randath

I have this intermittent problem with my Escort Passport 8500 and my TL. Every once in awhile, when I hit the gas, the laser alert goes off and scares the sh_t out of me. Behaves normally until I goose it. The detector works perfectly normal in the wife's Camry. Anybody else have a throttle/ radar detector relationship that's bothering them?

jastor3759

A buddy of mine with a 2003 WRX had an issue with his turbo and his 8500. It was electrical. What fuse/circuit did you wire it into and where are you making ground?

I'm running an 8500 x50 in my TL with no problems.

lindros2

could be a power-drop thing (if it's in the lighter).

Otherwise my laser detection goes off on a year-old Valentine 1 when placed in front of the Navi.

-josh

randath

The unit is plugged into the cig. lighter, in the console. I tried unplugging and replugging, both ends, when it goes off. As I said, it behaves just fine in my wife's car. I guess it's time to make the 8500 hers and get the 8500 X50 for the TL. Blue, of course.

MaX800XT

About a week ago I was searching various forums around the web trying to get ideas for a permanent Valentine 1 install. I remember reading one message about a guy that had to put a resistor on the hard wire kit to keep the laser detector from going off. Something about cleaning up the power being fed from the car. Research "resistor" and "capacitor" in combination with laser detection faults.

crazymjb

If a cop catches you with a radar detector forget about that warning.

MaX800XT

Radar detectors are not illegal in Florida. As far as I know, Virginia is the only state with a law against the use of radar detectors.

spacejamz

i have my 8500 hardwired (power cord taps directly to the electrical system instead of using a lighter plug) and I have never had the problem you describe...

I had an escort 7500S where the Laser detector was going off because of my Cell phone (it was T68m from Tmobile)....It took me a week to figure that one out. Once I did, I swapped it out for the 8500.

large_x7

Probably because the electrical signal is fluctuating too much from the cigarette lighter. When you stomp on the gas, your RPMs increase, and your alternator turns faster, creating a higher voltage (more cycles per second) I know that the G-tech performance meter is able to extract your engine RPMs from the electrical signals in the cigarette lighter. You might want to try hard wiring the detector. Otherwise, you would need to put together some kind electrical filter.

Hooksta

Ahhh, another person with Escort problems! This thread was started about a year before I started my "Escort hates the TL" thread. Oh I switched to Valetine about a week ago and so far no laser false like I had with the Escort.

nfnsquared

Been using an 8500 in my '04 for the last 3 years, plugged into the lighter, no problems at all.

randath

I had started this post when I had an Escort 8500 in my 04 TL. To fix my problem, I got an 8500 X50 (blue, of course) and my problem seemed to go away. I gave the "old" 8500 to my wife. It worked just fine in her Camry. Now she has it in her 05 TSX and it gives false laser when you hit the horn or sometimes when you turn on the windshield wipers. I've had a couple laser alerts when I hit the horn on my TL. Bottom line.....Escort and Acura aren't compatible. Maybe Mike Valentine has some kind of deal going with Acura?

007TL-S

NO, you just have a problematic 8500!.....mine just rattles alittle on the windshield ,but I have yet to figure that out! other than that, mine works just fine

Hooksta

I had started a post just about two weeks ago titled something like "Escort doesn't like TL." In that thread there are at least 5 or more reporting the same problem with the Escort. Funny thing is all those people (myself included) have NO ISSUES with laser falsing with their Escorts in any other car except for maybe a few reporting it in a Honda Accord.

So if Escorts work fine in all other cars but only falses in TL's....how does that make it that all of us have bad radar detectors????? I switched to Valentine and no more problem. My wife is using my Escort Blue X50 now in her Subaru and guess what it doesn't false! Maybe there is something wrong with your TL and that is why your Escort works.

alexdjr82

I have a BEL, and whenever I held it up in front of the navi as stated in a previous post, it would sometimes go off. I think this is a result of the blue OEM LED's on the panel where the dome lights are. It would only happened if I aimed it perfectly up toward the lights. I have heard LED's can put off lazer alerts.

Royce Han

only mess with the best- newest /latest Valentine 1 with 2 band POP mode, don't mess with the less which is all the rest.

rbf351

i have an escort x50, and it's been on my TL for over a year, never have i had any issues with it

pimpin-tl

I have my V1 plugged directly into the fuse box and haven't had a single problem with it. Most of the time its quiet. Mounted on the roof to the right of the mirror.

Geneg

I just bought X50 blue and use it in my 06TL. Laser alert went off when I pushed gas pedal fast, it did it on highway only, when I did the same thing on a street, nothing happened.
Mystery...

copy252

Connecticut - Connecticut's anti-radar-detector law was repealed in 1998, and all the signs along the highways were taken down. RDs are now legal in Connecticut.

District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) - (1995 law, still effective 2003) - RADAR-detectors are illegal.

