pdpgps

Looks like hardwiring a radar detector on the new frameless mirror will be very difficult. Versus the old autodimming rear view mirror which had the socket to pull out and tap into, there doesn't seem to be any easy access points to get power. There isn't any sockets that come out of the new mirror, and I can't get to the back of the mirror because of the new lane keeping assist system.

Has anyone else successfully hardwired yet? Can I get access to power via the LKAS box?

sstfnv

I ran power wires from the fuse box to the mirror for my dash cam. It was easy to push the wires behind the interior panels through the cracks without disassembling anything and the wires are completely hidden. You should be able to do the same for your radar detector.

jayb082

Good to know as I had mine wired to my mirror on my TSX and loved that it was so easy. I ordered a non-tech which doesn't have the frameless mirror or the LKAS camera so I wonder if it'll be any more accessible. If not I'll try to tuck the wires as sstfnv suggested. Getting my car next week

pdpgps

Can you post up some pictures, specifically the fuse box connection? Where did you mount your radar? I have a mount that hangs off of the rear view mirror but because of the low clearance it won't fit any more.

sstfnv

I didn't connect a radar, I connected a dash cam but it will be the same thing. I will take some pictures when I get home tonight.

To get power from the fuse box I used one of these fuse taps:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...fier=32416_0_0_

There is an empty fuse socket which I found that is being powered only when the ignition is in ON position which worked perfectly and I got ground(-) by attaching a wire to one of the bolts of the steering column.

sstfnv

Here is a picture of the fuse box. The fuse tap is in an empty fuse socket.

dwinnie

I use a Blendmount RD mount in my wife's 2014 MDX Tech (which has a less tech than the TLX, but a similar camera mount cover behind the mirror), and I followed the instructions here.

I don't know how similar the TLX and MDX covers are, but for me the difficult part was separating the cover over the electronics (I think they're pretty cheap if you need to replace the covers). Then you can use a volt meter to check for a switched connection.

I still have a few weeks before my SH-AWD Advance will be delivered, but I've been keeping my eyes open for someone who's already completed a TLX Mirror Tap.

I plan on getting another Blendmount RD mount for the TLX. Hopefully someone will have wired a RD into the mirror by the time my car gets here, if not, I'll try to remember to post my notes after I get mine installed.

What RD are you all using (I have an Escort Max), for those of you that are mounting the RD under the mirror (with something like the Blendmount), is anyone running into GPS locking issues (if your RD has GPS). I'm not sure if all the electronics above/behind the mirror will interfere with the line of sight needed for a lock on a GPS signal. Sometimes it takes a few miles for the RD to grab a GPS lock on the MDX, but after it is locked it's usually good the rest of the trip.

Dan

jayb082

Picked up my i4 base model today (which has a normal mirror instead of the frameless one) and to my surprise, it is the same as the TSX with the wiring connector exposed. I was able to wire my radar detector to it just as easily as my TSX.

pdpgps

I too have the blend mount but with a beltronics sti driver detector. With the new lane keep assist camera I'm not sure how to take the cover off to tap into the power. Also there isn't a lot of clearance on the neck of the mirror to insert the mount. Let me know you work around it when you get your car. Compared to the 4-cyl, our mirrors are different and don't have that easy plug on the back of the mirror.

dwinnie

pdpgps, The MDX has a similar amount of clearance between the mirror and the housing, but the neck of the mirror mount is a little larger in the TLX Advance. I am using the BMX-3117 in the MDX. Because of the difference in diameter between the two mirrors, I wasn't sure the same mirror mount would work in the MDX and TLX, so yesterday I sent an email to the Blendmount manufacturers and asked them if they've tested any mount on the TLX Advance yet, I also included a side picture of the Advance mirror. I'll let you know what I hear from them.

nab0610

Anyone have pics of the mirror wired radar?

pdpgps

Did you ever hear back? I saw in their website they have a new Acura mount but damn thing costs $130.

dwinnie

Sorry, I've was waiting until my car was closer to being delivered to look into this more. Now that it's being built this week (SH-AWD Advance Graphite Luster Metallic/Ebony) and should hopefully be delivered next week.

They replied that although it was difficult to tell from my picture, he thought the mirror was an ACU-006, and the mount that would fit it would be BMX-2117. As far as price goes they are expensive, but you can cushion it a bit by using code S2000 for a 15% discount. They also have great customer service and if it doesn't fit you can send it back for a full refund.

