Before anyone replies, please don't tell me to STFF

I have actually serarch the whole forum, there are couple of ways to do it. 1) get the power source from the overhead reading light/ vanity light 2) from the cig. lighter and 3) run the wire all the way to the trunk w/ fuse #6? So my question is do you guys think #1 is the convenient & easier way to do it, and any pictures are greatly appreciated. Thanks

P.S. I have looked at the Evosport/tech discussion, it was install on the CLK, it's a little different than a C.

 

I got the same STFF and there are no DIY's for it. Im going to try to do it myself when i get my car next month Im going probably for the Cigarette lighter.. Im just hoping thats a switched source and not an always on.

-Alex

 

That Assumption is correct,
the Cig. Lighter is a switched 12V Source.

I am sure there is a 12V Switched Source in the trunk.
Best way to check is to get a multimeter or test light and probe each wire, that you find back there. It might be alot easier doing it this way since you wont have to peel apart the interior trying to hide wires and put everything back together with no odd squeaks and rattles being born.

Good Luck on the install! and keep us posted!

 

I think it's fuse #7 in the trunk, not #6. But I found a switched fuse under the hood and just ran a wire through the firewall. Just get a test light and try them all.

 

I have done a hard wire install by routing the wire on back of the dashboard to the fuse panel on the left side of the dash. I plugged the metal spade into one of the open fuse holders and it worked perfectly. I will post pics tomorrow showing you what I did.

 

Is it a switched fuse? Or does the detector stay on even when you turn the car off? I checked every fuse and even the empty slots in that fuse panel and they were all always on.

 

If you piggyback the cigarette lighter's power, how do you get to the cigarette lighter from the top of the windshield? Does the wire go through the center of the dash and then down to the cigarete lighter? This means you need to take apart the center of the dash to run the wires?

Also where are you grounding the V1?

 

The more important question is, how do you get underneath the lighter so you can tap into the 12V and ground wires?

Hopefully, the answer isn't to rip apart the center dash and console. I think you might be able to use a fiberglass snake to route the power cord throught the light hatch in the ashtray and then under the dash and up the A pillar.

 

Anyone got a follow up to this? I'm looking for either a switched 12v source near the dash or some some info on tapping into the cig. lighter.

 

If you're going for the lighter, then yes - it has to be ripped apart. Not too bad if you've got a stick you can muscle it up through the tunnel that way. But the dash part will likely have to be taken apart (radio section). Again, that's pretty easy - search for audio 10 install docs to get that.

I ran the #7 fuse from the trunk. Much easier (IMHO). Here's a blow by blow:

1) open rear trunk area covering by peeling back the gray liner. You can skip this but it's easier to fish with it out of the way.

2) pull up the strips along the floor of both driver side doors (or one door if coupe).

3) use electicians fish-tape or heavy gauge wire to push through from the trunk area to the floor area near seats in the rear. This is simpler than it sounds.

4) pull wire from the door area back to the trunk and leave enough to terminate later.

5) tuck wire into wiring duct. This duct is about 1" thick by 4" wide and is located about 1-2" past the edge of the carpeting. Peel back the floor carpet (you remembered to take the threshold strip off in # 2 right?) and you'll see it. It works like a taco - seperate it by popping the snaps and you'll see the wiring looms.

Run your wire along side the others all the way to the front.

6) when you get to the a-pillar foot well area, run the wire up through the kick-plate trim and bring it up to about the dash area.

7) if you are using a V1 terminate your location here. Pop off the cabin fuse panel cover, run the wires you just pulled into the dashboard cavity. Terminate your power distribution block (v1 block) with your V1 fuse on the newly pulled wires and insert into the cavity behind the cabin fuse panel.

If you are running another brand of detector run the power as follows...

8) take your power phone cable and plug into the distribution block.

9) pop off a-pillar cover. This thing is pressure snapped on - so gentle force straight toward you will get it off. You can run your wire parallel to the cable that's in the a-pillar. This is the cable for deploying the air curtain, so be nice to it! Take your phone wire (or your continued cable from below for non V1) and run it to the headliner.

10) run the cable through the headliner by gently pushing it in from the front. Nothing additional will be required to keep it in place - so don't sweat it.

11) all set? good, go back to the trunk. Terminate your hot wire to #7 - I went to the hardware store and got a spade with an inline fuse holder (I recommend this path). Also, take your negative cable and terminate it with a round or spade end. Attach this to the ground post. On the coupe it was located under the rear taillights and on the sedan it was to the right of the fuse block. Hard to miss really, it has all the brown wires coming into it.

Test. Enjoy.

All said and done this took me about 30 minutes the first time and about 15 the second time. It seems the right (not hack way) to go about it and I learned all about the electrical routing as part of the deal.

Why would that be important you ask? Well that bose junk isn't going to be around forever! <evil grin>

Good luck.
Peet

 

That's funny you ask. I just checked on saturday to see where mine was plugged in, since I'm apparently the only person to run it from under the hood.

Mine is plugged into fuse #46 under the hood, which is a 40A fuse for the windshield wipers. It is a switched fuse and then you just have to run the wire through the firewall and up the side of the dash. This is the part I had someone else do for me, but it didn't take very long, so it can't be too difficult.

 

I'd stay away from screwing with the lighter assembly in the console. I screwed with it thus determining that the hot lead is the black/yellow one in the bundle running to the left of the shifter so I can save you the pain. I clamped the V1 piggyback wire kit onto that wire and ran bulk phone wire from the RJ11 jack up the a-pillar to the V1 clamped onto the visor. Use a credit card to "caulk" the wire under the liner - you don't want to pry anything back too far. Another wire goes to the remote display sitting inside the gauge cluster.
All you need to remove is the shifter boot, open the storage/ash tray bin, carefully lift up the console panel by the front edge, and pull it off - now you've got full access to the hotwire leading to the cig lighter. It's switched. Ground should be a no-brainer.
Removing the ash tray storage bin is optional - be careful not to break off any tabs; gently bend them using a flat screwdriver inserted from the side underneath each tab, and it'll pop out. Break 'em and it'll pop out, too...

 

yeah i guess im just dumb but i cant find anything to ground to ! help

 

I have the valentine-1.. i'm not very happy w/ it.. I dont know.. maybe i'm just hard to please..