Normally I would just enjoy driving and not bother with the cellphone but I picked up a OBDLink MX Bluetooth adapter (thanks WayneB and axr6) and Torque Pro and it is awesome to have so many real time stats available.

My problem is that I can't find a great place to mount a smartphone. Windshield mounting puts the phone too far away and I don't like restricted visibility. I currently have it mounted on the drivers side vent but don't like this option either as it blocks AC on hot days... Anyone have a good spot or has done a custom install of a mount?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

ProClip makes one. You buy it in two pieces. The console mount for the Jag F Type and a phone mount that suits you. I don't have one but I did get one for my son and it worked out well.
Jaguar F-Type 2013-2015 ProClip Console Mount - ProClip USA
If you get one, put a picture of it on here.

 

I don't mount my phone (just leave it in the cup holder) but this one is "custom" for the F-Type: Jaguar F-Type 2013-2015 ProClip Console Mount*-*ProClip USA

Heard good reviews about their products from the 911 guys.

 

I don't normally mount my phone either but for road trips, I picked this up a while back. It's flexible enough to use in most cars and cheap too

 

This is exactly what I'm looking for... Something nice and sturdy. Will order and let you know my thoughts.

Jeff

 

I mount mine in my pocket. I figure I don't need to use it for anything other than talking hands free while I'm driving anyway.

 

I used to have a mobile phone mounted in my XJR, and I was always forgetting it. It was a Jaguar phone mounted in the center console.
I totally agree--mine now stays in my pocket for hands free.

 

Here are some pictures of the ProClip solution.
I have a Galaxy Note 3 which is a pretty huge phone, so the bracket for the phone is correspondingly large.

I use my phone a LOT while driving (I use Waze to get traffic updates and avoid cops ). For my own use this was the perfect solution....in fact, before I found the ProClip solution I was trying to figure out a way to mount the phone in exactly that location!

The bracket is designed to be non-marking on the leather, and it is a very secure mount. Note that the ignition button and one of the climate control buttons will be partly obscured by the mount, so you may want to keep that in mind. It isn't a problem to reach either button while driving.

 

FYI, I bought this from amazon:
I like the location but unfortunately it interferes with the gear selector so make sure a cigarette mount is long enough that it doesn't.

 

OK, I think I've settled on a clean solution using parts from 2 different mounts I found on Amazon.





For the "clean" look I use the magnetic hold of this mount:


But I don't use the vent holder and instead use the compact cigarette holder from this mount:


So the phone is now in the best location (IMO) but does not clutter the interior of the car. Note, I just got the mounts today so I haven't actually tried it (in terms of stability, magnetic hold, etc.) But if the magnet can hold and the cigarette thingy is stable then this might be the best solution for me.

 

Thanbks shift, I already had ordered the imagnet holder from amazon which is the same magnet you have but with suction cup and just ordered the same cigarette holder you have listed. I think that should work great together.

 

The only problem with that solution is no place to hide the power cord. On a trip over an hour, a nav app like Waze will drain your smart phone battery in about an hour.

I prefer the cupholder solution, where the cord can be hidden inside the console.

 

I just wrap my power cord around the stem. My charging cable is lighted so it doesn't look that bad. Not as clean as cup holder mount but I prefer to keep my cup holder closed.

 

the compact cigaratte sticky thing has a USB port. So you could get a very short USB cable for charging. It won't hide the cable, but if the cable is short enough it's fairly clutter free.

bottom line: can't wait for cars to have dedicated phone slot! let your smartphone power your infotainment/nav/etc.!!!!

 

I like Shifts solution nearly as much as my own.
Clearly, everyone has their own opinion on what makes for a good phone mount, but IMHO I have seen some pretty hideous solutions shown on this forum over the last several months.

In my view, the fundamental purpose of a good phone holder is all about location, location, location... while being unobtrusive in the process. Phones mounted down near the console force the driver to avert their eyes too far from the road, and/or for too much time... and therefore can be a huge distraction to the responsible operation of the vehicle.

The ProClip console mount, cupholder mounts, and cigarette holder mounts all fall into the category, and some are not very attractive to boot...

This is my phone, mounted, from several angles:



Straight-on view - Vertical Orientation



Straight-on view - Landscape Orientation



View from Driver's position - Vertical



View from Driver's position - Landscape



As you can see, the phone is located higher up into the driver's normal line of sight with eyes on the road. I can easily glance at my phone while still having great vision of the road in front of me, and more importantly, what other vehicles may be doing around me, like hitting their brakes suddenly or while following in traffic.

