Looking for an elegant cell phone mount

[caphie]

Does anyone have any elegant cell phone mount setup in their B8? I'm looking for something better than the cheap vent mount I have right now. I want something which is easy to insert/remove the phone, does not look terrible, does not put unsightly cords where everyone can see them, and provides good visibility to the driver. I'd also like to find something which someone else already speaks positively about to take some of the guesswork out of my purchase.

Thanks!

[infinkc]

I love my kenu airframe.

[Wavz]

I have always used ProClip on all my cars. Worth every penny.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dropshadow]

You didn't mention what phone you have, so here's my iPhone 5 setup:

My mount is a PanaVise 75102-109. Also on Amazon: http://is.gd/HWNaBF



My cradle is a ProClip 514433, "Padded Holder with Tilt Swivel for Cable Attachment for Apple iPhone 5." I use this cradle because it allows me to keep the cable always connected in the dock so all I have to do is drop my iPhone in and go.



I'm using this iTeck extension cable plugged into the AMI port in the glovebox for power and audio, with an Apple 30-pin to Lightning adapter cable. It's important to note that the Lightning adapter cable and the standard Lightning cable that comes with the iPhone 5 have slightly different Lightning plugs, and ProClip makes specific cradles for each.

Standard USB-to-Lightning cable on the left; 30-pin to Lightning adapter cable on the right.

Works perfectly. I plastidipped the cable of the Apple adapter black so it doesn't stand out in my interior. You want to use the real Apple cable because the cheap adapters don't work. I can add a pic later if anyone's interested. This is with an iPhone 5 running iOS 6 and now iOS 7. No issues with either OS. Bluetooth call audio still works great as well.

[mantech4]

I would definitely go with Mountek nGroove Snap 2. I am not a fan of having something stuck on my windshield.
The Mountek mount requires you to stick a metal piece on your cellphone. When you get in the car, you just stick it on the mount.
The magnet is surprisingly strong may I add.
Hope this helps you.

[caphie]

Has anyone permanently mounted a charging cable to the car so the cable is not draped across the console to reach the cigarette lighter or power adapter between the seats? If so, where did you connect to 12V power?

[dropshadow]

Has anyone permanently mounted a charging cable to the car so the cable is not draped across the console to reach the cigarette lighter or power adapter between the seats? If so, where did you connect to 12V power?

I just outlined it in my post above. My phone is connected directly to the AMI port in the glovebox, so it has a constant, hardwired connection to power and audio. Seriously, for as many times as I've posted this, I'm surprised when nobody does the same thing. I did the research and trial and error with a bunch of cables and adapters and found a setup that works perfectly for the iPhone.

[infinkc]

Has anyone permanently mounted a charging cable to the car so the cable is not draped across the console to reach the cigarette lighter or power adapter between the seats? If so, where did you connect to 12V power?

I connected to the wires going to the ashtray, ran a lightning cable up through the hole on the bottom of the climate control.

[wsr1206]

Check out Exogear.com
I have heard they are really good
Their suction is so great that it will stick to any surfaces, even on brick walls.
Go to their website and check out the video.

[caphie]

I just outlined it in my post above. My phone is connected directly to the AMI port in the glovebox, so it has a constant, hardwired connection to power and audio. Seriously, for as many times as I've posted this, I'm surprised when nobody does the same thing. I did the research and trial and error with a bunch of cables and adapters and found a setup that works perfectly for the iPhone.

I did not catch that you went directly to the AMI port. That makes a lot of sense. I think I'm putting this on my list of projects! Many thanks!

[s4nAri]

I love my cellphone cup. It holds my phone securely, easily accessible while being out of the way and there is a hole in the bottom to run a power cord from the arm rest cubby power supply. Plus it's less than $8 and can be easily transferred into any car.

But if you want to be able to look at your phone while driving this is not the solution for you...
I'm not a big fan of taking my eyes off the road so having my phone be visible is one more distraction I don't want to have.


http://www.amazon.com/Heininger-1073...Cell+phone+cup

[shonseb]

I have the mountek n groove that goes in the CD slot. I like it because it's right in the center where I can reach for it, it doesn't block the screen or the climate controls, and it's easily transferable to any car with a cd slot as well a removable when you don't need it.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[IanCH]

Proclip... Why you would look anywhere else I don't know.

Just be sure to get the vent mount for our car and not the angled edge mount.

My angled edge mount lasted about 3 weeks before breaking whereas the vent mount they courteously replaced it with is rock solid.

[IceSilverS4]

I've had Proclip for all my previous and current cars as well and it is flawless.

