Rugged Ridge Phone Mount Installed and iPhone Mounted
A while back I wrote about the Rugged Ridge Phone Mount 13551.16 I bought for my 2018 Jeep JKU Altitude Edition and I recently realized I never followed up with additional comments or a review on the mount. To that end, I decided it’s better late than never.
For those who can’t be bothered to follow the above link, I will give a little recap. Rugged Ridge sells what’s probably the best phone mount for Jeeps. They have a model available to fit most jeeps and they are available at Amazon for $39.99 with Prime same-day or next-day delivery with. Can’t beat that right?
July 03, 2020: Update: Almost 5 months to the day the mount failed. I was driving to the office and the phone popped out of the mount. A quick inspection revealed the rubber on the top jaw separated from the metal frame it’s bonded to. I’m going to contact the manufacturer to see if they will warranty the mount.
Rugged Ridge Phone Mount
Rugged Ridge Phone Mount Installation:
Tools required: 1/4″ Drive Ratchet, Short 1/4″ Drive extension and 1/4″ Drive 7mm Socket. I found 1/4″ drive to be the best but use what you have. The 7mm socket is what’s critical.
Installation is under 5 minutes using the following 6 steps:
- 1 – Remove existing accessory tray from the dashboard (It simply pops out).
- 2 – Remove the hex head bolt with 7mm socket
- 3 – Attach upright arm and secure with hex head bolt removed in the previous step
- 4 – Insert new accessory tray
- 5 – Remove the nut from the phone mount socket and place over the ball on the upright arm
- 6 – Pop phone mount socket onto the mating ball and tighten the nut. Done!
Picture of a Rugged Ridge Phone Mount Installed in My Jeep JKU
Rugged Ridge Phone Mount Review
Our little mini-review here is actually for two units as Erin and I are both using them in our Jeeps. If you have poked around on this site you might recall she has a 2018 JKU Oscar Mike Edition. For Erin’s part of this, her use is a testament to the Rugged Ridge Phone Mounts cold weather durability as she lives in Northern Vermont where winters start in September and end in May and 0 degrees in January is a heatwave. I’m in Connecticut where the weather is typically less severe.
Heat: In my original post I mentioned that heat was an issue as the phone is in direct sunlight through the front windshield. This is no fault of the mount. This summer I’m going to conduct tests to see if the Quadlock Case is a contributing factor due to its black color and obvious trapping of the phones the heat. As I mentioned in my previous post I have an idea to deal with the heat.
Phone Cases: When using the Rugged Ridge Phone Mount the type of case used on your phone affects the usage. My girl’s iPhone 8 plus has a very thick UAG Case. While it fits the mount just fine it’s a two-hand affair to mount the phone. I have the same phone and my phone slips in much easier as the Quadlock case is thinner and made from a slippery plastic and features radiused edges. The UAG is “sticky” with sharp square edges. Often when inserting the iPhone with the UAG case the position of the mount becomes disrupted. Less so with my phone. I think phones with no cases or smooth thin cases will be one hand insert affairs. At the end of the day, this is no big deal unless you’re annoyed by such things. I’m not.
On the Road: This is the heart of what matters. The Rugged Ridge Phone Mount holds the phone very securely and simply will not move under normal driving situations. Our offroad results are equally good. Erin gives her phone mount a regular offroad workout and she says the phone remains in place for events that have broken her jeep. That’s a pretty strong statement in my opinion. I suppose long term non-stop, rough terrain, offroading might cause the mount to move but I probably won’t experience those conditions here in Connecticut.
The mounting height of the Rugged Ridge Phone Mount is pretty good for viewing Waze or your favorite GPS app.
The one detail I’m not completely thrilled with is the accessory tray, the jeep factory part is soft pliable rubber. It does a better job of holding odds & ends quietly in place versus the hard plastic Rugged Ridge supplied accessory tray. Not a big deal but it keeps me from giving the mount a 5-star review.
Room for improvement: As I mentioned previously I have a few ideas to address the heat issue I experienced. I also plan on adding some anti-slip phone decals to the bottom of the accessory tray.
The big improvements I plan on adding will come when I install an Alpine Restyle Sound System. I plan on installing USB ports in the accessory tray and I have some ideas for wireless charging.
Bottom Line: The Rugged Ridge Phone Mount is a great mount for jeep owners. Is it perfect? no, but at $40 delivered it’s tough to beat and I would definitely recommend it to a friend.
