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The Complete Radar Detector hardwire/V1 mounting guide

83K views 153 replies 78 participants last post by  Gatehous3 
#1 · (Edited)
This is on a '05 STi, '04's might be different.

First off let me give credit where credit is due

I got the mounting instructions from Austinpike: V1 install in '05 - IWSTI.com: Subaru WRX STI Forums

His thread is there. Wasn't as specific as could have been, but great job nevertheless.

Since there isn't a complete guide to this DIY project, I thought I would write one up when I did it. So here it goes.

Parts that I used:




.8 gauge bolts (to attach clip to roof)
Hardwire kit that came with the V1/ Telephone wire (looks like it)
Drill
1/4" Artu drill bit (as hard as they come :p)
Wire connectors (used them to make things easier for the writeup / no soldering)
Rapid Tap cutting fluid (few drops of this on drill bit tip to help drill thru)
Wire cutter/ stripper
2 small flathead screwdrivers and 1 phillips
Multimeter (to find ground/hot wires)

<EDIT> 06/02/09: Some of you have different color wires, use this as a guide to know which wires to tap to:
For people with Homelink and Autodimming mirrors, the wiring harness attached at the map lights have three wires.
1 - Black
2 - Brown w/ yellow stripe
3 - Yellow w/ red stripe

You want to tap the Yellow w/ red stripe for power on your V1. </EDIT>

Step one:

Find the hole between the maplights and the windshield. Pull the plug out.

This step is for the Valentine 1 only (i think). The V1 comes with a clip, take the piece of plastic that holds the clip off, and mark where you are going to drill it. This little piece of metal (or whatever it is) is a PITA to drill thru. That is why I used the cutting fluid ($5, any hardware store). It took me 10 minutes to drill thru. Here is what mine looks like.



Now that you have the hole in the clip, use an .8 gauge bolt to screw the clip in. There is threads in that hold where the clip was. Now we will proceed to hardwiring.

Step two (Hardwiring):

Take off the clear plastic piece on your maplights. I used two screwdrivers. (this pic was taken after i had taken the maplights down)



There should be two gold screws up in the maplights. Unscrew them. (one is already removed in this blurry pic)



Now take the maplight down, and unplug it. Place it (and screws) to to side.



Now find the rearview mirror wire. It should be covered in foam. Unplug it, just like this.



There is a Green, Blue, and Black wire. I tested the wires with a multimeter to find the hot/ground wires. As long as it is 12V+, we are good :)



So now i have found that the blue wire is the HOT wire, and the black is the GROUND. Time to start cutting.



And stripping...



Now the hardwire kit the V1 came with was a bit long, so I trimmed it. This is the length it should be. Strip the ends of these wires as well.



Once that is done, take the two blue and one red wire (the HOT wires) and twist them clockwise (so they don't untwist when you twist the wire connector on). Then put the wires in the wire connector and twist clockwise. Repeat with the ground (black wires).



It should look something like this. Now we have the outlet that the V1 came with. We can plug the telephone wire into the specified outlet.



**note bad location to mount outlet. didnt allow maplights to go back on :) I just shoved it to the right side (plenty of room)

Then plug the telephone wire into your V1 (or whatever radar detector). Plug the rearview power back in. Turn keys to ON position and see the radar detector come to life! (with many annoying beeps :p)



Now that we verified it works, we can route the telephone-like wire through the top of the headliner. There is plenty of room and I just routed it to come out just to the right of the mirror.



Now plug in the maplights, and shove all wiring in the way to the side. Reinstall maplights. Slide the V1 (or whatever radar detector) in. Plug it in.



Now we have a conceiled display, and no more cleaning suction cup marks on the windshield!!!




If there is anything that is not specific, you can PM me or ask on this thread. I hope this helps. I thank Austinpike for the idea on where to mount.

Good Luck!

-Greg
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Nice write-up, that is exactly where I tapped pwr for my 8500. A couple of suggestions and a question.

