Hey, i just finally finished my hardwire of my Passport 8500 radar detector. Its been done for a while but looked half-assed. Its clean now and i want to see what you guys think. The blue LED is the warning LED for my viper alarm system. There was a hole where the cord used to run out of so i put the viper LED in there to close it up and it looks pretty nice i think. Any body have any other ideas or is this one looking pretty good? Also, does anyone have any ideas so that the alert LED can be brighter or is there somehow you can attach more LED's or relocate them to make the visual alert more noticable? Thanks. :redspot
~Rich

Ill get a few better ones in the day tomarrow. So you can actaully see them better.

better pics please, i can't really tell what's going on

nice job. I am going to do this with a v1 once i get one. How hard was it? Write-up?

I will take pics of mine after I detail the car 2mrw.

There are some things you forget about after time, I totally forgot my Passport was even there, it alterted me TWICE this weekend in situations where I would have definitely been nailed if I was speeding and had no detector. I've also been considering the hardwire, but I sometimes toss it in the X5 for road trips.

I have a seperate cord that i made from a old cigarette plug from something and a phone cord so i can use it in other cars. It wasnt that hard of an install. I will get a write up done for you. As long as you are somewhat electrically smart, SOMEWHAT.... you can do it. Well, the other day i decided to sell my car so i am taking it back out... lol yea i know, it sucks.
~Rich

I have a PP 8500 and here's what I did.
I use the "travel cord" for road-trips in the Tahoe.
But usually, it's hardwired in the car.
This is a little hard to explain, but maybe not. Here goes.
I have the unit very high mostly behind the rear-view mirror. Radar from behind gets reflected from in front of you anyway and laser they need to be line of sight/aimed right at you mostly from the front. I' still have line of sight out the rear, but I'm really not that concerned about that anyway.
I ran the phone-chord wire around the trim work up the A pillar and routed it behind the mirror. Then used a small black tie wrap to secure it in place. Looks clean and unnoticeable.
For my remote, I ran those wires under the center console and have it mainly in between the drivers seat and the console itself. This way, the detector is mostly hidden high up in the dash (cops look on the dash where everyone else puts it), and my remote is totally covered up by my right leg. It's in a very natural spot to push the mute button without hardly moving. Been there for two years and I don't want to move it.
Hope that explains it. Some hanve not even noticed it until it's gone off. I guess that's good enough.
I love the detector, BTW. Just don't depend on it too much and use a little common sense too. It doesn't make you invisible.

Looks good, sucks about having to take it out again to sell tho.

nice job. I am going to do this with a v1 once i get one. How hard was it? Write-up?
I did this in my e30. Used a switched +12 from the sunroof and went under the trim to the right visor. The display wire went under the trim and around to the kick panel, up the steering column and sits on top. It's quite clean.

It's wasn't very hard, but took some creative thinking to get hide the wires and make it look clean. It supposedly takes less than an amp at full alert so pretty much any wire should work.

I'm trying to figure out where to draw power from for the hardwire of my 8500. I don't want to use the sunroof/light wires, because I have the direct wire kit that has the remote on it. If I use those wires, I can't run the switch all the way down to the center console. Is there an easy to reach switched 12V source behind the dash that I can run the power from, then run the cord up the A pillar to the detector? TIA.

I'm trying to figure out where to draw power from for the hardwire of my 8500. I don't want to use the sunroof/light wires, because I have the direct wire kit that has the remote on it. If I use those wires, I can't run the switch all the way down to the center console. Is there an easy to reach switched 12V source behind the dash that I can run the power from, then run the cord up the A pillar to the detector? TIA.


Yep, there are plenty. You can use the head-unit power, the cigarette lighter wires, basically anything that uses power, i have found the cigarette lighter and the head-unit the easiest to tap power from... Any other question. you can pm me or post reply. :redspot
~Rich

I'm trying to figure out where to draw power from for the hardwire of my 8500. I don't want to use the sunroof/light wires, because I have the direct wire kit that has the remote on it. If I use those wires, I can't run the switch all the way down to the center console. Is there an easy to reach switched 12V source behind the dash that I can run the power from, then run the cord up the A pillar to the detector? TIA.

I just took a saftey pin and used it to probe around and find a switched hot wire. That way when the car is off, so is my R-D. I'm not even sure what that wire is for. I think it's slate/violet. But it doesn't really matter. It's +12 when the ignition is on, and open when it's off.
Good luck.

Mike

Yep, there are plenty. You can use the head-unit power, the cigarette lighter wires, basically anything that uses power, i have found the cigarette lighter and the head-unit the easiest to tap power from... Any other question. you can pm me or post reply. :redspot
~Rich

That's what I was thinking... the only question I have is how to gain access to the wires. I'm not totally new to modding cars, just this particular one. :)

If I get to the stereo wiring (since the cig lighter doesn't seem to be switched), which wires do I need to tap for power and ground?

Thanks.

Anyone able to help me out? Also, I'd like to know how to remove that tray under the OBC to run the remote through.

Well, If you have a aftermarket headunit it should be easier. If you dont, you might have to turn to someone else to find out which wire is the ignition( 12V) and which one is the ground. If you have a after market headunit, your wiring harness will have a yellow and black wire, your yellow wire is the ignition(12V) wire and only has power when the key is in the ignition. The black wire is the ground. You can splice into those two wires. to draw power. as far as running the wires. YOu can go strait down from the radar detector into the back of the dash. Tuck the wire into the dash between the dash and the glass all the way over to the drivers side door. Remove the underpanel of the dash by your knees, below the drivers steering wheel. run the wire under that and the shoot it strait up to the headunit. i cant really explain how to do that, but you have to go over to by where the cigarette lighter is then strait up from there.

Its very easy, just stick your hand into the tray and on the top there is a hole you can stick your finger through. Through the hole, is a button that is connected to the trip computer. Press up on the button and push out and you can remove the Trip computer. just pull out the computer then you can lift up on the tray and it will come right out. The tray and the panel where your heat seaters and ASC buttons are is all one piece and it will all just pop out.

Thanks... now all I need to know is what wire is the 12v power on the stock headunit!

Bump... can anyone tell me what wire on the stock HK headunit is the power? Thanks.