Illinois - (2002 law) - Not regulated in passenger vehicles, but they are illegal used in commercial motor vehicles over 26,001 pounds (which is redundant legislation, since Federal law already makes that illegal in any U.S. state for vehicles over TEN-thousand pounds, anyway; BUT, some states like to have it in their lawbooks so that they can charge added fines and penalties that would go to the state).

Minnesota - (2002 law) - Radar detectors not specifically regulated, BUT - hanging things from windshields not permitted. If one were to put two and two together, then this would supposedly include radar-detectors if they were hung from the windshield. However, I suppose one could also infer that they would be okay if simply rested upon the top of the dashboard. The law does not specify that it is not. So...

New York - (2002 law) - For motor vehicles over 18,000lbs, and any other commercial vehicle over 10,000lbs, RADAR-detectors are illegal. [This is already covered by Federal law, as well.]

Virginia - (2002 law) - Use is illegal.

Krazylegs

You do realize that the window tinting on the top portion of your windshild kills the units effectiveness of detecting laser.

Krazylegs

Any one know of any issues with the Solo S2? I am looking to buy one soon.

Hooksta

Read the article on having a cordless detector on Valentines site...they say they aren't as effective.

I have my Valentine mounted on the front windshield about 6 inches up from the dash in the center of the car. Because the Valetine uses a phone wire for power (on both ends..unlike the Escort), I purchased a 12' black regular phone line and have it tucked between the windshield running left to the drivers side, around the side of the dash (do this with drivers door open), under the dash, and even around the console corner. You only see a very small bit of wire coming straight from under the console up to the lighter area. (So great power, with a great detector that doesn't false laser alerts like my Escort Blue did.) Even more, hardly a wire showing and I didn't have to cut or splice into any fuse boxes or over head lights, or have the ugly Escort spring cord stretched out across my Nav screen.

Ahh, but I was missing my muting capability. I purchased the remote audio adapter from the Valetine website. So my Valentine cig adapter has a 8 inch phone wire coming out of it running straight to the back of the audio adapter (which is tiny and sits EASILY right next to the cig lighter in the TL). The wire mentioned in the above paragraph plugs into the other side (back side for both) of the device. SO, when the detector goes off, my right hand justs pops the mute button just as easily as the Escort guys can. It looks really smooth and the long time Valentine guys are right...once you get used to the arrows and bogey counter you can't go back.

For example, today I was passing a gas station that always goes off in K, but today my bogey counter said (2) when it normally says (1). I slowed down to 60 and watch as one arrow started pointing to the side and the back as I passed the gas station. However, the top arrow kept flashing and I knew without a doubt there was a cop ahead. No other radar detector I am aware could have told you that. Without the Valetine, I would have sped by the station listening to a simple K band beep (because it is always there) and would have been nailed by the cop.

I now see why the Valentine guys swear by them. In Escort's defense (BEFORE I GOT ALL THE FALSING WITH THE TL), it seems to have a longer range on K band, I do like the look of the escort detector better, and I really like the auotmute, smart cord functions. But as you see from my description I was able to overcome the auotmute and smart cord part, as well as hide my wires, gain arrows and bogey counters, while stopping all those freaking laser falses the Escort had in the TL. (For what it is worth, my wife is using the Escort in her Subaru just fine. It likes her car and doesn't false).

Geneg

I e-mailed Escort guys about the problem of LASER alert and that's the answer:

"It is good to hear from you! As you know, it is unusual to get false
laser warnings. Some cars and other electronics put out more RF
interference than others and this may cause the laser to false when
certain devices are used. Although rare, I have heard using the horn,
or windshield wipers causing this affect. If this started recently,
have you added anything to the vehicle you are using your detector in?
Does it do the same thing in other cars/trucks? New cell phones and
some major airports can also cause false laser alerts.
Please call our Customer Service Department and they will give you a
repair authorization number and instructions on how to return to us. We
will be able to make modifications to your detector that will help.
Thanks for your interest in Escort!"

Hooksta

Did they include the cost they would charge you for them fixing their faulting detector?

SSMTL04

I had an x50 for over a year and it worked perfectly fine.....then it got stolen when somebody broke in my car.....i misss it..

Geneg

I let them know that it is brand new and I can just return it.

Hooksta

Here are photo's of my Valentine 1 installation for my TL. You can only see the wire from the detector to the windshield and from the cigarette lighter straight down off the console. The rest of the black 12' phone cord is hidden. At this point I am using the foam that came with the remote audio display to hold the unit in place. I may use velcro or something like that in the future. I have only had this set up for about a week and the Valentine in total for about 3 weeks.

As I had posted earlier, the remote audio unit gives me the ability to hear sound in two locations and more importantly allows me easy access to mute when I want to without reaching way up on the dash.