[Definitive]

Not sure if this is a funny question or not being that this is the electric part of the bimmer forums, but I did a search for any DIY guides on hard-wiring a radar detector in the i3 and haven't found any threads.

Ive done this in about 15 BMW's in the past, and my parents want me to install a V1 in their i3, but I dont want to mess anything up with the electronics. Is anything different on these cars? Or just search for an accessory wire up in the reading light area as always?

Any help would be great.

Thanks,
D

[jadnashuanh]

You need to be very careful of where and how you drill any holes for mounting so that you do not compromise the CFRP structure. A ragged hole can lead to a crack, and one in the wrong place can compromise strength. Then, you don't really have a grill to mount it in, and pretty much all of the outside panels are plastic. Sorry, I do not have any specifics to help guide you. Maybe someone will.

[Kiwi]

Just velcro tape to top of dash. I've done this to all my BMW's

[Definitive]

Guys, I not worried about mounting it. It just sticks to the windshield with suction cups... I'm trying to make sure I do the wiring correct and don't mess up any electrical systems. Just not sure if it's any different than other BMW's as far as tapping an accessory wire in the roof panel area above the rearview mirror.

D

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Definitive

Guys, I not worried about mounting it. It just sticks to the windshield with suction cups... I'm trying to make sure I do the wiring correct and don't mess up any electrical systems. Just not sure if it's any different than other BMW's as far as tapping an accessory wire in the roof panel area above the rearview mirror.

D

Get BMW to wire the unit if you do the wiring could lead to faults as BMW wiring is very sensitive.

[Definitive]

Again, I have no issue wiring radar detectors in BMW's. My question is if the i3 is any different and if there is someone who has done this who can tell me which wire they used.

Thank you.

[jadnashuanh]

Sorry I cannot help directly, but BMW made every effort to minimize weight in the i3, so it seems that every wire was looked at and the gauge selected to meet it's needs. Anything extra could cause problems. I think you're going to just have to try it. Doesn't seem that anyone's attempted it yet. There is a fairly active facebook i3 account...you may have more chance of getting a response. It's not open, and I've not joined, but anyone can. Not sure of the details.

[Definitive]

Well for those interested. I got it done. Used the brown wire in the dome light/sos area for ground and the green wire in the mirror harness for switched power.

D

[hlmiii]

Congrats.

That is exactly the wiring - location and colors - that is used in ICE BMW models. Sounds like there is a basic design approach that carries throughout. Good to know.

As to the "every wire was looked at and the gauge selected to meet it's needs. Anything extra could cause problems" concern that was raised ... there's not any issue here. The accessories fed from the headliner wiring are all very low current, even in the ICE models. Radar detectors also draw minimal current. Together, there's just not anything for concern.

The 20 gauge wire is more than enough to handle to draw with plenty of headroom. You'd have to go down 3-4 sizes for this to be an issue, and not much of one even then. Chargers plugged into lighter sockets have smaller-gauge wiring than BMW uses.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Definitive

Not sure if this is a funny question or not being that this is the electric part of the bimmer forums, but I did a search for any DIY guides on hard-wiring a radar detector in the i3 and haven't found any threads.

Ive done this in about 15 BMW's in the past, and my parents want me to install a V1 in their i3, but I dont want to mess anything up with the electronics. Is anything different on these cars? Or just search for an accessory wire up in the reading light area as always?

Just did it on my i3-REX.
Not much different about wiring in these cars than it was with E90 and F80 I had previously hard-wired V1 into.

I used the 12V ignition-switched power supply from the rain/wiper sensor contraption hidden behind the rear view mirror plastic shroud (red for power, brown for ground).

Detailed write-up and pictures will follow.

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

You need to be very careful of where and how you drill any holes for mounting so that you do not compromise the CFRP structure.

I hope no-ne drills holes for radar detector mounts
I have been using suction cups for last 20+ years, or you could employ a sun-visor or rear-view mirror clips.

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

Sorry I cannot help directly, but BMW made every effort to minimize weight in the i3, so it seems that every wire was looked at and the gauge selected to meet it's needs.

