These notes apply to those who have gotten the premium package, or those that have installed the auto dimming mirror with the Homelink transceiver. On the back of this unit there is an easily removed power plug. It is to two of these three wires that I obtained the power for the V1.

The parts that I secured can be purchased at any Radio Shack store. Here are the parts: 1. a 1 Ft. RJ=11 modular to spade line cord. RS Part No. 279-391, 2. a box of 3M telecommunications connectors, part UG-4.

You have to be careful and not make the mistake I almost made by assuming that ground was always black, and power was always red. In this case, with the RJ-11 jack tab down, the color order from top to bottom is: Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow. The second from the top is red, and this is the ground connection. The third down from the top is green and this is the 12 V+ connection.

There are three wires in the modular connector for the mirror. The black and red is the 12 V + power connection, the black is the ground connection. No connection is made to the purple wire. The 3M connectors mentioned above are used to make the connections. They have a pass through slot so it is not necessary to part any of the wires connecting to the mirror plug. To the right of the pass through slot, there is a place to insert the wire you are adding to the circuit. When all is in place, a round button is squeezed with plyers to secure all connections.This is obviously hard to describe without the parts in hand, but the effort is worth it, as it allows you to eliminate the long coiled cord from the lighter socket to the V1.

03G35c/C_Blue/Willow/6AT/Premium/Splash/Garmin SteetPilot III/Valentine 1 Radar.

56705-HardWireV1.jpg

 

Thank you - - - this is the kind of information that I like to see posted.

Larry Bushaw

 

Good solution for those without the remote display.

 

Almost 98% of my driving is in CA, and I rarely drive in those states that prohibit use of a specialized radio receiver. After all that's what a radar detector is, just a receiver. A remote install is of no interest to me.

03G35c/C_Blue/Willow/6AT/Premium/Splash/Garmin SteetPilot III/V1/SAT/XM

 

Since the Homelink works when the car is off and the keys are out, doesn't this mean that there will always be power to the V1 and you'll have to manually turn it on and off?

 

Boondoggler, Good question?


2004 G35 Coupe 6MT-BS/BLK-Full Aero-Navi (on order)
1997 BMW 540ia M5 Bumper with Angle Eyes

 

It is a fact that this install approach does require manually turning on and off the detector. I still thought it was such a clean approach that I went with it anyway. I modified it a bit. The part number provided above for the 3M Telecommunication connectors was not recognized at my Radio Shack, so I purchased RS Part # 64-3081. This is a pack of 4 Telephone Wire Tap Connectors; they fit the description of the 3M Telecommunication connectors exactly. Here are my modifications:

1. You have to trim about 3/8" of the sheath surrounding the wires going into the back of the rear view mirror so that the tap connectors will fit.

2. The tap connectors are a little too tight a fit for the heavy gauge of the mirror wires, so I took a drill bit that was slightly larger than the opening and reamed the opening larger, and used a nail file to widen the slots so the mirror wires fit through the slot better.

3. The tap connectors are about 3/8" circular clear plastic with a green button you push down to make the connection. I thought they would stand out a little too much behind the mirror, so I sprayed them with some flat black Krylon spray paint so they would hide better.

4. I didn’t use the RJ-11 spade cord that CA_Kid mentioned. I didn’t like the idea of using a single RJ-11 (telephone) cable that was connected to the mirror wires then straight to the V1 and I wanted to use black so that it would be inconspicuous. Using the spade cord only, if you ever wanted to change the position of the V1, you might not have the right cable length anymore, and if you have to quickly remove the V1, you wouldn’t want an officer to see the hanging cable. I decided to mount a small black RJ-11 inline coupler (RS Part # 279-459) onto the back of the mirror using velcro. I took a spare black RJ-11 cable I had laying around (you can buy one at Radio Shack if you have to) and cut off one plug, and trimmed it to about 2”. I used this cable to tap into the mirror wires, and connected the plug end into the inline coupler. Now I could put the V1 anywhere I want as long as I have the right length of RJ11 to go from the inline coupler to the V1. Then I took the remaining black RJ-11 cable, trimmed it to the right length for where I wanted to place my V1, and using my RJ11/RJ45 crimper, and one plug out of a 10 pack (RS Part # 279-384) I made my own proper length of black RJ-11 wire to go from the coupler to the V1.

I connected everything up and no go, the V1 didn’t turn on. I went back to the tap connectors and squeezed them extra hard with pliers to make sure that the metal tab inside was splicing into the wires and bingo, everything worked. So make sure you really squeeze the hell out of that button on the tap connectors, concentrating on both sides of it right above each of the two wires.


Components I used for the install


Crimper tool I used for the install


View of the finished install from the back seat Don't worry, I'm going to clean off the mirror thumb prints in the morning!


