FYI - Mirror/Power Tap for Radar on the Evo Spyder

6171 Views 59 Replies 15 Participants Last post by cenzo.garage, 8 mo ago

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · Aug 24, 2021 (Edited)

Hi everybody,

I got around to tapping my mirror for my Valentine 1 - and it couldn't be easier. Took me 10 minutes including the google time to figure out how to take out the dome light, and now I could do it in less than 5 minutes. I did some searching around and found a lot of people running wires down to the passenger footwell..so am hoping this is useful for somebody as I don't want to pry all the panels off and run a long wire. I am loving this setup as I can keep the radar out of the way (was never a fan of installing them underneath the rear-view, that is valuable visual space for me). Plus it powers on and off with the car. Anybody can do this!

All that is needed is a mirror or power tap, I got one from Amazon and did not even splurge on the nicer branded one. It's 15" long, I don't know if I'd go any shorter but that also depends on where you put the radar detector. I'd still recommend the original MirrorTap though (used it on an M4, and an M8) and they have an inline 2amp fuse - this looks about right on Amazon.

UPDATE: a longer 20” is recommended here (thank you Blu Bull!)

Here are the steps:
1. To remove the dome light, just gently pry it starting at the most forward side. Use plastic prying tools.

2. The rearmost side is where there are plastic tabs. Just slide the entire unit forward. It comes out very easily and I'm already adding too much detail to this step.

3. I poked around with a multimeter and found that the black connector at the center in the rearmost side had enough power, was wide open and accessible for a tap, and was connected to ignition (ie: it would turn the radar detector on and off automatically..even though I just do it myself every time).

4. So for my 2020 Evo Spyder, I tapped into the BROWN wire for Black, and the RED/GREEN for Red. The tapping was very easy, I simply needed to insert the end into each of the wires 'channel'.

WARNING: be careful to keep the two taps separate! In the photo I’m using the green wire in between as a buffer, but remember there are lots of vibrations to account for. (thanks again to Blu Bull!)

Here's a closeup on the harness, after the tap.

5. Then putting everything back is straightforward, just reverse the steps. I kept the tail straight out the forward most point and do not notice it at all.

Vehicle Automotive lighting Automotive tire Hood Motor vehicle

So between a radar detector and having CarPlay with Waze..I'm well protected. As easy as these steps are, please still take some precautions - you are responsible for what you do to your bull 😝

Enjoy and drive safe!

See less See more

10

Reactions: 5

1 - 20 of 60 Posts

RoyalPink

· #2 · Aug 24, 2021

I love the vintage Radio Shack looks of my Valentine. It's been a super detector I've had in many cars over the years. I took a somewhat different approach as I dislike the suction cups. In high heat the detector can just drop. I bought a 10 foot chord and tucked it in the headliner as it just slides in and brought it all the way around the back and keep it plugged into the cigarette lighter. It's totally hidden except for one two inch or so piece you can see in the pic. I can easily glance over and see it and thus it's not taking up any real estate by the rear view mirror and is not visible from the outside. Just a different way of accomplishing the same thing. Good job and nice tutorial.

See less See more

Reactions: 3

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 24, 2021

RoyalPink said:
I love the vintage Radio Shack looks of my Valentine. It's been a super detector I've had in many cars over the years. I took a somewhat different approach as I dislike the suction cups. In high heat the detector can just drop. I bought a 10 foot chord and tucked it in the headliner as it just slides in and brought it all the way around the back and keep it plugged into the cigarette lighter. It's totally hidden except for one two inch or so piece you can see in the pic. I can easily glance over and see it and thus it's not taking up any real estate by the rear view mirror and is not visible from the outside. Just a different way of accomplishing the same thing. Good job and nice tutorial.

View attachment 299641

Love that Blue! And very nice install. Agreed on the suction cups..I'm in South Florida and had to swap out the suction cups...for some reason my 1 ounce ePass came with these massive HD cups, and the 11 ounce Valentine comes with the dinkiest!