Well, i3 is not exactly a space shuttle, and the internal wiring is pretty much 100% reuse of what is available in the BMW parts bin.

a

[afadeev]

OK, first things first.

You need to find out what wiring is required for your radar detector, then identify a 12V switched power and ground sources inside the car. Switched means that 12V is cut to that particular circuit when the ignition is turned off (to avoid draining the battery), or soon thereafter. On most modern BMWs, many circuits remain powered for 60-180 seconds after ignition is turned off (for whatever reasons), which is why you can turn your car off, and the radio will still play for another few minutes. That's just how it is.

Valentine 1 detectors are powered via old-fashioned landline telephone RJ11 cables. If you have a spare landline cable lying around, take it and cut about a 1.5 foot section of it with a connector firmly attached on one end. If you don't, Wallmart of eBay should have one for a buck or two. Once you remove the exterior insulation, you will (usually) find 2 twisted wire pairs for the total of 4 wires: red-green (aka line 1) and yellow-black (aka line 2). V1 relies on red-green pairing for power, with red wire = 12V, and green = ground. Strip insulation from red-green wires, and cut off yellow-black wires. Picture below.


You radar detector may use different wiring cables for power.
The above instructions are only applicable to Valentine 1 radar detectors (aka V1).

Now lets find the right place to splice it into i3 wiring.

a

[afadeev]

Now that you have a way to power your V1, lets see where to splice it into i3 wiring.
I had two candidates: wiring for the rain sensor (used that on my F80), or wiring for the dimmed rear view mirror (used that on my E90).

Step 1: remove the plastic shroud that hides away the innards of the rear view mirror and rain sensor wiring by inserting a flat-head screw driver into the seam in the middle of the plastic rear view mirror base. Plastic clips that hold it together should come apart with minimal encouragement:



Now take the entire plastic surround halves off to get an unobstructed view of the wiring. For reference, here is what the two plastic halves look like when removed. Note the two plastic push knobs that go into the base of the rear view mirror support - they take a bit of extra motivation before they pop off:


Now you should see the unobstructed view of the wiring:


Notice the red plug that does into the gizmo attached to the windshield - pull it out (use small screw driver to remove it, if your fingers are a bit too big, like mine). It should pop out free, and drop down half a foot where you can check the red-brown lines for switched 12V power supply, unwind some of the black protective cover tape and find the place to splice in your V1 power supply cables (red to power, green to ground).


Use your favorite method for splicing wires: I carefully stripped a 5mm patch of insulation from BMW wiring, and crimped V1 power supply wires onto them.

Test that V1 power supply works as desired.
Insert red plug back into rain sensor.
Clamp rear view mirror plastic surround shroud back into place, allowing the radar detector power supply cable to exit from the top.

Here is how my V1 looks like from inside the car (I tucked more wire back inside the shroud after I took the pic. Black RJ11 cable might look better as well!), and from looking at it through the windshield:



Hope this helps,
a

[Orange fever]

thanks : afadeev
going to be the 1st modd on the i3.

[Efthreeoh]

Does anyone here find the need for a radar detector in an earth-saving BEV i3 a bit of a oxymoron?

LOL

[jhbi8]

For mounting I use a Blendmount in all my cars www.blendmount.com. It just clasps on to the stem of your rearview mirror. Allen wrench tightens it up. Tap into dome light wire for power.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Does anyone here find the need for a radar detector in an earth-saving BEV i3 a bit of a oxymoron?

LOL

Radar detector is the wallet-saving accessory to your earth-saving i3

a

[-c-]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Radar detector is the wallet-saving accessory to your earth-saving i3

a

Yep! Don't need to be donating any more money to the police!

I drive it very heavy footed and didn't by the i3 for any earth saving jargon.

Don't know why people assume you bought an electric vehicle because your being good to the environment. I bought it because I thought it was cool. And quick around town .

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by -c-

Yep! Don't need to be donating any more money to the police!

I drive it very heavy footed and didn't by the i3 for any earth saving jargon.

