Hello all, I am looking for an iPhone mounting solution for my 328 so when I'm driving I can easily see the navigation, etc. My preference is to not have a mount that would be permanently situated on the dash board risking damage to the leather and looks ugly. Please let me know what you are using and have had success with. Thank you! Jon
No navigation solutions, sorry. When I drive the 328, getting lost and wandering around is half the fun. Sounds to me like you want a suction cup mount that attaches to the windshield. They can attach and pop off easily, and most are very stable. I don't use one, but I see suction mounts holding go pro cameras in track cars all the time, so I know they can take a beating.
I've been using the Just mobile Xtand go for about 4-5 years. Its the most unobtrusive I could find. Its well made, comes direct from Germany from memory. It has a very good screw down suction to the windscreen and it has never fallen off. I got it for the iPhone 4 and it has a specific size holder, but later I bought the adjustable holder and fitted it to my existing mount for the iPhone 6 plus. Its a big phone, but it never falls. If you buy it today it comes with the adjustable holder. http://www.just-mobile.eu/xtandgoz1.html I also have used their charger for the past 4-5 years and I think its the most reliable and well built available. When I first got it I was disappointed the aluminium head sits a cm roughly above the standard car socket rather than flush, but other than that its top quality. They sell one with a cable for 10 euro more now, but its works fine with the cable that comes with your phone. Beware of the cheap chargers. Mostly low quality, will leave you without your navigation some day. Highway Max Used these for thousands of miles with TomTom on phone, and never a single problem, which is rare these days.
David- thank you for the info! Where exactly do you place yours? Any idea if it would work on the driver's quarter window? Jonny- what brand are you using?
+1 Hoping the OP finds a solution. But I'm off the grid, all the time anyway, and especially so in my 308 .
The brand of holder is Arkon. What iPhone do you have? You may not have enough room with the newer models. There is always the Ram mounts, RAM Mounts - Mobile Mounting Solutions for Phones, Tablets, Laptops, Camera & more
I can highly recommend the Ram suction cup mounts... at least the ones with the steel arms. I use one in my track car and it's never turned loose, even under 1.3 G loads. Some of the car clubs have really cracked down on use of phone mounts on the track, but Ram mounts are permitted and even recommended.
It will stick to any piece of glass. I always use it centre right of windscreen, low down. (RHD Cars) Some say this is dangerous on left hand bends, and in urban environments, but I think its less dangerous than the heavy windscreen pillars of today. You do have to be aware its there and use extra caution and checking. With that in mind I use an iPhone 6 Plus as a sat nav, when you could argue it would be safer to use a smaller screen. However, I find the large screen takes only the slightest glance, which I think leaves more capacity for watching, looking and generally being alert. I do think a mount that is as unobtrusive as possible is a good safety measure though. Having said all that, I think its illegal to mount a sat nav on a windscreen in some countries. Overall I think windscreen sat navs aid safety generally, definitely safer than a centre console location, probably not as good as built into the screen in the traditional speedo, rev counter location. 100%. The only thing I do is tighten up the flexi parts in my desired position every six months or so, using the little allen key thats built in to it. I think the suction cup tech problems are solved; on youtube I see really expensive large DSLR cameras attached to cars being entrusted to them. I remember the first generation stand alone Tom Tom's would fall off every so often, but it just doesn't happen anymore. The only possible worry could be really heavy condensation on the inside of the windscreen, but if you were worried just take off, dry and screw down again - 30 seconds. Andy Ihnatko, ("Chicago Sun-Times technology columnist and Internationally Beloved Industry Figure™") says the Ram mounts are the best. https://twitter.com/ihnatko/status/519592686899064832 I would use them for racing or off roading but for a road car, especially a nice one, I think they don't look very good.
Thanks for the additional feedback, David. I agree with you that the Xtand is a very nice looking mount, which is why I'm interested. That said, it would not work in my track car with the belts cinched down and may not work all that well in my Ferrari because it doesn't offer enough extension to get the phone close enough to operate. It looks like a great choice for some of my other cars though, where the windshields are closer.
