I want to add a docking mount for my iPhone 4S with charging and audio capability, and I'm trying to figure out which way to go here.

I have one of the first 225hp quattro TTs to be sold in the US (was the 4th one on the waiting list in tyson's corner, va back in 2000) so it's OLD (in TT terms) and it doesn't exactly have modern audio system features.

It's a 2001 TT Quattro and I believe the audio system is just called the "Bose premium sound system" (the head unit has a cassette player in it. I feel like I'm living in the 80s.) I also have the CD changer in the back seat but I could care less about retaining that as I haven't used it at all in years.

After looking around, these seem like they might be the best things to use:


GROM iPod Adapter Direct Interface:
http://www.autotoys.com/x/product.php?productid=18469

Proclip Audi TT mounting plate:
http://www.proclipusa.com/brodit-veh...676-13345.aspx

Proclip iPhone 4 dock/mount with passthrough:
http://www.proclipusa.com/brodit-dev...170-18229.aspx


So there are actually two questions here:

• The GROM looks like the best adapter out there for this in terms of ease of installation and price, and AutoToys actually has an install video, which inspires confidence. Does anyone think this is the best one and, if not, do you have any alternate suggestions?
  
• The mount I'm a little less sure of. The Proclip mounting plate and location seem ok but I can't really tell if the iPhone holder with the passthrough connector is going to fit very well in that space. Does anyone have any experience with Proclip or any other mounts/holders with a built-in docking connector in a TT? Any suggestions? I really want a connector in the holder and don't want anything too shoddy like a vent clip mount, and would rather avoid adhesive so I don't have to rip off bits of dashboard should I ever need to remove the thing.

Any suggestions?

(BTW, I just installed an Orange TPMS, and a four outlet cigar outlet extender under the ashtray, all hardwired using fuse taps. All wires totally concealed and no dashboard removal needed! I also hardwired a Garmin cigar power adapter without tearing it apart. If anyone is interested I'll upload the photos.)

 

I had one of the earlier GROM with just the Ipod / Iphone connection , it was easy to install, make sure you ground the unit to the back of the head unit otherwise it won't work. In addition there is no pass through adapter included you have to pay extra for it. The quality of the ipod cable was also not great, I replaced one and had to keep regularly cleaning the connections with switch cleaner.It's just not a solid lock into the iPod.

The GROM has a Bluetooth music streaming option now, that's the way to go IMHO no wires.

I sold my old GROM interface and switched to an aftermarket Kenwood unit about 3 months ago, it has red illumination and looks like it belongs there.The TT flip down cover still works. It has Bluetooth music streaming for both my iPod and Android phone so I can have either anywhere in the car. Took me a long time to go aftermarket but overall it sounds way better and the lack of wires in the cabin is great( I did run USB port to the front cubby if I ever need it, not so far though.)

 

I installed the connects2 module.

http://public.fotki.com/TTQ2K2/tt-in...ts2-usb-audio/

iGagdets or MP3 players plug in via a 3.5jack, plus you can load an SD card or USB stick with music, so more versatile IMO. Basically the same install as the grom unit.

and, yes, please upload pics of you accessory and power outlet installs.

cheers.

 

Which kind of passthrough adapter are you talking about? For the CD changer or something for the iphone cable?

Well, if I get the Proclip holder that I'm talking about then it essentially has its own docking connector in it, so the grom cable will only have to be plugged into the dock/holder thing once and can just stay plugged in forever essentially. Connecting and disconnecting the iPhone is just a matter of sliding it in and out of the dock/holder. So if the grom connector turns out to not be terribly durable it shouldn't matter too much as long as I can plug it in once and get it to stay there. (Superglue maybe?)


I went ahead and orderd the GROM with the bluetooth, aux port, and ipod cable. I might not ever need the aux port but it wasn't much more and I figure I might as well. If the iPod cable will charge the phone then I'll probably use that if I don't have any problems with it because I'll end up running a power-only wire to the dock/holder thing anyway to keep the phone charged. So if the ipod cable works out I probably won't normally use the bluetooth, but if it doesn't I'll run a power-only ipod cable and just use the bluetooth. (I figure even if I don't use the bluetooth and aux port all the time, they will come in handy in case a passenger one day wants to play music off of another phone/whatever that doesn't fit in the iPhone 4 dock.)

If I mount the dock in the location where the Proclip TT mounting plate goes then the ipod wire should conceal pretty well. I just wish the ipod connector on the dock thing was on the back or something and not sticking out of the bottom of the thing. But so far it seems like there's no way to avoid this wire, and I can't really find another mount/holder out there that's actually a dock with a dock connector in it.


That's the other thing I didn't mention is that I was kind of wondering if I should just get a new head unit altogether. I guess since I already ordered the grom and don't know exactly what I'd want in a new head unit right now (other than BT and maybe a dock) I'll just put that off and look into it later.