View of the back of the mirror after the install


View from the outside after the install taken in my garage at night. The camara flash really makes things stand out much more than they do during the day. In daylight with the tint at the top of the windshield you really can't seen much of anything other than the bottom of the V1.

It was really raining today when I took these pictures, hence the leftover water drops on my windshield. Also, for those who aren't aware of EZ-Pass, the white plastic rectangle on the passenger side of my rear view mirror is my EZ-Pass toll tag.

I like this install because it doesn't require all the work of fishing the wire through the headliner, down the A pillar, and into either the fusebox or across to the cig lighter. It does require you to turn the V1 on and off, but in my opinion that's better than taking a chance at marring your headliner and interior during a more compex installation. I find I turn it off around town anyway because of all of the X band alerts from store doors and alarm systems anyway. I just have to get into the habit of turning it on when I head out onto the highway or the back roads.

My thanks go out to CA_Kid for his original post, his breakdown of the wiring was really helpful.

 

The other DIY install doesn't require any parts and will come off and turn off with the key, remote or no remote. It taps into the driver's side cig lighter


Russ

Black w/willow, 6MT Coupe, nav, aero, V1, PS2, & TVs all up in the headrests.
Jax, FL

 

Just to point out a few things, supposedly certain types of tint (especially ones that contain metallic elements) hurt the ability of the radar detector. So putting it so high up may hurt the ability of your valentine V1.

Also I'm surprised your EZ pass works there. I don't have my G35 yet, but from this page:
http://www.ezpass.com/static/info/exteriortags.shtml
it supposedly has problems.

Twlight blue/Willow 6mt on order. Options: Sunroof.

 

The EZ-Pass works fine up there. The V1 is barely into the tint, and it has performed quite well there. I've heard that the tint can reduce the ability to pick up laser, but it did detect a laser hit I got coming into a toll booth area in upstate NY. Laser detection really doesn't work anyway, it goes off just in time to let you know you'll be getting a ticket.

 

Boondoggler: Great modifications to my original post. At the end of your excellent recap, you said: 'I find I turn it off around town anyway because of all of the X band alerts from store doors and alarm systems anyway."
Were you aware that you could program the V1 to not accept any X band signals. I have found that the V1 is much more quiet with that programming change. I will be glad to post, if it not already in your V1 manual.

03G35c/C_Blue/Willow/5AT/Prem/Splash/ SteetPilot 2610/V1/SAT/XM/18" PermaStar rims w/NITTOs/Borla True Dual Exhaust/Gialla Grille/Z Intake/Dynamat Door Kit.

136956-Oct03 Thumb.jpg

 

If you are the solo vehicle around at the time the laser is triggered, then yes, you've been hit. However, if there are several vechicles in the area, there is some "splatter" from the laser signal, and if you were not the primary target, you may have an opportunity to drop down to the posted limit before the next firing. :-)

03G35c/C_Blue/Willow/5AT/Prem/Splash/ SteetPilot 2610/V1/SAT/XM/18" PermaStar rims w/NITTOs/Borla True Dual Exhaust/Gialla Grille/Z Intake/Dynamat Door Kit.

136976-Oct03 Thumb.jpg

 

Thanks for the input Ca_Kid. I'm aware of the ability to program out x-band, but I don't want to do that. In NJ, there are a lot of troopers and local yocals that still use X-band, so with it off I could get nabbed. I've settled on the middle sensitivity setting and just keep the volume low around town and turn it up on the highway or when I'm cranking tunes. I actually drove all the way to Ottawa, Canada last weekend, about 6.25 hours each way, and there were at least 6 or 7 times that the V1 came through with flying colors. I was able to cover 430 miles in 6.25 hours, which is averaging over almost 70mph and that included 3 stops! Having the V1 at my I could average 95mph oh the highways with no worries! I love my V1.

 

Boondoggler said: "I was able to cover 430 miles in 6.25 hours, which is averaging over almost 70mph and that included 3 stops! Having the V1 at my I could average 95mph oh the highways with no worries! I love my V1." Me too, I'm on my 3rd V1. My --- you covered a lot of territory in short order. Out here, we have another speed control to watch out for. CHP in the sky. Interstate 5 runs North and Southbound through the State, and I often take I-5 from Norhern California to Orange County, about a 550 mile drive. They love to patrol that wide open stretch with aircraft. As added protection, I have a scanner tuned to the CHP aircraft frequencies. Heard one of them say: " gotta go guys, getting low on fuel, it's back to the base for me." At lease for awhile, I knew I didn't have to worry about the bear in the sky. :-)

03G35c/C_Blue/Willow/5AT/Prem/Splash/ SteetPilot 2610/V1/SAT/XM/18" PermaStar rims w/NITTOs/Borla True Dual Exhaust/Gialla Grille/Z Intake/Dynamat Door Kit.