Trying to hard wire my radar detector power cord in my 2013 RDX. I installed a fuse tap (pain in the butt since the fuse box is essentially upside down). The fuse tap is meant for mini-fuses, and the RDX has the lo-profile fuses. I used the moonroof fuse (#11, 20 amp) since it should only come on when the car is on (or in full accessory mode). I do get power to the radar detector. However, with the red wire on the fuse tap and the other on a ground, the radar detector still turns on even if the car is not on.The moonroof does not open if the car is off. I'm confused since is supposed to be a switched circuit. Any ideas?

 

The moon roof will open with the car turned off if you you the remote. The interior switch doesn't work but the motor retains power.

 

That makes sense about the moon roof. However, I've now tried numerous other fuses and they all do the same thing. Are none of these fuses switched? I tried the audio amp, the seat heater, and a few others. Any thoughts on how you can hard wire something in so it only comes on when the car's ignition is on?

 

I have an Escort Passport hard wired in both my RDX and my Type S. I had the local custom sounds do the hard wire for $40. They tapped in to the aux power outlet, hid the mute button in the front console, and ran a wire to my radar detector. It is a clean installation. And it comes with lifetime warranty.

 

What type of dectector are you running, and is it a "stealth" mount?

 

Escort passport 9500ix. It's not a stealth mount because detectors are legal in Texas. The wire is hidden along the windshield.

 

I found a solution. There are two unused fuse sockets, one is always on and the other will only provide juice when the car is started. Amen. Just need to buy a low profile fuse to hold the tap in place. One wire to ground and voila! - hard-wired radar detector.

 

I've always used the fuse for the windshield wipers. That works great for hard-wiring a detector.

 

I used that this weekend and it worked great for me. Thank you.


For the others..

I have a Escort 9500i. I put the remote just above the front storage pocket. I wanted to put it inside, but my wife doesnt want to drill a hole. I might move it to the side near the shifter with a small piece of Velcro.

I ran it to power, and up the A-Pillar and into where the sunglass holder and map lights are, and out the headliner.

 

Good Idea ESteid

 

Any photos, perhaps?

 

What's the benefit of hard wiring a radar detector?

 

The wire is out of the way and hidden from view. Also the accessory socket becomes available for other uses.

 

I didn't think there was any interest. I will try to grab some this weekend.

 

Very interested here!!

 

BTW - For those interested, I used fuse #28. It was the 4th fuse socket in the 2nd row. Before it, there should be a 10amp, 10amp, 7.5 amp, then an empty fuse socket. Mine is non-tech, so a tech package might have a fuse in it. However, I would suspect it should still work and only come on when the car is started. Just be real careful how hard you push a tap in as I went too far and pushed something behind that then caused a issue with the heated seats. Try and get something that attaches to a mini-fuse and insert with the fuse. Mine is just a metal tap (no fuse) that is spread apart to hold it in place and make contact. Not the ideal set up, but it has been working fine. Again, if you use just the metal tap, be careful how you insert it.

 

Sorry about the delay. I've been spending my little free time getting the harley ready for spring.

I have an escort as well. So I wanted to use the remote. It made wiring a bit more complex.




As kgbagent agent suggested, I used the same fuse.

I don't have a picture, but I removed the door gasket and ran the power wires beside the dash and up the A-pillar. I pulled on the top of the A-Pillar and popped one clip and fed the wire behind the A-Pillar. Then I ran it under the roof liner. I can try to take more pictures if you think this part is interesting.

I am also working on a project to see if I can replace the RDX sunglass holder with a CR-V conversation mirror. (Doesn't work) Because of this I removed the sunglass holder. You might not have to.




You can see the Radar Detector wire there in the middle of the hole.



Then I ran it out behind the mirror on the right side.



If anyone is curious about taking the sunglass holder off, you pop out the light covers, remove two 8mm bolts and then pull out the two clips.



Here is where I mounted the detector. Works great and is barely visible from behind the car.



Here is where I put the remote. I originally had it between the dash and the cubbie hole. But it was too far away for my wife to reach comfortably.

