How to hardwire a Valentine 1 Radar Locator on a BMW E90.

Do I have to cut, splice, or solder onto any wires? NO, not with my method.
Will I damage or scratch my vehicle? No, again. Not with my method.
Will my V1 cut off when I use my sunroof? No
Will this...

To add to this discussion here are two mounting systems I have found, one does not seem to work with BMW and the other does except for the 335I with premium package, not sure what the Rear view mirror changes with that package.

Has anyone found any other or know what works on the 335I

http://www.countryjoycrafts.com/350Z/minimount.htm

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/St...t=products.asp

Also, I found this great wiring kit and the price is fair.

http://www.safe-n-sound1.com/Valentine.html

I have used the one with the mute button and it works great.

nice

I just hard wired my V1 today per this method... works perfect if you following the directons..

I used the blue connector that came with the V1 kit to splice into the green wire with White stripe..

is it the green or green/white?? also which connector did you use the wire from?? Im trying to decide if I should slice into the wire or not

green with white stripe..
sorry about that typo

do you remember which connector you used the wire from??

second largest black connector per the picture

cool, thanks.. Im doing this later today

Wow, I knew one day eventually someone would copy that mute button. This guy agravic invented it years ago. I came across him on Audiworld forums.

He still sells the mute buttons (a bit cheaper than that guy it seems) on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Valentine-One-1-...3A1%7C294%3A50

As well as a thinner remote display, if you're interested in that:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-THIN-Vale...3A1%7C294%3A50

I do not think he invent it. Someone on the Radardetector.net got the wiring diagram from Mr. V1 many years ago posted it on the forum and this guy along with others just made up a nice wiring harness with a built in button. The one in my link has a smaller button not sure that is worth the extra $1, but the guys quality is very good. At least we have options and competition.

I have all the tools to make this cable myself, but I decide it was not worth it since his prices was reasonable.

I just installed a Valentine one on my e92 m3. Its much easier to lower the headliner by simply unscrewing the clips that hold the sunvisor adjacent to the light fixture. I have no idea how someone could place fingers in between the headliner without doing this first. I tried for about fifteen minutes with no luck. Once the sunvisor clips were removed it literally took one minute to pop out the center fixture. Also, I just used the alligator clips that came with the kit, just like others have done and it works perfectly. No problems. The OP has very detailed instructions but in the pictures you can see that the headliner is actually bent, in order to push fingers through, to get access to the center fixture.

is your SOS still working after the install?? im not sure mine isnt , but I never tried to see if it worked before the install also

So, does one need to disconnect the battery before doing all this?

Nope.

I did the install in about 15mins. I just used my 2 index fingers to get to the clips under the headliner and the light panel just popped off. Tapped into the green/white wire and rest of install was a breeze. Everything is working just fine. Great write up.

Couple things Id like to mention.

1. I did his method of sticking my fingers thru the top by the windshield not a big deal.
2. i couldn't get a ratchet to work on the 10mm nut so i used an open ended wrench
3. make sure you use the smaller black clip not the large one. i accidentlly used the big black clip and was staring at it for like 15 minutes wondering why it wasn't powering on till i realized there was a green/white wire on the smaller clip.
4. i used the hard wire kit included with the v1 nothing else nothing different

otherwise everything works fine. sunroof works doesn't shut off the detector so all good there.

I tapped into the green/white wire with the blue wire clamp that came with the V1. When I did the hardwire for my E46, I didn't have any problems. However, I think the green/white wire is a little smaller. So, here's what I did to get a good connection:

I strip the green/white manually (and carefully) on a very small section where I was going to connect the blue clamp. Then, I built up the thickness of the wire by wrapping a few strands of copper fibers from another discarded wire, twisting the fibers around a bit. Once I connected the blue clamp, there was a bit more thickness for it to bite into. After I did this, the connection was solid. I had no further power fluctuations--sunroof opening, closing, whatever.

For grounding, I actually used a 10mm bolt to the right front of the overhead opening (as you're facing the front). I believe this or some other DIY called for a bolt somewhere up on the left. However, the only one I saw there was a too deep to get at comfortably. The one I used worked just fine.

One final thing: After I'd put everything together, I was a little concerned to see an SOS light/error on the dash. I thought for sure I had inadvertently disconnected some wire while fiddling with the connections for the V1. However, the light went away after a few start/stop cycle and I haven't had any further issues. :thumbup:

I just followed this DIY.
Thanks for posting it!!

I just need to make a good bracket to fit on my mirror.

Attached Images

  

Have you checked these guys out? I'm curious if theirs will fit our mirrors?

http://www.countryjoycrafts.com/350Z/valentinemount.htm

xRayx: Thanks for the write up, I did this last weekend and it went very well.

I wound up grinding the soldered tip of the adapter you described to make it more pointy since I was having trouble inserting it behind the connector. Yes, it was a bit challenging to fit my thick fingers and reach the clips to drop the sunroof/light assembly, but it can be done with patience.

-Walter

PS= how many times have you guys popped open the cupholder with your back during the install?

Great DIY write-up, I completed this mod today.

Where can i get a hardwire kit for the v1 from