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need a good iPhone car mount

mentaluproar

mentaluproar

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 25, 2010
1,795
258
Ohio, USA
I finally bought a big boy phone, the iPhone 4s, and bought navigon. I'm very happy with this, but the only mount they sold around here for it was some universal stoche mount and while it hold the windshield very firmly, its a fugly, bulky thing that covers the sides of the iPhone screen when clamped.

I hate vent mounts, and dislike windshield mounts, but my dashboard is odd on my car. I drive a toyota echo (no jokes!) and the dash is kind of curvy and the speedometer is in the center of the car. I would like something that can mount on a curved dash, by the center-mounted gauge cluster.

Further challenges: the dash is a textured hard plastic and I want to leave the iPhone bumper case on the phone while leaving the dock connector exposed. If it somehow lays golden eggs, that would be nice too.

I'm going to give this mount a week or so to see if I can get used to it, but in the mean time, I'd like some recommendations from experienced iPhone users.
 
Budget? I always recommend ProClip's device mounts and Panavise's brackets (versus ProClip's vehicle mounts). Don't overlook existing threads. This is far from the first time that anyone has discussed mounting options.
 
I have this one (the one for the iPhone) and the brand is iWave. Don't use the circular stand and just suction the thing directly to the glass, has a space for a charging cable to go through and can adapt to any phone/gps not just the iPhone. Bought it from TJ Maxx for cheap.

0087251000811_215X215.jpg


0087251000811_AV3_500X500.jpg
 
takeshi74 said:
Budget? I always recommend ProClip's device mounts and Panavise's brackets (versus ProClip's vehicle mounts). Don't overlook existing threads. This is far from the first time that anyone has discussed mounting options.
Click to expand...

I know it's not the first about mounts, but it's the curved surface that I want to mount it to that makes this post, I think, unique.
 
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I don't like glass mount as my GPS glass mount falls off from time to time.

I also dislike vent mounts because I'd like to remove the amount and put it away after each use.

I ended up going w/ Mountek. It has been great, easy take-on, easy take-off. I might write a review one it when I have more time.
 
+1 for Mountek. Had it for probably over a year and love it. You can still play a CD with the mount still in place if you so desire. It does an awesome job for when I have my music going with the FlickTunes app running. Can change the song without even looking at my phone, just reach over and swipe the screen. Very safe for when I'm driving through backroads, which I do a lot.
 
vietalogy said:
I have no problems with mine.
Click to expand...


I have seen one in person.
So I guess you don't mind them clips blocking a portion of the tiny screen, good for you, I do, I have a major problem reducing my already small screen, and so did my buddy. Glad ur happy though, we all have different needs :)
 
4sFanatic said:
I have seen one in person.
So I guess you don't mind them clips blocking a portion of the tiny screen, good for you, I do, I have a major problem reducing my already small screen, and so did my buddy. Glad ur happy though, we all have different needs :)
Click to expand...

Just used it this morning and the clips were not in the way. It might get in the way if your iPhone is naked.
 
vietalogy said:
Just used it this morning and the clips were not in the way. It might get in the way if your iPhone is naked.
Click to expand...

Mine has a metal bumper but the Exogear I'm ordering won't be for my Iphone 4S. I ordered the Igrip Rok originally for my Galaxy Nexus, but the holder won't fit it. I'm currently using it for my Iphone 4S.

I'm loving it even though the holder barely fits the Iphone. It's pretty stable on the roads and even on uneven roads it's been stable, no noticeable movement or vibrations on the Igrip. I saw a few videos of the Exogear and it seems to have alot of vibration on uneven roads. Does yours do the same thing?

This will be mounted on a 2004 Mazda 6, the the shocks are kinda stiff and every bump in the road is felt by the car. If this doesn't work out, I can always just order another Igrip, with a larger holder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vVOS_VayI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYAsMaAOJJc&feature=related
 
I don't notice much vibration while driving. I only use it when I use navigation and that's few times a month.
 
I've had my exogear for about 2 weeks or so now and I like it. It's good, not great, but you get what you pay for. I have it mounted on a smooth surface on my 4Runner, and that sucker does not fall off at all, very solid. The clamp system is ok, nothing fancy. I do have my phone in a Magpul case (love it!) and the tips of the clamp does block the screen just a tiny bit where if I had to touch close to the edge where the clamps are, it would miss or I would have to tap again at a slight angle. Still, very good mount. It does jiggle a little while driving, but not much. It is a little bit of a humbug putting in the phone and taking it out because you need to reach around the back and press the lever to unclamp it, so it's not just a drop-in mount. Again, you get what you pay for, and for $20 (off of ebay, free shipping) I can't complain. :D
 
I recently bought the Mountek CD mount. My god, this is a great mount. It feels securely attached to the CD tray in my 2011 Honda Civic and is at a great height for both using as a GPS mount and for activating things on my iPhone such as Siri. It's actually pretty small, so it's nice to know that I can stow it away in my cluttered glove compartment. It feels well-made and I don't foresee having any quality issues. One minor quip is the clamp release button is behind on top of the bracket behind the phone, so dismount of the phone isn't as quick as it would need to be (if you need to dismount it while driving for whatever reason).
 
My Exogear just came and I am not too please at it. The lock won't open, it's on tight and won't loosen up. Even when it's locked my Iphone was moving when I lightly shook it. I put my Galaxy Nexus on and it will not hold it in place. The grip[holder] itself is fine, it's just the lock won't open, and I'm sending it back. It seems the lock on on tight but I can still rotate the grip/holder.

Edit: I had a chance this weekend to try it again. I managed to open it and re-tighten it. It works fine now. It fits both my Galaxy Nexus and Iphone with the El3tron bumper. I can see the whole screen on both phones.

I was planning on using it on my dash but it has dimples so it won't stay on. I'm using it on my windshield now. If there's a downside, the sticky stuff on it makes it hard to take off the windshield to readjust it.
 
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I went with a Proclipusa mounting plate with a proclipusa tilt swivel with pass through connector mount. It looks like they don't make a mounting plate for your car, but you might be able to give them a call and see what they can do. When/if you find a plate, I highly recommend their mounts. Here is an OLD picture with a DICE unit to play through my stereo's aux input using the proclipusa plate:

S4_iphone_01-01.jpg


The proclip mount with pass through allows you to drop in your phone and charge (or in my case play through the stereo) even with many types of cases like the apple bumper and feather type thin cases.
 
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