Don't know why people assume you bought an electric vehicle because your being good to the environment. I bought it because I thought it was cool. And quick around town .

Because the marketing campaign for any EV or hybrid is primarily "Green" biased. That, and most EVs/hybrids are not yet life-cycle cost as cost effective as an ICE powered vehicle, so there is some other compelling reason to purchase one.

However, I understand your point and when the Chevy Bolt comes out and has a true near-200 mile range, and the price point remains near $35K, then I'll be interested. I'd love to get an EV for my 160-mile daily commute simply to get off the gasoline grid and it's fluctuating prices based on geopolitical bullshit. I looked into the Tesla for my commute, but because of the entry price of $75K for a base Model S, its projected total life-cycle cost didn't come near the total life-cycle cost of my '06 325i. The Tesla was a least $15K more expensive. Yeah, I get it, the E90 and the Tesla are not in the same class, but at the time, it was the only (still is) EV with a +200 mile range.

[-c-]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Because the marketing campaign for any EV or hybrid is primarily "Green" biased. That, and most EVs/hybrids are not yet life-cycle cost as cost effective as an ICE powered vehicle, so there is some other compelling reason to purchase one.

However, I understand your point and when the Chevy Bolt comes out and has a true near-200 mile range, and the price point remains near $35K, then I'll be interested. I'd love to get an EV for my 160-mile daily commute simply to get off the gasoline grid and it's fluctuating prices based on geopolitical bullshit. I looked into the Tesla for my commute, but because of the entry price of $75K for a base Model S, its projected total life-cycle cost didn't come near the total life-cycle cost of my '06 325i. The Tesla was a least $15K more expensive. Yeah, I get it, the E90 and the Tesla are not in the same class, but at the time, it was the only (still is) EV with a +200 mile range.

Yea I hear you. That was what I was getting at. Screw marketing .

Anywho what sold me was the life cycle on this car and the price to fix if all goes south.

Green is what may bring a certain demographic of people in but what allured me to the thought of it was,

It will never rust to the ground, the engine has a longer life expectancy than me, and the real only downer is the batteries. But they even have a 20 year life expectancy, and that's just when they hit 75% so still usable even 20 years from now. (Hopefully) No maintenance other than the brake fluid, tires and wiper blades and with regen braking the brakes May last 200k miles.

Also I looked up the cost of the engine! Only 1500 bucks, transmission only 400 bucks! Amazing when you think about it. The most expensive parts are the batteries at $12000 is a bit of an expense but cheaper than buying a new car and get better range to boot why not.

Hell in 15 years the car will have paid for itself!

My 135 with the dual clutch trans was in the dealer every month! This car hasn't had a lick of issues for a year now. Which to be honest never had a BMW that didn't require a dealer visit within a year lol.

I planed on this car being a car that I can keep for the long run and want to drive it into the ground. It's going to be retrofittable for longer range .... Or at least that what Bmw said but it's not really a concern as my daily commute is 6 miles and everything I possibly need is on my way home.

I'll still buy fun cars though but for a daily driver I'm pretty much sold for the foreseeable future.

And you are very very correct on the getting off the gas grid!

When I did my math on what I spend on gas each month and it usually just goes up the end result is shocking over the course of the future.

I was spending 240 a month in fuel, and also through the year car maintenance also adds to the overall price. My electric bill increased by 30 dollars a month going electric so a savings of 210 dollars a month. Rounding it to 200 and investing that money instead of burning it, over the course of 30 years will yield over 240,000 dollars at 7%.
Love compound interest. So basically converting to electric will pay for the car and add to my retirement Nicely and I didn't have to give up a thing.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by -c-

Yea I hear you. That was what I was getting at. Screw marketing .

Anywho what sold me was the life cycle on this car and the price to fix if all goes south.

Green is what may bring a certain demographic of people in but what allured me to the thought of it was,

It will never rust to the ground, the engine has a longer life expectancy than me, and the real only downer is the batteries. But they even have a 20 year life expectancy, and that's just when they hit 75% so still usable even 20 years from now. (Hopefully) No maintenance other than the brake fluid, tires and wiper blades and with regen braking the brakes May last 200k miles.

