New! After the success and popularity of our Accessport mount for the 2015+ WRX and STI, customers asked us for a mount for their older 2008-2014 cars. We listened, and here is the result.
We had been looking at mounts for Accessports, and couldn’t find quite what we wanted. Some of our favorites were ones that put the Accessport in the dash vent position, but those are mostly 3D-printed and the quality of the ones we tried ranged from half-baked to…terrible. We’ve seen magnets that didn’t hold, mounts that melted from normal interior heat, and mounts that simply fell apart. Oh, and most of them look like they were built by your cousin Billy at the kitchen table.
We decided to do something about it. We designed an injection-molded Accessport mount. Injection molding is a very costly process because you have to build a metal mold. Most companies wouldn’t even bother. But hey, you guys are worth it.
The result is a mount that we can be proud of. It’s made from the very same UV-stabilized plastic as the original vent that goes in the dash, so it will not melt or bleach from the sun. The molded surface of the part is smooth and free of 3D-printing worm trails. It looks just like an OEM trim piece, because it is made in the same way as the stock part. Unlike many of those other mounts, it snaps neatly in to the existing defroster duct so the vent still works. And yes, we did test that, using thermocouples to measure the heated air output. To be clear, though, the air outlets are behind the Accessport cradle, and the cradle is in the way of the former path of the air to the side window, so the air from this vent is not going to be able to reach the side window corner for defrosting like it used to. (Hey, we are good, but we can’t rewrite the laws of physics.) If it’s an icy morning we suggest aiming your left-side dash vent at the window for defrost duty.
It installs easily from the top of the dash — pop loose the stock vent, then insert the Mach V Accessport Mount into the dash and attach it to the defroster duct and pop the mount down into place. Thread the Accessport cable up from under the dash and plug it in to the Accessport, and you’re done. Your Accessport will pop easily into place, stay firmly held in by the built-in retention clips, and pop out easily when you want to remove it.
Notes. The newest Accessport-to-car cable fits without interference in the mount, but the older fatter style plug (circa 2015 or so?) is a little tight; you might want to slightly file out the cable pass-through if your cable is the older style.
Also, if you plan to connect your AP to your laptop while using the mount, there’s just not enough room between the mount and the A-pillar for a cable to fit in there; you’ll just want to remove the Accessport from the Mach V mount temporarily while you’re tuning. If you don’t use the Accessport for laptop tuning, you can just ignore this paragraph.
Also, we did NOT design a cable retention feature, so the cable stays attached to the Accessport when you remove it from the mount. You’ll use your other hand to disconnect the cable from the mount. Why? We found that a design that kept the cable retention tabs permanently depressed (allowing for one-handed removal) led to interruptions in Accessport power when the car was in use. It’s annoying! Keeping the cable clipped to the Accessport ensures it will never lose power while you are driving. Since the cable extends up out of the mount upon removal, we don’t find losing the end of the cable down in the dash to be a problem, but if you are worried about it, simply zip tie the cable to something under the dash maybe 6″ back down the cable.
Install video:
At this point let us give a couple of disclaimers: First, you should not stare at your Accessport while driving. Eyes on the road! Second, although the Mach V Accessport mount will not melt from the heat, the Accessport is not designed for the temps that can be reached in a hot car in the sun. Put your Accessport away somewhere cool when it’s not in use, especially if your car is going to be in direct sun. Plus, that way people can’t steal it.
We think this is the best Accessport mount currently on the market. Sure, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s a heck of a lot better anything else we’ve seen, and it doesn’t cost a whole lot more than most others. It’s still one of the least expensive mods you’ll buy.
Black in color. Accessport and cable not included. Fits left-hand drive (LHD) cars only. Does not fit RHD models. Also, this mount fits the V3 Accessport only; if you have a V2 Accessport, those will not fit. (If you don’t know what you have, just look at the photos here. If your Accessport does not look like the device pictured, it will not fit.)
Fits all left-hand-drive (LHD) 2008-2014 Subaru WRX and WRX STI. Also fits 2003-2014 Forester. Sorry, not for RHD cars.