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[gmb]

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 )
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

[STirish]

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

[91TB78]

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.

[TRM]

nicely done!

[STirish]

Originally Posted by 91TB78

...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.

[sgtpeper]

Mine came with the suction cup mount...

Gotta find that thing now...

Jeff

[austinpike]

Originally Posted by STirish

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/d...gory=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.

[91TB78]

yeah, mine has the suction cups...but like austinpike said...the hardwire mount is more secure.

[AlbertW]

I used the visor clip in the above location, however i noticed that if I moved it down away from the dots, it would work over twice as good. So, now I have it below the dots, but still pretty hidden from view. Ill take some pics

[gmb]

The wire nuts were used to simplify the DIY.

The range of the detector seems to be normal. If not better.

Thanks for the complements guys, I appreciate it.