Also I looked up the cost of the engine! Only 1500 bucks, transmission only 400 bucks! Amazing when you think about it. The most expensive parts are the batteries at $12000 is a bit of an expense but cheaper than buying a new car and get better range to boot why not.

Hell in 15 years the car will have paid for itself!

My 135 with the dual clutch trans was in the dealer every month! This car hasn't had a lick of issues for a year now. Which to be honest never had a BMW that didn't require a dealer visit within a year lol.

I planed on this car being a car that I can keep for the long run and want to drive it into the ground. It's going to be retrofittable for longer range .... Or at least that what Bmw said but it's not really a concern as my daily commute is 6 miles and everything I possibly need is on my way home.

I'll still buy fun cars though but for a daily driver I'm pretty much sold for the foreseeable future.

And you are very very correct on the getting off the gas grid!

When I did my math on what I spend on gas each month and it usually just goes up the end result is shocking over the course of the future.

I was spending 240 a month in fuel, and also through the year car maintenance also adds to the overall price. My electric bill increased by 30 dollars a month going electric so a savings of 210 dollars a month. Rounding it to 200 and investing that money instead of burning it, over the course of 30 years will yield over 240,000 dollars at 7%.
Love compound interest. So basically converting to electric will pay for the car and add to my retirement Nicely and I didn't have to give up a thing.

Sounds like we are on the same page. My first post here was meant to be sarcastic, but I do find it funny using a radar detector on a pretty much city-based EV. Anyway, battery replacement has always been my question about EVs and kept me away even from getting a Volt. I've been keeping a good eye on SAE papers related to EV battery longevity. Tesla gives a 120K mile warranty (they may have changed that recently). I've driven an i3 and I wasn't blown away by it. I think the rear seating could have been designed better. There is no one-design-fits-all when it comes to cars; the i3 has its place. A 6-mile commute is ideal for an i3.

[MFNATIK]

afadeev Thanks man! Funny we have the same cars. I just finished wiring up the F80 and will do the i3 tomorrow. Much easier and cleaner than running the corded cig adapter! However, I would recommend you switch to the Escort 9500ix b/c after having the V1 in all my cars for over 10+ years, I love the peace and quiet of the GPS enabled 9500ix.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Sounds like we are on the same page. My first post here was meant to be sarcastic, but I do find it funny using a radar detector on a pretty much city-based EV.

You must not be driving in NYC much then. Here, local ass-clown politicians have dropped the speed limit down to 25 mph to increase revenue collection; or was it to increase congestion congestion? or was it safety?

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Anyway, battery replacement has always been my question about EVs and kept me away even from getting a Volt. I've been keeping a good eye on SAE papers related to EV battery longevity. Tesla gives a 120K mile warranty (they may have changed that recently).

I would not worry too much about battery longevity. They will become obsolete long before they run out of ability to hold charge.
Same as with the cell phones.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I've driven an i3 and I wasn't blown away by it. I think the rear seating could have been designed better. There is no one-design-fits-all when it comes to cars; the i3 has its place. A 6-mile commute is ideal for an i3.

i3 is a 2-door coupe with weird and borderline impractical rear passenger exit hatches (can't open them without opening front doors first, front passenger needs to unbuckle, etc, etc).

It's not the most practical family car, but it is a very handy and economical commuter vehicle, if your lifestyle and budget have space for a 2nd or 3rd car. You can definitely go 10x longer than 6 miles in it, especially if you have a REX.

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

afadeev Thanks man! Funny we have the same cars.

Hey, can't fault a man for good taste

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

However, I would recommend you switch to the Escort 9500ix b/c after having the V1 in all my cars for over 10+ years, I love the peace and quiet of the GPS enabled 9500ix.

I will take another look at 9500ix.

Do you miss V1's extra sensitivity at highway speeds, especially to laser:
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

I know V1 triggers more false alerts, but the only ones that drive me mad are blind-spot detection radar falses from Audi's.
Is 9500ix susceptible to those?

a