I like where you placed the detector as well. I'm gonna check around to see if I still have that visor mount. Are you gonna get the Valentine two?

fabo

· #4 · Aug 24, 2021

Are radars legal over there? They are not here in Australia

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 24, 2021

fabo said:
Are radars legal over there? They are not here in Australia

I believe it varies from state to state..but in Florida they are legal. Jammers I heard were illegal..and googling the matter shows both results. BUT...what I like about my setup is the radar is right in the corner next to the rearview, and that is hard to see until you get inside the drivers seat. Plus my visor can kinda hide it, so if there's a police next to me at a light I flip it down..just in case 😂

Are there hefty fines if you're caught with one? If it was illegal here I think I would still have one, and make sure I can quickly throw it out of sight if necessary.

Reactions: 1

fabo

· #6 · Aug 24, 2021

GoPGgo said:
I believe it varies from state to state..but in Florida they are legal. Jammers I heard were illegal..and googling the matter shows both results. BUT...what I like about my setup is the radar is right in the corner next to the rearview, and that is hard to see until you get inside the drivers seat. Plus my visor can kinda hide it, so if there's a police next to me at a light I flip it down..just in case 😂

Are there hefty fines if you're caught with one? If it was illegal here I think I would still have one, and make sure I can quickly throw it out of sight if necessary.

Yes massive fine and loss of demerit points. It used to be legal in the 90s here but not anymore

DXM31

· #7 · Aug 24, 2021

Thanks for the write up. I don't have a radar detector, I don't trust them. I do have a dash cam but the dealer wired it for me.

Reactions: 1

AwesomeM3

· #8 · Aug 24, 2021

Thanks @GoPGgo and @RoyalPink for the write ups and photos. I plan on doing one of these installs once my EVO arrives.

Reactions: 1

ArancioEVO

· #9 · Aug 24, 2021

Perfect timing! I Will be doing this today or tomorrow! Thanks for the write up.

Reactions: 2

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #10 · Aug 25, 2021

ArancioEVO said:
Perfect timing! I Will be doing this today or tomorrow! Thanks for the write up.

Glad it’s helpful! Any questions let me know

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 25, 2021

DXM31 said:
Thanks for the write up. I don't have a radar detector, I don't trust them. I do have a dash cam but the dealer wired it for me.

I hear you..I don’t like the radar on its own, I use it as a supplement to Waze app. What I liked about the valentin one is you could update it, which I did. I was getting loads of beeps and it was very susceptible to highway cameras and cars having the blind spot detection system. I was pleasantly surprised after the upgrade as most of it went away.

But yeah on its own it’s hard to fully trust

Reactions: 2

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #12 · Sep 4, 2021

AwesomeM3 said:
Thanks @GoPGgo and @RoyalPink for the write ups and photos. I plan on doing one of these installs once my EVO arrives.

You won’t regret it. I just did this on my M8 and as soon as I powered the detector on, it would go berserk! Took me a few days to realize they have gesture controls, which looks like an infrared sensor coming off the dome light and makes the radar go nuts. So now I have a piece of black tape over it and I am sending a very distinct gesture..to gestures 🖕🤣

Reactions: 1

tfenton02

· #13 · Nov 29, 2021

OP - thx for the detailed instructions. I just finished my install. It took less than 10min! Cheers

Reactions: 1

JN6T

· #14 · Apr 29, 2022

GoPGgo said:
Hi everybody,

I got around to tapping my mirror for my Valentine 1 - and it couldn't be easier. Took me 10 minutes including the google time to figure out how to take out the dome light, and now I could do it in less than 5 minutes. I did some searching around and found a lot of people running wires down to the passenger footwell..so am hoping this is useful for somebody as I don't want to pry all the panels off and run a long wire. I am loving this setup as I can keep the radar out of the way (was never a fan of installing them underneath the rear-view, that is valuable visual space for me). Plus it powers on and off with the car. Anybody can do this!
View attachment 299639

All that is needed is a mirror or power tap, I got one from Amazon and did not even splurge on the nicer branded one. It's 15" long, I don't know if I'd go any shorter but that also depends on where you put the radar detector. I'd still recommend the original MirrorTap though (used it on an M4, and an M8) and they have an inline 2amp fuse - this looks about right on Amazon.

Here are the steps:
1. To remove the dome light, just gently pry it starting at the most forward side. Use plastic prying tools.

