cleaner, but adds a little more cushion to the magnet mount.

 

[rewski]

Side note - At the bottom of your screen, we see how the parking sensors work. I had no idea what the parking sensor display looked like. Fantastic! Seems really useful. There goes another $500!!!

It is very helpful for my reverse park job. Well worth the "small" upgrade price! BTW I took that picture thinking someone would comment on the parking sensors!

 

[Vip]

Hey Steve, how is the Tetrax Fix coming along?

 

[ecarfan]

I have both of the ProClips on order, should arrive this week

Tesla S All Years Dashboard Mounts - ProClip USA

This looks like it will place the phone in the way of accessing the fan and temp control.

(Update) now I see that the mount can also be place at the upper left corner of the center display. That looks like a better location.

I have a Proclip mount for my Porsche and like it.

 

[rewski]

This looks like it will place the phone in the way of accessing the fan and temp control.

I have a Proclip mount for my Porsche and like it. Not sure about their Twsla mount though.

It is completely out of the way from the fan and temp controls. Only control it slightly gets in the way of is the volume, which I always use the left thumb wheel.

 

[SteveW25561]

I've installed the Tetrax Fix and I must say I really like it: very unobtrusive and it holds the iPhone 5 quite nicely -- so far with spirited city driving and speedbumps it hasn't fallen off.

That said, the phone does rotate quite easily on the mount without falling off (not that it swings wildly), whereas with the Tetrax Xway, the phone stayed still. I can't plug & unplug a lightning cable without dislodging the iPhone like I could with the X-way. As you can see in the pictures, the Xway magnets are about 25-30% larger to my eye (I thought they would be the same as the website really doesn't give much info on that).

I'm willing to take these small tradeoffs for a much nicer looking installation. So far, I'm very happy with this option.

 

[rewski]

I made another modification. I covered the soft foam tape with another layer of 3M matte black. Now it looks like a little plush upholstered cushion. Magnets still hold great for quick on/off mount.

 

[yobigd20]

I wanted something similar to the above posts. I have been use the 'Waze' app (to avoid the man on my daily 210 mile commute) but I've been keeping my phone on my lap which isn't good since I was need to take my eyes off the road to look at it.

Based on the above posts, I wanted something as simple as possible to not distract from the simplistic design of the interior which is very aesthetically pleasing. So I didn't want a big knob (steelie), nor did I want the big 'X' on the vent. I liked some of the stuff that Steve did, but from my point of view sitting in the car, mounting the phone in the middle of the dashboard was directly obscured by the steering wheel. The phone was not in my line of sight.

I sat in my car and looked at different places to mount and the best place for me would be on the vent, but I didn't want that big 'X' type mount. Plus Steve said he has to tie it in there with a string since it wouldn't actually fit due to how recessed the vent grills are.

After searching the net and doing some measurements, I decided to try the Tetrax GEO mount.

The following are some pics and video of mount/dismount. Also included some pics of before/after cleaning my center console display. I also bought a screen protector.

BTW this video was taken using Google Glass. So you're seeing my birds eye perspective. I was actually leaning little slightly to the right. But you could easy tell from my view if I was sitting straight up, if I had mounted it in the middle part of the dash on the Obeche wood, I would not be able to clearly see it without leaning to the right.

before cleaning:

after cleaning:

here is what the little Tetrax GEO mount looks like on the vent, pretty non-intrusive. I am shining a Xenon light on it for this pic:

These are the items I bought:

1) new case (also has an integrated nifty kickstand, and it's only a dollar! lol) Amazon.com: Iphone 5, 5S Case Slim KickStand Style, Extra Thin, Matte Black Color Cover Stand (Pwr+): Cell Phones Accessories

2) Tetrax GEO mount (includes little button thing to attach to phone) Amazon.com: Tetrax 72009 GEO Smartphone/Cellphone/Remote Control Airvent Mount Magnetic Holder with Metal Clips, Dark Steel: Cell Phones Accessories

3) dual 2.4A 12V charger (so I can simultaneously fast charge my iphone/android(google glass) Amazon.com: Anker® USB 24W / 4.8A Dual-Port Car Charger - Simultaneous, full-speed charging(Black): Cell Phones Accessories

4) (this is unrelated to the iPhone mount, but linking it here anyway since you can see how dirty that screen was after 10 months) BoxWave Cleartouch Duo screen protector made for the Model S Amazon.com : BoxWave 2013 Tesla Model S Navigation System ClearTouch Duo (2-Pack) : Gps Accessories : Computers Accessories

5) what's not shown is my black USB iPhone cable. I bought that from target.

BTW with that screen protector, it includes a wet cloth and a dry cloth, but that still didn't thoroughly clean it. after using the wet + dry paper towel, I had to use a microfiber cloth to really clean it good and then apply the screen protector. I decided to buy this one instead of the nushield

- - - Updated - - -

BTW I decided to go with the BoxWave Cleartouch screen protector instead of the Nushield because from what I gathered from other owners, the Nushield will protect the screen BUT will still show fingerprints and will still need cleaning. The BoxWave Cleartough actually doesn't show fingerprints - so now I don't need to clean the display again!