sy1616

I just had my V1 hardwired in the ML and what I don't like is that it remains on after turning the car off. Any way to bypass this? It's the 6th car I've had the V1 in and all have turned off with the car. Any thoughts are appreciated. thanks!

hotrodneb

1-- you state "had it hardwired"...Take it back to the person that did it and inform them of your dilema. They have it wired into a "hot" circut and not a "switched" circut (easy change).

Hot = connected to the battery all the time
Switched = has power only when the key is on

I dont know physically how they wired it in, but I have done several of these over the years and I usually cut off the cigarette plug and wired directly. You must identify which part of the dectecor plug is positive and negative before cutting the plug FIRST though. The only other thing to accomplish is find a "switched" circut you can tap into. This all can be done easily with a volt meter.

ajSvat

I just did an Escort 9500Ci install on my ML. Positive has to be on a switched source such as the cigarette lighter.

As the previous poster has said I too used a volt meter to determine which wire was the positive switched source from the cigarette lighter.

I am now waiting for a 9500Ci interface produced by Mid City Engineering so I can have the readout displayed on my dash. When it arrives and I install it I will be able to control all the functions from the steering wheel buttons.

They produce an interface for your V1 as well.

Here is the ash tray removed showing the power source plug.




And below showing the positve switched wire.

roadrutz

I would be really interested to have you post here later on with your experiences with the 9500ci. At close to $3,000 installed, it had darn well better work! I'm not particularly interested in its performance against radar, as both local police forces now use almost exclusively lidar, but I would very much like to know how effective the laser... ahem... 'shifting' is. In the real world, not just in staged tests, which is about all that's available on the AlGoreNet.

ninjajim4

ajsvat did the install pretty much the only way you ought to... off a clean, fused, 12v line. it's been noted a few times that the lighter plug in the ash tray goes off with the accessories, but the one on the passenger side does not. so you should tap into the ashtray one only.

roadrutz, those 9500cis are just ok for laser. if laser's all you care about, then laser interceptor is the way to go. if you read around a bit you'll see they are pretty much undisputed in top protection

ajSvat

I have had my 9500Ci for 8 months and was saved once (warned many times but was not speeding). Moment of laps in concentration and a guaranteed laser save for sure. Originally I had the system in a SLK350 but I sold it and bought an ML. All other warnings I was well aware of the trap. I won’t go into the details of the save but I was traveling up a hill around a bend and was shot with lidar when I was in view. The vehicle in the outside lane behind about 10 car lengths that I had passed was pull over and I receive a very dirty look as I went past (slowly of course). I assure you the shifting was the saving grace.

As posted by ninjajim The Laser Interceptor has received high regard and is pretty much the best system to go for, by all the posts and write-ups I’ve seen. So why then go the 9500 route? Well first off, the convenience of obtaining the system locally and more important to me is the fact that it warns of all types of radar and has red light, speed cam and more, through the use of GPS. It was also important to me to keep the vehicle as stock looking as possible and with the control box available through Mid City I can now make that happen. I will no longer need the original display and controls once I get the parts I have ordered

I’m also under the impression that once the control box is installed I will no longer need to have the 9500Ci powered by my cigarette lighter. I believe I read somewhere that the plug and play install will provide it with the power source. So I will be able then to eliminate the cig lighter connections. Not to mention that when I receive a warning it will be displayed on the dash (provided it’s in audio mode) and I will be able control all the functions with the steering wheel.

Here in Canada I was able to pick up the 9500Ci for 1888.00 CAN and doing the install myself saved on installation fees. It was very easy to install in my SLK and even easier in the ML. The most time consuming part of the install was mounting the shifters and doing research on the forums.

ajSvat

Just thought I’d post a few images showing some of the features in the cluster display. Anyone contemplating a hard wire like the OP might want to consider this easy inexpensive install in their ML.

350911

I have an Escort 9500ix, and I have been stooped at least 2 times recently. One time the detector went off (no time to slow down), other times no warning at all. Of course I got hit with Laser. I called Escort, and was told the only protection for Laser is a Laser shifter, which they sell for $500.00, plus your own install. This might be on my Christmas list.

ajSvat

When you get hit with laser generally they have you. At least with the shifters you have time to react then hit the mute button twice to temporarily disable shifting so not to draw attention to yourself.

As far as incorporating the 9500Ci into the dash display I think ML owners are pretty lucky to have this type of aftermarket technology available. I received it promptly from Mid City Engineering and installed it myself (interface) in about 20 minutes. It works solidly and looks clean. No aftermarket stick on, drilling, or cutting. It looks stock.

lkchris

Mine's hardwired to its onboard AA battery.

Installation is easy.

roadrutz

Which Mid City device is it? I only see a listing for the Valentine One and K40.

ajSvat

They do not have it listed on their site or at least I could not find it either. But when I viewed some of their “you tube videos” I of course saw the ML display so I figured for sure they supported the Escort 9500Ci. When I phoned them TJ answered and told me it was model # 9500C164 and sold for 449.99USD.

Give them a call and ask away. I was pleased I did and I look forward to trying other items they produce such as Video in Motion (VIM) and the remote car starter. As you can see by my displayed temperature in the above photos...lol COLD here!

ninjajim4

ajsvat,

so, do you need to keep the console display on audio in order for your radar interface to work? when i looked into it, that was one of the main reasons i went against this, since the wifey usually keeps the display on nav mode, since the ML doesnt have a compass in the mirror. it doesn't jive with current habits. that interface really ought to cut in regardless of which display mode is on.

also the price is kind of steep for what it is. i suppose it is relatively inexpensive compared to the 9500, but when you look at a V1, you're paying more for the interface than the detector which doesn't make a lot of sense to me..

still. it IS clean and the steering wheel function is nice

ajSvat

Yes you are correct the console display must remain on audio in order to get the visual alerts, but you of course still receive the audible alerts no matter what the setting is. For myself this is not an issue as I tend to have it set to audio and seldom venture away from that setting.

Pricing, well yes I suppose if we are comparing it to the price of a dash mount system but for me the idea of a custom install or hidden install made the cost of it seem reasonable. Taking into account that I would have had to install the display and controller somewhere visible and accessible. Perhaps cutting a panel for that type of install and maybe changing it out later down the road.

slickdevil

ajSvat,

I also have the 9500Ci installed in my 2010 ML using the Mid City Engineering interface.... Do you experience any lag with the display as I do... It seems there is a 3 or 4 second delay from the when the audible alert is made until the display updates....

Just wondering....

ajSvat

Yes there seems to be a slight delay but honestly not much more than the original display. The only annoying thing I have is that when in audio display and playing the iPod or Satellite radio the system will freeze/crash randomly when the alert is sounded. It will also freeze/crash even when not in audio display again only with the iPod or Satellite radio playing.

Regular AM or FM there are no issues. I have yet to try out the CD for the freezing issue.

I have spoken with Mid City and they are aware of the freezing/crashing issue and have assured me that it poses no damaging effects. A simple shut down of the vehicle and restart seems to reset everything.

Hopefully Mid City will come out with a fix or update. All in all I am very pleased with the setup.