I have considered that, but I am trying to avoid destroying anything. Plus since my oakleys fit there, I figured I'd enjoy the convenience

 

what bracket did you use in your STi?

 

seriously????

 

OK guys i got motivated and went ahead and installed the detector itself. I still have not ordered a new power box yet so you'll have to wait for the step by step of the wiring, but hopefully you can get it from here without me.


Step one: Items needed

1. Valentine 1 Radar Detector
2. Supplied sun visor mount
3.Foam (foam optional/or substitute) Mine is from the V1 box. Photo looks blue, but you'll see its grey later.



Better pic of visor mount




Detector will mount like this (backwards from a visor install)



Step Two: Insert V1 visor mount into headliner

1. Just feel up there and stick your finger between the liner and the roof. Now you have an idea where the clip will go.

2. Insert the clip where you finger was, there is a small metal edge that may block the insertion, you should have felt it with you finger in step 1.



3. Pull it closer until secure.

Step Three: V1 mounting

1. Now it's time to secure the radar detector to the visor mount.
2. There will be resistance but it will go on.



Step Four: Level it out

1. Insert foam to level out the radar
2. You want the front and rear sensors to have line of sight
3. You can wiggle the unit to the right against the sunglass holder molding. If done correctly you'll see that the visor can be put down to a 90 degree angle, and full rear protection is available (however, driving is difficult/impossible)
4. If your visor won't go down, try pushing the mount more towards the windshield. You should be just behind the clip for the sun visor itself seen in the photo above and below this note.



A Pic from outside



Step 5: Wire it up!

From here you'll have a few options. You can use the lighter jack if you like cords hanging across your car -OR-

- You can tap the power unit into the mirror and just run the detector by itself, or run another wire to your concealed display -OR-

- You can tap the power unit under the dash, and run the wires to the detector and concealed display from there.

The choice is yours... as soon as I get my supplies in I'll be completing this DIY write up.

Please don't ask me which wires to tap because I have not even looked yet....

 

from that last pic, how is the rear line of site? It looks like the rear roof/headliner is sort of in the way?? could just be the angle of the pic though.

I personally like the mikes mount, because it looks clean, and is the perfect height because the line of sight is uninterrupted, and if you ever need to hit the mute button, it's close to your hand. You barely have to reach. Also, whenever I park my car, I take my V1 out and put it in the glove. With the mikes mount, I can unplug the V1 and slide it out with one hand in .5 seconds. It's second nature already, hehe.. mikes mount plus hardwire to the mirror works well.

But kudos to you for finding a solution that fits your needs.

 

yah, it suits my needs cuz when I go on a military installation I can't exactly have a radar detector hanging off my mirror. Also it distracts from my view as a driver. The line of sight is perfect with my location and I never remove the V1. Hopefully by this weekend it will be hardwired!

 

what about the tint at the top of the window? It can interfere with the detector sometimes, so mine sits on the very bottom, not as concealed as I wish, but if the detector doesn't work the way it should, it's useless.

 

My last cars had it and it worked fine. The STI even has those dots instead of tinted glass.

Between my friends and I, our V-1's have been installed in the same manner in:

2002 WRX
2003 VW GTI
2005 STI
2005 Subaru legacy
2004 Mustang GT

We've all had very good experiences. If you're weary of the idea maybe you should try the location with the cig lighter and it's completely reversible.

 

Still waiting for the V1 power adapter to arrive, but in the meantime; I drove to work two days this week with the radar hooked up to the cig lighter. I noticed no depreciation in effectiveness from the Subaru install. Common know triggers are still hitting front and rear, and since I have the joy of coming through a controlled checkpoint every morning I have plenty of KA band signals to test with.

Rear signals do not seem to be affected... As a I was traveling on road "A" approaching an intersection there was a cop traveling towards road "A" on perpendicular road "B". I received the front radar warning long before arriving at road "B" in line with the cop; and as I moved through the intersection my signal indicator moved from front -to sides - to rear as usual.

Once my detector is hardwired I plan to run my Valentine 1 and my wifes Valentine 1 in tandem with hers being mounted lower on the windshield suction cups and lighter plugged. This will give a clear comparison.