Im kind of confused I thought he said in the first post he wanted to use the ipad for the navi and other things. So wouldnt he want to remove the current radio and mount the ipad in the dash. use like a clip system sort of like detachable face radio..
Just me thinking.. I mean he has access to a 3D printer he can make anything he wants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SkltRqOF5k this is a good design idea to start with. or
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/06/i...nstant-carpoo/

If i were you I would make a replica of the dash area. where the mid is. Take it all out so it looks like its nav ready then take one of those
x5 dash kits and replicate that in the 3 printer but now add interlocking clips to the plastic for the ipad to mount to. Then you have a base model to work with to make the design better. spray a couple coats of enamel or glue to harden the part. then sell to all us x5 owners or give us as a sample as test bed .

Thank you and yes I did get a map disk that was mod with start up screen and night vision, bird view ect.

Here are the mount frame and extension arm I made with metal plate I purchased at a home depot.

Parts:
Zink metal plate 1/16 thick 1-3/8"x48" cost $6.51
Velcro cost $2.97
Flat head screws 1/4"-20x3/4" cost $1.18
washers .15 each I used 4 of them.
Total cost $11.26
You will need few other stuff also but I had them available so no purchase needed.

This is the metal plate I purchased.
http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...g/IMG_0807.jpg
and this is after cut and bent
http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...g/IMG_0788.jpg
I didn't took a picture of extension arm but you can see it from my installed pictures below.
http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...g/IMG_0812.jpg

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...g/IMG_0811.jpg

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/a...g/IMG_0797.jpg


Square plastic piece I used laptop lap stand I purchased while back at a Ikea.
I used a saw to cut and applied velcro after mounting to the extension arm.
Most important I also used a Dremel tool to smooth out all the edges so it won't scratch the dash.
After everything was finished I used a black bumper paint to paint and match the color of my dash.

There are few companies who make iPad mounts for our E53 X5 but the prices are steep and requires to take the case off... after some research I was confident enough to make my own version of iPad mount and I am very satisfied with my outcome.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask I will be glad to help you.

Thanx for posting pictures! Looks great! Does the job! :thumbup: And the most important part is that its not a big feature when the ipad is mounted on it! Alot of the ipad stands are like crazy puzzles with arms and stuff all over the place! :)

nigwhyrito: Your right, not confused! :) I was thinking of making a stand that would replace the 2din navi head-unit, but after having the x5 for some while now, and using it i think it is quite ok. Some of the problems with removing the head unit would be setting the timer of the webasto, and i really need it in Norway. Winter temp is down towards -30centigrade. I might have some spare time this winter, and i guess i could relocate the head-unit to the glove compartment! Certainly don't have gloves there anyway! :bustingup

This is a good idea! :) Guess i need to find some sparetime before winter! :)

I managed to put an iPad in my E53. Works absolutely great, with some great surprises (like the fact that when using Pandora, the song names appear in the instrument cluster, and you can fast-forward using the s/w control -- don't see why that works, but it does!). I was just messing around when I put it in, but the ultra-simple system I devised works much better than I could have hoped. See the thread

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...tml#post856236

I don't know about iPhones isntead of Nav systems, but that BMW iPad adapter looks awsome. that's where I think I will put it in the future :) throw some pics in it too for rear fun )

For those who have this set up, the "C" piece that goes into the dash -- its just held there by friction? No removal of dash to screw in retaining screws somewhere?

How much length is inside the dash?




Looking more for a coffee cup holder solution so I may need to improve the weight bearing characteristics of this.