Hi folks, ever since I ordered my MINI back in April, I knew I would want a slick, low-profile mount for listening to music on my iPhone. But nothing that I saw quite met my criteria: it shouldn't cover any controls on the dash; it should look acceptable when nothing is mounted to it; and it should be small, slim, and unobtrusive. So I made my own.

I started with a black plastic Milo from Blue Lounge (http://www.bluelounge.com/products/milo/), and I ordered an extra cigarette lighter socket plug from Sewell Parts (part number 51168222183).

I cut away the corners of the Milo to fit the contour of the cup holders. I did this so badly. So badly. But I made the rest of the mount easy to disassemble, so that a more carefully cut Milo could take its place.

Then I chopped the head off of the lighter socket plug so the Milo would sit flush against the top of the socket. I cut about one inch off of a 5/8" threaded steel bar, and glued it inside the socket plug using plastic epoxy, essentially filling the center of the socket plug barrel. (A bit of non-threaded aluminum bar would have been better for this, but I just used what I found at the hardware store.)

Next, I drilled a 7/32" hole through the middle of the steel bar, and threaded it for a 1/4"-20 screw. I made a matching hole in the base of the Milo, and put the two parts together using a 1/4"-20 cap screw with a button head.

Done! The result is pretty good, a sloppy version of exactly what I was going for. The best part is that it pops right into the lighter socket without damaging anything in the car.

The only problem so far is that the socket plug is able to rotate, and therefore so is the mount. I'm not sure how to resolve this without damaging the socket. Maybe some rubber cement or something similarly non-permanent? Also, it would be nice if the mount were flush with the space between the cup holders, but that would mean having to remove the socket altogether. And yes, I'll be painting the cap screw black.

I don't know if an iPhone 5 with the Lightning to 30-pin adapter will fit in the same space, but I might find out in a couple of weeks.

That's all!

 

Seriously, and I say this politely to all
The ProClip mounts for the iPhone are the ONLY way to go
We have used them in:
'06 mustang
'08 prius
'97 rangers
'12 MCS R56 wife's
'14 fJCW R55 mine

They have 2 mounts, one for models WITHOUT the upper glove box
And one for WITH the upper glove box
Perfect angle, no glue, no drilling, easy on- easy off


Without phone



With phone


It blocks no controls
And has a super clean look