[Rocco G from DP]

I want to install either an escort 9500 or a v1 and hide the cords, of course. I have an SE with no autodim mirror, so hardwiring that unfortunately isn't an option. Any ideas for a clean look? The more pictures the better. Thanks in advance, everybody!

 

[BIGDAMNBIKER]

let me know how that 9500 works....might be my next purchase

 

[bball62490]

you do not need an autodimming mirror to get a clean look..... i have a passport 9500ix and i bought the additional car install cables from escort and tucked the wires into the roofliner down the right hand pillar under the dash to the back of the cigarette lighter. pretty easy mod, but takes a little time

 

[luma]

BlendMount makes units that clamp to your review mirror for both the Escort and V1. You'll need to run power cables through your headliner and down your A pillar (as posted above) but it's a relatively straightforward process.

In either case it left the detector visible to both cops and thieves, which prompted me to order the QI45 from Escort. I should get the unit within a day or two and hopefully the install will go well!

 

[OC09RTClassic]

if interested in BlendMount..... you can check out my ad.

FOR SALE: BlentMount for Valentine 1 Radar Detector CHEAP! - Dodge Challenger Forum: Challenger & SRT8 Forums

 

[guitar2323]

i have the blendmount.it is pretty cool,very well made.i went the same route in hardwiring like the other guys.

 

[1badx]

There is power to your overhead console for the lights but be careful. You will have to unplug the detector every time you turn off the car or the can-bus system in these cars will detect it and keep the circuit open, even if the detector is turned off. This is the same circuit that runs the dash so it will drain the battery within a day or two. I learned this the hard way.:scratchhead:

 

[toupare17]

Is there no other way to do this? I have the 8500 by Escort, and I will do this if I decide that I want to, but it seems that there could be an easier route? Maybe I'm just wrong haha

 

[luma]

Is there no other way to do this? I have the 8500 by Escort, and I will do this if I decide that I want to, but it seems that there could be an easier route? Maybe I'm just wrong haha

If you want to hide the wires, they have to go somewhere. Tucking them in the A-pillars is a very easy operation, they literally just pull off and clip back in so there's not too much to worry about. I have a charging dock for my cell phone that I mounted and wired in a similar manner, then ran the USB/power cable under the driver's side dash, through the center console, and into the center console storage to plug into the rear USB. Not knowing a single thing about what I was doing it took me half an hour. If I had to do it again it wouldn't take 15 minutes.

I'm not sure how much easier of an install you are looking for.

If you're still on the fence, any car audio outfit in your area can install it for you at greatly inflated prices.

 

[toupare17]

What are the A-pillars? I have no problem doing it myself, I just feel that I might mess something up on my brand new car.

 

[luma]

This might help.

 

[toupare17]

Thanks for that. You could have just as easily told me what it was. I ask questions on this forum so I dont have to sift through 20 pages of web text that sometimes tell me different things.

 

[luma]

Thanks for that. You could have just as easily told me what it was. I ask questions on this forum so I dont have to sift through 20 pages of web text that sometimes tell me different things.

Yeah OK I was being a bit of an ass there

Anyway, the good news is that they simply pull right off (I'm assuming here that you've found the A pillar). You should be able to tuck any wiring along the headliner and then run it down either the left or right pillars without too much trouble. The next trick is getting it wired into ignition power. In installing my Qi45, I pulled out the center console and tapped power from the back of the front cigarette lighter plug. Forum member and all around stud Speedy has a great video explaining how to pull out the center console to get at the back of the cig lighter here (ignore all the shifter stuff, you just need to pop the console out). Good news here is that it pretty much just pulls straight out without tools. I have an auto, so I had to start the car and pull the shifter out of park to be able to fully remove the console piece. At this point I stripped a half inch or so of the jacket from the +/- leads behind the light jack, wrapped new power leads off them, then used electrical tape to seal up the mess (one each around each wire, then cold-shrink tape around the whole mess).

 

[ScatMan]

I used this with the Passprt 9500 which by the way has saved me at least 8 times in a year

https://www.escortradar.com/store/cart.php?keep_https=yes