I just purchased a V1 and looking to hardwire it. Does anyone have a DIY for this procedure?

Thanks,

Rob

 

Where ya looking to hardwire it? Up on the windshield? I want to get a V1, but I live in VA, and here, they're illegal. I need a good place to hide...I mean, hardwire it

 

I put mine up top right next to the rear view mirror and ran the wire down to the cig lighter. The cord wedges nicely between the windshield and the trim all the way around. Its a very clean install plus everyone can't see my detector sitting in the middle of my windsheild.

 

I did the same thing except I took the power from the lighter circuit in the fuse panel instead of going all thw way round to the plug.

Now, if only I could afford a nice detector like a V1....

 

I did the same thing in terms of mounting location. I just tapped it into a switched +12V wire under the dash. I didn't realize how easy it was to get the back of the cigarette lighter at the time...I would jsut tap the wires to that.

 

What about the +12V at the sunroof motor location? How easily could this be accessed for hardwiring a radar detector next to the rearview mirror

 

I plan on putting the v1 to the left of my rearview mirror. I was thinking of hardwiring it to the sunroof or should I just run it to the fuse box?

 

.

 

I tried that... and failed. I found a power source up there but for some reason our sunroofs work differently than most electronics so whenever the V1 was drawing power from the sunroof it would tilt up and the motor would keep going. Obviously this was a problem and I couldn't figure it out so I just ran the wire down to the cig lighter. I have done installs with friends' V1's and they all just tap the fuse box and it works great.

 

Thanks for the heads up.... I wanted to avoid running the wire in the headliner and A-pillar but I guess this is the best route.

 

i tapped mine to the map light (front personl light). Pull that sucker right off and tae into the red and black wire.

 

If I tap the map light pwr source then wouldnt my radar be constantly on. I want a pwr source that will turn on with the ignition key either in the 1 or 2 position.

 

Take the trim peice off from around the shifter and tap into the wires that go to the cig lighter which uses non corteuos power

 

I got a V1 as well, and I just placed it on my lower left-center windshield.

 

If it is a remote radar, put it in the center console pocket above the ashtray, if it will fit, and if you have the storage pocket with the flip door, not the sliding model.

 

Once you get the wire to stay behind the A pillar, it really is out of the way. There's actually a pretty obvious route for the wire that keeps it hidden all the way down to the fuse box...very clean.

I didn't think of using the sunroof or map light. I can't believe there's not a regualar switched +12V wire running up there. I thought that all the switching in terms of moving the sunroof was done right up there...which would mean there SHOULD be a regular +12v wire running there. Hmm.

 

Not to be offensive, but did you read your V1's owners manual on page 15 under "Where to mount"?

Valentine One works best when mounted high in the windshield, and toward the center between the windshield pillars.

• When properly mounted, the front antenna will look forward through the glass. It must have an unobstructed view. Don’t put it behind the parked windshield wipers, or directly behind an in-glass antenna. Don’t position it so that it "looks" into the rearview mirror.

• The rear antenna will look rearward, between passengers and out the rear glass. It, too, must have an unobstructed view.

• Detector performance is enhanced by a high mounting position. Two reasons. For radar, a longer sight line to the horizon always helps. For laser, moving away from the hood and its sun reflections helps a lot.

FYI...
IMPORTANT NOTE: Windshield heaters such as Ford’s InstaClear® block radar from passing through the glass (look
for a brown tint). So do solar barrier windshields of the type used on GM Venture-Montana-Silhouette-Trans Sport
minivans and on some imported luxury sedans (look for a reddish or copper tint). Same for mirrored sun screens. Detector performance will be greatly reduced when V1 is mounted behind such metallic films.

 

Yea i hate seeing little scary peoples mounting their detectors, on the top of the dash it looks so gay and is funny as ****. but you can mount it in the middle up, and middle across part of your windshield, and then hardwire it to your clock, which only come on in the on/run modes, therefore if you're parked chillin with the radio on, it wont come on, but as soon as you turn that key over it turns on, that is where mine is wired too, and then you just need to pull the wire tight from the detector and snap the radio bezel back in and it will look nice, i will post pics of mine sometime this weekend...

