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2017 WRX Kuda smartphone mount.

8K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Leftybateria 
#1 ·
Minor as it may be, 8 days into WRX ownership, I have completed my first mod. Ordered & installed a Kuda smartphone mount. They are not cheap, but they look damn near OEM, so I thought it was worth the expense. Plus, they always design their mounts to minimize interference with any radio or A/C controls & vents, etc.

When you order from KUDA USA, INC. - KUDA® car custom OEM leather mounts for mobile electronics, you first choose your vehicle manufacturer, then scroll through their listing of available mounts. The mounts come in 2 parts. The first is a leather covered base, which in most cases match the OEM interior surface very closely. (Pics below- pretty much spot on in my case)

Then you select a phone or GPS mount. Some phones, like iPhones & some Samsung Galaxy models, have model-specific mounts, but they also make a variety of universal mounts. So, with my Motorola Droid Turbo 2, I went universal.

Most of the phone mounts attach to the base with a pivot ball using your choice of either double sided 3M tape, or screws & nuts (both supplied in the package). I opted for screws & nuts, which required me to drill 4 small holes into the face of the Kuda base. Once that is attached, you then snap the mount into place between the center stack & glove box, and use a supplied self-tapping screw to secure the base to the plastic face inside the glove box. The arm that reaches inside is very thin, so it does not interfere with glove box operation. Getting the self-tapping screw started takes a little pressure, but is not difficult to do.

My universal mount has a top piece which is spring loaded to expand upwards, then spring back & grip the phone. It is also adjustable, using 2 locking tabs on the back. In the photos, I have it fully extended. I think I could shorten it 1-2 clicks to tighten the grip on my phone, but I'm not sure it's necessary. The spring loaded top lets me mount & unmount the phone with one hand & secures nicely.

Theoretically, since the Kuda base is just a flat leather covered surface for mounting, you could buy your phone mounts from a number of other sources if you like. This setup cost me $106 total, shipped, and took all of 10 minutes to assemble & mount. Attaching the base was less than 2 minutes in the car.

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#3 ·
#4 ·
I like that stye of mount as well, but I like to use kickstand cases with my phones, and that adds too much thickness for the magnetic mounts to work well. And I'm too lazy to keep adding & removing the case as I enter & exit the car. For my personal needs- leaving my kickstand case on, not blocking a vent or any of the A/C controls, sitting below the top of the dash, etc., this was a good (if overpriced) option.

I was half tempted to 3D print something custom, but that would probably have left me mounting the phone in an undesirable location, too.

My other thought was to go to the same solution I use in my 1992 Supra- a flexible shaft mount that bolts to the passenger's seat rail: https://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Phone-...merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1475193291&sr=1-21

That puts the phone a tad low in some cases, but in my Supra, I have few choices for a mount that puts the phone below the top of the dash. That is one case where I may eventually custom design & 3D print something, since nobody is going to be designing anything vehicle specific.
 
#5 ·
So it sounds like there are no external mods to the car interior? Curious how much the whole setup costs. It does look OEM and pretty cool, so I may get it at some point.

I have used this on several cars for several years:

https://www.amazon.com/Kenu-Airframe-Mount-Smartphones-Phablets/dp/B00LU5LWQK

Yeah, it blocks a vent, but I don't have passengers much, and my fiancee' closes the vents anyway when she's riding with me.

My son did marketing for a company that makes one of the ball mounts based in Minneapolis for awhile. Looks cool.

One caveat--my fiancee' had a similar magnetic mount in her car, and when she turned a curve the phone fell off and landed on the stick, breaking the screen. (Painful repair for the Samsung Galaxy...)
 
#6 ·
No visible mods, no cutting, no double-sided tape that you'll need to get off later, etc. Just one self-tapping screw that goes inside the glove box with ease. The unit is such a tight, secure fit that the screw doesn't have to take much stress/load.

As mentioned in the original post, $106 shipped
 
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