Phone mount

[HectorG]

Although my PHV has the built in sat nav I like to use Waze on my phone as it gives up-to-date information on traffic conditions. In the past I have used Brodit  phone holders - expensive but effective. Their offering for the Prius is fitted around the central vents which I don’t like, as apart from anything else, it partially obscures the media screen. Generally, I’ve never had any luck with vent mounted holders. I recently saw an ad for a cup holder mounted phone holder and thought this might be a good solution. Any advice on alternative solutions to this problem and what others may have tried successfully would be gratefully received.

[HughL]

I have used an iOttie Easy One Touch 4 in Gen 3 and Gen 4. Sticks solidly to the top of the  dash as well as the windscreen. Had mine for a couple of years: seems robust and has never come unstuck. Didn't leave a mark on the dash when I took it off one car to move to another. Fairly rattle-free, too. Not cheap at £25 on Amazon, but good value. Friends have bought them and liked them. They do a version with a charging pad built in too. I looked at the cupholder type but you have to take your eyes so far off the road to peer more or less at your knees; seemed very unsafe to me.

[QuantumFireball]

I use some fairly cheap windscreen/dash mount but mounted on the quarter light in the A-pillar - however it seems the gen 4 Prius doesn't have any glass there...

My preference would be to keep it as close to where you're looking while driving, and would agree the cup holders are too far away.

[HectorG]

Thanks for the above suggestions. I agree that the phone should be preferably at eye level, especially if using it as a sat nav. I think I’ll experiment with a windscreen mount attached to the quarter light. The Brodit mount in my Mercedes camper van is attached to the A-pillar and effectively results in the mount being in the position it would be in the quarter light option on my PHV and this works well. The difficulty with this will be the wiring from the 12v socket which could be tortuous. The advantage of the cup holder mount is of course the proximity to the socket. Decisions, decisions.

[Ten Ninety]

If you're going for the windscreen or quarter light, you might need a mount with a long 'arm' to bring the phone within touching distance. When I looked at this, I found both the windscreen and quarter light glass to be quite a long way away from the wheel. 

The good news is, running a cable up to that location is far from tortuous. As long as you have a long enough cable, it's actually very easy. Go from the rear socket, under the rear floor mat, then underneath the plastic trim at the bottom of the door which pulls off and reattaches quite easily. There's even enough space under the trim for a USB extension plug/socket if you haven't got a single cable long enough. From there, go up the side of the dash and push the cable in between the rubber seal and the dash, which brings it out in just the right place. The trim removal and replacement is really very simple. No tools needed, and if I can do it, anyone can!

Hugh's dash mount option is also well worth considering. I've done that with my TomTom device, which uses a similar method to the iOttie - a plastic circular disk which sticks to the dash, onto which you can attach the usual windscreen sucker mount. The advantage is that this offers perfect positioning, within fingertip reach and without obscuring any part of the screen. However, I did need to glue the disk to the dash permanently, as the included double-sided tape wasn't strong enough to support the TomTom's weight. For a phone, I imagine this would not be necessary as the tape would probably suffice.

[HughL]

Apologies if my reply was misleading. The iOttie doesn't use any form of adhesive to mount to the dash. The suction cup itself s a very sticky silicon material that clings on its own without need an adhesive pad or strips. Combined with the suction, this enables it to stick to textured surfaces on its own. It would stick to the windscreen too. The only thing you have to make sure of is that it's clean when you use it. If it's not, wash under a running cold tap and then leave to air dry (important) and it gets all its stickiness back. Mine didn't leave a mark on the dash of my Gen 3 when I removed it after a year, and so far doesn't seem to have marked the Gen 4 dash either. It stayed on right through the summer, even when the inside of the car got very hot. I've had other similar ones in the past, but they weren't as good. I've got mine fixed to the dash top right of the wheel and it doesn't get in the way of anything (sits behind the A-pillar so doesn't even intrude on the windscreen) and is easily within reach if you do need to touch the phone for any reason. The arm is extensible: I've got it about half-way out and there's maybe a couple of inches of travel left. Haven't tried to use it for anything heavier than a large phone, though, so I don't know how it would stand up to a full size satnav.

Here's a snap. As you can see, I haven't done anything fancy with the cable but it stays out of the way when it's plugged into the phone.

Edited November 1, 2019 by HughL
Added photo

[HectorG]

Thanks Jay and Hugh - really useful and food for thought. I’ll let you know how I get on.