I can even operate/navigate the phone, without removing my right hand from the steering wheel. Dialing the phone is even safer than using the Navigation screen. Summoning Siri to dictate a text or email is effortless. Evaluating traffic conditions on my InRix Traffic app can be done without distraction from the road. And yes, I can even manually correct a text on rare occasion with diverting my attention from the roadway.

Better still, the phone in this location blocks relatively No buttons, No features, and No other services of the auto. Only the Home Menu button for the Nav Screen is obscured, and then only with the phone in a Vertical orientation. Not like I used that button much anyway as there are other ways to do this from the touch-screen itself, and I can still easily get to that one button if needed by sliding my finger under the phone. Approximately 40% of the left side air vent from the center pop-up is obscured, but again only with the phone oriented vertically. Since I've also directed the right side vent of the central pop-up toward the driving position, this issue is of little consequence to me. With the phone oriented in landscape, it blocks absolutely nothing whatsoever... well except one's insignificant view of some of the Technical Weave pattern on the console itself.


So how did I accomplish this with no apparent bracket or mount?
This wonderful little Magic Magnetic Mount from Scosche, available from Amazon for $19.99



View from Driver's position



Straight-on View



View from Passenger position



Close-up View


This Scosche Mount is Sturdy, Compact, Efficient, and Effective.
The mount is secured to the upper console with an adhesive pad, which I can easily remove if and when the time comes. The phone is secured to the mount with a thin metal plate attached directly to the back of the phone, the back of the case, or even between the phone and the case (which is where mine is hidden).

The phone is easily placed on the mount in an infinite array of positions due to the broad magnetic field feature of the mount, and the phone is much more secure once in place than I anticipated. The phone does not move unless lifted from the mount and repositioned by hand. It stays in place when I punch the gas, or when I fishtail around a corner, or when I'm zooming along at 140mph. And No, the magnet has no effect on the internal operation of the phone, at least not that I've noticed in two months, despite some internet reports to the contrary.

In summation, this mount puts the phone in the best possible location. The mount itself, when not in use, is far less obtrusive than many of the other options (one could even argue it has an extremely compact footprint compared to most). and everything with both the phone and the vehicle work well together.


Lastly, and before Foosh comes along and comments about his battery life while using waze... I don't experience routine battery problems, and I don't use Waze. However, while I have yet to complete this last little part of the install, and for those instances I do need a charge, I intend to run my charging cable to the phone, by securely tucking it up under the side lip of the console, leaving only a few inches of cable showing, well in back of, or behind the Wiper Control lever.

 

IronMike, thank you. This is one of the best solutions I have seen so far. Most of the others are out the line of sight and would be in the way of the manual shifter.

 

Mike,

Not bad at all, and the best "permanent" installation I've seen. Everyone seems to use a smart phone a little differently according to their needs, whims, etc. Thus, there is no universal best solution.

I'm not concerned about phone line-of-sight in my car, because I'm not looking at it. No one should be while driving even when mounted in line of sight. The only phone app I use in the car is Waze, which is the state-of-the-art for navigating around the gridlock that is horrific in the DC area. I don't look at it, because it talks to me and tells me exactly what street and when to turn. If I'm streaming iTunes, I can control that on the car's touch screen. If I'm making or receiving a phone call, I can control that on the steering wheel and touch screen.

Second, I don't want anything stuck on the back of my phone. I don't like cases either, as I want the phone as slim as possible because it's usually in my shirt or coat pocket.

Lastly, I don't want any "permanent" installation in my F-Type, the cupholder phone bracket comes out in less than 5 seconds and is stowed away when I don't care about nav.

 

IronMike, all valid points. I just don't like the idea of any adhesive/glue mounting. I'm sure it will come off OK, but I'm super paranoid that when the time does come to take it off it will cause issues. Plus I want an easily removable mount because a lot of times I don't need to mount my phone and want the car to look clean.

 

Mike, I love where you have your phone, but there's no way to run a charging cable to it at that location, and when using certain Apss and / or streaming Bluetooth audio, the battery runs down fast.

Also, with these newer magnetic mounts... my phone always has a boatload of data stored on microSD cards. I've always HEARD that Magnets and PC Memory just don't go well together. Heck, even take a strong magnet and run it close to your PC monitor and see what happens. Are magnetic mounts safe for long term use without damaging screens or having the possibility of losing data?

 

Magnets only affect disk based storage, not flash. There is nothing magnetic in flash memory, so it is immune to the effects of magnetism. A magnet powerful enough to disturb the electrons in flash memory would be powerful enough to suck the iron out of your blood cells. At this point, ruined memory would be the least of your problems.

This was a concern back in the day with floppy drives, but not any more.