Hey guys,
As per the recent group buys, I thought It would be a good idea to post a DIY hard-wire install of the V1 radar detector.
All you will require is;
-electrical tape
-V1 hard-wire kit
-stanley knife
-soldering iron + solder
-pliers and side cutters
-basic electrical knowledge
-Mulimeter
-screwdrivers (flat and phillips)
-wire (16 gauge will do) I had some old blue and brown twin laying around
(you will need about 1 meter)
Step 1 is to plan your attack....
You will need to locate (using the multimeter) a switched active.
The switched active, as the name suggests is your positive power that is only made live when the key is turned to the ACC point.
If you use a hard active, you will run your battery out and the detector will not turn off by itself.
After much searching and failed attempts, (Brant alarm is everywhere) I found one on the Hobbs switch for the intercooler water spray. There are plenty more other options, I just went with the most convenient.
Step 2 is to unpack your hard-wire kit. Find the connecting wires positive and negative (red and black)
You will see that the positive has a spade connector on it, this attaches to the little blue connector which you "clamp" on the positive.
Once you have everything set up, pull apart the plastic surrounding under the steering wheel (3 screws, 2 at the bottom, one little phillips clip in the side)
Disconnect all the clips - cruise control, waterspray, brant flashing LED and an unused plug.
Find the switched active with the multimeter, hold the negative lead to ground (I conveniently had one already there with nothing plugged into it
With the ignition in the ACC position, using the positive, begin checking the terminals (of the switches you unplugged) individually. Once you find one with 12V, turn the ignition to off to make sure it is switched. *Also remember to turn your headlights on/off and make sure you still have voltage there*
Once located and ensured it is the right wire for the job, use your little clamp and clamp the wire.
The next step is to cut the positive wire (leave about 60-70mm after the spade connector left) so you can plug into the blue snap connector.
You may choose to do this step differently, but I chose to have the inline fuse and the rest of the V1 hardwire kit underneath the clock. Simply for ease of access and its easy to run it to the rear view mirror.
You will need to attach your negative to ground - there are a few options here....
-you can splice an existing negative wire anything black usually
-ground it to the chassis (I did this)
-A round connector and attach it to an exiting screw in the chassis
They all serve the same purpose, find the most convenient one.
Once the negative is grounded, solder the 2 positives together (strip each wire with wire strippers or a stanley knife, twist together and solder them)
If you need help soldering, have a look on Youtube.
Wrap in electrical tape and make sure they are not touching or bare wires exposed.
Next step - run the 2 wires up to the clock compartment...you will need to take the clock out, just a few clips, be careful as they break easily. Disconnect the clock and place aside. Once you have the wires there, strip them and "tin" them with solder.
Strip the positive and negative of the hardwire kit and repeat the previous step.
Connect the V1 up and give it a test.
If all is well disconnect and place the detector aside.
You will need to run the the black cable (RJ-11) under the passenger Airbag and up the passenger A pillar. Using a flat head screwdriver, carefully pry the top of the A pillar plastic cover and remove it.
You may also want to pull out the glovebox (6 screws and makes life A LOT easier)
Run the cable along the headliner (right along the top of the windscreen) you can sort of push it into place with a blunt phillips screwdriver or the back of a pencil in order not to damage the cable.
Pull any excess slack back and mount the detector above the rear view mirror.
Again, test everything.
If it all checks out, you can put everything back together.
Place the hardwire kit in the back corner of the clock compartment, reconnect and replace the clock.
Re-attach the drivers side plastic console you removed, be sure to plug EVERYTHING back in and check before screwing it back in.
Good luck!
Need any help, PM me