 

I ran mine from the fuse box to the Direct Wire Adaptor(mounted just right of the hood release) then snaked the wire underneath and then mounted the Remote Display on the steering column, ran the wires up the driver side pillar and the V1 is mounted just left of the mirror. Very stealth.

 

anyone try wiring it into the homelink, or the vanity lights in the middle of where the sun visors rest

 

I have mine hardwired to my reading lights. It's totally clean, but since the lights still get power after ther car is off, the radar will always stay on until you turn it off yourself. I forget to turn it off sometimes.

 

any pic.

 

I'll email pics upon request.

 

i have about 1.5mb on yahoo e-mail.

jmaui87@yahoo.com


if you have it up on cardomain.com, it would be best.

 

my V1 is mounted right above the rearview mirror, and I hardwired so no wires are showing except for an inch of wire that comes out of the mirror wire-holder. Is there any way to hide it in case you get pulled over? I know the cops can't do anything about it, but I've been let off by many warnings before, but if the cop sees that, I doubt i'd get a warning, he'd just think "ok well a warning won't help bc he obviously speeds all the time if he needs that." i just don't think I could disconnect the cord and pull it off the windshield fast enough, and without him seeing my arm.

 

those are all bad practices for grabbing power for the radar detector. Cig lighter might be ok, but your putting a bigger draw on the wires if you have something else in the cig lighter, aka your cell phone charger. Best practice (and what we do at the shop i work at) we connect a fused wire to the accesary wire coming from the ignition. Best place as it does not draw too much current. anyways just my $0.02, id hate to see anybody burn up wires in their car, i know i hate re running them for customers.

 

i have a tint across the top of my windshield would that effect how well my radar detector would work?

 

do you know where i can get on good price on Valentine1?


is $0.02 = an opinion?

 

Keith,
The tint band along the top of windshield hinders the laser detection, but not radar. Radar can pass through anything that's transparent, but laser is infrared light and can't go through tints very well.

Joe,
V1's are $400 but you can buy one that was returned to the company for $360. It's "refurbished" if anything was wrong with it, but if that's the case, they test them adn make sure nothigns wrong...and sometimes people jsut return them because they don't like them (or can't afford it) after 30 days. If you buy a returned one, you still get the same 30 day money back guarantee and the same 1 year warranty that you would get on a new one. No dealers or distributors sell V1's, they are only sold from teh compnay itself...unless you find someone who's selling a used one on ebay or other forums.

I have a question though:
Does anyone know how to hide the radar detector in case you get pulled over? Or maybe anyone knows a good excuse to give the cop for having one that might make him not write you a ticket? Thanks

 

The V1 has a 225 - 425mA current draw. I doubt that is enough to cause any problems.

http://www.valentineone.com/specs/

 

do lots of cops use laser?
because im lookin to buy a v1 and wanna put it right next to my rearview( i also have the top tint thing..) and i wanna put it there so its less likely to get stolen...

and if thats not a good place(since my tint with windshiled) where would be a good place?

 

k this is just an idea someone at my local shop suggested this to me. Im not sure how well it would work or how well it would recieve the signal but they were suggesting to mount it in the tail light that sits up on the rear deck. I was thinking about it, it doesnt say anything about plastic it just says not to mount behind anything metal? any suggestions comments? I think it would be sweet cause it would be hidden and i could hear the voice alerts, but im not sure how well the signal would pick up

 

naw , dont think its high enough, and probly wont get the radar in front very well

 

i'm also trying to keep this concealed from my parents, any other ideas on where to mount, they never go in my car, so as long as its not visible from the outside im good, im thinking by the rear view behind the tint but then that will screw the laser detection. Im curious how much cops actually use laser detection and if its worth it to worry

 

jus curious, why keep it away from parents? lol

and i have same question about the laser and windshield tint that the windshield comes with

 

i'm 17 and im parents arent too into the idea of me getting something that possibly would allow me to go fast and not get caught

 

All depends where you live. In NYC, the five boroughs, most cops run Ka. Once you get into Long Island, Nassau territory, they start with the laser.

Good site for speedtraps:

http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/stetlist.htm

 

thanks MAC12383