Finally took the V1 out of my windshield and installed it up and overhead using the Direct-Wire Power Adapter Kit (item #20305 and item #00030 available seperately at an additional cost).
Took me about an hour I'm hardly the electrician. Anyway the hardest part was finding the fuse box which is way underneath on the driver's side and connecting and the fuses are really tiny. Fuses are easy to pull with needle-nose plyers. I used the red 15A (seat heaters and ventilators) fuse which is fuse #13, it is hot only when the ignition is on and it is not hot when you turn off the ignition. If you're not trying to start the vehicle and you push the button once, this fuse is not hot; push it a second time and it's hot...accessory. Works for me!
Anyway, since the fuse is so tiny you'll need a thin wire to insert and I still couldn't push the fuse back in all the way. Also I used the screw that holds the fuse box down as the ground. The easy part was pushing in the cabling into the cracks and hiding the cable in the headliner. Here's a pic before I completed from the V1 left across the top of the windshield under the headliner, all the way down the pillar (careful there's an airbag there) to the bottom of the windshield, and then come back about six inches and down:
You could remove this panel to help with the wiring, the triangle wedge that you have to open the door to pop-off; use a coat hanger to help guide the cable:
Finally, the V1 is mounted low enough to still see the road ahead but beneath the top layer of the windshield:
Positioned just right in the cabin, not too close to your head in case of accident (don't want Valentine permanently imprinted on your forehead), not at such an angle that you have to take your eyes off the road:
Edit: I used this particular fuse box area for power because it is switched. When you turn off the ignition, the V1 will power off by itself. When you start the car, the V1 will power on. No need to manipute the V1 power button. I have been unable to determine if any other fuse areas of the vehicle exhibit this behavior.
Looks good. A nice standard installation. Thanks for the post.
What I'm interested in though is where to put the remote display which in my opinion is an essential part of the V1.
Here's what I did in my current car if anyone is interested. Best mod i ever did. V1 Custom Install
Looks good. A nice standard installation. Thanks for the post.
What I'm interested in though is where to put the remote display which in my opinion is an essential part of the V1.
Here's what I did in my current car if anyone is interested. Best mod i ever did. V1 Custom Install
wow, that's very cool. unfortunately i won't be able to do any cutting, i'm not that good. besides i left my remote in my trade-in. VitB6, i use to have the s2...but i sent it back.
can anyone suggest a good radar detector? i've heard about the valentine but don't know much about it, or where to find a decent deal on one...any suggestions?
can anyone suggest a good radar detector? i've heard about the valentine but don't know much about it, or where to find a decent deal on one...any suggestions?
I don't really know much about them either, but I know that the Valentine V1 and the Escort Passport 8500 X50 are the best of the best. I've heard (and seen) that the V1 is the top pick usually, however very expensive.
The Escort Solo S2 is the best cordless one out there, but they tend to shut themselves off to preserve battery life.
__________________
My sig is too big, so I have to redesign it
2001 ES300 - Millennium Silver Metallic / Sage
2006 GS430 - Mercury Metallic / Black
2006 GS300 AWD - Glacier Frost / Ash
Remember, no matter how good your radar/laser detector is, you still have to be careful. Being a "smart speeder" is key. I own a Valentine1 myself, and even with it I got a speeding ticket in September. I was speeding on I-70 coming back from Vail in my previous car and got caught by an aircraft. No detector on earth can protect you from that.
__________________
Current car:
2006 Lexus IS350 (Black Onyx/Black/Premium Package)
can anyone suggest a good radar detector? i've heard about the valentine but don't know much about it, or where to find a decent deal on one...any suggestions?
The two top-rated radar/laser detectors are the Bel RX65 and the Escort X50. I only wish that they had the V1 directional arrows!
Lex
__________________ 2006 Tungsten Pearl IS250 AWD Since 10/13/2005
can anyone suggest a good radar detector? i've heard about the valentine but don't know much about it, or where to find a decent deal on one...any suggestions?
You can only buy V1 detectors from V1 directly. V1 is the way to go. I've used Uniden, Bel & Escort in the past...nothing will match the V1's capabilities...regardless of what magazine tested what.
"This year, the measurement of the radar and laser detection abilities of each of the over $200 units gives the Valentine One ($400) a small edge over the competing BEL Vector 995 ($260) and Escort Passport 8500 X50 ($300 with red display or $340 with a blue display) units."
V1 is the least detectable detector by RDD's or Radar Detector Detectors in states where radar detectors are illegal. The Spectre III is the most used RDD in the world and it can only pick up the Valentine One if it is 166 feet or closer which is better than the X50 which can be detected 954 feet away.
The Valentine One which accounts for only .6% of radar detector sales wins every poll when it comes to being the favorite detector. The X50 doesn't even get an approval rating as high as George Bush's worst rating. :lol:
Radar Roy from Radarbusters.com said this about the Valentine One, "Just spoke with Carl Fors from SML, his website will be going online tonight with the 2005 results. He has declared the V895, 8500 and the Valentine One as the top performers. Motortrend, who was also at the test, will be declaring the Valentine One as the top detector based upon its detection of laser.
Radar Roy said, "There were results that they (Guys of Lidar) got during the test that I was not exactly pleased with, such as the discovery of the Blinder not having Stealth Mode installed and the Valentine beating out the Escort and Bel in the range tests. Even though I don’t sell the Valentine, it does have slightly better range than both the RX65 and the 8500 and I also show this same fact on my site. Would love it to be the other way around."
can anyone suggest a good radar detector? i've heard about the valentine but don't know much about it, or where to find a decent deal on one...any suggestions?
V1 radar detector installation
Anyway the hardest part was finding the fuse box which is way underneath on the driver's side and connecting and the fuses are really tiny. Fuses are easy to pull with needle-nose plyers. I used the red 15A (seat heaters and ventilators) fuse which is fuse #13, it is hot only when the ignition is on and it is not hot when you turn off the ignition. If you're not trying to start the vehicle and you push the button once, this fuse is not hot; push it a second time and it's hot...accessory. Works for me!
Hybrid Mode
