cyberorth

Today I was able to hardwire V1 whose cord was hanging down my windshield for the past 5 months.
Here's some pics:


I used the blue plug. Right off the bat, the thicker gauge wires tipped off the power lines. Red (+) and brown (-). There is a big white plug I stayed away from and a small white plug that seems to control the rear cabin lights.

This is on the right side of the overhead console.

The voltage check..

...

12.19, good enough



the bigger sockets make it obvious

I used what V1 sends for hardwire purposes. all hw can be purchased from their website at about $45 or less. Only thing I had to get from Homedepot was a flat male connector 14-16 gauge (light blue green) to go with the V1 wire splicer (dark blue). V1 kit comes with one for the (+) but the ground has a screw type connector thats good if you can connect to the body.

I had to buy one splicer (dark blue) separately as the V1 kit comes with only one of these.

The black thing is the hardwire module in V1 kit.

The green thing is a 'brown out' module that is made for cars with auto stop start engine, to avoid restarting V1 every time the engine restarts. (OPTIONAL). Ahh. The GTR photobombed



I placed a velcro plate on the roof side of the plastic frame on the passenger side of the console and mounted these two modules on it to avoid vibration noises.

Cable management...



This is where I fished out the wire. started between the headliner and the mirror column and slid the wire to the corner of the stereo camera housing.

nice and neat

...Proof Of Life

looney100

Nicely done. I always like seeing how/where people tap into power and route cables when doing installs.

cyberorth

I did a similar job in both my w204 C63s as well:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...ml#post4819944

In W204, the line I used was not switched, but it would go off a few minutes after power down or locking the car. This was because the overhead console in W204 is dumb, meaning it only switches on and off, no brains. W205's overhead console has a permanent power source and it can time various modules and turn them off if left on. This is really helpful for a mounted camera, but not so much for a radar detector that needs to turn off with the car. So for now I have to manually turn off the V1 in my current W205. W204 was so nice in that I never had to turn off V1 manually.

I have used this same method of hardwire in W205, two W204s and two GTRs!

My reason for liking this method is that in my opinion, V1 works best and is least in the way when placed above the rear view mirror to its left, in my direct field of view and completely away from creating a blind spot. Getting power to it in this 'ideal' position is best accomplished by tapping in the overhead console as opposed to the mirror.

cyberorth

Good link about removal of overhead console:
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...d-console.html

bgm130

This is exactly what I was looking for for doing this install. I had done something similar in my last car and used the garage door buttons as power so turned on and off with the car.
Did you have to do anything special with the radar as far as turning off bands? I used the cigarette lighter adapter once and was getting constant 5+ readings

msd3075

Thanks, I might try this out.

I have my V1 mounted in the same spot. I've been using a long power cable run across the top of the windshield (tucked behind the headliner), above the driver door, down the back of the B-pillar, and under the floor mat behind the driver's seat to the accessory power outlet behind the center console/armrest. No one is ever in the backseat except my son in his car seat, so I never see it.

cyberorth

I have done a good bit of programming with my V1 to eliminate false alarms anyway. Nothing particular for this install.

Dasani

I hardwired my Valentine 1 using the Savvy (along with a Brown Out Booster).

Placed the detector on the passenger side of the windshield (next to the mirror/console) so I can still use the visor to block the sun.

Then made a bracket that attaches to the mirror to hold the Remote Display.

Worked out very nicely.

msd3075

Do not leave your car parked for more than 3 or 4 days with the Savvy plugged in. It doesn't interface correctly with MB cars for some reason, and it'll drain your battery.

I used the Savvy for the first month or two when I bought my C63S, and now it's sitting on a shelf in my garage because it kept draining my battery.

Dasani

I've had no problems at all.

The car sat for the entire month of December without being touched and then fired right up in January.

I work from home on Fridays, so the car sits for 3 days every weekend and starts without a hitch on Mondays.

msd3075

That's strange because I kept getting warnings on my dash that my battery was low (can't remember the exact message), and they completely went away when I stopped using the Savvy.

longbow0404

great info here; thanks

I now have a better view and idea on how to install my Dash Camera in a clean way with no wires hanging

thanks

theclutch

You seem to have great experience in hardwiring. I also want to HW my V1. But I need to do so from the fuse boxes - either from the one by the passenger floor OR the one by the driver side dashboard facing the door.

First question: would you happen to know how to access the fuse box by the driver side door without scratching it? I.e. - got a clue where I can strategically place a screwdriver to pop things off without scratching it? I just didn't want to force it and break pins...

Second question: Per chance, got a clue which fuse slot I could "tap" into? I have a volt meter so I can eventually figure out which is an ignition on wire.

The reason why I need to go into either of the fuse boxes is because I use the "Concealed Display" module. I don't like the lights going off at the top of the headliner since it's easily visible from the back. I'd rather the V1 be totally blacked out and have the display routed to the Concealed Display module.

Thanks in advance for any help!

theclutch

Just wanted to close this out with the instructions in the thread below:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ml#post6858245

cyberorth

the clutch,
I see that you found what you were looking for. Nice install.
Have you considered customizing your V1 software? I mean going through all of the virtual toggleswitches based on the instructions available on their website.
I do get false laidar from infinities and mazdas, but never audi's and never the Ka band.
This is actually in reply to your post from the other thread.

theclutch

Yes, i have programmed it. I even shut down X band.

Significantly more false alarms on the highway than ever before. But i am considering upgrading one of my V1 to the latest with the supposed junk filter.

Dasani

I had the same problem and updated to the 3.8945 firmware last year. It pretty much cleared everything up, even with X band still enabled.

JPMBenz

FYI...Valentine makes an adapter called the Savvy that plugs into the OB2 Port for power. The days of hard wiring are over.

theclutch

Yeah the fine print on that is that there's always a battery drain even if the ignition is switched off. Also there's a strong likelihood of you kicking it off since your legs are right under it. Lastly, I don't know how it would work with a concealed display unit.

JPMBenz

I've had the Savvy for over 4 years between two cars and never had a battery drain. Plus after 16-20 minutes our cars enter a "sleep" mode. It works perfectly on a concealed unit; zero issues.

Dasani

I can second that. As stated above, I use the Savvy and my car sat for over 5 weeks without being touched, then fired right up. I also use the concealed display with it. I'm 6'2" with quite long legs and have never kicked it. I would recommend the Brown Out Buster if you use the cars eco auto start.

theclutch

Glad it doesn't affect you. But straight from Valentine's website itself: "The SAVVY draws a small amount of current even with the ignition off..."

cyberorth

I have my hard wired v1 on 24/7 since the beginning of this thread as I couldn't get a switched line from the overhead light. I only turn it off if I'm gone for a few days.
I know this is not ideal but don't sweat the small battery drain thing.

auditoamg

I need a favor - can someone snap a picture of the rear view mirror! There's a company that apparently makes a rear view mirror mount that MIGHT work with our cars... but we need measurements and a picture to confirm... I haven't received my car yet, so I want to get started on this.... any help appreciated.

http://www.countryjoycrafts.com/univ...adarmount.html

theclutch

I just looked.. I didn't even bother snapping a picture. The mount that you are considering has some bulk in the mechanism such that it will not fit. It will hit the square box behind the mirror that houses the rain sensor, high beam light sensor, etc.

Also, this site also sells a $60 mount that seems to be a copy of the blendmount.com $100 mount that I just bought for another of my cars. I wouldn't trust a copy cat.