Radar Detector Install (Hard Wire)
05-10-2006, 02:33 AM
#1
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Radar Detector Install (Hard Wire)
Hi, this is my first how to, bear with me....
Ingredients:
T-Tap (came with radar)
Inline Fuse (came with radar)
Radar (a Valentine V1 in my case)
Flat head screwdriver
Pliers
Small wrench 3/8" size. The shorter the better. I used the one below because it was easier to fit, i think it came with some of that "assemble yourself" furniture.
Pop off the from dome light. To do this, pry it out with the screwdriver where the blue circle is. Then comes the hard part. Pulling the rest of the thing out requires a bit or force. Pry it from the headliner where the blue mark is and pulling at the green mark it will eventually pop out. Dont go to crazy because there is wiring up there that you can pull out too, so as soon as it gives try to let go.
Once you unplug it will look as below. There are three plugs that keep it in place, one of them, the one towards the rear of the car of this panel came out with the panel, the two that are located at the red marks remained. The pic below shows one i took out and the other still in the metal.
Take the plug out carefully, as you still need it to put this back in. I used the screwdriver to pry it out of there.
Just clip the plug back into is place on the back of the sunroof control and dome light panel.
You already took out a small plug from the panel, but there is another large one that is flat against the roof, take that out as well. We will be tapping the orange wire from the big plug. You will have to peel back a little of the tape.
I used a trusty voltmeter from the communist days of Russia, the orange wire is only on when the iginition is on, so its all good.
Now its time to get the ground. I found this bolt/nut thing in there, marked in red. It is 3/8" and this picture was taken from the passenger side looking up towards the drivers side.
Slip the ground wire in there and tighten it down again. Try to make it so that the wire leads off towards the front of the car, this will help with packing the wires later.
Pull the large connector down a bit and pull back the tape that protects all the wires. Isolate the orange wire and place the T-Tap under it.
Close the T-Tap with your fingers, check to make sure that the orange wire is still in the same place and then click it shut using a pair of pliers.
The ground wire is connected already, and you are now ready to plug the 12V wire into the t-tap. Turn on your ignition and see if the radar turns on.
Hopefully everything is good, so now its time to tuck away all that wiring. Connect the large connector to its original position first. Now on to the wires... I bundled all the wires and tucked them towards the front of the car, on top of the mirror. My wires connected to some jack/fuse thing (The roundish black thing on the drivers side of the panel whole) and i put that towards the driviers side of the car.
I taped the wires into a compact little bundle to make it a little cleaner up there, i didnt not want them getting in the way of the panel when i put it back.
The jack/fuse thing had a velcro sticker on the back so i descided to secure it with the included sticky pad/velcro to the top of the roof in a snug position so that it doesnt cause a rattle later on.
And here is a shot of everything tucked away.
I then plugged in the sunroof/dome light panel, turned the ignition on, and tested the lights and the sunroof. It was a this point that i sh** myself because the lights worked, the radar worked but the sunroof did not respond. Then i remembered to reset the sunroof, so i pressed and held Close for 5 or so seconds. It made some sunroof motor noises and worked like a charm. The wire that is the actual power to the radar i just shoved forward and it popped out from under the headline at the windshield, no problems at all.
I then popped the console back in. It took a few good hits and pounds, just make sure to line up those plugs first.
I popped in the actual lights cover and tested one more time.
Here are some pics of the final results.
Hope this helps. I know there are posts that cover some of this and some of that, but i just tried to tie it all together in to something detailed.
Edited By: Kaeon May 12th 2006
- Images moved to scionlife database
- Added to tech section.
Ingredients:
T-Tap (came with radar)
Inline Fuse (came with radar)
Radar (a Valentine V1 in my case)
Flat head screwdriver
Pliers
Small wrench 3/8" size. The shorter the better. I used the one below because it was easier to fit, i think it came with some of that "assemble yourself" furniture.
Pop off the from dome light. To do this, pry it out with the screwdriver where the blue circle is. Then comes the hard part. Pulling the rest of the thing out requires a bit or force. Pry it from the headliner where the blue mark is and pulling at the green mark it will eventually pop out. Dont go to crazy because there is wiring up there that you can pull out too, so as soon as it gives try to let go.
Once you unplug it will look as below. There are three plugs that keep it in place, one of them, the one towards the rear of the car of this panel came out with the panel, the two that are located at the red marks remained. The pic below shows one i took out and the other still in the metal.
Take the plug out carefully, as you still need it to put this back in. I used the screwdriver to pry it out of there.
Just clip the plug back into is place on the back of the sunroof control and dome light panel.
You already took out a small plug from the panel, but there is another large one that is flat against the roof, take that out as well. We will be tapping the orange wire from the big plug. You will have to peel back a little of the tape.
I used a trusty voltmeter from the communist days of Russia, the orange wire is only on when the iginition is on, so its all good.
Now its time to get the ground. I found this bolt/nut thing in there, marked in red. It is 3/8" and this picture was taken from the passenger side looking up towards the drivers side.
