SouthOCBoy

Sorry, I just guessed. It must be 10". I'm glad we're not speaking metaphorically. My Blendmount and taps came from J28 Design Inc. I found them on Amazon. I have been very happy with them so far. They have been answering my emails very promptly. I can't wait to get this project started and finished. Today I will go buy a platstic dental pick incase I need to make room for the taps. Frank from J28 Design said to use the LONG taps and that they shouldn't have to be bent.

DGA3

I can't wait to find out how easy/difficult it is for you to remove the plastic piece behind the mirror that covers the wiring harness.

I was lightly playing around with it today (just with my hands and fingernails) and I couldn't budge it.

I think once that piece is removed, the rest of the install should be simple.

DGA3

I just ordered everything - should be here in a few days.

I can't wait to get it hooked up and running!

MSG C5

For those running the Blendmount detector holder, are there any other options for power besides the mirror tap? I was able to connect power through the starter in my C5 and then just run the cord up the A-pillar over to the mirror.

SouthOCBoy

Awesome. My detector should arrive today. I was fiddling around with the mirror cap also. It looks like it's going to be a bear to remove. I don't want to use a screwdriver if I can help it. I am going to try anything plastic I have around the house (credit cards, guitar picks, letter opener) to try and open it. Yesterday I went looking for dental picks but didn't really see anything without having to buy a whole bag of them. And hopefully we won't need to remove the PDR cover. That would be nice.

SouthOCBoy

I recall seeing other options similar to what you suggest but those are way beyond my skill level. I'm sure Google or Youtube has some. If you want to search through all 23 pages from the link in post 14 I believe they showed some. For me, the mirror tap is the cleanest and easiest way to go. (hopefully)

SouthOCBoy

Did you get the Uniden R3?

DGA3

Wow - I just ordered everything this morning, and it has all been shipped already! (from Amazon and Blendmount)

I guess I will be attempting the install sooner than later!

AZGASSER

The cap was easy. I used a small flat head screwdriver. Like the ones in a jewelers set. I did take mine off from the drivers side just incase there was any damage. I would not see it then. Take your time. I had no damage at all. Tap went in easy. I did not notch the cover before I put it back on. The Tap is relatively flat. I laid it flat against the top and pushed it back on. I did apply gentle pressure the surface above the mirror cap as I pressed it back on. Took less than 15 mins.

DGA3

Yep.

It's the best, by far, so I went with the R3. Plus, it's smaller and less expensive than the MAX360.

robertbruce

Midwest Electronics in Scottsbluff Nebraska has wired my last 3 Z06's. I use Escort. He ties in to the electronics in the console. I buy the cable off of Ebay and he installs everything for $50.00.

SouthOCBoy

Ok. It's done! No need for dental picks or removal of the PDR plastic cover. Wear a pair of latex gloves and pull the back cap off the mirror. The gloves give you a good grip and you don't have to worry about scratching anything. Nor did I separate the wire harness. Use the smallest taps. The job is a bit of a PITA. I'm not as young as I used to be so contorting my body to get a good angle to remove, replace, and see made me sore. And speaking of seeing, my eyes aren't as good as they used to be. Work outside if you can. You'll need plenty of light and a good pair of reading glasses. Putting the rear cap back on took the longest. The wire harness snaps in via a set of guides. Trying to get the harness lined up with those was very difficult. That was the biggest strain mentally and physically. I did not bend the wires. I angled them a little bit to fit back into the hole in the roof that the wires from the harness came from. The Uniden R3 did not come with a USB cord; so before I got too comfortable with everything, I went and bought one. Updating to the latest firmware might have been one of the hardest parts. I didn't have right drivers so first I had to get those. If you want to do that then Google it. There's a good video and links to the Uniden website. Which reminds me, Uniden's website is not easy to navigate or find things. It's all done and came out awesome.

DGA3

Congratulations - the install looks fantastic!

Thanks for all of the helpful suggestions, as well. I will definitely keep them in mind when I do my install next week.

I, too, wondered about the software upgrade. I figured that would be the easiest part, but according to you, it's a real pain! You'd think that Uniden, a company that makes the best radar detector available, could also come up with a simple "plug in and download" upgrade solution. I will have to watch the You Tube videos, because that's the first thing I want to do when my R3 arrives. I also heard that you can't use a Mac to do the upgrade, which is what I use. Luckily, my teenage son has a PC, so I can use his computer for the job.

