[Unspec]

I was never satisfied with any of the other options out there, so I bit the bullet and bought the Rennline phone mount for the F10. At $45, it's pricey, but probably the cleanest option.

The kit comes with a magnetic phone mount. What comes in the package:


Screw on the bolt, use some pliers and a hex bit to tighten it down. Forget the size of the hex, surprised they didn't bother to include a hex bit in the kit.


Pull your trim out. Ideally use a trim tool, but I just used my fingers. Be firm but gentle, it's all held on by clips. Might need to open passenger side door to get the far passenger side trim out.


Undo the torx screw that is just to the right of the center console air ducts. It's T-25 or T-20, I forget which. Install the Rennline bracket, and tighten down. Don't tighten down too hard, it's threaded into plastic so its pretty easy to strip


This is what it looks like with nothing attached to the ball


It's a standard ball size, so pretty much any holder, mechanical or magnetic, will fit on it fine. My wireless charger as proof


Fat cat tax


Some questions that might get asked:
Q: Does the magnetic mount damage your phone?
A: No, the magnet is not strong enough to damage your electronics.

Q: Will the metal plate affect wireless charging?
A: Yes. No. Maybe. It really depends on where you place it, most phones have the induction coil at the center of the phone's back, so as long as you don't place it there you're fine. I placed the rectangular plate at the bottom of my phone, and my phone wirelessly charges just fine (Pixel 3 XL). If you can't get it to not block the coil, skip the magnetic part and just get a mechanical holder, the gravity style ones are slick. The balls these phone holder use are pretty much all standard ball sizes.

Q: How's phone navigation with the phone that far offset?
A: It's fine. If you glance at the map and can't remember at least the next turn, I'd be concerned. If anything, turn on voice navigation.

Q: Does it block anything?
A: For the driver, no. The passenger might have a tad bit harder time seeing the iDrive screen, but that's not a big deal imo

[wcr3d]

Looks like you had to notch the center trim for clearance?

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by wcr3d

Looks like you had to notch the center trim for clearance?

Nope, didn't do any cutting or modifying. Plug and play.

[Surly73]

Thanks for posting this - I've been looking for something better than what I've been using.

The majority of times I'm in the car I don't mount my phone though, only for longer trips. I see your picture of just the ball sticking out - is it easy to install/remove the plastic caddy part on a per-trip basis? Or too much of a pain?

I was also thinking of a Proclip - center dash mount option on the right side. Have you ever directly compared Rennline with Proclip by any chance?

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by Surly73

Thanks for posting this - I've been looking for something better than what I've been using.

The majority of times I'm in the car I don't mount my phone though, only for longer trips. I see your picture of just the ball sticking out - is it easy to install/remove the plastic caddy part on a per-trip basis? Or too much of a pain?

I was also thinking of a Proclip - center dash mount option on the right side. Have you ever directly compared Rennline with Proclip by any chance?

When you say plastic caddy, you mean this thing?



If so, yea very easy. You unscrew a plastic nut in the back so that the socket holding the ball can flex again, and you pop it right off. Takes probably 10 seconds. One thing to keep in mind, you really need to take a wrench and torque that metal ball down (within reason ofc). Otherwise, undoing the plastic nut can loosen the metal ball. I ran into this issue when I first installed and only hand tightened the ball.

My friend used to have the ProClip one. There's a couple of issues I had with it. Large phones can be a bit awkwardly angled. Larger passengers might bump into your phone a lot. Looking at the phone requires you to directly look down, taking the road completely out of your LoS. Rennline one at least keeps the road in your peripherals. Looks kinda jank (in my opinion).

It's not a bad option, I just think Rennline is probably a bit better of an option.

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by Unspec

My friend used to have the ProClip one. There's a couple of issues I had with it. Large phones can be a bit awkwardly angled. Larger passengers might bump into your phone a lot. Looking at the phone requires you to directly look down, taking the road completely out of your LoS. Rennline one at least keeps the road in your peripherals. Looks kinda jank (in my opinion).

It's not a bad option, I just think Rennline is probably a bit better of an option.

Thanks for the insights - I'll be giving this one some thought. Not sure I wanted a magnetic solution any longer (I'd like to get away from requiring the metal plate on the phone) so I'll need to look into the options.

It sounds like the Proclip you experienced was the one that put the phone down by the shifter. I'm looking at vent-level. The catch I see is that it probably doesn't angle the phone towards the driver unless you also include a ball. I would put it on the right like in the small inset picture. It's probably pretty close to where the Rennline goes.

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by Surly73

Thanks for the insights - I'll be giving this one some thought. Not sure I wanted a magnetic solution any longer (I'd like to get away from requiring the metal plate on the phone) so I'll need to look into the options.

It sounds like the Proclip you experienced was the one that put the phone down by the shifter. I'm looking at vent-level. The catch I see is that it probably doesn't angle the phone towards the driver unless you also include a ball. I would put it on the right like in the small inset picture. It's probably pretty close to where the Rennline goes.

Not a fan of vent mounted solutions. I'm not sure how that thing mounts, but if it clips onto the actual vent fins, it can bend them over time and it makes it so you have a hard time adjusting the vent. Also, if you have the bigger NBT screens, it covers up a solid portion of the left side. Most concerning is that it blocks a lot of the back up camera view.

If you want a more mechanical holder, look for "gravity phone mount" on amazon and you'll find a lot. Basically, the arms are connected via gears to a bottom lever that the phone pushes down with it's own weight. The arms come in when the bottom goes down, grasping your phone. Lift the phone up, and the bottom will come up, making the arms go out. Pretty clever!

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by Unspec

Not a fan of vent mounted solutions. I'm not sure how that thing mounts, but if it clips onto the actual vent fins, it can bend them over time and it makes it so you have a hard time adjusting the vent.

