Phone Holder for Honda Pilot

My 2019 Honda Pilot doesn't have a good place to mount a phone holder.  The dash is not a smooth surface, so attaching a mounting plate for a phone holder doesn't work well.  There are many phone holders that are made to be generic and fit most cars, but I've had mixed results with these.  Some do not hold the phone well, while others hold it too far away.  Still others clip onto the vent vanes.  My heavy phone doesn't hang well from these type holders, and I have several broken vent vanes as a result.

THE SOLUTION

My Pilot has a small tray area forward of the shifting lever (Photo 1).  Pulling out the rubber mat that is installed there, I found several small holes (Photo 2).

I designed a phone holder around the leftover pieces from one of the failed generic phone holders.  What began as an iOttie Easy One Touch, has become a customized phone holder that works well with my heavy Pixel 6 phone and its rear-mounted neoprene wallet (Photo 3).

See the detailed build instructions in the PDF file.

Or, if you're not a fan of instruction files, follow along below.  All photos include a number in the lower right corner that is referenced below.

THE EXISTING PARTS

The iOttie's Body that attaches to the back of the phone.

The iOttie Body also has a swivel mount and ball attached to its back (away from the phone).

Optional:  You can keep the existing arms (the parts that hold the phone) from the iOttie.  My model includes replacements that are larger and include small tabs that help to keep the phone from tilting or falling out of the holder.

(Photo 4)

THE PRINTED PARTS

Pad:  This is the piece that attaches to those small holes beneath the rubber mat in your 2019 Honda Pilot (Photo 5).

Base: This piece slides onto the Pad and clips in place via an offset tab that prevents it from falling out (Photo 6).

Upright: This piece attaches to the top of the Base and extends upward.  It connects to your existing iOttie base via the swivel ball (Photo 7).

(Optional) Arms:  If you chose to replace the iOttie arms, there are two arms you'll need to print.  They seem to be mirrors of each other.  They are not.  There are slight differences between these pieces that allow them to fit through the iOttie Body and slide past each other to hold your phone (Photo 8)

PRINTING

I printed all the pieces in PETG.  Its higher temperature resistance means it likely won't soften when left in the closed car, where the temperature can get quite hot.  You could also print this in ASA or ABS, both of which have even higher temperature resistances.

I printed all the pieces at 0.15 layer height and an infill of 30% to make the holder solid and able to hold well the phone, without adding an excess of filament.  I tested the Arms with lower Infill, but at lower than 25% these pieces began bending after only a couple weeks of daily use.

All the pieces will require Supports.  I used PrusaSlicer's Snug support method and its default settings.  Whichever settings you choose for Supports, be sure to use care in removing the support structure from the printed pieces, since the Pad and Arm pieces have areas that could break easily.

(Photo 9)

Gcode files are included with the pieces oriented for best printing and minimal supports.

ASSEMBLY

After printing all the pieces, attach the Pad to your Honda Pilot using the small holes under the rubber mat.  The Pad should connect in a manner similar to a pegboard hook – tilt it slightly and insert the pins into the holes, then rotate the piece to be level with the surface.

(Photo 10)

The Base slides onto the Pad.  Push it into the channel until it clicks (Photos 8, 9)).  This locks the Base in place.  To remove it, press a finger into the Pad's channel near the Base piece.  Once the offset tab is pressed down, the Base will slide off.

Attach the iOttie's swivel ball to the upper end of the Upright.  Tighten the ball onto the Upright using the same small screw that held the ball onto the iOttie's version of the Upright piece.

Insert the Upright into the hole at the top of the Base.  Use an M3 bolt and nut to secure it.  The bolt and nut only need to be finger-tight.

If you are using the original iOttie Arms, skip to the Final Assembly section.

Before attaching the iOttie Body to the swivel ball, the Body must be taken apart to replace the arms.

My iOttie Body has four small screws on its back.  Remove these and carefully take off the Body's back cover.  A spring that acts as a lock just inside may fly out as the back is removed.  Be sure to save the spring.  It will be used again.

Remove the iOttie's Arms by gently pulling upward and toward the outsides.  Each one has a spring that keep it pressed toward the outside of the Body.  Insert the replacement Arms and the associated springs.  The Arms need to be inserted into the Body in the correct order, one atop the other.

Replace the lock spring between the inside of the logo plate and the back cover.  Hold the back cover in place while the screws are re-inserted and tightened.

(Photo 11)

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Press the iOttie Body onto the swivel ball and use the iOttie's large wingnut to secure the Body in place.

If you are using the original iOttie Arms, you are finished.

If you are using the replacement Arms, turn the iOttie Body (and the new Arms) upside down on the swivel ball.  This will orient the assembly to have the Arms in the correct position.

(Photo 12)

If you find that your phone doesn't fit tight to the Arms, it can be helpful to add sticky-backed foam to the arms to hold it in place.  Another option is to use small pieces of electrical tape.  This creates a small amount of friction between the tape/foam and the phone, holding it in place better.

READY FOR USE

Squeeze together the small extensions of the Arms that stick out of the iOttie Body.  They will click into a locked position, ready for the phone to be inserted between the Arms.

USAGE

When the phone is inserted, it presses against the logo plate on the front side of the iOttie Body.  Inside the Body, the lock spring releases the plate that holds the Arms at a position ready for the phone and allows them to clamp onto the sides of the phone, holding it in place.