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Over on MacanForum nobody has found a decent solution to mounting a phone in a good location. Wondering if anyone here has found a good clean way to do it? I tried the RAM mount but I'm worried it's going to damage the dash long term and it looks kind of bulky. I am looking to mount the phone at around the height of the steering wheel / top of the dash within arms reach so I am not distracted if I need to make adjustments to navigation or music. My most preferred position would be just right of the steering wheel but not blocking the entire vent there.
I have the Rennline mount and love it. No issues with the location, but I have CarPlay and rarely have a need to touch the phone. Once I load OS12 (after Apple fixes the bugs), I'll have Waze and Google Maps on CarPlay.
Yeah that sits too low and also I can't do a magnetic mount, I don't put cases on my phones. Also I think the metal plates interfere with wireless charging?
edit: Looks like it's actually a 17mm ball mount so there are other mounting options. Alas, it's still too low, I don't feel safe having it that low.
Once I load OS12 (after Apple fixes the bugs), I'll have Waze and Google Maps on CarPlay.
I’m curious, what bugs? I’ve been running iOS12 ever since it’s initial release and now I’m running the latest 12.x version and haven’t experienced any issues (I too have Connect Plus with CarPlay, etc.).
I have the Rennline mount in my Macan and my 911 and I wish it was available for every car. Once you plug in your phone and are connected to CarPlay, you don't need to look at it any more. But it's stored in a convenient place. Best solution I've found, period.
I have the Rennline mount in my Macan and my 911 and I wish it was available for every car. Once you plug in your phone and are connected to CarPlay, you don't need to look at it any more. But it's stored in a convenient place. Best solution I've found, period.
ditto the Rennline, in my Macan, 993, and when I had a 986 for a short time as well.
Well I am an Android guy and I don't think my Macan has Car Play anyway. So anything requiring Car Play is a non-starter.
i am IOS but don’t have CarPlay. I don’t miss it, I rarely look at the phone on the Rennline mount.
For phone function I use the dash display, same for music. IF I HAVE to text, I use Siri and dictation
(which by the way sucks in IOS, Apple should be ashamed of it, yet I have friends tell me they have no trouble, and I have extracted all the gravel out of my voice so I don’t understand why IOS has such trouble with my voice across every physical device I have had that supports dictation)
I use Spotify and Google maps (and sometimes Waze instead) both of which require some interaction with the phone to make any adjustments. I've found the built in navigation to be rather poor. I can use the button on my steering wheel to pause / skip to the next song but that's about it.
Considering that I have to manually start Spotify every time I get in the car, and I can't start it until about 30 seconds in due to the slow bluetooth connection, that is by far the biggest distraction. Also sometimes the BT Aux doesn't connect and I have to manually turn it on, which ends up being something I can't do until I am stopped at a light.
OP, I am also Android. I think the Rennline mount is the best option. It is fantastic although slightly low. There really are no better options for the Macan. In my GT4 I have a T-Design mount and the location is perfect, just to the right of the PCM display at the same height. I would say the only other option for better position on the Macan is the Proclip above the PCM mount but I always have my phone plugged in and there is no clean way to power the phone when mounted above the PCM. I also don't like how the mount touches the leather on the dash.
When I drive I always run Waze, V1Driver and sometimes Google Play Music. I have no issues with slow Bluetooth pairing. My phone pairs to the PCM very quickly. I usually start up Waze before driving off and it automatically sets a route for home or work, my most common drives. If I have the PCM set on Bluetooth Media, the GPM starts up automatically and plays from where I left off. I use the PCM or my Garmin watch to skip songs and Waze can be completely hands off once the route is set. If there is a traffic problem, it will re-route automatically. I don't use Spotify so can't comment there...
I am curious why you are having slow PCM connection issues. As I said mine is really fast with PCM 4. You might want to try and troubleshoot your phone setup. If there is no solution, I would recommend to try out an app call Llama. You can set up automatic routines with delays. So for example you can set up a trigger to launch Waze and Spotify after connecting to Porsche Bluetooth. You can also add a delay if needed.
You can also use Google Assistant to do most of these actions if you have hotword detection turned on. You could simply say "Hey Google, launch the Waze app" and it will start up and then say "Hey Google, launch the Spotify app" one the PCM connects.
In my Cayenne, I modified a Rennline mount to work with the Steelie magnetic ball mount I use in all my other cars.
