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Old 02-21-2017, 06:59 PM   #21
Plaz
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My V1 came with a kit to hard wire it to a power lead up in the headliner. A little clamp connector that cut through the wire insulation but not enough to damage the wire. You can probably order something similar for your unit if it didn't come with one.

Pain in the ass to do for sure, but 20 minutes of pain to never have to think about it again, and have no wires.

I suggest checking car-specific forums for tips on where to find the best wire to use for whatever car you're wiring up.
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Old 02-21-2017, 07:02 PM   #22
Josh (PA)
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Radar detectors never had batteries. The issue is as the voltage drops, their service range drops preciptously. Just hard wire connectors to each car you'll have it in. the easiest way that I've found is the wire harnesses in the rearview mirrors. For BMWs, green/white is switched positive and brown/black is ground. there are a million DIYs online.
The price of this is ridiculous for what you get, but this is the setup that I've had good luck with.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-Radar-Det...xX4p0v&vxp=mtr
Basically, strip and tin the wires and slide them into the back of the wire harness to mate to the pins of the hot and ground wire. Completely reversible, no splicing, etc. If you need more help let me know.
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Old 02-21-2017, 07:14 PM   #23
bren
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Ok got it ... I'm stuck with a wire ... can I mount this low on the windshield or do I need to mount it high and see the cord ?

Seriously I have no idea I haven't had a radar detector in forever ... tia
Escort sells a hardwire kit (with a remote display even) for like $30. Tap a wire, or a fuse, and tuck the wire up the pillar and behind the headliner to where you want it.
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Old 02-21-2017, 09:19 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh (PA) View Post
Radar detectors never had batteries. The issue is as the voltage drops, their service range drops preciptously. Just hard wire connectors to each car you'll have it in. the easiest way that I've found is the wire harnesses in the rearview mirrors. For BMWs, green/white is switched positive and brown/black is ground. there are a million DIYs online.
The price of this is ridiculous for what you get, but this is the setup that I've had good luck with.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-Radar-Det...xX4p0v&vxp=mtr
Basically, strip and tin the wires and slide them into the back of the wire harness to mate to the pins of the hot and ground wire. Completely reversible, no splicing, etc. If you need more help let me know.
Escort has (had?) the Solo line which was battery powered. Not sure they ever did very well.

Bet, yes, Alan, have to plug it in one way or another. Hardwiring is pretty easy in most cars, but can be a PITA...and then you either have to get another wiring kit or plug it in in any other car you want to use it with.
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Old 02-22-2017, 12:10 AM   #25
Terri Kennedy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Plaz View Post
My V1 came with a kit to hard wire it to a power lead up in the headliner. A little clamp connector that cut through the wire insulation but not enough to damage the wire. You can probably order something similar for your unit if it didn't come with one.

Pain in the ass to do for sure, but 20 minutes of pain to never have to think about it again, and have no wires.
Those taps are not particularly reliable. Depending on how hard it is to get to the area where you are going to install the tap, you might want to solder and tape up the connection (at least if you're good at soldering).

My V1 is hard-wired into and up through the clamshell that covers the BMW rain sensor. The hardest part was getting the cable through the corrugated rubber boot between the clamshell and the headliner. It is wired into a StealthOne, so I had to run an additional wire down through the passenger-side A pillar to get to the I-bus junction behind the glove box.





Sorry for the blur - these are 13-year-old pictures I took before heading out to Bimmerfest '04.

The only PITA is that I've had the windshield replaced twice and nobody can ever snap the clamshell back on properly, so I have to do it myself.
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Old 02-22-2017, 08:39 AM   #26
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I hardwired my V1 into the M3 in 2003 using the OEM kit and it still works great.
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Old 02-22-2017, 09:06 AM   #27
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I hardwired my V1 into the M3 in 2003 using the OEM kit and it still works great.
Same in my e46
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Old 02-22-2017, 10:17 AM   #28
Alan
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Guys I really appreciate the advice and the pictures as well but I don't want to hardwire because I want both my son and I to share it and send it to each other for our various road trips. The cars that use the detector will be various.

I'll play around with it in my A6 for the next week, then send it to him.
His A3 will use it next then probably the MDX might use it and then the plan is to get rid of the A3 in a few months and the replacement car will use it etc.

For some reason I thought radar detectors use batteries similar to the way our phones use them but it's ok I'll deal with the cord for the few times I use it I was just a little surprised.
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Old 02-22-2017, 10:23 AM   #29
Josh (PA)
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Whatever works for you. For us, I put a hardwire set up in each car and have the suction cup mounts constantly on the windshields. We just grab the detector and snap it on to whichever car we're using. It is a very clean and reliable way to go. The only thing that changes cars in the detector itself.
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Old 02-22-2017, 10:25 AM   #30
bren
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh (PA) View Post
Whatever works for you. For us, I put a hardwire set up in each car and have the suction cup mounts constantly on the windshields. We just grab the detector and snap it on to whichever car we're using. It is a very clean and reliable way to go. The only thing that changes cars in the detector itself.
Yeah, hardwiring doesn't mean permanently mounting the detector. You can still use the cig lighter adapter in other cars if you want, or hardwire them too. Then just move the device to where you want it.
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