[Ten Ninety]

59 minutes ago, HughL said:

Apologies if my reply was misleading. The iOttie doesn't use any form of adhesive to mount to the dash.

Your reply wasn't misleading at all. I was curious, so looked up the product on Amazon and found it here, where it describes a separate 'one-time use' dashboard pad that I assumed was similar to the one I have. Maybe I found a different version to the one you've got. Either way, it looks like a good solution for a phone.

Your photo shows a position that's pretty much identical to where I have my TomTom. As you say, it's ideally placed without obscuring anything.

16 minutes ago, HectorG said:

Thanks Jay and Hugh - really useful and food for thought. I’ll let you know how I get on.

One point I forgot to raise was that the quarter-light mount is only suitable on the Gen4 if you're not running a cable to the phone, as it opens with the door and risks stretching or disconnecting if you're plugged in! The Gen3 had a fixed quarter-light, which I used to use like Aaron above.

[HughL]

Looks like they are including an adhesive pad as well now. Seems still to have the sticky gel suction cup, though. The Amazon listing also says its got a longer arm now, so mine might be an older model now.

You are definitely right about the quarterlight on Gen 4. I'd be worried about the cable not detaching and the phone crashing to the tarmac whenever I opened the door. I've seen a few Uber drivers locally who seem to have it fixed like that, though, so maybe you can get away with it in practice.

[GreenJuice]

I use a suction cup mounted onto the quarterlight from ProClip USA. They don't advertise much in the U.K. and I came across them from when I was in the US. They worked on my UK Gen 2 and Gen 3 models as well. Their system allows you to transfer between different cars and different phones.

https://www.proclipusa.com/

[GreenJuice]

Actually the comments about attaching a cable to the quarterlight on a Gen 4 are not strictly correct. I have a charging cable connected from the USB charging point in the central console with a 2m cable to the ProClip mount on the quarterlight and the extra cable to allow for the door opening works fine. The cable is tucked away and hidden all the way. I have had this for over 3 years with no problems or wear. 

[HectorG]

2 hours ago, GreenJuice said:

I use a suction cup mounted onto the quarterlight from ProClip USA. They don't advertise much in the U.K. and I came across them from when I was in the US. They worked on my UK Gen 2 and Gen 3 models as well. Their system allows you to transfer between different cars and different phones.

https://www.proclipusa.com/

ProClip USA mounts are in fact manufactured by the Swedish company Brodit. I’ve used these on my last two camper vans - they are excellent, if a bit expensive. Brodit products are mainly available from the importer in York and generally seem to be tailored to specific vehicles and are often very ingenious. In the case of the Prius, I think Brodit have struggled to come up with a solution other than a vent mount which I don’t want because it will obscure the upper display and possibly part of the media screen.

I’ll have a look at their website (DSL Developments) to see if they do universal mounts. From memory, they offer literally hundreds of options and are very well made.

[HectorG]

I’ve just looked at the ProClip USA site, noted the part numbers of the suction cup mounts and entered them in the dsldevelopments search bar and nothing comes up. Clearly the UK importer doesn’t keep them. I think it’ll be a case of buying an alternative on Amazon.

[HectorG]

I finally bought the iOttie Easy One Touch 4 (see Hugh’s post) for dash fitting and wired from rear socket (see Jay’s post). Perfect solution as it’s in easy reach and doesn’t obscure any windows or instruments. 
I didn’t fix the permanent mount to the dash as the sticky suction cup seems to work well, but I’ve yet to test it over a longer stretch of poor road surface.

Thanks everyone for suggestions and advice.

[HughL]

I feel responsible now! Hope it works ok for you. Mine hasn't fallen off after 12000 miles of mixed roads. I think I will try Jay's wiring solution too as mine is rather ad-hoc and far from elegant.

[HectorG]

On 11/10/2019 at 11:03 PM, HughL said:

I feel responsible now! Hope it works ok for you. Mine hasn't fallen off after 12000 miles of mixed roads. I think I will try Jay's wiring solution too as mine is rather ad-hoc and far from elegant.

Now tested over several miles on poor country lanes. Absolutely solid with no sign of the mount falling off. My only criticism is that with the full 5” extension my phone wobbles a bit, but this is a minor issue. I think, although the mount is a bit more expensive than the usual offerings,  it is a good design, well made and good value for money.