This is just the start of the project. Needed to see if I am going to like the setup or not. I decided to mount my 7" LG tablet in front of the center screen because I use the music on my phone/tablet anyway, I finally bought an OBD Bluetooth adapter, and would like to have all the additional info like weather/maps/and such, but need it to be easily removable to access things like climate and other menu options.

I am using some small magnets temporarily mounted for now to check angle and glare while driving. The final plan will be to take the surround off and mount some larger stronger magnets on the inside of the trim panel so they won't be visable but still be strong enough to hold the tablet in place while doing track days or just very spirited driving.

Here are some pics so far.

 

I had considered doing that in order to use the Torque Pro app for the real time gauge set. I was thinking of using a plastic U channel on the bottom where the tablet would sit and then a small magnet on top. I didn't follow up because I didn't want to make anything that would damage the plastic surround. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

All manufactures should use standard infotainment systems so you can take your ipad or tablet device to any car and it will work. However, manufactures reinvent the wheel and charge $,$$$s for their substandard systems. Let the people that excel at what they do make your product a better product. Infotainment systems today are cumbersome, slow, and difficult to use. I believe tesla uses a 17" apple system--kudos to Elon Musk.

 

What is a 17 apple system? Tesla uses probably the most proprietary system I've seen since it is more part of the car than even our systems. Quite a few manufactures are switching to systems that do interact with apple and android systems. You have to consider the money switching hands to get one company to agree to use a another companies product like that though.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only that thought about doing this type of setup. The u channel idea was an option for me as well, but that would be something not easily taken back to stock. I really wish I could put something in that would just flip up the tablet. That idea would have a way to much involved and there would be no way to make it original afterword without buying another trim piece.

This forum post on the F150 forum got me thinking about doing this. ipad-ipad-air-ipad-mini-dash-mounts-all-models

 

I dunno, and don't go by me, but I think it looks ghetto on a $100,000 car.

 

I agree its not the greatest setup. It's just an idea and trial right now. Nothing on it is permanent yet. Have you seen the interiors on newer Mercedes? Theirs looks like they through a tablet up top as afterthought.

 

Funnily enough the cup holder rectangle is a perfect fit for my Samsung note 3, and it doesn't rattle either with the fuzzy stuff (cant spell veleur!)

 

Sorry, 17" apple screen. Tesla contracted apple, one of the best tablet manufactures, to build there proprietary infotainment system and it makes anything on the market look 10 years older.


The beauty of a portable system is that you can plug it into other cars and maintain all of your navigation settings, music, etc. Also you could plan and amend trip itineraries while having lunch outside of the car. If a trip involves several car changes only one device is used without the need to relearn and program different systems. Yes, getting several manufactures to agree on standards in an area that is used to differentiate their brand will be difficult. Although the ease of use and advantageous of portability intrigues me. My $150 Tom Tom is invaluable when travelling because of it's portability and reliability.

 

I agree it looks out of place but my intention was just a temporary look at a set of gauges while driving just to check water temp and voltage. In order for it to work you would need a tablet the same size as the opening and some way to set it into the opening that would appear stock. I am still holding out for a DIY kit that give you some gauges on the stock screen. Until then I'll just keep the tablet in the back and glance at it periodically to see temp . By the way my kid was looking at a new Audi A3 and a C class MB and would you know they both have a pop up screen for their infotainment system. It looks out of place to me and is distracting in my opinion.

 

I am using a temporary mount to the left center A/C vent along with my Glaxy S4 phone which works just fine with I want to the OBD link software. The mount cost around $12 - $15 from Amazon and I can position the Galaxy so that there is no glare from sunlight even with the top down. I leave the mount in the car on a full time basis and attach the phone when I want to use the link

 

It is nearly impossible to mount a suction cup anywhere on the X150 because the windshield is so steeply raked, and there are no smooth surfaces on the dash or console to mount one. Or maybe I'm missing an obvious location!

Best of luck!

 

I would have thought the magnets would affect the electronics.

 

Not at all. Though I have hit a problem where I don't know if I can get any strong enough to be hidden behind the trim piece and be able to hold the tablet through a bump or spirited driving.

 

Magnets from old 3.5" hard drives. Be careful removing them.
If a pair of them snap together they can draw blood.

On a steel tool cabinet, they have to be slid over to a corner
and peeled off. No way you can just pull them off unless you
have several layers of masking tape over the magnet to weaken
the field.

If you are willing to reverse the setup, then glue the magnets to the tablet
and use two small thick headed screws through the trim as the magnet anchors.

Or looking at your picture, you could silicone the magnets to the trim
to be able to peel it all apart later.

 

May be easier to just buy some - search for neodymium magnets. They come in loads of different shapes, sizes & strengths.

 

This is my biggest single concern with keeping the XKR long term. The difficulty or near impossibility of upgrading the touch screen / infotianment / navigation system etc

 

Meh; I don't use the nav system (I have a TomTom), and the rest of the interface is adequate. It plays tracks from my iPhone and gives me hands-free. The only other thing I use it for is controlling the seat heating/cooling and the steering-wheel heater.

Maybe it was having a first car that didn't even have a fuel gauge or a radio (1954 Beetle) - my expectations were set low.

 

If I were to integrate a tablet, I'd do something removable like this:

http://amzn.com/B00BAQKRHY

Bought a couple to test and it's a solid product. You can mount the screen almost anywhere, angle the screen towards you, etc, without risk of it falling.

Skeeter

 

I don't see why these Nav Systems are so hated, they really aren't that bad, other than being a touch on the slow side to react. I think most of the problems arise from people not reading the book. My wife's Lexus has a 3" x 5" book about 240 pages on the Nav System alone. She won't use it because she doesn't know how, so it just sits on MAPS the whole time. Our XK/R system has the typical POIs, Restaurants (sorted by type), Voice Turn-By-Turn, Hospitals, so-on and so-on. It's actually much easier to use than the Lexus system, and if/when I ever need it to drive somewhere new (I play with it sometimes and it's quite accurate and handy), I will certainly use it, it isn't really any worse than a Tom Tom, and it certainly looks a HECK of a lot cleaner than a lighted board mounted on the dash.