[JeffK (B6S4)]

]Works perfectly. I plastidipped the cable of the Apple adapter black so it doesn't stand out in my interior. You want to use the real Apple cable because the cheap adapters don't work. I can add a pic later if anyone's interested. This is with an iPhone 5 running iOS 6 and now iOS 7. No issues with either OS. Bluetooth call audio still works great as well.

I'm definitely interested in seeing pics of:

1. The finished install with and without the phone in the cradle
2. A pic of how you ran the wiring from the AMI to the center stack.

After struggling with a Tune2Air for several months now, thinking about going your route instead.

Thanks!

[milk242]

Proclip is the way to go, I have mine wired to the ami cable in the glove box. It required me to take of the glovebox which was a pita to do since it has so many bolts. I'm switching to the proclip vent mount soon, so I'll reroute the cable through the air vent.

[dropshadow]

I'm definitely interested in seeing pics of:

1. The finished install with and without the phone in the cradle
2. A pic of how you ran the wiring from the AMI to the center stack.

After struggling with a Tune2Air for several months now, thinking about going your route instead.

Thanks!

I'll try to snap a decent pic in the daylight today.

The cabling goes: AMI port --> OE Audi 30-pin iPod adapter --> iTeck 30-pin to 30-pin extension cable --> Apple 30-pin to Lightning adapter (the long one, not the little plastic adapter) --> ProClip mount. (That mount is specifically for the Apple adapter I'm using. If you use a different cable or have a different phone, you will need a different ProClip mount, obviously.)

Currently, the extension cable runs along the back of the glovebox and out the back left corner of the glovebox door. From there it goes inside the center stack, and then exits next to the climate controls. If you have a set of radio removal tools, it's very easy to get into the center stack to route the cable. The cable is only visible for about 4 inches, and since its black, it blends in well. You can't see the cable where it exits the glovebox because it's so far back. I may someday route the cable behind the glovebox if I'm feeling ambitious, but it's very low on my list.

[QuattroRocket]

Love my Tetrax, simple and inobtrusive.

http://www.tetrax.com/us/products/ip...od/tetrax-xway

[sjuhawks19]

I love my kenu airframe.

What is the material they use to hold the phone with? I don't have a case on my phone but I had a holder before that scratched my phone. Are the materials holding the phone soft?

[dennisA4]

I went through this same thing… had a thread in the A4 forum.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...95-Phone-Mount

I ended up going with the ProClip mount, that mounts to the side of the MMI.

[IanCH]

The angled pro clip is worthless in our cars because the trim on the HVAC is not secure enough. I had an angled in my S6 that was fantastic, but the one for this car was pretty bad.

This one is sooooo much more secure and you can put it in wherever you want along that middle set of vents. http://www.proclipusa.com/dashboard-...263-17076.cmsv

[infinkc]

What is the material they use to hold the phone with? I don't have a case on my phone but I had a holder before that scratched my phone. Are the materials holding the phone soft?

Its rubber, i dont see it scratching anything.

[MajorHavoc]

Here's my solution. And, I think it works very well. It's a Pro Clip dash mount and a Pro Clip iPhone holder. They have mounts for specific models/years and for most phones. www.ProClipUSA.com
I'm using the "Audi A4 Sedan 2009-2015 ProClip Angled Mount" #854063. This is a very easy install and, it seems quite sturdy.
Along with "Apple iPhone 5 / 5s with a Case Adjustable Holder for Small to Medium Cases" #511428.
[IMG][/IMG]

[dennisA4]

The angled pro clip is worthless in our cars because the trim on the HVAC is not secure enough. I had an angled in my S6 that was fantastic, but the one for this car was pretty bad.

This one is sooooo much more secure and you can put it in wherever you want along that middle set of vents. http://www.proclipusa.com/dashboard-...263-17076.cmsv

The one in the pic above is the same one i got and it's solid as a rock.
And for me its the better position and perfect to reach when your hand is right there on the shifter. I hate vent mount mounts. I need every bit of AC here in houston. lol

[13S4]

The one in the pic above is the same one i got and it's solid as a rock.
And for me its the better position and perfect to reach when your hand is right there on the shifter. I hate vent mount mounts. I need every bit of AC here in houston. lol

Glad to hear it's solid! I was worried for a second since I ordered one a few days ago.

[IanCH]

The one in the pic above is the same one i got and it's solid as a rock.
And for me its the better position and perfect to reach when your hand is right there on the shifter. I hate vent mount mounts. I need every bit of AC here in houston. lol

You will find that if one passenger bumps that angle mount with their leg the part of the mount that wedges behind the trim will crack, unless I just got a lemon part on mine. Also I found that with that mount position my phone holder was frequently bumped off angle. Maybe I just have shitty passengers though...