Did you ever use any sort of mount and holder for your iPhone? Or do you know of anything that installs securely in some similar location? I looked at RAM mounts but they don't have anything specially designed for the TT. I love the RAM mount that I have for my bicycle (that thing won't let go no matter what and I've fallen on the bike a couple of times without it even getting touched) but it looks like I'd have to get some of their generic bars and plates and find something to screw stuff down to. Even then I don't think they have an actual dock-type thing.


(TTQ2k2: I'll post another thread about my accessory installs.)

 

Everything plugs into socket I in the back of the concert. Plug I is either 3 piece plug with three sections or a single one piece black plug.

For the 3 piece plug you can take off the first section and install the GROM interface in it's place. For the black single piece plug you have to cut it apart.

Some people don't like to do this, so there is adapter available that's sort of a Y connector. Saves cutting the plug.

If you have the three piece plug it's not necessary. My 2001 had the 3 piece, which is better because there's not a whole lot of room back there.

I think the GROM ipod cable was kind of cheap, all of the connections were on one side. The environment of the vehicle just caused corrosion, even though my car was garaged every night I would loose connections every now and then typically the left or right channel would drop out when I went over a bump.

I never had a holder, the best one is probably the Mod-shack one but I am not sure if it's still available.

 

Apologies for the thread-jack, but could you tell me which Kenwood model you went with? I just bought a 2004 225Q and miss the Sirius/XM from the car it replaced. I've been trying to decide between a new HU like the Kenwood and add their Sirius receiver, or just go with the Stratus 6 I was given for free when I cancelled the service on the car I just sold. The obvious benefit to going with the Kenwood (to me at least) is iPhone connectivity.

 

OOoooo kickass. Found them:

http://public.fotki.com/ttschwing/ga...ett/page2.html

I think I'd rather mount the iPhone down low so I'll probably just use the ProClip for that, but the GadgeTT V5 vent mount looks like a great replacement for the GPS friction mount, and a great way to mount a radar detector. I'll have to do more looking in to these.

 

Kenwood KDC-x994, discontinued now. The later version x-995 does Pandora but not Bluetooth. I paid $100 on E-bay, + about $30 for the harness and a trim kit. You can match the red pretty well.

 

It works perfectly sounds great and no wired connections at all. Best product in my opinion.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays

 

Until I get my proclip, I decided to (literally) beat something into being a temporary solution. I'm posting this just in case it gives anyone any ideas about how to attach a real mounting solution.

Here's what the finished job looks like:




First:



This is the gooseneck from the cheapo chinese iphone mount that I got free with some set of cables and adapters or something that I ordered a long time ago. It was a suction cup mount for windshields, but the thing sucked so bad I never used it. (When attached the goose neck was so long that it would wiggle all over the place during normal driving, and the thing doesn't hold the phone very securely anyway.)

I ripped the suction up off and found that the gooseneck was nothing more than a thick aluminum wire with that plastic hose stuff over it. So I curled the end of the wire into an eyelet.




Then I just hammered the end of it flat so I could sandwich it easily between plates/washers/whatever.




To keep the metal wire from scratching anything when bolted down I pulled the hose stuff over the eyelet and cut a hole in it with an awl. (There was some extra length of the stuff anyway since I ripped the suction cup off and twisted the end to make the eyelet, shortening the wire a bit.) The plastic is thin but it should be enough to provide a sufficient buffer.




I removed the bolt on the center console passenger side aluminum frame thing with a torx driver (T-25 I think it is for these).




Stuck the thing in between the center console and the frame thing and got the holes lined up.




Screwed the bolt back in reasonably tight but not too tight.




This is the back of the crappy plastic holder that clips on the gooseneck. The photo doesn't do justice to how flimsy and poorly constructed this thing is. It's the sort of thing that will break after a couple of months of use probably.




Clipped the thing on it's incredibly cheap coupling with the gooseneck, adjusted it, wrapped a cord behind the holder, plugged it into the DC sockets that I had installed earlier. (I'd show the phone, but I was using the phone to take these photos and didn't want to go through the effort to go get another camera.) yay.




There's also this little mounting bracket in the center console covered with a little cover that you can just pull off. Not sure if this was intended for mounting the cell phone option (which I didn't get since, at the time, all they offered was an analog cellular phone which was practically useless even 11 years ago). Anyway, it looks like you could bolt something to this if you could get tools down there. I considered trying to use this thing for the iphone holder but I didn't have a bolt/nut that would fit the hole.

Anyway, someone might be able to use this for similar purposes.

Also, someone might be able to find a reasonably good quality phone/whatever mount that can be adapted for mounting the same way I mounted this crappy one.

Well anyway, as soon as I get my proclip I'll remove this. (I just wanted something to use for this road trip I'm leaving on tomorrow.) I does sort of have me wondering if the adapter plate that ProClip sells for the TT is really the best way to mount a device holder down in this area. I guess I'll see when the thing arrives.