Blendmount/Mirrortap install on 200 Series for Valentine V1?

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chipsterguy

chipsterguy

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Jul 19, 2016
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I have a valentine V1 that I would like to attach to my vehicle with a blendmount to the rear view mirror, and tap into the electronics at the mirror to power the detector with a mirrortap power cord.

MirrorTap Radar Detector Power Cords - Lexus
Blendmount Lexus rear view mirror mount

I ran this set-up on my STI and it was wonderful. Looking for advice on wiring up the mirror tap at the rear view mirror electronics. Ideally, power up the detector with the ignition.

Has anyone performed this install and able to share their experience?

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the rear view mirror location?
 
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I recommend a different approach. First of all I like to have concealed display for V1. You can mute it easily and as well people behind don't see red lights that you have a radar detector. Here it is my setup (can take pictures if needed).

I have V1 to the right of the mirror using suction caps (tint on top of the windshield covers them nicely so you can barely see that you even have a v1 there (btw I have mobius camera attached to v1 as well right below).
Concealed display is mounted on the inside part of the lid of the cup holder (can close it if needed).
Power is drawn from computer port through Savvy which is great as mutes alarms below a set speed you can set yourself - no muting at the stores, etc...

The whole install takes 30 minutes including routing cables by the pilar and below steering wheel and no cable splicing, taping, etc.. I have the same in my wife's 435i and she loves it. BMW doesn't have the tint at the top of the windows so I have attached small square of tint to hide suction caps and from outside looks like it is factory like there is radar or something that comes with the car. No worries about theft. You have to look very closely to see that there is a radar detector in both cars.

Of course you can do savvy without concealed display if you desired as well.
 
Is it just me or has the V1 become pretty useless?

I can't leave the volume turned up on mine anylonger; it's constantly going off due to other vehicles parking sensors. Unbelievably annoying.

There was a time I could not imagine driving anything without my V1 on the window but now it seems I could care less. I can haul butt along with everyone else, and that's fast enough.
 
dukmon said:
Is it just me or has the V1 become pretty useless?

I can't leave the volume turned up on mine anylonger; it's constantly going off due to other vehicles parking sensors. Unbelievably annoying.

There was a time I could not imagine driving anything without my V1 on the window but now it seems I could care less. I can haul butt along with everyone else, and that's fast enough.
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Time you upgrade the firmware on your V1 (send in to V1). Almost no false alarms with the latest firmware including BSM, parking sensors, etc.. It is unresponsive to other cars beside Volvo Cruise control/accident avoidance radar based on my observations. Very silent until ready to save my butt.
 
luke27617 said:
Time you upgrade the firmware on your V1 (send in to V1). Almost no false alarms with the latest firmware including BSM, parking sensors, etc.. It is unresponsive to other cars beside Volvo Cruise control/accident avoidance radar based on my observations. Very silent until ready to save my butt.
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Hell, I've thought about that but figured it would be a no go. I called about an update maybe 2 years ago and they stated there was no update for me at that time.

Two years can be a long time though (short amount of time to my old butt!) I'll contact them. Good suggestion.
 
dukmon said:
Hell, I've thought about that but figured it would be a no go. I called about an update maybe 2 years ago and they stated there was no update for me at that time.

Two years can be a long time though (short amount of time to my old butt!) I'll contact them. Good suggestion.
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Punch your serial and will tell you what upgrades you will get and how much will it cost
www.valentine1.com/upgrades/
 
I was having the same problem with mine going off all the time with all the new lane-change warning systems on newer cars so I just sent mine in to get a upgraded (software) version that has Junk K Fighter that supposedly reduces false alarms caused by lane-change warning systems. It will also have Improved Euro Mode with K coverage extended to the lower frequencies now in use in other countries. Not sure how much I will use that. It was $79 plus shipping. I should get it back later this week to see how it performs.
 
I already have the mirror tap and blendmount from my STI. They are the same parts that I would need for my LX570. I had no problems with this solution, acknowledging there is more than one way to skin this cat. Might just start probing around with my volt meter to find the switched +12V and ground.

On a related note, no need for a concealed display anymore. I rock V1Driver on my iPhone and love it! Quiets down the V1, maintains a GPS database for learned false alerts, works as a concealed display if needed. Check out these links for more information:
V1Driver - Radar Detector & Laser Jammer Forum
V1Driver, A tool for making you the Driver

Of course, if iPhone is not your thing, than YaV1 for android is another well established companion app for your V1. More info here... YaV1 » Vortex Radar
 
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......................

I've already bought the new one earlier today, but I'm sure they're not going to ship until they receive my old V1. So I imagine I could reverse the order.

Just out of curiosity, why do you prefer the old one? I used to like my old Escort better than the Passport simply because the big orange lamp on the unit grabbed my attention much better than the small Passport.

I am going to give this a closer look. Preesh.
 
Once I reprogrammed it, it is much more precise since all of the false alarms are gone. Now it gets your attention when it goes off. The new one I have could probably be reprogrammed but I hate to spend the money for a new one and then program OUT functionality. Now chipsterguy's solution with the learning is pretty nice. I used the iPhone Bluetooth app for a few weeks but then stopped because I like the screen to see music titles (using the new one in an old Porsche with simple head unit).

It really depends on the main radar types they use in your area. I'm in CA now and they use the radar guns (X band) on the freeways to measure traffic speeds. When I was in NC the false alarms weren't such a big deal. If you google search the radar forums you will find a loyal following for certain versions of the old Valentine1 software because of its ability to be customized (programmed). So if you are going to get rid of your old one, know what you have before you send it to V1 for a trade. You may be able to sell it for more than they will give you on trade.

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I kind of feel like that grumpy old neighbor that has lost interest in keeping up with technology.
 
Ok. So I installed my blendmount and wiretap over the weekend to get my V1 mounted and powered. Ended up picking up ground and ignition power at the rear view mirror. Pin 1 on the mirror connector is ground; Pin 4 is ignition 12V. Attached the V1 Bluetooth dongle to the back of the mirror with Velcro. Very happy with this install. Will post pics when I have a moment.
 
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I use a Blendmount in my V with a power tap off the mirror and it works ... mostly well. To be fair to the setup, my Blendmount was originally for my G8 GXP and the mirror shaft diameter on the V is a little larger, and the power taps are a pain in the ass to push into the back of the power for the mirror.

With all that said, the V1 is still a fantastic detector; in my area it's 90% Ka and <10% laser, no departments that I'm aware of are running K at all any more. I haven't yet turned off K on mine, but the moment I do so I suspect it will get FAR less chatty. The worst part of K now is that a number of manufacturers - GM on their new GMT K2xx trucks such as the Yukon and Escalade, as well as Audi on virtually their entire model line - are using adaptive radar that's K band. Hence all the false alarms everyone's experiencing.

Tl;dr - turn off X and K so long as your local departments aren't using it and I suspect your estimation of your V1's capabilities will increase drastically.
 
I went through the upgrade program and I am VERY pleased with the new unit. First one lasted 6+ years without an upgrade. Figured it has saved me 5x its cost in tickets over the years.

That said, I still have my old unit and I may try the reprogramming route and compare the two.
 
chipsterguy said:
Ok. So I installed my blendmount and wiretap over the weekend to get my V1 mounted and powered. Ended up picking up ground and ignition power at the rear view mirror. Pin 1on the mirror is ground. Pin 4 in the mirror is ignition 12V. Attached the V1 Bluetooth dongle to the back of the mirror with Velcro. Very happy with this install. Will post pics when I have a moment.
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Thanks for the info. Doesn't look like anyone helped you out on this thread but it definatly helped me.
 
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