I hardwired my V1 this morning by tapping into the power leads located in the dome light area. This is a good place for the V1's power block as there's a lot of space to tuck the block and wires in to.

However, I only had information in doing this based on several searches here; most of which weren't very clear on which exact wire to tap. Most people just said use the black wire and then ground to the screw located under the sunglass holder.

Removing the dome light cluster was easy. One screw under the sunglass holder, and two bolts behind the diffused light cover. Remove the plastic light bulb cover and you'll see the bolts.

The cluster then drops away easily. Be careful as to not pull hard or let the cluster hang from the power cable.

Remove the power cable by squeezing the plastic lock tab and pull. You can then set the dome light cluster down.

Now, look at the two-wire power cable you just unhooked. It is composed of two black wires; one solid black and the other black with a white stripe. This is where most of the DIY's I found here wasn't clear on. At first I tapped into the solid black wire, and temporarily grounded to one of the bolts. The V1 worked, but with issues. If you open the door, the V1 would shut off. When you closed the door, and the interior lighting was on, the V1 would not power on correctly until the lights dimmed completely. If you turned the V1 on while the lights were dimming, the main cabin light would not completely extinguish. Also, if you set the center front light switch to off, then the main cabin light switch to off, the V1 in turn would shut off.

I realized at this point that the solid black wire was part of the cabin lighting circuitry that contained a dimmer or rheostat, and was not a solid 12V source.

I then removed the blue wire tap provided by Valentine, and instead attached to the black wire with white stripe. -- At this point I could tell you that I would have saved myself about 15 minutes if I had a volt meter, but I forgot it in my office... oh well.

I then retested the V1. The radar detector worked flawlessly. The interior lights also functioned properly. I then routed the V1's power cable out towards the windshield, tucking it in between the glass and the liner. Then I took some black electrical tape, and wrapped up the solid black wire where the insulation was removed by the tap. Finally, I used the left bolt next to the light bulb as my ground point, and proceeded to reassemble the cluster.

So to sum things up: use the black wire with white stripe as your 12v tap. DO NOT use the the solid black wire. You can ground to any of the two bolts or one screw; whatever's easiest.

Time to complete: 10-30 minutes depending on your skill level.

Hopefully, with this post I will save some of you guys time with the install. Thanks for reading, and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

 

pictures of install steps?

 

Wow that is really easy... i ran my wires down the a pillar and used an adapt a fuse by the driver's footwell.

IMO, if i were to do it again, I'd prolly go with this method.

 

you know, that is great, but.. i dont like how i have to manually turn the radar on and off. So, I followed you DIY, but I am going to run a power wire from the kick panel or fuse box or ignition.. (I dunno where yet) - that was its always on and if I want it off well then I can reach over to it an turn it off. (why would you want to not have it on every time you turn on your car ya know?)

 

just got my v1...will definitely follow this approach. thx.

 

I tried to install my V1 like you did, but when I used a voltmeter, I found that the blackwire w/ gray is ALWAYS hot. Meaning that the V1 would run when the car is off and might cause your battery to die.

I ended up tapping the red wire on the stereo harness and using one of the screws that holds the audio deck in place as ground. After that, I ran the wire up and around to the V1 located near the rear-view mirror.

 

well i used the ignition wire on the steering column... i think it was a thick white wire. Use a volt meter. but anyhow, then I ran the wire up the A-pilar and under the dome light (IX non MR) and there. I am very happy.

I have to say its saved me a few times already.

 

thank you OP. works like a charm!

 

Just used this to install my V1, great guide, worked flawlessly. In & out in about 5min.