View attachment 299636

2. The rearmost side is where there are plastic tabs. Just slide the entire unit forward. It comes out very easily and I'm already adding too much detail to this step.

3. I poked around with a multimeter and found that the black connector at the center in the rearmost side had enough power, was wide open and accessible for a tap, and was connected to ignition (ie: it would turn the radar detector on and off automatically..even though I just do it myself every time).

View attachment 299637

4. So for my 2020 Evo Spyder, I tapped into the BROWN wire for Black, and the RED/GREEN for Red. The tapping was very easy, I simply needed to insert the end into each of the wires 'channel'. Here's a closeup on the harness, after the tap.

View attachment 299638

5. Then putting everything back is straightforward, just reverse the steps. I kept the tail straight out the forward most point and do not notice it at all.

View attachment 299640

So between a radar detector and having CarPlay with Waze..I'm well protected. As easy as these steps are, please still take some precautions - you are responsible for what you do to your bull 😝

Enjoy and drive safe!

Thanks for this. I’m trying to setup using a blendmount and their supplied 15in cable but finding it to be way too short. Are there any extenders or other options for this?

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #15 · Apr 29, 2022

Sorry to hear..I’ve seen some 16” wire taps on Amazon but an extra inch might now work. Try Google/Amazon RJ11 extension as you might find some pieces there. Only trouble is I’m seeing 6-10 feet of extension!

JN6T

· #16 · May 3, 2022

GoPGgo said:
Sorry to hear..I’ve seen some 16” wire taps on Amazon but an extra inch might now work. Try Google/Amazon RJ11 extension as you might find some pieces there. Only trouble is I’m seeing 6-10 feet of extension!

I found a 20in. It should work!

with that said, just wondering, is this the only way to tap into on huracans? Nothing in the actual rear view window I’m assuming?

GoPGgo

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 3, 2022

JN6T said:
I found a 20in. It should work!

with that said, just wondering, is this the only way to tap into on huracans? Nothing in the actual rear view window I’m assuming?

Can you put up a link to that 20in? That'd be perfect.

I do remember trying behind the rear-view mirror, this was my first approach. There was a harness of sorts in there but I remember it being very tight. It probably carries enough current, but I spent a decent amount of time on it in general so then moved onto the dome light.

Lots of people have also ran a line all the way down to the passenger footwell fuse panel. There are plenty of slots, and apparently it's quite easy to tuck the cable into the body panels. For me tapping into that area seems like the best bet though. Good luck!

JN6T

· #18 · May 3, 2022

GoPGgo said:
Can you put up a link to that 20in? That'd be perfect.

I do remember trying behind the rear-view mirror, this was my first approach. There was a harness of sorts in there but I remember it being very tight. It probably carries enough current, but I spent a decent amount of time on it in general so then moved onto the dome light.

Lots of people have also ran a line all the way down to the passenger footwell fuse panel. There are plenty of slots, and apparently it's quite easy to tuck the cable into the body panels. For me tapping into that area seems like the best bet though. Good luck!

Yeah, I’m happy with the 20in and the blendmount for my uniden r7. Looks and works great, thanks for the detailed post.

I found the 20in on amazon here:
MTX-1020, RJ-11, 20" Long Overall Length, Patented Radar Detector Power Cord with 2 Amp in-Line Fuse, Military Grade Taps, Made in USA https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00L2SV...i_i_XA0VFZ5C5PG7WMFEXWZP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Bigdocv4s

· #19 · 11 mo ago

GoPGgo said:
Hi everybody,

I got around to tapping my mirror for my Valentine 1 - and it couldn't be easier. Took me 10 minutes including the google time to figure out how to take out the dome light, and now I could do it in less than 5 minutes. I did some searching around and found a lot of people running wires down to the passenger footwell..so am hoping this is useful for somebody as I don't want to pry all the panels off and run a long wire. I am loving this setup as I can keep the radar out of the way (was never a fan of installing them underneath the rear-view, that is valuable visual space for me). Plus it powers on and off with the car. Anybody can do this!
View attachment 299639

All that is needed is a mirror or power tap, I got one from Amazon and did not even splurge on the nicer branded one. It's 15" long, I don't know if I'd go any shorter but that also depends on where you put the radar detector. I'd still recommend the original MirrorTap though (used it on an M4, and an M8) and they have an inline 2amp fuse - this looks about right on Amazon.