Question, why are you limiting the range of the detector by putting it directly in front of the rearview mirror mount and the windshield (worthless, I might add) visor? Just below the mirror is about the best spot to use for overall detector range front and back. No reason to limit the detector you spent $400 on to get the best, right?

Also I would recommend soldering the wires instead of wire nuts. There is a good chance of the wire nuts coming loose and losing the ground or allowing the power to short to the chassis. Wire nuts work great for stationary non-vibration applications, but high vibration applications are the wrong place for wire nuts.

Also, maybe try removing a section of shielding instead of cutting the wires. I’m always from the school of thought were minimal impact is best. I'm a little anal though ;)
 
#3 ·
Nice write-up. I have similar thoughts about placement. I have the V1 and like another write-up showed it placed immediately behind the black dots and mirror mount, possibly reducing the effectiveness of the detector. I've thought about creating an extension off the bottom of the mirror OR a curved metal mount that would move the V1 diagnally to the right and down a little from your current placement. I'm probably not making sense, but my point is my concern about placing it behind the mirror mount/sun shield.

I noticed you didn't use the supplied crimp splicers that came with the V1. Did you're not come with them? They are the ones you put the wire you're splicing to in the channel of the splice and take plier to press down on the wire, making contact then.
 
#5 ·
91TB78 said:
...I've thought about creating an extension off the bottom of the mirror OR a curved metal mount that would move the V1 diagnally to the right and down a little from your current placement. I'm probably not making sense, but my point is my concern about placing it behind the mirror mount/sun shield.
Did they not give you guys the suction cup mount? The V1 I had a couple of years ago had a suction cup mount that you could fix to the window below the mirror.
 
#6 ·
Mine came with the suction cup mount...

Gotta find that thing now...

Jeff
 
#7 ·
STirish said:
Did they not give you guys the suction cup mount?
yes they come with suction cups; the point of this is that it is much less obvious than sticking it to the windshield, and more securely mounted. That tinted area is where you would want to stick the suction cups, but they don't stick to the tint worth a darn. And anyone who deals with below freezing temps know how those suction cups suck in the cold.

I also wonder about not using the included vampire tap...? no wire cutting, no stripping, just clamp it on. You can see it toward the bottom of this page: "Wiring Harness Connector"

https://store.valentine1.com/store/default.asp?category=partsdept

As for the tint reducing the effectiveness; yes it is possible but it is pretty much impossible to tell. It seems to work well enough for me in this position. I believe the stealthiness of the install more than makes up for any degradation, since the V1 is always there and always on. It doesn't do me any good at all if I'm in a hurry and don't take the time to dig it out of the glovebox and stick it on.

I actually have two V1s, but one is an older model, maybe someday I will upgrade it and do some side-by-side tests.

btw, thanks for taking the time to write this up. :)
 
#11 ·
I strongly recommend that you guys who have the detector behind the dots, move it to a more open location. Those dots are going to absorb and reflect the waves, simple antenna theory ;) When it comes to laser, well, we all don't need to be physicist to know what's going to happen. Yes the signals are going to get though, but why impede a device you spent so much money on to get the extra edge!?!
 
#131 ·
First post in a while! So I eventually did test this out. There was no difference from my mounting position, to holding it in my hand pointing out the windshield, and pointing it out the back (i have 20% tint all around). Don't be so afraid to place the detector behind the dots. 4 years owning an STi and I have received only 1 ticket. This detector paid for itself 10x over. I hope this How To is still helping people.
 
#17 ·
darthtater said:
Do all Sti's come pre-wired for the power mirror? I do not have that option, but i do assume that it does have all the proper wiring already installed. I'm looking to do this also, aso any info would be a great help.
I believe so, that is where I tapped and I don't have the home link or auto dimming mirror.
 
#19 ·
WOW, very nice and detailed DIY.....before I was a little nervious on installing it, now it looks REALLY EASY!!!!!! Thanks!
 
