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-   -   V1 upgrade policy (http://forums.carmudgeons.com/showthread.php?t=141952)

rumatt 11-23-2017 08:19 PM

V1 upgrade policy
 
V1 has an option to upgrade your radar detector. Their site says this.

Quote:

Other radar detector makers want you to throw away your old detector and buy new. Not me. More than two decades after the first Valentine One, I'm still working for that customer, because every Valentine One we've ever made can be upgraded to the latest technology.
So I entered my V1's serial number in the form and it says this

Quote:

PRICE: $289 plus shipping

Why is this UPGRADE so costly: The parts compatible with the circuitry of these older V1s are no longer available to us. Today's V1 is a complete internal redesign. So our Instant Upgrade is, in fact, a brand new V1 with all the accessories you would get with a purchase today, provided to you at a $110 discount. We appreciate your loyalty.
It's nice that they're willing to give me a discount. I'm guessing most other companies don't do this. But I think there's no arguing that their claim underlined above is flat out false.

I'm looking into this because the laser alert on my V1 started sounding almost nonstop. I can ship it back and they can try to fix it for $45, or I can just "upgrade" to a new one. It's lasted me 13 years and I've really liked it. I might just upgrade.

Josh (PA) 11-23-2017 08:22 PM

For what its worth, I got my wife a Passport 360 and am really happy with it. Has the V1 arrows, plus GPS false filters and DSP that delineates real radar threats from Acura's blind spot scanners. Its a big upgrade over my Escort 9500ix, which I thought was a good upgrade over my old v1.

rumatt 11-23-2017 08:46 PM

Interesting. The new V1 has "K-Junk figher" which supposedly fixes the issue with "seeing cars".

Given it's $280 vs $490 I might just be a brand loyalist and save brain cells and not even think about the Escort.

lemming 11-24-2017 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh (PA) (Post 517247)
For what its worth, I got my wife a Passport 360 and am really happy with it. Has the V1 arrows, plus GPS false filters and DSP that delineates real radar threats from Acura's blind spot scanners. Its a big upgrade over my Escort 9500ix, which I thought was a good upgrade over my old v1.

V1 patent finally ended?

Terri Kennedy 11-25-2017 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumatt (Post 517246)
So I entered my V1's serial number in the form and it says this [...]
It's nice that they're willing to give me a discount. I'm guessing most other companies don't do this. But I think there's no arguing that their claim underlined above is flat out false.

Not really, just like the "We can repair ANY piece of test equipment, guaranteed!" people. If it isn't repairable, they just buy another used one on eBay and sell it to you at a markup.

There have been 2 precedents for this at V1 - the first was when they added laser support and switched to a larger case with openings for the laser photodetectors, and then when they miniaturized the board and used a case the same size as the original, but with the laser windows. Both of those required a complete unit swap.

This one is a tad more fishy than those two, since they are still (AFAIK) using the same case. But perhaps one-by-one upgrading of older units by opening them and changing the whole circuit board would cost more than just sending complete units off the regular production line.

I seem to recall the cost for a software-only upgrade was something like $70, so the $289 isn't completely out of line.

John V 11-27-2017 07:13 AM

$289 for a brandy-new V1 with all the bells and whistles sounds like an awesome deal.

I hardly use mine anymore and I'm considering shooting them my serial number to see what's what.

rumatt 11-27-2017 09:09 AM

Yeah, I've already boxed mine up and am mailing it in tomorrow.

Their web site is pretty good. You just enter your serial # and it tells you your options.

rumatt 12-12-2017 11:45 AM

I sent my V1 in for an upgrade. Received the new unit, and it's doing the same thing. The Laser goes off repeatedly, every minute or two. Exact same behavior as the old unit.

I'll see what V1 says, but this is very strange. The V1 worked fine for 14 years, then starts spewing false laser alerts, then the replacement does the same? :?

kognito 12-12-2017 12:53 PM

did they just send yours right back to you? :lol:

rumatt 12-12-2017 01:49 PM

I wondered that :lol:

It has some different light patterns on the front though.


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