I bought the mounting bracket from Rennline, sourced a proper diameter threaded polished iron ball online somewhere, threaded a mounting screw through the back of the bracket and into the ball, then mounted the bracket into the car.
This setup let's me pivot the phone up or down a bit and swivel side to side, like when I need to access the buttons behind it. Works great.
OP, I am also Android. I think the Rennline mount is the best option. It is fantastic although slightly low. There really are no better options for the Macan. In my GT4 I have a T-Design mount and the location is perfect, just to the right of the PCM display at the same height. I would say the only other option for better position on the Macan is the Proclip above the PCM mount but I always have my phone plugged in and there is no clean way to power the phone when mounted above the PCM. I also don't like how the mount touches the leather on the dash.
When I drive I always run Waze, V1Driver and sometimes Google Play Music. I have no issues with slow Bluetooth pairing. My phone pairs to the PCM very quickly. I usually start up Waze before driving off and it automatically sets a route for home or work, my most common drives. If I have the PCM set on Bluetooth Media, the GPM starts up automatically and plays from where I left off. I use the PCM or my Garmin watch to skip songs and Waze can be completely hands off once the route is set. If there is a traffic problem, it will re-route automatically. I don't use Spotify so can't comment there...
I am curious why you are having slow PCM connection issues. As I said mine is really fast with PCM 4. You might want to try and troubleshoot your phone setup. If there is no solution, I would recommend to try out an app call Llama. You can set up automatic routines with delays. So for example you can set up a trigger to launch Waze and Spotify after connecting to Porsche Bluetooth. You can also add a delay if needed.
You can also use Google Assistant to do most of these actions if you have hotword detection turned on. You could simply say "Hey Google, launch the Waze app" and it will start up and then say "Hey Google, launch the Spotify app" one the PCM connects.
Mine is a 2015 so it has PCM 3.1. It can be very slow to connect. It takes about 10-15 seconds before it connects to the phone at all, and then about 10-15 more seconds to connect AUX BT (sometimes it doesn't even connect). I have a brand new Samsung S9 so I don't think the phone is the issue. Google assistant can open spotify but I cannot:
Reconnect the BT media settings to get BT Aux working (I have to go into bluetooth settings to do this)
Pick a spotify playlist and start playing. If Spotify is already open it will start playing automatically but most of the time this isn't the case.
Easily search for a location and the optimal route
Even if Google assistant can do these things it still requires looking down at the screen, which is why I want the screen at eye level.
Mine is a 2015 so it has PCM 3.1. It can be very slow to connect. It takes about 10-15 seconds before it connects to the phone at all, and then about 10-15 more seconds to connect AUX BT (sometimes it doesn't even connect). I have a brand new Samsung S9 so I don't think the phone is the issue. Google assistant can open spotify but I cannot:
Reconnect the BT media settings to get BT Aux working (I have to go into bluetooth settings to do this)
Pick a spotify playlist and start playing. If Spotify is already open it will start playing automatically but most of the time this isn't the case.
Easily search for a location and the optimal route
Even if Google assistant can do these things it still requires looking down at the screen, which is why I want the screen at eye level.
I do sympathize with your plight. I feel like the Bluetooth connection speed/issues are odd and there might be some solution to improve them. Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions other than specifically making a thread on the issue here and also the Macanforum where there is more traffic. If you can improve the Bluetooth connectivity it seems like many of your problems might be at least manageable. If it is an issue with PCM 3.1 then you are stuck with it but maybe there is a solution. Bluetooth technology can be a bit finicky at times. Sometimes the Bluetooth stack needs to be purged and a reboot takes care of that. There are also potential compatibility issues with certain vehicles and their implementation of Bluetooth. There are some advanced setting you can change in Android that improve compatibility in some cases.
And unfortunately as Android users there are no clean integrations like Android Auto in a Porsche. Don't even get me started on that one...
One last suggestion... You could run Android Auto on your phone. Then at least it simplifies the interface and puts voice commands front and center.
If you ever find the holy grail mount, please post it!
I bought the proclip. I'm not using it because it has scratched the leather at the top of the dash and also after leaving it on for only one night, it left a small indentation in the dash so I am kind of worried about it doing permanent damage if I leave it on for a long time.
12-20-2018, 12:06 PM
Phone mounts