[dropshadow]

This is the PanaVise mount for the B8: http://www.panavise.com/pages_addons...artn=75102-109

It comes in two pieces.

One you attach to the car behind/next to the center vents:


The first piece is mounted in the visible screw hole behind the center vent, which you can see here:


And the other piece screws onto the first piece:


The final mount looks like this when installed BEFORE you attach a phone mount:


These photos are from my first B8 S4. I will take one later of the same mount in my B8.5. I've used the same piece in all three of my B8s so far and it has been rock solid. Fifth PanaVise that I have purchased for various cars throughout the years, never had a problem with any of them.

[MajorHavoc]

The Panavise mount is a very solid mount! I've had them in other vehicles. For me, it placed my phone a little too high in my A4 and, I didn't want to take the dash apart to install it.

[dropshadow]

Here are pics of my mount, as described earlier in this thread. Please excuse the crappy pics and dirty interior. Winter is a bitch, and I'm itching to detail my car once it gets nice.





When I get into my car, I drop my iPhone into the mount and go. This particular ProClip is designed for iPhones without a case, but you can get a ProClip that is compatible with cases. I prefer not to use a case, so this is perfect for me.

[infinkc]

^^ thanks for sharing, looks great, do es the phone go right onto the charger pretty well? or do you have to position it.

[dropshadow]

^^ thanks for sharing, looks great, do es the phone go right onto the charger pretty well? or do you have to position it.

The great thing about the ProClip is that they are designed specifically for the phone you have. The iPhone 5 slides into the grooves on the ProClip, which places it perfectly on top of the connector every time. This mount would also for the iPhone 5S since it has the same form factor as the 5. It probably would not work for the iPhone 5C because the 5C is slightly thicker, but I do not have one to test it with. It may work but could be a bit snug. When I get a new phone, I will upgrade the ProClip mount accordingly.

[MajorHavoc]

Looks good!
Is that cable just power or is it connected to the MMI port in the glovebox? If connected to the port in the glovebox, what combination of cables & connectors are you using?
I'm looking for a clean/simple way to connect my iPhone 5 in the cradle to the glovebox port.

[dropshadow]

Looks good!
Is that cable just power or is it connected to the MMI port in the glovebox? If connected to the port in the glovebox, what combination of cables & connectors are you using?
I'm looking for a clean/simple way to connect my iPhone 5 in the cradle to the glovebox port.

It's detailed in this thread across a few posts, but I condensed it all into one post in my build thread.

Edit: I created a new thread for it, since some people might not visit this particular thread: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-in-my-B8-5-S4

[MajorHavoc]

Thanks Dropshadow! Thats good info. Is the cable coming from the dash to the phone the 30 pin to lightning? If so, where did you find a black one?
You also mention a USB A to Lightning cable, was that used in your install?

[voidopolis]

I love my kenu airframe.

+1 on the Kenu - love that thing - and I can swap it between cars with no issues. Its a solid product - especially for $25.

Here is a picture of it mounted in my GTI.

[dropshadow]

Thanks Dropshadow! Thats good info. Is the cable coming from the dash to the phone the 30 pin to lightning? If so, where did you find a black one?
You also mention a USB A to Lightning cable, was that used in your install?

All your questions are answered in my posts. The cable coming from the dash is the Apple adapter, but I plastidipped it black so that it blends in better. I do not have a USB-to-Lightning cable in my current setup.

[dropshadow]

+1 on the Kenu - love that thing - and I can swap it between cars with no issues. Its a solid product - especially for $25.

Here is a picture of it mounted in my GTI.

I put a Kenu Airframe in my wife's Jeep since she had no interest in me pulling apart her dashboard to put in a more permanent mount. The Airframe is a very nice solution if you want something small and portable. My only gripe is that even though the mount has two options for installing on the vanes in your car's vents, the smaller one still isn't quite strong enough to hold onto the vent in her Grand Cherokee without getting loose every couple days. Otherwise, it's been great.

[westwest888]

+1 on the Kenu - love that thing - and I can swap it between cars with no issues. Its a solid product - especially for $25.

Here is a picture of it mounted in my GTI.

Do you work at Microsoft in Cleveland?

[voidopolis]

Do you work at Microsoft in Cleveland?

no. I'm in technology though... Nokia has sold a few windows phones to folks not working at microsoft ;)

[athlon64x2]

just get this one .. awesomely neat idea ..
http://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-STCK-...words=nite+ize