I'm ordering mine today, I'll let you know if it fits when I get the car and mount in so you know whether it fits one way or the other.

crl125

Has anyone have luck hardwiring to the rearview mirror or LKAS box?

dwinnie

I haven't gotten my car yet, it was supposed to be built two weeks ago and then got pushed to this week. We'll be on vacation next week, so it'll be a couple of weeks before I can even have a chance to look at mine.

pdpgps

I'd like to see someone post a DIY for that as well.

yuengling25

Just picked up my new 2.4 s/ Tech Package last night Generally pleased with everything so far, but I definitely need to install my radar detector ASAP. Had to order a new blendmount for my V1, as the bracket for the TLX is different from the one I had been using with my TSX for what seems like forever. Should be here tomorrow, and I plan on tapping into the rearview mirror/camera box to power things up. Having said all that, has anyone with the tech package and also using a radar detector run into any difficulties with false positives from the blind spot monitoring system? Generally, based on my research, most auto manufacturers employ k-band sensors for their BSD units. Considering my V1 is not updated with the most current software, I fear I may be sending it back to Valentine soon to have things reprogrammed (at $250) so it doesn't go haywire with my vehicle's BSD. Anyone have any insight on this?

pdpgps

I have the Beltronics Sti Driver and I've no issues with false positives. I think for me and some other folks, we have no idea how to tap into the power source of the mirror, since it's directly connected to the LKAS box. There are no outlets on the back of the mirror that we had on the TSX/RDX/ILX etc.

yuengling25

You are correct. For those with the Tech Package, there will not be an outlet on the back of the mirror. Rather, it's just the opposite. The wiring is hardwired inside the neck of the mirror itself and terminates to a male plug which, in turn, plugs into LKAS power source. But fear not, tapping off the mirror can still be done and is very easy to do...

I did not take any pictures of the hardwire (mirror tap) install I did with my V1. However, I followed the instructions and referenced the pictures from the following link, and things were a literal (10 minutes) breeze:

Radar detector tap in - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums

The only differences for me were:

(1) I tapped my homemade mirrortap cord into the red and black leads on the plug coming out of the mirror to power the RD at ACC. This was just a matter of personal preference. If you want to set your own up so the RD powers up at ON (ignition), simply use a mini voltmeter to find the wire combo that works for you.

(2) I ran the cord out of the bottom of the LKAS cover, through the part that covers the neck of the mirror, then on to final connection to my V1. To make sure things stayed where they should, I zip-tied the cord to the neck of the mirror before routing things out from under the LKAS cover.

Other than those two things, just follow the info in the link above and you shouldn't have much trouble. The LKAS cover popped off with relative ease. My advice here would be to (gently) work on loosening the middle piece of the cover first. Then work on getting the larger part of the cover.

yuengling25

Also, an FYI to anyone who is using a Valentine 1 (V1) that is not updated with the latest software (i.e., TFM2 capability)... you will need to turn off K-band POP protection in order to not get false hits from the BSD unit. And, even then, you're still going to get falses here and there. Also... even if you are on the latest software, you're still going to run into falsing problems.

I was going to send my V1 unit in for upgrade but, considering how truly new the TLX is, I decided to contact Valentine just to make sure the update would really help at all. Lucky for me that I did this, else I would've wasted $100. Ended up speaking with a member of the engineering team who said that, up to this point, Valentine has been unsuccessful in tweaking their filtering logic to catch Acura's flavor of Blind Spot Monitoring radar. The only solution is (since the BSD radar units are at the back of the vehicle) is to mute rear K-band hits completely. Pain in the arse if you ask me. I love my V1 to death, but unless they can fix this problem, I may have to make the switch to Escort.

dwinnie

I finally got around to hardwiring the Escort Max RD to my TLX V6 AWD Advance center console. As yuengling25 says, it's pretty easy, the center section of the cover over the camera and LKAS module is pretty easy to get off, and once that's off, the outside comes off without much force.

Start by removing the center section of the cover, although the mirror gets in the way, it's not too bad. Then you can remove the rest of the cover by pushing the drivers side piece to the left, and gently prying the bottom of the passenger side cover. It only took a few minutes to get it off.

Then using yuengling25's wiring tips, I separated the green/white plug on the driver's side (to gain better access to the plug) and I slid the MirrorTap connectors into the black and red plugs as shown below. I wrapped the excess wire (I used a 15" MirrorTap from blendmount.com) around the bottom of the mirror stem and zip-tied it so both sides were tied to the mirror stem. Then I just ran it out the bottom of the cover making sure I was to the left of the electronics that are on the right hand side of the mirror.

