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      05-14-2016, 07:44 PM   #1
Kantalias
Private First Class
United_States
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Drives: 2016 M2
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: New Mexico

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Valentine 1 Stealth Install w/ Mirror Remote Display

This isn't a full-fledged DIY, for that see supersam's amazing write-up which served as the basis for my work. I did things a little differently, though, and thought it'd be worth sharing.

The big differences between my approach and supersam's are:
  1. using the Radar-mirror concealed display,
  2. putting the power adapter behind the mirror,
  3. mounting the remote audio adapter under the dash, and
  4. putting the V1 on the headliner.

Parts
Result
The result is a totally stealth install.




Concealed Display
The concealed display is just matter of contacting Radar-mirror and arranging for the conversion. Scott Wheeler at Radar-mirror is very easy to work with and the entire process is really straight-forward. Note that 1) on the M2 you will lose the compass and 2) I'm still "in process" on this conversion as my Homelink and auto-dimming are not functional; Scott will get the latter fixed for me soon.

Wiring
I placed the hardwired power adapter behind the mirror inside the plastic cover. Use a credit card to spread the cover. Note that our mirrors slide down from their mounts, they do not twist off like videos on the web show. Just push the mirror towards the dash, it'll come off. I used t-tap connectors to get power and ground and I terminated the hardwired adapter with the matching spades. I double-stick taped the hardwired adapter just above the mirror's electrical connector and routed wiring to allow the cover to go back on. I ran the 8' RJ11 cable down the A-pillar to the under-side of the dash. I ran the 25' RJ11 cable under the door kick plate, under the rear window, up the A-pillar, and into the cover just fore of the brake light on the roof.




Enclosure
To mount to the cover on the roof just fore of the brake light on the roof I had make some adjustments to the Radar-mirror concealed enclosure. Initially I tried just double-stick taping the enclosure in place, but multiple glue joints in the Radar-mirror concealed enclosure failed. I enlisted a friend with better mechanical skills than me to fasten the base of the concealed enclosure to the cover. This requires drilling holes in the cover, but it's a readily replaceable part if you want to undo the process. Important note: I had to the display off the V1 to get it to fit in the enclosure. It'd be easy to solder back on and the unit works without it. But it's certainly a significant modification to the V1. Also, you will want to secure the V1 PCB to the RF horn by some means else it's just a board-to-board connector holding it in place. I used wire-wrap wire through a hole in the PCB and horn where a screw was originally used to hold the assembly together in the V1 case. Finally, I double-stick taped the V1 into the concealed enclosure and double-stick taped the enclosure to the cover to support the weight of the assembly so the screws are just keeping things in place.






Lessons Learned
If I had this to do over again, I would:
  1. Ask Radar-mirror to only have 8" of cable out of the mirror, by default they give 8' (I had the cable re-terminated by a local shop)
  2. I would get machine screws to replace the case screws for the V1 and would use all 4 screw points to support the PCB to the horn
  3. I would mount the concealed enclosure further to the rear and would tilt the front of the enclosure down to make it more level

Overall I'm very happy and I don't think anyone would ever notice I have a radar detector!
Appreciate 6