SouthOCBoy

Yes. You must have Windows. And when you plug your unit in (with the cord that was not included) hopefully your computer will recognize the radar detector. I had to try a couple of USB ports. The front ones on my computer were not strong enough I guess. I used the one connected in the back of the computer and when I plugged in the detector I heard a ding sound. So the computer knew it was there. The next problem was that it didn't show up. I had to use the device manager in the control panel to see it. When I finally did find it it had a yellow exclamation mark next to it. I learned from google that this meant that I did not have the proper drivers to recognize and update the detector. After the physical (and mental) installation this was something I did not need. But through perseverance it's all good now. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

DGA3

Success - I did it!

The R3 is now under the rearview mirror and ready for action.

Everything went really well, except one part of the install that took a long time, thanks to my own stupidity . . . . .

I got everything disassembled, put the wiretaps into the proper position in the wiring harness (black-to-black, red-to-purple), hooked up the R3, and turned on the car to test it before putting everything back together.

Nothing . . . . . no power to the unit.

Hmmmm . . . . . I must not have one of the taps pushed in deep enough to make contact. So, I used my tiny screwdriver, made the spaces a little bigger, reinserted the wire taps, hooked up the R3, turned on the car, and . . . . . nothing again!

Frustrating! I was pretty sure that I had the taps installed far enough to make contact, and I knew that I had them inserted in the proper place, so I was stumped, but I kept on trying.

This went on for half an hour and I was about ready to give up, when I remembered something: to test the detector, you are supposed to turn the car on, which I figured I was doing by pressing the start button (without starting the car) and turning on all of the electronics. Boy, was I wrong.

This time, I put my foot on the brake, pushed the start button, my Z06 fired up, and the R3 lit up and came to life. It works!

I wasted so much time and effort working with the taps because I was not actually starting my car. What a dope!

Looking back, I am sure that I had the taps installed properly the very first time, and had I started my car like you're supposed to do, it would have saved me a lot of time and effort. Oh well . . . . .

The good news is that my R3 is working. I have used the Vortex Radar website and You Tube videos to get it setup properly, and now I just need to start marking some of the annoying false alerts with the GPS function (push the "Mark" button twice, I believe) and I can start enjoying the benefits of having radar protection!

Thanks for all of the helpful advice; it is truly appreciated.

SouthOCBoy

Congrats!! I think a lot of people had something that hung them up. But it's done.

chasboland

Oh man, that sounds exactly what happens to me when I take on these projects. Glad it worked out, I’m tackling this install next week.

SouthOCBoy

Good luck. Hopefully with all information in this forum it will go smoothly for you. I learned another tough lesson - do it right the first time. The taps come with shrink-wrap. Use it! And maybe have some extra around just in case. I did not have a heat gun and so I tried a hairdryer. My hairdryer did not get hot enough and so the shrink-wrap was useless. I was too cheap and too lazy to go buy a proper heat gun. I thought just taping the connectors together would be good enough. It was for a while. But in my stupidity when I removed the sunshade I snagged the cable and disconnected the connectors from the tape. I also wanted to tuck the wire up further after pulling on it as well as making make sure I didn't disconnect/loosen the taps from the wire harness. So I ended up redoing the whole installation and this time it didn't go as smoothly. I couldn't get the back cover off behind the rearview mirror because the PDR cover was in the way. I didn't have this problem the first time. Then I ended up using a screwdriver to remove the back mirror cover which I didn't have to do the first time either. It was all another pain. When I replaced the PDR cover I swore that I heard a clip rattling around so I took it off a second time. Taking that cover off is always a little scary because your afraid of breaking something. Of course it was just my paranoia and everything was fine. But things did go faster because I knew what I was doing this time. I also went to the hardware store got a heat gun and some extra shrink wrap and made sure it was done properly and securely. I'll also be more careful when I remove my sunshade. I feel like I'm an expert on it now. Lol. Which detector did you get? Let me know if you need any help.

chasboland

Very kind of you to share your tips etc.
I did purchase the Uniden R3 like yours. It’s definitely better than my bell Tronics professional 500. I have been using the suction cups and decided maybe this would be a better setup so I’m going to give it a whirl. Fortunately I have access to a heat gun so I will heed your advice and make sure it is sealed up properly. I’ll let you know how it goes, thanks again!

davepl

Did you see post #2 in this thread? If people are going to post the solutions to your problems, in advance, before you have them, then you owe them the debt of reading them!