DIY radar hard wire 2018 Tacoma

SOOOOOO I'm new to the forum and didn't know exactly where to put this. LMK if I should move it?

I live in California so a radar detector is a must here is my install.

Parts/tools:
Valentine one Radar

$46 Radar Mount Mirror Mount + Direct Wire for Valentine V1 Radar Detectors - Gen 1 and Gen 2 (3001204)

Radar mount

$30 HardTap HT-1096 Hard Wire Kit, Radar Detector, Power Cord with Inline 2amp Fuse, RJ11, 8' Long

Hard wire kit

Spytec 12V Car Add-A-Circuit Fuse Tap Adapter Mini ATM Apm Blade Fuse Holder for Dash Cam Hardwire Kits

Add a fuse kit

Neiko 20598A No-Scratch Auto Trim Removal Tool Kit, 5 Piece | Fastener and Molding Removal Tool

Plastic no abrasion tool (optional)

Plug the add a fuse into P.outlet1 or p.outlet2. I choice two which is the 12v outlet in the armrest. thought i would use it less.

Pro tip! use the fuse puller from the fuse box in you engine bay to get the fuse out, its much easier!


I wrapped the wire behind the fuse box so it wouldn't drop down.


Push the wire up the side panel and up the A pillar. Use your plastic tools to wedge it in.
feed it into the gap between the headliner and the glass until you reach the rearview mirror




Now remove the wire organizer by pulling down on the upper edge until it slides over itself


Pay close attention to the clips in the green circle. If you pinch the plastic at the blue arrows you can wiggle the wire organizer out.


Now route the wire behind the organizer and re-install it
.

mount your radar and plug an play!

 

Nice way to tap, my escort had a hardwire kit which has a remote that I mounted above the steering wheel column so I can see when its going off if I have music playing loudly that I don't notice the radar going. You can also get a rear view mirror kit that directly plugs into the back of the rear mirror which makes running it much easier.

 

i bought that very same mount for my wife's V1. I guess I'll have to for the truck, right now my V1 is suctioned to the windshield

 

sub'd

 

Means i subscribed / want to be able to refind the post for future reference .

 

Not to be nit-picky but it's called a radar detector. Living in California, I'm sure there plenty of radar's in police cars.

 

I fixed it just for you ...

 

Is have a V1 as well and bought a fused wire tap kit, off eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/V1-VALENTINE-ONE-Mirror-Power-Cord-Radar-Detector-MP-V1-/122514514636 that uses power from the mirror. Clean, fast, easy, cheap.

 

Yea I wanted to do this but i had the other kit laying around.

Plus I didn't want to splice a wire.

 

No splicing! The pins push into the mirror harness.

 

Agreed. Used a similar mirror tap on my detector. Cool little devices and fully reversible.

 

Which color wires are used for tapping from rear view mirror with +/- leads from radar detector wiring?

Thanx,

Justin

 

Justin,

I forgot though I did use a test light to verify key on positive and negative

 

Thanks for sharing.

I've used a v1 for over 20 years. Never let me down.

 

V1 for 20 plus years. I just stick it on the windshield and move it between several vehicles.

 

Would this take care of the majority of the cops? what other technologies are they using that wouldn't be picked up by this radar?

 

nice, thanks for the write up

 

It's not 100% fool proof. If you rely on it and don't pay attention to your surroundings, you'll still get dinged. It does,however, work Great on highways and interstates where there's tons of cars around and it picks up the signal to alert you. Combine it with Waze and you got yourself a great way to avoid a ticket. I like it for nighttime driving where you can't always see if it's a cop car but you'll know if his radar is on clocking your speed.

 

Depends on the region. For where I am in Canada radar detectors work well enough in real small towns, and you can get some radar detectors with built in GPS that warns you of red light cameras in cities. In bigger towns and especially cities though the radar detection itself doesn't always work. Most law enforcement in cities use laser (LIDAR, DragonEye, etc.) and the tech is just too fast for the detector to pick up on in time if it even has a laser detection. However, you can get laser jammers and they do a great job of warning you when you're getting targeted. Its worth mentioning that laser defense isn't completely ticket-proof, there are ways that the police can beat it, but there are ways to minimize that possibility.