The only thing I want to point out that was different than yuengling25's installation is mine works only when the car is running, when it's in "Acc" mode the RD doesn't work. I connected red-to-red and black-to-black as yuengling25 indicated he did. I'm not sure why it's different, but it appears that's the case.

Here's a couple of pictures of the wiring.


Picture taken from outside driver's door.




Picture taken from center console area.

Silvaccordex01

iTrader: (2)

Can you take a picture of where the mirror tap is coming out of the covers (with the covers reinstalled) Also, did you find a blendmount mirror mount that works with our mirror, or did you just use the sticky cup and mount on the windshield?

dwinnie

Silaccordex, below are a couple of pictures per your requested. There's plenty of room between the cover and the windshield, so the RD cord isn't pinched at all, you can even move it each way after it's installed. However, there's a little tab on either the windshield or cover (I can't remember which one now) and I routed the cord to the Drivers side to avoid interference with the electronics on the passengers side.

I contacted Blendmount and after numerous emails and me providing them with the dimensions of the mirror stem they researched it and informed me that they don't have a mount that would work on the Acura TLX frameless mirror and they'd have to design a new one, so for now I'm sending back the one I ordered and I'm using the Escort Suction Cup. They don't expect the new one to be available until after the first of the year. I offered to be a tester for the mount and they replied this morning that they'd let me know when they're ready for testers.

I'm a little concerned the cover that houses the electronics above the mirror might be too large to receive a satellite signal that my Escort Max uses. I'll post back here when I get new information.

yuengling25

A ha! Looks like I was remiss in mentioning something in my install post. That said, when you were doing your install, do you by chance remember if you had TWO (similar but different) red wires going into the green plug? One would have been just a plain red, the other a darker blood-red color. This is what I encountered, and after testing things, I ended up tapping off of the darker red wire for ACC mode.

dwinnie

Yep, that's the difference, I do remember the two "red" wires just as you described. I tapped into the normal red wire and not the darker blood-red wire.

I read your post a few hours before I did the install, and I was trying to think of a situation where I'd want the RD powered up in ACC mode. The only time it might be nice to have it powered up in ACC mode is when you're changing the settings. Once I have the settings complete, I generally don't make changes, so I was fine with it only working when the car was running.

Out of curiousity, was that the reason you chose to have it wired to the ACC power mode and not the running mode?

yuengling25

I did it more for settings testing purposes because of the BSD falses I get with my Valentine One (which there was ALOT of in the beginning). I probably should have wired it for ignition, but rarely if ever am I sitting in the car using ACC for an extended period. Of course, now that you've brought it up, I am reminded of the substandard battery issues (nightmares really) I had with my 1st Gen TSX. Maybe if I get the time this weekend I'll pull it all apart again and wire for ignition just to be safe.

By the way, how good is that Escort of yours? Any issues with K-band falses from blind spot detection, be it from your car or others? When a Valentine engineer is telling me they've been unsuccessful in filtering out Acura BSD falses, it has me thinking about looking for a more stable option.

dwinnie

I haven't had any issues with BSD falses with the Escort Max. It's extremely reliable and you know that if you get an alert you've near a cop and should take it as a warning. I love the GPS part of their RDs because it will filter out the door openers that you drive by day after day, so it makes you more aware when you do get an alert. Plus I find myself using the display on the Max to tell me how fast I'm going rather than the car's speedometer, it's also interesting to note that they read exactly the same speed.

Panthers1521

Blendmount does not have anything yet, but i found this online and it might work. Its for a corvette but the mirror measurements are pretty similar. Its just 3M tape on the back of the mirror and its only $30. I think im going to try this out.

dwinnie

Panthers, Can you tell me where you found this?

I chatted with Mark from Blendmount a week or two ago and he said they don't have anything yet and he gave me the impression they might not build one for this mirror. The problem is the mirror mount on the Advance (Tech too I think) mirror mount is that's it's tapered from about .93-.95" and they have an issue with both the tapered mount and the diameter since the largest current mount they make is only about .76". He said he would check with his engineers and get back with me, but I haven't heard anything from him yet. I'll let everyone know if/when I do hear back from him.

Panthers1521

If enough people ask for it they might end up making it. I really loved mine in my last two vehicles. I posed the link below for the one I found, it looks like its made from a Trophy Company. I have not gotten around to ordering it yet because my V1 is being updated and it looks like it will be a week or two.

