New phone mount solution for the Mini

"Desu-San-Desu" (Desu-San-Desu)
01/17/2015 at 19:27 • Filed to: None

So, I've had the Mini for a couple weeks now and everything has been great except storage for things like my vape pen and my phone. I tried using the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from my Audi. I love my Ram Mount and it works great in the Audi, but I felt like it was blocking a lot of forward visibility when mounted to the windshield of the Mini.

Now, they make a dedicated !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the Mini Cooper S, but it's like $100 and I didn't feel like spending that much- not to mention it doesn't seem to be made with models equipped with the Chrono Package in mind, so I'm not sure how well it would work on my particular car. It also wouldn't help with the vape-pen situation. So instead, I bought a little $15 Scoche magnetic mount from Walmart. It worked as intended, but, again, lack of locations to put it. I tried mounting it on the bare plastic below the illumination adjuster, but then my hand blocked my view of the phone when I was gripping the steering wheel. The phone itself also blocked more of my oil temp and fuel level gauges than I liked. I couldn't find another viable location to mount the magnet, so I just left it there.

Instead, I decided to grab a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! off Amazon, since I don't use my car's CD player anyway.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

It works great! Yes, it visually blocks the face of the radio face, but I rarely use that anyway, as I always keep my radio tuned into the same local station. It's easy to see, easy to reach, and does not impede my view of the road whatsoever. It also free'd up the other magnet from the Scoche setup, so for that one, I just bent the smaller adhesive plate and attached it to the tank of my vape pen and now I have a perfect, out of the way, arm's reach spot for both my vape pen and my phone and I don't have to worry about fiddling with any clamp brackets or X-grip frames. I just place the items where I want them and they stay firmly put, but I still only give them a gentle tug to remove them. It's a pretty awesome setup and I'm very pleased with it.

DISCUSSION (14)

TheElephant > Desu-San-Desu
01/17/2015 at 19:33

So. Much. Clutter.

Desu-San-Desu > TheElephant
01/17/2015 at 19:36

Confined space. Looks really busy and cluttered, but in practice is actually very intuitive.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Desu-San-Desu
01/17/2015 at 19:42

Eesh...I don't have mounts for anything in my R55. So the phone is in my pocket, and drinks are verboten in my car, along with most other things.

Hell, I bitched at the dealer because they didn't have any cars without the $250 center armrest option when I bought my Clubman S. I don't store anything in it, and if I didn't have it, I wouldn't be banging into it with my elbow when shifting into 4th.

Desu-San-Desu > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
01/17/2015 at 19:46

Lol. Mine doesn't have the armrest. But it's an R53, so that wasn't as common an edition with those.

I sort of use my phone for GPS a lot, so it's important to have it mounted somewhere visible. As for my vape pen, I just hate pulling it out of my pocket all the time, especially when driving through town where I have to shift a lot.

I own dead car brands only > Desu-San-Desu
01/17/2015 at 20:16

oh a vape pen user! I use one. Love it, completely turned me off to real smoking.

Desu-San-Desu > I own dead car brands only
01/17/2015 at 20:20

Yeah, once I got a quality setup and found a place that makes juice I like, I completely stopped smoking real cigarettes. :-)

I own dead car brands only > Desu-San-Desu
01/17/2015 at 20:39

i just bought some new juice today and it tastes horrible. May go back and just get a new flavor but they don't have the strength I want. I prefer 18. That hit is nice.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Desu-San-Desu
01/17/2015 at 20:47

My GPS is in my brain. Or so I think.

I did get an external GPS receiver to use to time laps on the track. Perhaps I should start with a book of times and see improvement.

Desu-San-Desu > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
01/17/2015 at 20:49

Yeah. I drive too many places that I'm unfamiliar with to not have it, lol.

Desu-San-Desu > I own dead car brands only
01/17/2015 at 20:50

I run a small amount of nicotine. It's less about the nicotine and more about the physical act and sensation for me.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Desu-San-Desu
01/17/2015 at 20:58

I'm also so lazy even when I have GPS, I won't program it.

Klaus Schmoll > Desu-San-Desu
01/18/2015 at 12:58

Wait what? Tell me that you didn't sell Herr Audi.

Desu-San-Desu > Klaus Schmoll
01/18/2015 at 13:45

Lol, no. I still have Herr Quattro, but he's needing more work than I have time to devote to him in order to keep him reliable, so I had to get a second car to drive while I take my time to repair and upgrade Herr Quattro the way he deserves to be. Hopefully we'll have the oil leaks, vacuum leaks, and suspension issues repaired within the next month or so. In the meantime, my daily driver is a 2006 Mini Cooper S with the 6-speed manual.

brian1321 > Desu-San-Desu
01/19/2015 at 13:01

As the vape pen stares you in the face.