Slip the ground wire in there and tighten it down again. Try to make it so that the wire leads off towards the front of the car, this will help with packing the wires later.
Pull the large connector down a bit and pull back the tape that protects all the wires. Isolate the orange wire and place the T-Tap under it.
Close the T-Tap with your fingers, check to make sure that the orange wire is still in the same place and then click it shut using a pair of pliers.
The ground wire is connected already, and you are now ready to plug the 12V wire into the t-tap. Turn on your ignition and see if the radar turns on.
Hopefully everything is good, so now its time to tuck away all that wiring. Connect the large connector to its original position first. Now on to the wires... I bundled all the wires and tucked them towards the front of the car, on top of the mirror. My wires connected to some jack/fuse thing (The roundish black thing on the drivers side of the panel whole) and i put that towards the driviers side of the car.
I taped the wires into a compact little bundle to make it a little cleaner up there, i didnt not want them getting in the way of the panel when i put it back.
The jack/fuse thing had a velcro sticker on the back so i descided to secure it with the included sticky pad/velcro to the top of the roof in a snug position so that it doesnt cause a rattle later on.
And here is a shot of everything tucked away.
I then plugged in the sunroof/dome light panel, turned the ignition on, and tested the lights and the sunroof. It was a this point that i sh** myself because the lights worked, the radar worked but the sunroof did not respond. Then i remembered to reset the sunroof, so i pressed and held Close for 5 or so seconds. It made some sunroof motor noises and worked like a charm. The wire that is the actual power to the radar i just shoved forward and it popped out from under the headline at the windshield, no problems at all.
I then popped the console back in. It took a few good hits and pounds, just make sure to line up those plugs first.
I popped in the actual lights cover and tested one more time.
Here are some pics of the final results.
Hope this helps. I know there are posts that cover some of this and some of that, but i just tried to tie it all together in to something detailed.
Edited By: Kaeon May 12th 2006
- Images moved to scionlife database
- Added to tech section.
05-10-2006, 03:31 PM
#3
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Scikotics
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Nice How-To. I figured it would be more hidden than that, but I guess it works. If a cop pulls you over though, and he sees the detector...they will more than likely be harder on you. If I get a detector, I either want it hidden or able to be removed very quickly so it can be thrown under a seat. Just my .02
05-10-2006, 03:34 PM
#4
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 226
The valentine needs to be low enough to see out the rear, its pretty easy to remove though. The good thing is that the power wire looks like a netowork cable so it doesnt scream RADAR
05-11-2006, 11:59 AM
#7
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Maryland USA
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thanks for the write-up, I've been putting off hard-wiring my valentine because I transfer it daily from my work car to my car but looks like I'd still be able to remove it just as easily.
BTW - you should look into getting a tint strip for the top of the car's windshield to block it even farther from sight, the darker the better. The detector's sensor MUST be lower than the tint strip though, and it would still be low enough to see out the front and the rear, and with a dark enough bar all you would see is the detector's sensor popping out of the bottom and nothing else. (know from experience)
BTW - you should look into getting a tint strip for the top of the car's windshield to block it even farther from sight, the darker the better. The detector's sensor MUST be lower than the tint strip though, and it would still be low enough to see out the front and the rear, and with a dark enough bar all you would see is the detector's sensor popping out of the bottom and nothing else. (know from experience)
05-14-2006, 12:24 AM
#12
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05-14-2006, 05:10 AM
#13
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Well i haven't gon on the open roads with it yet, but around the city is has been really good at weeding out all sorts of crap. My gf got it for me as a new car/b-day gift so i dont know, but the window i "accidentally" left open on her computer was to the valentine website as linked by otocan ( https://store.valentine1.com/store/ ). I think thats the only place you can buy them officially, not sure. Its really great. I swear by the arrows, the direction indicator and the bogey counter are great.
05-15-2006, 07:08 AM
#14
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 5
Just a side note. I have a Valentine 1 in my IS350, and I was moving it between the Scion and my IS for a while.
It started to bug me, so I went out and started searching for a cheapy replacement. - I stumbled upon the Bel Express 795. (It's the cheap cheap Bel radar - has comparable range to some more expensive radar detectors, but nothing close to the V1).
In any case, I found the Bel Express 795 at Radio Shack for $59.00 (On clearance). Checked the reviews, decided to buy it. - The power connector on the Bel is a perfect match for the Valentine 1 Hardwire kit.
I just unplugged my V1, and threw the Bel 795 right in it's place.
I pretty much did exactly what was described in this thread, except I chopped the fuse off of my V1 hardwire kit and soldered my connections instead of using the taps. (The sunroof already has a fuse, so if the V1 wire shorts, it'll blow the fuse for the sunroof).
-Brian
It started to bug me, so I went out and started searching for a cheapy replacement. - I stumbled upon the Bel Express 795. (It's the cheap cheap Bel radar - has comparable range to some more expensive radar detectors, but nothing close to the V1).
In any case, I found the Bel Express 795 at Radio Shack for $59.00 (On clearance). Checked the reviews, decided to buy it. - The power connector on the Bel is a perfect match for the Valentine 1 Hardwire kit.