CORVETTE Radar Mounting Brackets

pdpgps

Are you able to show how you hid the wire and removed the pillars?

pdpgps

I tried popping off the middle cover and angling the mirror down, and I can't get enough clearance. How did you guys do it? I'm afraid of using a flat head and cracking the plastic.

dwinnie

I was able to pop off the driver's side of the cover pretty easily, I used a plastic car trim tool that I got from Harbor Freight (their PN is 67021). It's basically the same set that Acura/Honda recommends for trim removal, but a lot cheaper. You can also get them on Amazon, but the HF set is on sale now for $7.99. I found the left hand side came off pretty easy (if I remember correctly, I pried it off from the area right above the mirror stem, I think the two sides have interlocking clips, but it comes apart without too much force) but the right hand cover was a little more stubborn, so just be careful when you're working on them.

The worst that can happen is you scratch it up and you have to replace them. I thought I'm really mess up taking off a similar cover on my wife's MDX, so I bought one ahead of time and it was less than $20.00 including shipping. Just pry them off carefully with the smallest possible tool from the trim removal tool set.

yuengling25

What version software is your V1 currently on (pre update) and what version will it be on when you get the updated unit back from Valentine? Reason I ask is because, if you look back to my earlier post (#20 in this thread), I was actually told by a member of Valentine's own engineering team that an update (at the time) would be a waste since they had been unable to filter out Acura's BSD radar signal. Has this since changed?

04RedParchTL

I just hardwired my Passport Max2.

I used the smart cord
An Add a circuit

I did not drill any holes. I fed the smart cord under the steering wheel and then used the velcro tape supplied to put it next to the wheel opening.

I fed the cord that connects to the detector up the A pillar. I just pulled on the section near the opening of the door and was able to feed the cord up to the top. The top where the roof liner is has a gap so I just fed it in.

I attached the circuit with two 5 amp fuses to the open slot as shown in the picture.

I removed the left hand side of the dash panel, it just snaps off. Start on the bottom right and work upwards.

I then unscrewed one of the bolts as shown an attached the grounding wire.

The detector now only comes on when you start the car or you press the start button twice when you just want accessories on. It was very easy and only took about 15-20 minutes.

DrInvincible

Looks great, hoping to get that done with my V1 soon. Really don't want to have to mess around too much with a brand new car

Hoosier_TLX

I was following this post and I was wondering if anyone has used a similar mount for a dashcam. I purchased a dashcam a while ago and I'd like to mount it without using the adhesive.

I may try to fabricate some type of assembly at work and if that goes well, I'll provide some pictures and information.

Sonor Kid 2

Just bought my TLX V6 base and installed my Escort hardware tonight and saw the thread.
I have two square plugs to the right of the VSA button, drilled a small hole on the top right corner of one of the plugs to feed the wire and used 3M VSB double sided clear tape to securely hold it in place, looks great.
Fed the wire around the pillar and side of dash along the bottom of my windshield, I like my detector right above the dash, picks up laser signals better mounted lower and doesn't obstruct my view.
Wired everything right to the fuse box...

dwinnie

For those of you that were/are interested in the Blendmount Mirror Mount, I have an update on the design status for the TLX Frameless Mirror.

The guys at J28 Design sent me a beta version of the mirror mount last week for the TLX Tech and Advance models that have the new Frameless Mirror. They sent two models (just a slight difference in the mid-section) that I've been testing and I've provided them feedback on my experience (which has been great).

One issue I've seen is that the Escort Max RD can take a little longer to acquire the GPS signal because the electronics module above the mirror restricts the signal somewhat. I've always been able to lock on a signal, but sometimes it takes longer than normal. It also appears to hang a little further below the mirror than the other Blendmount models I've used (one for an '04 TL, and another for a '14 MDX). That's more due to the design of the TLX mirror than the mount, it really couldn't be much closer to the mirror and still allow you to easily remove it.

They have sent me a couple more top and mid-section beta pieces today, so I'll try them out and see if it improves the GPS acquisition. I'll try to keep you updated as I hear more on the final design for the TLX Frameless Mirror. I've attached a couple of pictures of the beta unit I'm currently testing.





Side-view of Blendmount beta Mirror Mount for TLX Frameless mirror.





Front-view of Blendmount beta Mirror Mount for TLX Frameless mirror.

Silvaccordex01

iTrader: (2)

Looks great, glad there finishing up the mount. Are the new pieces supposed to bring the detector closer to the mirror? I think the distance looks good, you still need some room to be able to use the buttons up top.