why to the right? i hardwired mine into the fuse box on the left.
(well, actually my V1 is in my other car, i run a 7500 on my MCS).

 

I did some research and did find a forum with plenty of info here.
But more importantly...after years of waiting, I ordered my V1 this morning.

 

I've written here on several occasions singing praises of Valentine One, the company. Been a loyal customer for nearly eight years, and as I live only a few miles from their factory, I've been there occasionally over the years. I can confirm all of the positive comments regarding the superior service that these folks dole out. There are precious few companies like this left in America, and when you find one it warrants that the satisfied customer spread the word so that others may get great products and great service too.

 

I didn't want to do that, the cig lighter annoyed me anyway, so it's plugged in there. It's a 1/2 dozen, or 6 kind of thing.

 

with minimum wage going up, i bet these V1's are going to be $499 in
no time...

 

Excellent Link..

Found this there too which would solve my problem, check out the thumbnail

 

People have/do mod the V1 lights and stuff, but I don't think you can send it back for an updated one or any warranty stuff once you open it up. As someone who has sent V1s back for the new versions and appreciates being able to get the new units I'd check that out before doing anything to lose that option.

 

It would be fairly easy to change the color of the LEDs for someone who knows just a little bit about electronics. I would guess all it would take is cracking open the box, de-soldering the old LEDs and resoldering the new ones in place.

 

eVal, they're not modding the V1 lights, but the lights on the $40 remote display.

And yes I may do the same myself after I try it out for a while and see if there is a need; mounting the display on the mini's steering column puts it much closer in your view than most others who have it tucked in some corner so it may not be needed. Then again I love LEDs so I might do it anyway.

First task is figuring out how to mount it to my headliner. I've seen a bunch of others' but none exactly to my liking.

 

Oh I see, missed that It does look neat but I personally don't need it since I simply glance over at the arrows on the remote display (which I like at the base of the a pillar) and tell from the sound what type of bogie it is

 

wait until ImgaoX gets a hold of a V1... it's going to look like
christmas lights. jk

 

I agree..Great company to deal with. I have three and would not sell any of them.

 

The V1 came in on tuesday, despite selecting ground it shipped 2-day.
Remote is currently mounted in front of the tach. I definitely need to add colored LEDs for peripheral vision. I just ordered a bunch. I also got most of what I need to do my custom mounting. I hope to do it this weekend or next, and when I'm done I'll be posting a web page with photos and description.

 

LUV my V1 (6 years old, first one with laser added and the "thicker" case b4 they slommed the laser unit back down to the original size). i get the laser interference sometimes also. seems to be mostly in high humidity environments (rain, fog, quick temp drop) and more pronounced at night.

the upgrade program is great, but for my old dino, the "upgrade" is a whopping $199, so i've held off so far...

 

Any news on the upcoming V2?
How about revising the detector portion to be separate multiple wireless devices and a small display similar to the current remote.

 

I haven't seen anything more on a V2, I think it was just hype.
I can imagine a companion product though, like a laser jammer or a GPS RLC unit.

Mike addressed the separate units questions to something that makes sense: In order to read a signal precisely, the distance between the two receivers is important. Furthermore, separating them into different cases means they would receive different amounts of noise. And obviously it is easier to produce, sell, and install something that is a single unit.

However I have head of people running TWO V1s, one in their rear window as well...

 

I finally broke down and ordered my V1 last night...
I've been Mr. Less-than-10-over for the past 10+ years. But occassionally now I catch myself being a little rambunctious - DAMN MINI.

Any pointers on best things to read to teach me the best use of the V1? I read a good post OctaneGuy wrote here several months back - But I'm kinda looking for the Dummies Guide to Getting the Most from your Valentine One...

By the way - I'm also thinking about using one of Mikey's MFSW phone button relays to link to the mute on the V1...

 

I had a V1 for about six months, I was impressed by the detector overall, but not by the suction-cup windshield mount. On the car I had it mounted in (a Neon ACR with coilovers) it bounced around a lot and didn't seem very stable compared to other detectors/mounts I've used. I'm sure that could have been worked around though. I ended up selling my V1 because the way I drive and they way enforcement is around here (very heavy on laser), it wasn't doing me much good. I still speed and haven't had a ticket in over six years.

Fast forward to this year, the wife and I just picked up a Subaru Forester XT a few weeks ago, and I had two very close calls with it the 2nd time I drove it. When the turbo kicks in, it just flat out moves. I may have to pick up another V1 just to keep myself out of trouble.

-Keith

 

Look at the rake of the Neon's windsheild compared to lorry-like MINI's. The rubber bumper on the unit's case works fine.

 

It comes with three different sized suction cups. Try the bigger ones.

I just came up with a good yet simple mount last night. Using the visor clip mount, but clipping it to the headliner just to the right of the rearview mirror. I put velcro on the top of the plastic which sticks to the headliner so it doesn't move anywhere.

And yesterday my LEDs arrived. Hopefully I'll get to soldering tomorrow or this weekend....

 

Josh - that headliner mount sounds like my kinda mount - kinda what I was thinking. Let me know how that works on the road.

Also let me know how the DIY LED mod goes - trying to decide if I'm going to attempt this myself or pay to have it done...

 

I tried several different mounting methods with what was sent in my V1 package, never found anything totally satisfactory. The problem is that in addition to my Mini (where it might work just fine) I'd also want to use in my Miata, Mustang, and Forester. It just seems like they could have done a little better job with the windshield suction cup mount, as I've had more solid mounts with cheap $80-100 detectors. It seems like one of problems might be the cheaper detectors were all lighter than the V1, and the extra weight of the V1 causes it to bounce around more.

-Keith

 

FWIW, you can get extra windshield mounts from V1 - a bit pricey at $10 for a piece of plastic, but worth it relative to removing the mount from car to car. I've got it mounted up by the mirror in the MINI, and I'd just as soon leave the mount there since it's tucked out of the way.

 

If your are looking for ideas for mounting the V1, I have pictures of mine on this page about half way down. Just one more idea ...
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t=32709&page=3

 

The biggest problem I have with leaving the mounting bracket installed on the windshield in the Mini or another car, is the advertisement that I have a $400 radar detector in the car. I'd gladly pay $20-30 for additional suction cup windshield mounts if they were better designed. It just seems like on a very high quality $400 radar detector, they could have designed a better mounting bracket.

-Keith