It's at the vents - it doesn't clip on the vents. Phones with cases are way too heavy to do that.

If you want a more mechanical holder, look for "gravity phone mount" on amazon and you'll find a lot. Basically, the arms are connected via gears to a bottom lever that the phone pushes down with it's own weight. The arms come in when the bottom goes down, grasping your phone. Lift the phone up, and the bottom will come up, making the arms go out. Pretty clever!

Thanks for the key word to search for - sounds useful!

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by Surly73

It's at the vents - it doesn't clip on the vents. Phones with cases are way too heavy to do that.



Thanks for the key word to search for - sounds useful!

Interesting. Blocking the screen is still a concern though.

No problem!

[poverty.f10]

Sorry to revive this old af thread but it seems like my mounting bracket is kind of wobbly. Anyone have any issues with this?

[Unspec]

Try tightening the screw. It tends to get a little bit loose. I'd also add a dab of blue locktite.

[n3985]

Originally Posted by poverty.f10

Sorry to revive this old af thread but it seems like my mounting bracket is kind of wobbly. Anyone have any issues with this?

Mine is wobbly too, I added a Magsafe mount to it, and my phone wobbles when I drive presumably due to the weight.

[musclesmarinara75]

Originally Posted by Unspec

Nope, didn't do any cutting or modifying. Plug and play.

....More like screw in and play... lol, I just put one on myself a few months agao, and I got their tow hitch license plate frame

[ctcarbonari]

Bump!

I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank Unspec for this post & sharing his experience. Ultimately, it was the final read that convinced me to give the Rennline phone mount a try.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I think it is a clean install and great location for the F10. For me, my phone stays in it's holster on my hip 99% of the time and I use voice commands to achieve my navigation & music needs. I do use BimmerLink to read codes & sensor values and I really, really, enjoy the dashboard feature that the app offers. So, I purchased an IPad, loaded BL & BC onto it (free on multiple devices), and did the install.

Here are my reflections:
Overall, the dash trim was surprisingly easy to remove. There's (3) clip points and I just worked it out right-to-left with (2) plastic trim pry bars.

Rennline must have listened to Unspec as my kit came with the 10/32" hex wrench needed to tighten down the ball.

+1 to using blue loctite on the ball thread & nut!

I had to put the magnet onto the bottom/center of the IPad so I'm sure I'm pushing the limits of the bracket in regard to weight & stability. Still, I was pleased that the slight wobble was not nearly as much as I thought it was going to be. (I wrenched down the magnetic mount as well as the ball very tight). I'll put a piece of foam on the lower left corner of the IPad to prevent contact/scratching the trim but during my first couple driving runs the slight wobble was not enough that it was making contact.

It's a bit big for my everyday driving needs, but for longer trips and those days when I want to "get my ya yas out" the ability to glance over and spot check sensor readings will work out well.

In conclusion,

Purchase of Rennline Phone Mount..........~$50
Cost of refurbished 10.5" IPad from Amazon.........~$150
Reaction of my girlfriend when I pick her up for datenight.......Priceless

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by ctcarbonari

Bump!

I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank Unspec for this post & sharing his experience. Ultimately, it was the final read that convinced me to give the Rennline phone mount a try.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I think it is a clean install and great location for the F10. For me, my phone stays in it's holster on my hip 99% of the time and I use voice commands to achieve my navigation & music needs. I do use BimmerLink to read codes & sensor values and I really, really, enjoy the dashboard feature that the app offers. So, I purchased an IPad, loaded BL & BC onto it (free on multiple devices), and did the install.

Here are my reflections:
Overall, the dash trim was surprisingly easy to remove. There's (3) clip points and I just worked it out right-to-left with (2) plastic trim pry bars.

Rennline must have listened to Unspec as my kit came with the 10/32" hex wrench needed to tighten down the ball.

+1 to using blue loctite on the ball thread & nut!

I had to put the magnet onto the bottom/center of the IPad so I'm sure I'm pushing the limits of the bracket in regard to weight & stability. Still, I was pleased that the slight wobble was not nearly as much as I thought it was going to be. (I wrenched down the magnetic mount as well as the ball very tight). I'll put a piece of foam on the lower left corner of the IPad to prevent contact/scratching the trim but during my first couple driving runs the slight wobble was not enough that it was making contact.

It's a bit big for my everyday driving needs, but for longer trips and those days when I want to "get my ya yas out" the ability to glance over and spot check sensor readings will work out well.

In conclusion,

Purchase of Rennline Phone Mount..........~$50
Cost of refurbished 10.5" IPad from Amazon.........~$150
Reaction of my girlfriend when I pick her up for datenight.......Priceless

I ended up mounting it in a different location that's a bit lower down. See images. Used a random nut as a spacer lol

[ctcarbonari]

Originally Posted by Unspec

I ended up mounting it in a different location that's a bit lower down. See images. Used a random nut as a spacer lol

I like it!

[Smonkbmw]

Seeing it down lower now makes me want to get one.

[ptrkp]

Originally Posted by Unspec

I ended up mounting it in a different location that's a bit lower down. See images. Used a random nut as a spacer lol

Does the trim still fits correctly?

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by ptrkp

Does the trim still fits correctly?

Yep!

[Surly73]

Originally Posted by Unspec

I ended up mounting it in a different location that's a bit lower down. See images. Used a random nut as a spacer lol

oooooooooo! I'm going to have to browse my random nut collection.

[n3985]

Originally Posted by Unspec

Yep!

In the bottom position does a phone still wobble from its own weight while driving?

[Unspec]

Originally Posted by n3985

In the bottom position does a phone still wobble from its own weight while driving?

No more than the original location.