I just unplugged my V1, and threw the Bel 795 right in it's place.
I pretty much did exactly what was described in this thread, except I chopped the fuse off of my V1 hardwire kit and soldered my connections instead of using the taps. (The sunroof already has a fuse, so if the V1 wire shorts, it'll blow the fuse for the sunroof).
-Brian
05-15-2006, 08:08 AM
#15
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IMHO, Radar detectors are not worth the money. They only tell you when Radar is being used. By the time it lets you know Radar is being used, guess what, it's to late. Cops are trained to shoot the Radar within only enough time to read the cars speed. They don't sit there and hold the button, shooting every car in sight. They are trained better than that. Also, when they do pull you over, they are going to be less likely to take it easy on you seeing as you're trying to one up them with a Radar Detector.
05-15-2006, 03:13 PM
#17
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Originally Posted by 06SuperWhite_SoCal_tC
IMHO, Radar detectors are not worth the money. They only tell you when Radar is being used. By the time it lets you know Radar is being used, guess what, it's to late. Cops are trained to shoot the Radar within only enough time to read the cars speed. They don't sit there and hold the button, shooting every car in sight. They are trained better than that. Also, when they do pull you over, they are going to be less likely to take it easy on you seeing as you're trying to one up them with a Radar Detector.
If someone else is already going 95, you might be able to get away with 85 because they will generally set off the Radar trap first. However, if you are hauling ___ and are the first car to get hit by the radar, then you're right. The Radar Detector won't have enough time to do it's job.
Also, if you are going more than 10 miles an hour above the speed limit, that's usually fast enough for a police unit to visually identify you as going "too fast". (Officer will say in court that "in [his] professional opinion, as a subject matter expert, [you] had visually exceeded the speed limit by at least 5 miles an hour").
Radar Detectors aren't an end all solution to avoiding a speeding ticket, they're just a piece of an entire solution, that, when used together will help reduce the likelihood of a ticket.
-Brian
05-15-2006, 03:18 PM
#18
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Originally Posted by 06SuperWhite_SoCal_tC
IMHO, Radar detectors are not worth the money. They only tell you when Radar is being used. By the time it lets you know Radar is being used, guess what, it's to late. Cops are trained to shoot the Radar within only enough time to read the cars speed. They don't sit there and hold the button, shooting every car in sight. They are trained better than that. Also, when they do pull you over, they are going to be less likely to take it easy on you seeing as you're trying to one up them with a Radar Detector.
Have you ever used a radar gun? a laser gun? how about a good quality detector? I know from experience it takes a minimum of 5-6 seconds to get a radar speed lock depending on range. It can take up to 10 seconds to get a lock. You can watch these videos to see what it takes with a LIDAR gun to get a speed&range lock, which is 5-10x faster than radar guns - http://www.laserveil.com/cool_videos/ - also http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...ector-test.asp has range test results with radar showing over 10 miles of detection on open flats, and radar cannot get an accurate lock farther than 1/2 mile due to beam divergence (actually it's less than 2000ft.) - laser can get locks even farther, but legislature made it illegal to prosecute with laser farther than 1000' due to beam divergence.
Those videos also show the valentine1 in action against laser, and they show WHEN it got the signal compared to when the LIDAR gets the lock. Very informative. And yes, I'm sure if you were pulled over by an officer and he sees a detector in your car, it's not going to help against getting a ticket.
05-15-2006, 06:58 PM
#20
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Originally Posted by Otocan
Originally Posted by 06SuperWhite_SoCal_tC
IMHO, Radar detectors are not worth the money. They only tell you when Radar is being used. By the time it lets you know Radar is being used, guess what, it's to late. Cops are trained to shoot the Radar within only enough time to read the cars speed. They don't sit there and hold the button, shooting every car in sight. They are trained better than that. Also, when they do pull you over, they are going to be less likely to take it easy on you seeing as you're trying to one up them with a Radar Detector.
Have you ever used a radar gun? a laser gun? how about a good quality detector? I know from experience it takes a minimum of 5-6 seconds to get a radar speed lock depending on range. It can take up to 10 seconds to get a lock. You can watch these videos to see what it takes with a LIDAR gun to get a speed&range lock, which is 5-10x faster than radar guns - http://www.laserveil.com/cool_videos/ - also http://www.radarbusters.com/support/...ector-test.asp has range test results with radar showing over 10 miles of detection on open flats, and radar cannot get an accurate lock farther than 1/2 mile due to beam divergence (actually it's less than 2000ft.) - laser can get locks even farther, but legislature made it illegal to prosecute with laser farther than 1000' due to beam divergence.
Those videos also show the valentine1 in action against laser, and they show WHEN it got the signal compared to when the LIDAR gets the lock. Very informative. And yes, I'm sure if you were pulled over by an officer and he sees a detector in your car, it's not going to help against getting a ticket.
Bottom line is, if anybody is so worried about getting a speeding ticket, don't speed.