After purchasing my radar detector I sat staring long and hard trying to figure out the best place and way to mount it. I was determined to not have it just hanging from those little clear suction cups off the windshield… which I find ugly… not easily reachable for control switch access and of course wanting to maintain easy removal so as to take it with me or hide it away from prying eyes in the glove box… I quickly ruled out clipping it to the visor as it did not provide a good angle for front detection… that mounting scheme completely buried the rear detector and of course rendered the visor unusable… and I just could not bring myself to consider mounting it to the dash…

After a bit of web surfing I ended up finding an excellent detector mount which hangs off the back of the rear view mirror. Being new to NAM I understand I am not to list vendors so I won’t list this most excellent product’s site… however, anyone interested I’m sure will be able to track it down after seeing my pix… and after a few clicks.

A couple of caveats before I start… the mount is a bit pricey (however, well worth it in my opinion… I mean the Mini is such a cool little car… why settle for a common mounting solution)… and… I should note that it does reduce the overall range of mirror movement (however, not so much for me that it was an issue though).

I ran the “direct connect wire” purchased with my detector from my fuse box… which I connected to fuse 36 (one of many ignition switched fuses) via a “mini-fuse tap”… also easily found on the web… and gounded the ground lead to a bolt on the steering assembly… up the “A” Pilar… tucked into the Head-Liner and “tie-wrapped” the RJ11 phone jack end to the down column of the rear view mirror.

I chose to connect a RJ11 “coupler” to the to the RJ11 end on the “direct-connect-wire” and in turn one of those small 6” long RJ11 wires used to install a wall phone was plugged into the other side of the coupler providing the power connection to the detector… this done so that should repeated plugging/unplugging cause that little plastic lock on the RJll to break off (not that we’ve ever seen that happen)… I can just replace the little 6” piece instead of trying to repair or re-run the “direct-connect-wire” (the coupler was mounted with double-sided tape to the down column of the rear view mirror)… eventually I’ll replace the coupler with a more esthetic black one (when I find one).

After completing the installation I was very happy with the outcome… however, one thing remained… as with most detectors the standard mounting scheme tends to allow the detector to bounce whenever the car encounters bumps etc.

My solution was to cut a small piece of plumbing pipe foam insulation tubing (7/8” ID with a 3/8” Nominal wall) to provide a “shim/shock absorber” which would slip over the “Clown-Nose” dimming switch (which I never use). I cut the foam pipe insulation with an electric carving knife so that the bottom (which rests on top of the detector) was flat… and the top was angled so as the low side was approx 3/4" tall and the high side was approx 1” tall (which would rest against the bottom of the mirror, high side to the back)…

It works great ! … no bounce at all… the detector is easy to put on and to take off… and easy to use…

 

Very interesting - I've never seen such a thing. Thanks for letting us know!

 

Interesting solution! I try to keep the RD out of the line of sight of pursuing officers (not that there are many), but it's a cool solution. I especially like the shock damper! Oh - and a black Sharpie makes a nice aesthetic addition, is cheap, quick, and easily renewable should the color fade.

 

I believe that as an end user/consumer, you're free to mention product brand names and vendors, even if they're not affiliated with NAM. The restriction is against non-NAM vendors/manufacturers advertising their goods and services here.

We discuss lots of products here in the forums, from radar detectors to stereo speakers to digital cameras. Most of the manufacturers are not afffiliated with NAM, and some of the products we discuss aren't even available from any of the NAM vendors.

If you've had a good experience with a product or vendor, I think we'd all appreciate hearing about it. Perhaps if the vendor or manufacturer gets enough interest from the members here, they might even consider going through the process of becoming NAM-affiliated vendor in the future.

 

that is pretty cool. but doesnt it kind of cover the middle of the windshield?
like lookin out? i dont like blind spots. almost hit a couple of cars cause of that.
but that is cool. i need a radar detector..not like i speed or anything...

 

it reminds me of a police car with all the things they have hanging from windows and mirrors and i would probably do something to hide those wires better, but im glad it works for you. I agree with minjae that it would probably bug me for while cause its blocking more of the window but it looks like you can get used to it.

 

By all means please let us know where you got that bracket. You are allow to mention and link to external vendors on NAM..afterall, that is what makes a constructive discussion.

You may want to use a longer cable off your detector, so you can hide that coupler up inside the headliner. I do that for my GPS. Or just get a longer single cable that goes the whole distance, as I do for my detector.

Also a quick note your detector does not have a rear radar detector, this is patented and only featured on the V1. It relies on radar bouncing off of traffic in front of you, if any. It does probably have a rear laser sensor, which is that raised section at the front top right with a black window facing the back..

But I agree, anything is better than using those suction cups, and you've got a great solution. Thanks for sharing.

 

The site where I picked up the radar detector mount is as follows:

http://www.countryjoycrafts.com/Conn...arDetector.htm

 

That looks really sharp, but does that work only with Escorts, Bels and Valentine 1's?

 

Really cool. Wonder if it would work with my Nuvi w/ a little modification.

 

Anyone try the Saeng mount that Valentine shows on their website for motorcycles?
http://www.saeng.com/2510.htm
Looks like you could use the single flex mount to hang from the plastic headliner strip on the cabrios next to the mirror. Wouldn't obstruct your view as much as this other one (besides I am too short for its use as per the description)

Just hate the suction cups and would make it less visible from outside.

 

I have not purchased a radar detector in years, so excuse my ignorance on the topic of late, but why does this detector have a phone cord coming out of it?

 

The V1 Clip mount seems to work just fine for over-the-mirror mounting - that's what I and others are doing... Looks like the saeng mount would hang it down beside the mirror - and that would probably block the visor...

 

That's the way some of the newer, better units are wired - with an RJ11 type connector - so you can use readily available flat phone cabling to extend them, hardwire them, etc.

 

Cool! Thanks for the info...

 

That how they get power to it nowadays

 

Ah...my buddy has one of their mounts for his 350Z and V1 and it's great.
Looks like the mini mount is only for 05+ MINIs though.

 

The MINI Cooper doesn't work with Valentine One's, I learned after e-mailing them, because the mount space is so small and the V1 is boxy. But, they are working on such a mount.

 

My Mini = 2006 base
Detector = Bel RX65
... and although I hate having anything blocking my field of vision when driving... this mounting solution does not cause me any concern... from my driving position I have a very clear view...

 

This is really cool. I was thinking of trying to design something like that myself to get the detector off the windshield with the suction cups.

Will be placing my order shortly for this.

Thanks for sharing your install procedures as well. I especially liked the shock absorber addition that you made. That's been my biggest complaint about it being attached to the windshield.

 

Thanks for letting us know!