Hello everybody!
I just purchased a V1 radar. I was playing around with it last night and man is it great!
Anyway i have the remote display right in front of the tach, but the unit itself is still pretty visible. I'm not trying to hide it so much for legal reasons.. but just so nobody steals it. I know they best bet is to take it down. but I really would rather fix it so that its a more permanent install.

thanks!
-Malcon

 

Your options are going to be limited, because the unit needs to have a clear line of sight to both the front and rear.

If it were only a radar detector and not radar/laser, you could make a non-metallic enclosure to hide/disguise it, but that would block the laser receivers.

The nice thing is that MINI is so low that if you mount the V1 up near the headliner/visor, someone walking by isn't likely to see it.

 

Lots of folks (including me) have theirs mounted above the rearview mirror - it has a perfect line of sight there for radar and laser, but isn't really noticeable from outside the car.



The coupe has more space up there than the cabrio... it's tight on the cabrios. Mine is now actually mounted upside down with velcro, and the cable feeds through the little vent/mic cover up there.

I've gone a step further, and installed the V1 remote audio control in front of my right knee - so I never even need to touch the unit for volume, on/off, etc. Then I used a black nylon "footie" like ladies wear inside their shoes to cover the headunit. It's totally stealth now. Has no impact on radar, and I still get just as many laser falses from taillights as before... I'm not counting on the V1 from ever saving me from a laser ticket, so I don't care whether it picks up laser or not...

 

good to know. I'll try and tuck it behind the mirror a little more.
thats a good idea about the footie. nice touch.

I'll have to do some experaments

thanks!

 

http://www.piddles.net/V1-Install.htm

sth like that i suppose?

 

another vote for the headliner. i've had my car broken into. the bastards took my portable gps but didn't see my radar detector.

 

yeah i'll check that out...

 

Is it possible to do this on our MINI's? I have my V1 hardwired and mounted just above the rear view mirror on the drivers side. It would be awesome to have its display IN the rear view mirror.

 

jerjer - Nice clean work!

Have you tried to do this with a MINI mirror yet?

 

^^^^^+1^^^^^
Has this been done with a MINI ?????

 

I thought the mirror was a cool idea.. but then i saw the remote display. I mounted it right in front of the tach. i see it faster and easier than the mirror.

I also thought about mounting the detector on the plastic peice that comes down from the headrest. its right over the back seats. (i'm not sure what it is)
but i could put the V1 there, run the cord through the headliner. nobody would ever see it.
hmmmm

 

I mounted the remote like others have but, I chose to mount the head unit on the left side of the mirror. I prefer it there rather then on the passenger side ! The remote has proven to be a must have !

 

How did you guys route the telephone line cable from the V1 to the remote mounted in front of the tach?

 

I mounted the junction box next to the fuse holder ! One cord goes to the head unit and the other to the remote.

 

It'll be a bit different on your 2nd gen... but on the 1st gen, under the edge of the headliner, down the edge of the A-pillar, around the edge of the dash, through the access panel on the end of the dash, to the V1 "junction box" / interface, then up the steering column cover...

 

Bingo

 

Anyone consider mounting it in the back of the car on the headliner under the piece for w/e electronic thing back there? Then running the phone line through the headliner, down the a-pillar, and to wherever you want to mount the remote display?

 

thats what i was saying. I want to try it. And just run it through the headliner. I dont think the mirror wouldbe in the way.. and i think it would be totally "hidden"

I think i'm going to try this out this weekend.

your talking about the plastic piece above the back seats?

 

too be honest, try to learn to etch the glass from behind, i think thats what it's called, like cutting the film behind the glass on a mirror. find some junk yard mirror and try to do it, then perform the sugery on the cooper mirror, super duper clean set up!

 

Yeah, it's the ultrasonic module alarm cover. I've seen the same concept done on other cars and it's worked fine. Friend has this setup in his C-class with no issues.

 

thats good to know.
thanks man

 

I have a cabrio, so I can't visualize the location you're talking about, but keep in mind that if the V1 is completely enclosed, you'll lose the front/rear laser detectivity.

 

The plan is to attach it to the ultrasonic module cover on the headliner, it wouldn't be enclosed. Like you said, that'd be useless lol. Should get better rear coverage since the signal is weaker to the rear than to the front.

 

Okay, just checking, because I've seen some stealth installations of the V1 inside the 3rd brake light housing on BMWs, but the owners doing the installation were willingly giving up the laser coverage.

 

Honestly laser coverage is useless in itself, by the time you get a warning from the detector you've already gotten caught.