wnpub

In my last car, I never could get used to my Escort 8500 windshield mount – blocked a fair amount of viewing space, kind of rattled around, had to take it down to keep it from getting nabbed, etc. So this time, I was looking for a more “stealth” radar detector install.

I ended up getting the newish Escort Qi45, billed as “an integrated, affordable radar and laser detector which was very easy to install. “ The ad copy and reviews claim it can be installed in 45 minutes, and the video made it look doable as a DIY project.

So it’s all done, and I am very happy with how it turned out. It’s exactly what I wanted – unobtrusive, and the small red LED display blends in pretty well with the car lighting.



At least for me, the install was a real adventure – a bit scary at times to pull out pieces of my brand new car, like the ECU, and I cut the crap out of my finger (more on that later). For me at least, more like a two hour job. But definitely doable – about a 5 out of 10 difficulty after all is said and done.

Here’s a short guide. The Qi45 has three components. First, there’s a receiver/antenna, which mounts in the grille of the car. A long wire that terminates in an RJ45 jack runs from the receiver through the engine bay, past the firewall (that’s the hard part!), and into the interior of the car. Second, there’s an “interface”, basically a junction box with a speaker on it, that the receiver wire plugs into, and also has a power lead that runs up into the fuse box. The interface gets mounted somewhere in the interior (mine’s up under the dash). Finally, there’s a small (about an inch) display that also ends in an RJ45 jack, and also plugs in to the interface. The display can be mounted anywhere you like, using included double sided adhesive. You don’t need to use it, you can just install a single LED, but that seemed too minimal.



There’s also optional “laser shifters” you can get for another $300, but this is California, so…….

Mounting the receiver is easy – just need to find a spot in the front where it fits and it mounts with 3M adhesive tape. You can see it in the picture below.



From there, the wire is snaked through the engine bay, and you have to find some way to get past the firewall. By far that was the most brutal part of the install. I consulted the install guide for the AWE Boost Gauge at this link:

http://www.awe-tuning.com/media/pdf/...boostgauge.pdf
But it was pretty hairy-looking, since you need to pull the wiper fluid reservoir, then pull the ECU, cut a hole in the rubber boot, etc. etc. In the B8 A4 forums, I saw that someone had bypassed this process by going through the unused port (in DSGs, at least) down where the clutch would go:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-gauge-install

Since I have the DSG, I thought this would work. But our B8 S4s are much better shielded at the firewall, so there is no way to go through that port without drilling through. So back to the “through the ECU slot” plan.

I’ll spare you the gory details, except for the two worst parts. First was pulling the wiper fluid reservoir. It was a real b$%#h to get out since you have to pull a longish plastic extension out from the sidewall, and the thing fits very snugly in the compartment. You kind of have to pull and twist with some force. This was where I basically sliced my finger open on a sharpish edge. That was ok though, because a f#$@ing torrent of excess wiper fluid rinsed all the blood off when I finally got the thing out. That’s another important point: MAKE VERY SURE THAT YOU REMOVE ALL OF THE WIPER FLUID FROM THE RESERVOIR. I thought I had gotten it all with the recommended turkey baster, but you really have to get down in there to get it all. It may be impossible; in any event, I would say about half a cup of it poured into my cut finger, stung it like hell, then washed itself and my blood down the interior of the sidewall, which then dripped out of the front wheel well where the mat has a gap. Not my proudest moment.

The second worst part – pulling the ECU. Just kind of scary for me pulling the brains out of the car. It wasn’t so bad in practice, however. Once the ECU is out, there is a direct path into the interior of the car, and the wire drops right in. You just plug it into the interface.



Once you’re in, the rest is a piece of cake. I used an add-a-fuse to connect the power from the interface to a switched power source (the homelink fuse on the black fusebox), and there’s a handy ground right there too.



I put the display within easy reach on the left of the steering wheel, and just tucked the wire into the seam between the two dash components.



Voila!



Hope this helps someone decide whether this kind of install is for them, and if so, perhaps they can avoid the mistakes of the pioneers

awc

Nice work, I've been thinking about doing this to my car when it arrives in a few months. Two questions, if I may:

1. In regards to the reciever, do you think that it will be able to detect being so close to the bottom of the car. From all I've heard, the higher up, the better. I'd be interested to hear how the performance is. Also, with it being mounted there, do you have any concerns about road debris bouncing up and hitting it? Do you feel the tape is secure enough to hold it through...ahem, "spirited" driving.

2. I like your positioning of the descrete display, but I'm wondering if there is enough room to place it about 2-3 inchest to left of where you currently have it, between the light controls and the steering column.

Still, great work! Very brave of you taking apart your car, and now you have cool battle wounds to prove your worth!

rktskicar

that looks like too much work to me man.

Bruce

wnpub

Thanks! As to the receiver placement, all I can say from personal experience is that it seems to work well where it is. One of the reviews I read mounted the thing on the UNDERSIDE of the front spoiler (on an Acura ZDX - no grille) and it scored well:

http://www.radartest.com/best-2010-r...tor-review.asp

The mount seems secure to me, as it is resting on top of the interior of the grille assembly, in front of the intercooler. I originally had it hanging down from the grille, and that seemed like it might dislodge under spirited conditions. As for road debris, i guess i'm more worried about the intercooler on that score - and hey! the receiver is shielding a little bit of the intercooler now

Placement of the display: I tried it where you suggest. The problem for me at least was that the display was blocked by the wheel and my hands in the "normal" driving position, and there are times where you want to access the controls, so you either have to reach through or around the wheel. I decided to place it right over the light controls below the left vent so I could reach it easily....

meteor man

agreed. but not having junk hanging from the window is probably worth it to some. for me, i never though detectors were particularly useful. I generally just use common sense and only go for a spirited drive when there are no shoulders for piggys to hideout in and make their money...i mean keep the roads safe.