Alright, this is my very first DIY, so excuse me. All the usual warnings and prefaces apply . . . do so at your own risk and I accept no responsibility.
On to the fun . . . I wanted an easy hardwire install of my radar detector. I debated about the fuse tap, which seemed to be the best. But I found a few threads on other car forums (Nissan, Honda, Acura) about tapping into the rearview mirror for the hardwire. So I thought I'd give it a try. By the way, excuse the iPhone pics (it doesn't have the best macro lens)
What you'll need:
1. Invisicord -
www.invisicord.com (get the standard fused one, not the micro pin model)
2. Radar Detector
3. Pair of hands
Steps:
1. Sit in the passenger seat. Open the plastic housing hiding the rain sensor on the windshield. It's just held together at three points with some clips. There are vents at the most inferior aspect of the housing. I just slid my hand between the housing the windshield and pulled the halves apart. The pic below is with the passenger half removed.
2. There's a molex plug coming down from the headliner into the rearview mirror. Here's a view from the passenger seat.
3. Looking down on the molex plug, you'll see a bunch of wires. If you're sitting in the passenger seat, look at the bottom row of wires. The 2nd from the right is the ground wire (it's a black wire with a red stripe). The 3rd from the right is the switched 12V wire (it's a dark green wire with a white stripe). If you're using an invisicord, insert the black pin alongside and into the same hole as the ground wire. And then insert the yellow pin alongside and into the same hole as the switched 12V wire. They will fit alongside the wires, but need a little push. They should not easily slide out. And you will have to insert them till the entire pin is in the hole. Sorry for the color wash out in this pic. The iPhone flash really distorts the colors of the wires, but the order is correct and trust me on the colors of the switched 12V (green with white stripe) and the ground wire (black with red stripe).
4. Plug the invisicord into your radar detector. Turn the power onto your car and verify that the radar detector is receiving power.
5. Reattach the two halves of the plastic housing that you removed in the beginning. I found it was best to lay the invisicord so that it is coming out of the top of the housing alongside the rubber grommet that's coming out of the headliner. Then I aligned the passenger half the housing up and attached the driver's half to it. One tip, is keep the car on and the power going to the radar detector as your put the housing back on. As your fiddle with the housing, you may inadvertently loosen the yellow power pin. You won't know this till you try to turn your car on and the radar detector doesn't turn on. Then you're back at step 1. Once the housing is closed again, the invisicord shouldn't move out of the molex plug.
That's it. Easy as pie.
Tips for an easier installation:
1. Purchase the 12" fused invisicord with standard pins (NOT micropins; the micropins are too small and will not stay in the molex plug; they are also not long enough to reach the end of the plug)
2. Sit in the passenger seat when doing this install
3. Tilt the rearview mirror down when plugging in the pins
4. Straighten out the mirror before you reattach the plastic housing
5. Align the passenger half of the rain sensor housing on first
6. Keep the power going to the RD as you reattach the rain sensor housing
7. This installation will power the RD when you start the car and power it down when you turn the car off, so no need to turn it off.
Although I used an Escort 9500ix, I'm sure this would work with any radar detector. The invisicord website offers customization as well for older detectors.