TipsyTonio

Good evening peeps. So I got tired of driving around with my phone in the passenger seat for the last 10 months all because this car doesn't have a good spot to put our phones. If you put it in the cup holder it wobbles back and forth, and if you have a water bottle there to begin with, then there is no place to put it. Either you keep it in your pocket, you put it on the passenger seat, or you do the signature "Crotch Stuff" and put it between your legs. This led me to try to find a way to put a wireless charger in my car while also securing my phone in the event of a rollover accident. The inspiration began over on the RC forum, specifically this post: HERE. So without further ado, here is everything you need for the "mod"





SUPPLIES:

• Center Console Tray
  Center Console Tray
  . This tray is slightly different than the one linked in the RC forum because the one on the RC forum comes branded with "Lexus RC" in the rubber insert. This specific one which is identical, does not have a model branding. It's also worth noting that despite the part stating that it is for the RC, it fits flawlessly in the 2021+ IS due in part to the fact that the center consoles of both models share 95% of the part numbers.
• MagSafe Wireless Charger
• 20W PD USB C 12V Cigarette Lighter Charger. If you use an official Apple MagSafe charger it is crucial that it be at least 20W (otherwise you don't get the full 15W charging speed that it supports) and that it also be PD. I went with an Anker branded version that has a 20W USB C PD port as well as a 18W USB A port so I can let a passenger charge if needed. This is what I used:
  HERE
  HERE
• 1/2" High Density Foam or similar thickness cardboard.
• Peel and Stick Felt found at Hobby Lobby, or some other material to wrap the foam / cardboard in. This was not only cheap, but it has the adhesive pre-applied so it was also convenient.
• 3M or Gorilla Tape to hold the charger in place

STEPS:

1. Gather all your supplies (duh)
2. Using the rubber insert that originally goes where the foam insert will now go, lay it out on the foam and trace it with a sharpie. Be sure to also mark where the passthrough hole is for the cable as it needs to match with the one in the plastic.
3. Cut the foam out (scissors work) and do a test fit to ensure your cut is good.
4. Poke a hole with the scissors where the passthrough hole is so that the charging cable can go through.
5. Center the MagSafe charger in the foam and trace it. Please note that I believe centering the charger is the most compatible placement since all iPhone 12, 13, and 14 models have the main MagSafe circle in the center of the phone. I did this using a iPhone 12 Pro Max but I also test fit it with an iPhone 14 Pro and it worked flawlessly as well and the spacing was even on all sides (I'm OCD like that)
6. Using a needle or a pencil or a razor, cut out 1/4" thickness for the MagSafe charger to insert into. If you were to cut the hole all the way through, the charger would sit too low for it to actually grab onto the phone. This is probably the trickiest part as you need to avoid tearing the foam. While you are at it, do a cut from the MagSafe puck to the passthrough hole so that the cable can sit in the foam and not stick past it. This cut should not go all the way through.
7. Once again do a test fit and ensure the charger sits close to flush with the foam. It is actually optimal for the charger to stick past the foam as you need to account for the huge camera hump phones have now a days as well as the thickness of the felt we will use to wrap the foam.
8. Cut out felt such that it is sufficient to wrap around all the sides and have a proper amount of surface to stick to on the bottom. It is not necessary to wrap the bottom as it isn't shown, but if you are OCD, you can cut out a piece to stick to the bottom once you've wrapped the top. Be sure to cut out the opening for the MagSafe charger puck.
9. Place the MagSafe charger in the foam and feed the cable as needed so that the cable isn't sticking out.
10. Using the Pell & Stick felt, wrap the foam making sure you get all the edges and fully cover the cable (not the puck though)
11. Put two strips of 3M tape on the bottom of the MagSafe Puck in order to stick the puck to the foam. If you don't do this, when you go to pull the phone off the charger, the puck will come right out of the foam.
12. Put two strips of 3M tape on the bottom of the entire foam assembly. Use this so stick the whole assembly to the plastic cubby. This is also necessary to overcome the magnetic strength of the charger / phone.
13. Optional: Wind up the cable on the underside of the cubby and using a 3M applied cable holder, hold the cable in its wound form. Be sure to leave enough slag to be able to connect the cable to the outlet.
14. Plug in your cigarette lighter charger
15. Connect the charger
16. Place the tray
17. Enjoy

Unrelated to the wireless charging functionality, but related to using the linked center console tray, I recommend applying some of the same peel and stick felt to the wings on the side that make contact with the plastic portions of the center console. It may not be entirely necessary, but you already have the felt, so why not prevent any possible damage from plastic rubbing on plastic?

It's worth noting that if you are a CarPlay user, I recommend that you use a Wireless CarPlay Adapter like Carlinkit or Ottocast (this is not an invitation for the annoying CL sponsors to spam this thread) so that you have a fully wireless set up. If you are using your phone plugged in for CarPlay then you don't really need a wireless charger as it is already charging.

Because the phone is out of sight in the center console, it is likely that you may forget about your phone when you leave the car. For this I recommend using a an automation on the Shortcuts app. I set up a Personal Automation that when the phone is disconnected from CarPlay (which means the car is off) it plays a sound and sends a notification saying "Grab Your Phone". Once it becomes second nature, you likely won't need the automation, but it helps with the transition period. I hope this helps and if there are any questions please do not hesitate to ask!

arentz07

Wait, so, did you not put the phone in the center console before? That's what I have always done, since I have to plug it in in order to use Android Auto.

I think the wireless charging is neat, but I mean, you are still having to open the center armrest area, as you would before this mod. I think the Automate (er, Automation on Apple phones) suggestion is nice either way.

TipsyTonio

I never put it there out of fear of my screen or camera getting scratched from the other things in the center console. I store my tire pressure and depth gauge there, both of which are metal.

arentz07

Ah. I have my tire pressure gauge in there as well, and a pen. Never really thought about the screen getting scratched.

Also, I am wondering if those things rattle sometimes. Recently I've started having a rattle in the armrest area. Alas.

It is a little annoying having to raise the armrest every time if I have a passenger. Once we figure that out, I'll be golden.

E46CT

I remember when I had my 3IS, not having a place to put my phone was infuriating. I kept it on the passenger seat or if someone was riding there, in the door pocket (I think).

Now with the ES, there's a bajillion places to put my phone. Deep, massive, dark holes. And now I have the opposite problem, the phone gets lost and hides and I ALWAYS forget my phone in the car. So I'm always double backing to the car whether i'm home or running an errand.

As for this mod I can see myself using it on a long road trip and I have passengers in the car. But for normal driving I think i'd like to see my phone. On my ES, the OE wireless charger is inside the glovebox sort of like this, and I never use it cause it hides the phone. But I suppose this is an option, so long as you don't mind taking up that space inside.

As for metal doodads and "gadgets" i keep in the car, I have little zippered canvas pouches where I keep all my man stuff. soft/padded/convenient and ensures nothing is loose or scratches eachother.

kj07xk

If the center armrest cover is easily replaceable (don’t know, haven’t looked), one could get a spare cover, and perform the operation on the armrest cover, so the phone would sit on top, be in view, and easy to grab when leaving the car… just a thought.