#21 ·
I added these notes about the install in another thread, so I figured I would update this thread with those posts:

nandanrp said:
Yeah...one small flathead pops out the maplight cover...couple screws inside there (2 maybe? I forget, but be very careful because they will fall out and get lost easily. I bought extra screws/washers at Ace 'cause I lost one). The map lights then come out, and there is a line running up in the headliner for the autodimming mirror (whether your car has the mirror or not, there is a line running up there). That wire is 12V switched, and is already run through the fusebox (the same fuse that the outside rearview mirrors are run to).

I followed this thread: http://www.iwsti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26952

Except I didn't bother with extending the wires - I just used the supplied vampire tap that the V1 comes with. I grounded the V1's hardwired power adapter by attaching the ground to one of the maplight's screws (one of the two gold screws you take off to get the maplights out). I also bought a multimeter to check which of the lines to vampire-tap to get the 12V. So to summarize :):

1. Take out the maplights
2. Take a multimeter reading to see which of the 3 lines for the autodimming mirror you should tap (you can ground your multimeter touching the bare metal in the roof).
3. Vampire tap the line you find
4. Tuck all wiring and the V1 adapter up in the ceiling (I tucked mine to the driver's side of the headliner, next to the maplights) and run the power cable down behind the rearview mirror
5. As you put the maplight back in, ground the V1 adapter on one of the screws (the gold screws have a permanent "washer," while the screw I bought at Ace has a separate washer - I stuck the V1 adapter's ground in between the screw head and washer, and it worked like a charm).
6. Finish putting the maplights back in, and you're done!

Remember, the 12V switched line will read 0V on your multimeter unless the ignition is turned to ACC or the engine is running. Also, be careful taking your multimeter reading as it's very easy to blow the fuse by shorting the circuit. There's one extra 20A fuse under the hood ;)

Phew. Sounds more complex than it really was.
nandanrp said:
Yes, the vampire tap is the blue thing (I'm 99% sure, I don't remember the color exactly though). Basically, you "tap" the power line, and then the V1 power adapter's live wire plugs on top of the vampire tap. I don't remember what color the 12V line was in the bundle of wires that goes to the autodimming mirror - that's why I bought a multimeter, to check the voltage and make sure I had the correct line. Once you find that line, remove some of the OEM tape over the bundle, tap the correct line, and plug the V1 adapter onto the tap. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my own, I had to rely on the ones in that thread.
nandanrp said:
Oh and as far as how the vampire tap works - it folds in half, so that the sharp metal part (like a vampire's teeth ;)) cuts into the wire, and clamps shut onto the wire - basically, it's like a 'Y' adapter for the power line. Let me know if you need it clarified further.
nandanrp said:
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by jamolie
Ahhh. Thanks for explaining. Unfortunately for me, my wires are brown, red/white, and black. LOL... I guess i'll need to go to get a multimeter in a few minutes. By the way, how do I test the wires once I get the multimeter? Do I need to cut the wire and touch it against the multimeter? Or is there a way to test the wires without cutting them? Thank you so much!


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Nooooo don't cut the wires. The mirror wires are terminated in a white plug. Ground the black cable from the multimeter (touch bare metal in the roof or a screw or something) and use the red probe to find which wire is the 12V line by touching the probe to each of the terminals inside the white plug end (it's like this: [o o o] looking straight into the plug, touch each of those and the multimeter will show 12V when you are properly grounded, touching the right line, and have the ignition turned on). Kapeesh? :)
:)
 
#23 ·
Radar.

The best place to mount a detector is in a remote location benind the bumper, for a laser jammer the best place is in the grill for the front and near the license plate in the rear. The best setup is a Passport or a K40 bluetooth or a beltronics.:cool:
 
#24 ·
I would agree with you besides the radar detector position. I think higher on the car is better. Radar is more scattered than laser so higher up around the windshield would be ideal, for two reasons; rear visibility and greater visibility than the truck or car in front or behind you.
 
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