Installing Valentine One

[samlee4444]

Has anyone tried the hardwire installation for Valentine One on a 2004 330ci? I know there's instructions on bmw330ci.com's DIY files, but I don't think it's for a 2004. Any pitfalls I should watch out for?

Also, do you think it's necessary to disconnect the battery? I've heard there could be some problems when the on-board electronics if you do this.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[mallards]

you dont need to disconnect the battery ... because the power source you are tapping into is off when the car is off ...

it pretty easy ... i recently used those same instructions to hardwire in a radar detector ... mine is a 2003 and everything was the same ...

if you need anymore help ... private message me and ill help ya out

Ben

 

[MrElussive]

They recommend disconnecting the battery for your own safety. I don't think you need to bother. When doing the hard-wire job, make sure you install everything nice and tight...keep in mind that your car is constantly driving over road iregularities and you don't want anything jarring your wiring (or the radar itself) out of place.

 

[samlee4444]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll be installing it next weekend, in the meantime just using the lighter for power. I'm taking it on a Vegas trip this weekend so let's see if we catch ourselves some bogeys!

 

[yogi799]

Changing the mode a bit... I am contemplating getting one of those (for hwy purposes, not the city). Has V1 saved anyone's ass here before? Will it really warn you soon enough when the cop is parked in the middle of the median or going opposite direction when you're cruising 100+mph? Can someone prove this with a true story? That's a lot of cash....

 

[MrElussive]

If $400 is too much for you, for a radar detector, you can pickup the Escort Passport 8500 for like $270 or $280 now. I had the Escort Passport 8500 for about 5 months in my Jetta and I was extremely happpy with it. In some situations, the V1 is better, and in other tests the Passport 8500 is better. I went with the Passport 8500 solely because it is a much sleeker and smaller radar detector and it doesn't have as many false alarms that the V1 has.
Either way, if you like to speed and are afraid of the cops, the Passport 8500 and Valentine One will truly save your ass.
On a personal note, I just sold my Passport 8500 off of eBay for $237 (I bought it new for $300)...they have great resale value, so they are really a great investment. I sold the Passport 8500 because I want to get a custom-installed radar detector (I'm pretty sure).

 

[Average Jae]

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=1993&page_number=1

dang the $400 is big hit, but i sooo want it.

 

[MrElussive]

Cobra radar detectors are absolutely TERRIBLE at rear detection. I don't know why, but in all real tests, Cobra's rear detection range is miserable. All Uniden radar detectors are miserable in general. And nobody knows this, but BEL makes exceptional radar detectors. I love the directional arrows of the V1, but the unit itself is big and bulky and it has way too many false alarms.

 

[MrElussive]

Oh, by the way, Car and Driver is on Valentine One's payroll, so anything C&D says about V1 is garbage. If you want real test results, check out:
http://www.radartest.com/
http://www.speedzone.com/

 

[codex57]

people say the same thing about Car and Driver being on BMW's and Honda's payroll. They might advertise but that doesn't mean C&D won't report a problem when they see it (like the current Civic). It just so happens that BMW and Honda make really good cars, that's why they always win those comparos. Just like how the V1 is a damn good detector which is why more people swear by it on pretty much every forum out there. C&D's test seemed pretty open to me. I trust www.radartest.com much less. Their little 5 star system and tiny blurb are a pretty vague way to describe a detector. Plus, the rating difference btw the V1 and 8500 are so large, I smell some serious

 

[samlee4444]

Well guys, I took my Val1 out to Vegas from LA (4 hour drive) this weekend. I have to say that it performed well for me and will pick up on cops well in advance. Although due to steady traffic flow I can't say it saved me, since the car in front was limiting my speed, I have to say I was impressed at how far in advance it would warn me of a cop pulled off to the side of the highway.

 

[MrElussive]

codex, those are just rumors about BMW and Honda. But C&D is on V1's payroll, and that is the TRUTH.
And their 5-star rating system is only a summary...you can get the full review on each detector with full test results (in nice graphs).
I trust radartest.com way more than C&D. C&D are car reviewers, what the hell do they know about radar detectors.
Either way, I sold my Passport 8500 on eBay and I have a Whistler 3400 radar detector on the way (integrated into your car, requires professional installation) and I can't wait.

 

[yogi799]

what about jammers, guys? screwing up the reading on their laser guns and all the other crap... aren't they unbeatable by the cops?

 

[MrElussive]

If you want the best protection available, you want an integrated unit with independant front and rear detectors, and LASER jamming capability. I think the best way to go is the Escort Passport SR7 radar detector and the Escort Laser Shifter ZR3 (Laser Jammer). You can find these two products sold together on eBay for around $800-$900 (not including installation). This is probably the best radar protection setup available.

 

[codex57]

C&D, being car reviewers, drive thousands of miles every year. They use this kind of equipment all the time. They're also no strangers to testing equipment. They've got tons of experience holding comparison tests. It's not like they're bums off the street that decided to do this for fun.

 

[MrElussive]

That's not true. It doesn't mean they are completely equipped to test radar detectors properly and effectively. What difference does it make to you anyways? I look at the interior pictures of your car and I don't see any form of radar detector hanging on your windshield. No need to take V1's side when you don't even have one. I had an Escort Passport 8500 and I had experience with both (my best friend has a V1). The V1 is decent but the user interface isn't so good, warnings are not so clear, audio tones are not so great, and it has false alarms up the wazoo. Whenever we go into NYC with his car on the week-ends, his V1 detects 8 to 11 "bogies" or whatever on X-Band. This is good because it shows how powerful the detector is, but it's bad because we both know that most of them are just false alarms. There is a "Selective" mode that filters out false alarms, but it really doesn't do any better. After a little while, he just ends up turning the radar detector off completely.

 

[codex57]

Because I don't have it in my pictures (most of the ones in my sig were taken immediately after I drove the car home from the dealer) means I don't have a V1? I do have one. I love it. Those arrows have saved my butt many times, especially on the 5 freeway (enough so that a cop got mad and gave me a tint ticket b/c she couldn't get me for speeding). Cops around here use Ka. I don't have a problem with false alarms. The big L works just fine filtering out stuff. I ignore pretty much all the Xs anyways and it's easy to know when Ka is on b/c the tone is really different.

My neighbor has the passport. I think you can see his house in teh background. It's the white house. He prefers his. Different people have different preferences I suppose. Mine falls in with the V1.

I had a cheapy one before. That thing was crap. Waste of $100. The more expensive ones do make a difference.

 

[MrElussive]

Yeah, those cheaper detectors are almost better off sitting in the box.
As for the false alarms, unfortunately for us NJ/NY fools, cops still use X-Band to get your speed. Honestly, though, I am finished with the windshield-mounted radar detectors. As I said before, I just sold my Passport 8500 on eBay and I have a Whistler 3400 integrated radar detector on the way. It was only $180, but because it features an external radar detector, the detection range is significantly longer than the best windshield-mounted radar detectors (V1 and Passport 8500). This particular model, however, lacks solid LASER detection. But the cops in NJ don't use LASER at all, which works out okay.

 

[codex57]

where did you mount your detector? Is it real noticeable?

 

[Tweet227]

I had my V1 hardwired last month and my detector is on my windshield to the right of my mirror. I don't really notice it, but I had the hidden display put in the slot where my ashtray was so the display on my detector is always blacked out. I like it a lot better than just having the cord hang down.