Hard-wire Radar Detector
 

I just picked up my Anthracite 2003 TL-S yesterday and want to hard-wire my V1. Does anyone know if there is a switched wire up near the map lights and glasses holder to connect to or do I have to run the wire down under the dash?

Thanks

run it along the window frame, then into one of the fuse panels...works like a charm.

yep... same here... right in to the drivers side fuse junction.

I wired mine to the fuse box and wired it with the windshield wipers...

I have cobra.. it came with only coiled wire...where can I get the straight wire with correct jack ... did you make one yourself?

and what fuse # did you use?

Thanks,
SK

There's three wires for the wipers. Ground and power (naturally) an a third that is a signal wire. Even after I did a voltage check I tapped into the signal wire like a dumb@ss. When I put the wipers in Intermittent mode the detector would shut off and "reboot" every time the wipers made a sweep. I think that was the green or blue wire. One of those two is the WRONG ONE! you'll probably have to back-probe each one to see which one does not have a voltage drop to about 2-3 volts durring a sweep. The right wire will only drop from ~12v-13v to about 10v-11v.

I originally wanted to do the same thing as with my Talon and use a blade fuse tab with all the proper crimping of spade connectors, never had a single problem with it in the 9 years I had the car and it's still going strong. BUt i found out that our cars use Mini-blade fuses and there wasn't enough room to put the fuse back in with the tap (grrrrr). I refused to just strip teh wire and wrap it around the blade and shove it back in. I think that's so redneck-ish. So I found and tapped into the wiper "snake" where it's been working great. The dealer didn't like it but after I asked exactly why and that I understand electrical schematics, they didn't have a reply. I told them that the detector only has a 435 milliamp draw on a 20A circuit (I think), they dropped the subject. I also brought up the Magnuson-Moss Act of 1975. Again they said nothing.

This car has over sixty fuse in it (i.e.- each window for each door has it's own fuse!) so in some ways this car is a little over-engineered.