Since they are all grounded (except the E model) since November, I don't know what this means for the 9500i.

Just kiddin, I was driving the Eagle myself...

I also use the 9500i and the SRX. I find the 9500 extremely accurate (more than the SRX) and it has paid for itself already by giving me some good long range blips on several Ka bogeys and one laser long shot (over 2 miles)...

Now I need to figure how to shut her up everytime she finds and loses the satellites...

 

now that i recognize the different beeps, i turned off the voice prompts since i constantly lose signal in the nyc area. my toddler has heard that voice so much that she will say "GPS signal has been acquired" every once in a while.

 

Thanks to crucial fiction for the DIY. Followed the instructions and it was very easy.

Here are some pics I have after the job just to give people ideas. I mounted the 9500i with a remote cord.

 

Nice job. I would be tempted to cut a hole in the overhead console to fit the Smartcord somehow. Don't let me near your car. I've drilled one to many holes in mine. Does your 9500i rattle against the rear-view mirror?

 

I know mounting higher is better generally, but don't you also want the detector to be pointed directly out the rear window as well for maximum detection? I ordered one of the mirror mounts because of that...but might go the route all you guys are going if that really isn't the case.

http://www.countryjoycrafts.com/350Z/minimount.htm

Don't have my excort 8500 x50 that I won on ebay yet...but i installed the mount and it looks fantastic. I know the detector will be right below the mirror which could be obnoxious to some but we'll see how annoyed I get lol. I'm going to hardwire it too, so running the wire will take some creative thinking so it's not dangling down either...but regardless...

 

Any detector with rear laser detection needs to be mounted low enough to get a view out the rear window for laser warnings. In reality if you get shot in the back from a laser the odds of getting a warning are about zero unless the car directly in front of you gets shot first and he has a nice clean and shiny license plate to reflect the laser into the front of your detector. So in my opinion the high mount is just fine.

The rearview mirror mount in the link looks nice but I'm so tall that the detector would be right in the middle of my field of vision.


Rob

 

That's kind of what i'm worried about since i'm 6'2" myself. So we'll see how it works out...worst comes to worst i'll mount it above the mirror like everyone else, still better than nothing. Thanks for the input! I'm glad to hear i'm not nuts thinking a clear view of the back window is needed for the best detection...

 

I just randomly came across something in the owners manual that may suggest why there is power for about 30minutes after the car is off (I may have overlooked this in the previous pages, I apologize if this is a repost):

p.64

 

What size star bit do I need? I don't have a set of star bits yet, so I want to make sure I buy the correct size.

 

Wait, is a hex bit the same as a star bit? I tried using a size 3 metric hex to unscrew the panel, but it kept slipping.

 

Hex should be the octagon looking bit and a star obviously looks like a star.

 

Yeah, I'm dumb. I got my star bits out, but a T20 and T25 also slipped, the T30 was way too big. Guess I'm gonna go to the store and look for a T27. Who knew two screws could be so frustrating! It's quite embarrassing.

Edit: it's a T20. The star bits I bought at the store weren't shoddy like the ones i had laying around. whew!

 

Another source for 12V might also be the power source for the auto-dimming mirror. I can't imagine this would be an accessory that would remain powered for 30 minutes like the lamps are, and the wiring may be there even in MINIs that don't have that feature. This was how my V1 was wired into my '04 WRX.

The only caveat I could think of would be that the mirror might be directly connected to a circuit bus in there, so there would be no separate wire.

Alas, my MCS won't be delivered until the end of May so there's no way for me to check on this myself.

 

used a black (to match the anthracite headliner) telephone cord I had around the house and this guide to hardwire my escort 8500 this evening.
used a heatshrink butt connector to tie into the power wire and the screwhole for the ground & wrapped the wires back up with some felt tape for a super-stealthy install.

 

I used the recommended fat purple and blue wire (next to the only brown wire) to power my Valentine 1 on my just delivered (March 08) R56. It powers up when I open the door and stays powered for about 17 minutes after I remove the key. It's kind of quirky but ok.

Does anyone know if the power supplied by the phone cord is compatible between the Valentine and Escorts?

Rob

 

when I did the wiring it seemed pretty standard, the middle two wires supply power & ground, same as your primary phone line, red = power, green = ground
The outer two wires are used by the smart-cord controls, on a phonecord, they'd be line-2

 

What voltage though? Does the Escort and Valentine adapters supply the same voltage and polarity?

 

Sweet mod Crucial_fiction. I did this last night...took all of 15 minutes. I ended up "smushing" the V1 visor bracket flatter so that it gripped the headliner tighter. the V1 does not move, even when I push to mute...

 

Got mine all mounted with the billet rear view mirror mount and wired into the fusebox. I followed lacning74's advice and used the F30 fuse for parking distance sensors...which I don't have lol. I grounded to a bolt along the kick panel after peeling the plastic paneling up...man these cars have a lot of plastic! Took me forever to find metal lol. Works great, only comes on with the car running. Ran the wire up under the front edge of the headliner, down under the side rubber molding, and back down under to the fuse panel...can't see any wires anywhere! Except where it comes down to the detector of course. Looks good and works great! Thanks for all the info on here, i'll take some pics of my setup tomorrow!

 

Great idea, OctaneGuy... one suggestion: maybe black Velcro to hole the detector? I have the anthracite color header so I'd definitely go with black.

 

How do you mount the V1's to your wind shield? I have not had much luck with the suction cups as they always eventually release. I'm not sure about the velcro?

 

My V1 is mounted using the visor clip (the one that comes with the V1) over the front edge of the head liner. With just a little velcro on top of it to keep it from wobbling.

 

Honestly folks, has anyone done this with a cabrio and what is the color of the "switched" power 12V?
Cheers,
Roy

 

I did this today and thanks to the guide, it was quick and easy. For the ground I used a 7mm bolt that I found on the passenger side where the visor attaches to the body. I think this is the best spot, nothing needed except a 7mm wrench.

Question: Does anybody know if there is an adapter I can get to convert the RJ11 (phone jack) accessory plug to a USB? That way I can power a GPS, ipod, or anything that uses USB w/o my car adapter. I have a car adapter that coverts the DC output to a USB plug, pretty cool, but would love to have one in the headliner for GPS.

note: Please add info about ground wire and possible choices to first post, that way, all the good info is packed into the first post w/o the need to read through the whole thread.

 

I can confirm that the Escort 9500i and Valentine 1 have compatible power cables. My Valentine 1 power cable power's up my 9500i just fine.

Rob