I just finished installing my Cobra detector in my 03 Z06. The procedure will apply to any detector and cost me $2.19.

To start get a connector kit from Radio Shack PN2740222. I used the two male pins from the kit. My detector is mounted on the screw that holds the right side sunvisor to the roof so to be safe, I cut my power cord to 16 inches. I then stripped the power cord sheath back approx 4 inches exposing the two inner wires. My wires were red and white. Using an ohm meter I determined that the red wire was common to the center contact of the detector hence the white wire was the ground wire.

I then stripped the white and red wires about 1/8 inch. I then slid a 1 inch piece of heat shrink tubing up the wire. I then put the red wire into the pin and crimped the pin to the insulated part of the wire. Next I soldered the wire to the pin and after it cooled, I slid the heat shrink about half way down the pin and shrank it with a match. I then did the same for the white wire.

There appears to be two mirror types available for the 03s, a DDO and a non DDO. I think that it means daylight dimming option. My mirror has 8 connectors and it has DDO. I then determined that the black wire was ground and the brown wire was hot. The brown wire is only hot with the key on, all others are not.

I then pushed the RED pin into the back of the BROWN connector and the WHITE pin in to the BLACK connector. I then put a small tie wrap around the mirror cord and the power cord "you can also use tape".

I can now enter the car and the detector come on when I start it and goes off when i turn the car off.

Time to install less than an hour. Cost $2.19 "I had the heat shrink tubing".

This process should work with any car that has power to the mirror providing one of the contacts is switched power.

I tried to put phots in and the link shows on my view but not the post? The photos are on photobucket HTTP://i610.photobucket.com

 

Get rid of the Cobra, and get a radar detector worthy of a Corvette. Escort, Beltronics, r Valentine 1.

This is a recent radar detector parison test I recently read. http://www.radardetectorforum.org/wi..._Detector_Test

 

On my mirror, black was negative and brown was hot when the car is on.

I also had a Cobra radar detector that failed on me. By fail, I mean it didn't notify me in time and I got hit with a speeding ticket.

Finally decided to invest in a Escort 9500ix and on its second day of use, it paid for itself.

The GPS functionality is awesome as it will notify you if you have red light cameras. If you don't have red light cameras in your area, the GPS will also "learn" where the false notifications are shut up, so you don't get the all as hell annoying false alarms.

My favorite feature: disabling the no longer used X-band in my area. It's also upgradeable via USB from Escort's software.

Food for thought.

 

I have the 8500 , its about 8 years old and starting to act up, Laser comes on a lot ,does anyone rebuild these or should I jut buy another?

 

send it back to escort and they will completely refurbish it

 

 

I really do not need a $400 detector. I drive the car about 1000 miles a year. The need for a detector is when I drive through the neighborhood on my way to wherever. The speed limit is 20! For my purposes, the Cobra is fine. I have the XRS 9345 14 band. By the way the purpose of this post was installing any radar detector not which one.

 

Called Escort, $100 to fix it ,mailed it off today , they told me about a 10 day turnaround. Beats $300 for a new one.

 

Dam good one all I need also in the car...

 

Very cool!

 

That's not a bad deal


Peace
Chip

 

I shipped the detector last week, it got there on Monday. I just got an email that it has been repaired and shipped back to me, that is great service if you ask !!!!!
here is the place
http://www.escortradar.com/escort-live/

 

I've got an Escort 8500 in my vette and a cheap Cobra in my Yukon. To tell you the truth, I don't see much difference in them. They both pick up rader about the same distance, and the cheap Cobra actually picks up laser a lot sooner.

 

you will be extremely pleased as it will look new when you get it back!

 

I never understood why people with nice cars use crap radar detectors. Looking at the windshield of Porsches, BMW, Mercedes, 'Vettes, etc, you often see a cobra or equivalent. IMO, it makes no sense to go cheap on one. I feel that it's flawed logic to think "oh just because it works 75% as well, it'll do it's job since I don't drive much" or similar. And every Cobra and Whistler user I've talked to says the same thing. Problem is that when we're saying it's a lesser unit, we don't just mean in terms of maximum range. The real performance difference is seen in suboptimal conditions for the detector, i.e coming over a hill, around a bend, off-axis hits, or instant on. And in these scenarios you want the detector to 1. alert, and 2. alert as early as possible. The lesser units often will alert too late or not alert at all. And 1 ticket makes up for that extra $200-$100 you saved initially.

Another scenario I've seen first hand is where there were two cops on state highway, sitting about a mile down from each other on flat terrain. Guy in a truck following me had one of those new huge silly looking Cobra units. We slowed down well before getting to the first cop. I figured out from the ramp-down rate and frequency counter on the V1 that there was probably two cops. Guy with the truck didn't and resumed his cruise control at ~20mph over. And I enjoyed the light show.

But more on topic, good info about the wiring. I think there are a few similar threads around. No reason to buy expensive premade kits unless you're super lazy, super rich, or super useless with your hands.