 

http://store.blendmount.com/rdx-c263.aspx

The power cord taps into the auto-dimming rear view mirror connector which only has power when theignition is on. The cord has a fuse built in. There are only three possiblewires to tap into. I did the voltmeter test. Positive (Red) was in slot 1 andNegative (Black) was slot 2.



Here is spec for my 2013 RDX with Tech Package for ValentineOne:

• Blend mount - BV1 2000 Cylindrical Stem - Type 1
• Mirror Tap Power Cord - NT-1009 9"
• Valentine One Windshield Mount - Item 20306. Get that here: https://store.valentine1.com/Store/partsdept.asp

Sorry no pics right now - this forum still has me under the "trial" restriction.

Cheers

Colin

 

Mirror Tap and Blend Mount

 

I installed the V1 today with Vi mirror mount. I installed a fuse tap into the rear window fuse. The fuse tap worked fine with the RDX lo-profile fuses. Make sure you get the mini fuse tap.

 

I've tried just about every fuse, including the empty #28 slot as recommended.

It is constantly on. I don't get it. I hate this car.

 

I never looked, shouldn't there be a fuse for the accessory outlet?

 

That's on, too.

I finally found one that works. It's #45, in the top right corner. It does require the ignition off, and the door open in order for the power to fully shut off.

I would not recommend trying #28. It alerted me to check power steering, hill start, and like 4 other on-board systems.

 

#45 works well.

I also noticed that when the driver side window lockout button is pressed, the power to the switch/radar detector is off.

FYI

 

Not sure what I'm missing, so hopefully someone can enlighten before I screw things up. Ready to hard wire my detector. Why can't I do the ADD-A-CIRCUIT using fuse/slot #12 (ACC PWR SOCKET CTR CONSOLE) or the#27 (ACC POWER SOCKET FRONT), instead of the #45 or #28? I assume both of these are ignition on only because the shut off detector when I use the plug (not hardwired) and turn off vehicle. Seems like the most logical place to tap...unless someone tells me why it's not a good location.

 

Realize that I'm reviving an old post... Plugged the button into the slot adjacent to the traction control and liftgate button. Plastic just pops out. Out of view, looks neat. As for fuse, #6 works great.

 

In my 2017 Advance, when hard wiring a dash cam, I found that the accessory power socket fuses were powered at all times, which had me confused as well. It seems that the fuses are ahead of the relay/switching circuit.

I ended up tapping into the 7.5A ACC fuse #19. That one is switched.

I would love to see a wiring schematic diagram for this car's fusebox if anyone has access to the service manuals.

 

28? 45? 12? 27? 19? I am totally confused as to which location to wire my detector into. 2018 Advance AWD. Thanks

 

It looks like #19 worked for Fcostantini. All the variations may have something to do with differing years and models. The only sure way to know is to dive under the dash with your trusty multimeter or 12v test light and check for yourself.

Cheers!

 

In my 2017 Advance AWD, #19 (7.5 Amps) worked for providing power only when the car is on. I used it for a USB-powered dash cam (less than 1 Amp). I don't know if your radar detector will need more power than that fuse can provide.

While #12 and #27 for the console/front accessory power sockets may seem like they would be good choices since the power sockets themselves are powered-off when the car is off, those fuses are actually always powered, regardless of the car being on or off. My guess is that a body control module lies between the fuse box and the specific circuit loads, so that the body control module can determine what circuit loads to turn on and off at any particular time and setting, and also so that the fuse protects the body control module's switching relay/transistor from an overload.

I can't say whether your 2018 will be identical to mine, but #19 should be a good place to start.

 

Thanks guys. I'm sure the '18 is the same as a '17, especially since the engineers are busy working on a new model. I will use the #19 fuse as soon as I get my add a circuit wire. In my 2007 RDX I was able to merely insert the wire into an open spot in the fuse box which worked well for 11 years. Also, I'm a little bummed that there is no tinting on the top of the windshield to hide the RD unit. Will have to add that as well. Progress.

 

#19 works great. I will say that the fuse box location is less desirable than the 1st gen RDX. Located the remote mute button between the seat and the console. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

My point doesn't really matter as much per actual configuration, but I popped out the plastic piece next too the trunk opening/ traction control button and put the mute button in to the slot. Looks pretty good imo.