jimf15e

Some of you may have seen some of my earlier posts with an Escort 9500ix hardwired and Laser Interceptor Dual (LI) installed using a remote power switch. I've had my Laser Interceptor Dual installed for about 8 months now and have finally put the finishing touches on my Escort 9500ci install a few weeks ago, so time for some new photos. I wanted a relatively clean install with minimal changes to put the car back to stock, but also did a lot of research on radardector.net to avoid stealthing my install at the expense of effectiveness. I think this install is a pretty good compromise. I did almost everything myself, with the exception of running the LI cables through the S4's ECU access - I paid my dealer's tech to do that when I brought the car in for service. Enough talk - here are the pictures.

Here's the front of the car - LI heads in the grill (a PERFECT fit), 9500ci receiver in the lower grill. Note the unobstructed receiver heads - they're also perfectly level with the ground and frequently adjusted (although now that I look at this picture I see the drivers side is canted sidewise - darn!) Next time I have a free afternoon I'll probably move the front LI heads a little higher in the grille as recommended by a few others.



Inside the engine bay, the LI and 9500 wires run through some conduit along the passenger wall.





A peek behind the grill shows the mounting points for the LI heads and a glimpse of the conduit for the 9500ci receiver.



This picture shows the 9500ci display as well as my custom LI alert lamp. The 9500ci display location is the only thing I'm really not entirely happy with. I wanted it located on the instrument panel but this location still looks a little 'tacked on' (since it is!) I tried to hide the cable as best I could, but I'm open to suggestions on this. In the meantime, I did erase the white labels on the display. For the LI alert lamp, I connected to the LI's audio mute wire. It's a blue flashing LED from superbrightleds.com. One end is connected to the 12V power lead, the other to the audio mute. The LI sends a ground signal to the mute wire on an alert, which effectively completes the circuit and lights the flashing LED. Pretty slick - thanks for the ideas radardetector.net!



This picture is the location for my 9500ci control head and a custom LI switch/LED I made. Under the rubber are a few open holes that go right into the center console. It's a pretty easy cable run from the knee bolster area where most of the LI wiring is stored. The LI switch is just a simple $5 SPST rocker, and I used the LI manual wiring diagram to add the power/alert LED. The switch functions just like the stock switch, it just fit a lot better.



This shows the rubber lining removed. It's pre-9500ci install but the switch on the left is my old 9500ix remote mute switch.



I bought an extra rubber liner for the storage slot to cover everything up for stealthy day to day ops. You can hit the mute button for the 9500ci right through the rubber, and can even hit the kill switch for the LI without removing it.



Under the passenger footwell I mounted this box. Inside are most of the 9500ci electronics, to include the USB input for updating. This makes for easy access to components, as well as easy removal.



Under the driver's footwell I mounted the LI control box and the 9500ci's speaker. Invisible unless you crawl under the seat. The speaker is screwed into the dead pedal.





The 9500ci is tapped into the Homelink fuse, the LI taps into the seat heater fuse (I think - I kind of forgot). I used add-a-circuit fuse taps.



My hardwired DroidX is mounted using a ProClip USA phone mount, hardwired to the passenger side fuse box. I use it to run Trapster, backup nav, etc.



I have yet to be hit by any LEOs running laser so am somewhat comfortable using the 9500ci's rear laser head only for now. It's mounted on the bottom of the LP.



The cable runs bhind the plate, slong the trunk lip, and behind the tail light.



Then it runs along the trunk hinge...



Behind the fender well and under the door sills to the front of the car.



Believe it or not, the GPS antenna is mounted under the parcel shelf with the access through this hole in the trunk. It works like a champ while seeing through the parcel shelf fiberboard. Satellite lock in ~20 seconds every time!



My only upgrade planned is to add in 2 LI heads for rear protection. I'm waiting to see if laser usage increases in my area before I do so. I know it's a risk but since front shots are so rare I'm betting the rear shots are even rarer.

Some better pictures of my car on a sunnier day.





(This one is pre-9500ci install)


I'm open to any and all feedback. I haven't had it tested yet since I can't find any reliable testers in my area. If you know of any in easter NC, please let me know. Thanks!

iDocS4

Mine is mounted through the plastic to the left of the nav screen. In the black triangle like location. Love mine.

helix139

This is either a spammer or Giovanni made another screen name

waffles

sorry i never got the point of "Backup nav", is that really necessary