hey, i was considering purchasing a radar detector and then i noticed a warning on my windsheild from the manufacturer about possible damage to the cars' electrical system, what's up with that?

 

If your RD breaks or interferes with something on the car it's not going to be covered under your warranty.

 

Ummm never heard that one before. Been using a V1 since 04 and I have never experienced any issues.

 

Nothing like that on a MINI. I could suction cup 8 of them to my dash and windshield facing every possible direction

Locate your nearest MINI dealer and trade up from whatever you are driving to a new MINI

 

Have a V1 in all three of our vehicles with no issues.

 

I have that sticker under the hood. It's just manufacturer weasel words.

If you're worried, take the device out of the car before you bring it to the dealer.

Dave

 

I'll get a photo of it on my girlfriends '10 Cooper, my '05 Also had it but the sticker was gone before it left the dealer lot. I actually think I reapplied it on the inside of my owners manual.

 

Ive got the Beltronics V995 works fine no problems.

 

Weird. I can't imagine an RD causing any problems. I love my Escort.

 

Would this mean the the policeman's radar gun will stop a new MINI in its tracks?

 

When I bought my new Mini from the dealer, there was a form I had to sign that said if I used an "unapproved" blutooth cellphone with the Mini, if the car's computer crashed it was my fault.

Stupid.

 

Thanks to all, good information. Figured it was to cover their own butts. Heard good things about V1, will have to get one!

 

Do some research before you make a $300-$500 purchase. There are lots of good detectors out there in that price range. I skipped the arrows and bought a Beltronics/Escort.

 

Yep. At one time, the Valentine was definately the best in all regards. But that was some years back. The Escort now actually outperforms the Valentime in some areas and is essential the equivilant in others. The way I look at it, if I get a bogey, I'm not going to wait and take the time to consult the arrows.....I'm going to slow down NOW. If you really want to spend that kind of money, check out the features on the Escort 9500.

 

Valentine 1

 

I agree. Had one for years and it works great.

 

I'm real close in purchasing a V1. Are there any suggestions in how to mount it less conspicuously than the basic window mount? Got any pics? Also, living in South eastern Wi. the Waukesha LEO really have lots of measures or radar and laser at their disposal, have any suggestions on the settings I should program into the RD once installed. The only time that I may need the RD is on the township and county back roads.... that is where the twisties are and that is where the fun begins, unfortunately the LEOs hide in the blind spots. Once in a while I use the interstate going to Milwaukee and back and see the State Patrol, but the back roads are the areas the I may accidentally exceed the posted limits. Any mounting recommendations and setting help well be appreciated.
Thanks

 

Mount it with velcro above the rear view mirror, either side.
I don't think I have ever seen any LEOs on the country back roads in Wisc. Extra beautiful countryside in southwestern Wisc. as well.
You can probably turn off X band and turn POP off. Good luck.

 

V1...end of discussion IMO

 

This.

It costs about the same as other top of the line detectors, and has much better features. I mean... Number of radar contacts and direction of contacts, That's such a nice feature. Even the high dollar Escort detectors seem like a something I can buy from walmart.

 

My car came pre-installed with a V1. Ok not really...

But it's fine, don't worry about it. You'll be fine.

I'll have to post some photos of how it's hardwired in my car, using a circuit add-on, and a long phone cable around the headliner for the "concealed display."

 

I looked at the V1, but ended up with an Escort 9500ix, and love it. Built in GPS with preloaded locations of all known speed cameras, and you can update the locations from Escort's website at any time. I love that it automatically turns it's volume down after a couple of seconds, and "learns" your area by storing known false signals (grocery stores and such) and not alerting for those signals. It also beat or matched the V1 in many key areas. The V1 is a great RD, but I don't consider it as The One To Beat anymore. Honestly, the arrows are, and have always been a gimmick, in my opinion. If the detector goes off, you slow down. End of story. Location of the signal doesn't matter in a split second reaction like that.

For the OP - like everyone else is saying in this thread - no worries about a radar detector.

 

Run it in a mode with X band off; well draw a line from Tomah to Wausau and when you're south of it you'll be good. Take the visor clip point the opening rearward, tuck it into the headliner next to the mirror, use the hardwire kit and flat phone wire up the A-pillar and atop the headliner.
http://www.valentine1.com/Lab/TechReport3.asp





And pics of an Escort 8500 on an R56, same theory but you pay extra for the visor clip.

 

I've really come to appreciate the arrows and "bogey counter" on the V1 and don't consider them to be "gimmicks" at all, mainly because they let you know if there are other emitters out there *besides* the ones you already know about.

Here's an example - there was a spot on my commute that *always* gave me an alert because there was one of those electronic "your speed is" signs near the top of a hill. One day, I'm starting to come up the hill and I get the alert like always. But this time, the bogey counter read "2" instead of "1". Sure enough, there was a cop on the other side of the hill.

Also, on the freeway, you can watch the arrows move from the front to the side and then to the back as a cop passes you going the other way, but if there's another emitter that's still in front of you, the arrow will pop back to the front and the bogey counter will usually decrease by one.

While I'd love to see a GPS database incorporated into the V1 like other detectors have, I'm not ready to give up the extra situational awareness that the arrows and counter give.

 

Exactly! And if a cop is using radar while parked at the grocery store and your Escort has "learned" that it "always goes off there" and ignores it, you're done! Many, many cases where the arrows have proved to be very valuable.

The Escort 9500 is a great detector also, its sensitivity has now equalled or surpassed the V1 under some conditions.