Here are the steps:
1. To remove the dome light, just gently pry it starting at the most forward side. Use plastic prying tools.

View attachment 299636

2. The rearmost side is where there are plastic tabs. Just slide the entire unit forward. It comes out very easily and I'm already adding too much detail to this step.

3. I poked around with a multimeter and found that the black connector at the center in the rearmost side had enough power, was wide open and accessible for a tap, and was connected to ignition (ie: it would turn the radar detector on and off automatically..even though I just do it myself every time).

View attachment 299637

4. So for my 2020 Evo Spyder, I tapped into the BROWN wire for Black, and the RED/GREEN for Red. The tapping was very easy, I simply needed to insert the end into each of the wires 'channel'. Here's a closeup on the harness, after the tap.

View attachment 299638

5. Then putting everything back is straightforward, just reverse the steps. I kept the tail straight out the forward most point and do not notice it at all.

View attachment 299640

So between a radar detector and having CarPlay with Waze..I'm well protected. As easy as these steps are, please still take some precautions - you are responsible for what you do to your bull 😝

Enjoy and drive safe!

Just wanted to say thanks and that this exact technique worked to perfection on my 2022 EVO spyder. It did take literally 6 minutes and not 5 as I though I may have broken a clip but it just needed to be repositioned properly.

It turns on and off with the ignition. So no chance of draining battery.

I mounted my Uniden R7 with the larger suction cup hemispheric attachment as it allows for greater angulation to make it level. It can “see” out of the rear and front windows perfectly.

Much thanks to the OP! 💪

Reactions: 2

Blu Bull

· #20 · 11 mo ago

GoPGgo said:
Hi everybody,

I got around to tapping my mirror for my Valentine 1 - and it couldn't be easier. Took me 10 minutes including the google time to figure out how to take out the dome light, and now I could do it in less than 5 minutes. I did some searching around and found a lot of people running wires down to the passenger footwell..so am hoping this is useful for somebody as I don't want to pry all the panels off and run a long wire. I am loving this setup as I can keep the radar out of the way (was never a fan of installing them underneath the rear-view, that is valuable visual space for me). Plus it powers on and off with the car. Anybody can do this!
View attachment 299639

All that is needed is a mirror or power tap, I got one from Amazon and did not even splurge on the nicer branded one. It's 15" long, I don't know if I'd go any shorter but that also depends on where you put the radar detector. I'd still recommend the original MirrorTap though (used it on an M4, and an M8) and they have an inline 2amp fuse - this looks about right on Amazon.

Here are the steps:
1. To remove the dome light, just gently pry it starting at the most forward side. Use plastic prying tools.

View attachment 299636

2. The rearmost side is where there are plastic tabs. Just slide the entire unit forward. It comes out very easily and I'm already adding too much detail to this step.

3. I poked around with a multimeter and found that the black connector at the center in the rearmost side had enough power, was wide open and accessible for a tap, and was connected to ignition (ie: it would turn the radar detector on and off automatically..even though I just do it myself every time).

View attachment 299637

4. So for my 2020 Evo Spyder, I tapped into the BROWN wire for Black, and the RED/GREEN for Red. The tapping was very easy, I simply needed to insert the end into each of the wires 'channel'. Here's a closeup on the harness, after the tap.

View attachment 299638

5. Then putting everything back is straightforward, just reverse the steps. I kept the tail straight out the forward most point and do not notice it at all.

View attachment 299640

So between a radar detector and having CarPlay with Waze..I'm well protected. As easy as these steps are, please still take some precautions - you are responsible for what you do to your bull 😝

Enjoy and drive safe!

Nice write and has me thinking I should try this way. Do you think would be same for coupe? I hard wired my new car the other day and didnt need to remove panels and was able to tuck, but found its not tight enough along headliner so wire keeps dropping. Guess I can take off my dome light and see if it similar? Or would going to mirror be better?

1 - 20 of 60 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.