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12v switched power for Radar Detector

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The last part I would have liked to avoid was grounding the other wire. There weren't any bolts on the frame within reach so I had to drill a new hole. Went through two drill bits that weren't sharp enough, and a self-tapping sheet metal screw failed to penetrate as well. Finally got it drilled, but a bad ground connection here made me waste a lot of time because I thought the hot wire was the issue.

This hole is gone? I have this hole that I can screw in a ground wire on my 2021 Model 3.

From my post in a different switched 12V thread.




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Can verify that the red wire on the right side of the passenger footwell works as a switched 12v on the 2023 Model Y Performance. I wasn't sure if the trailer brake controller method on the driver's side would work on mine since I don't have the tow package, so I went with this method. In retrospect, I would have ordered the adapter and tried that first since it looked easier.

There are A LOT of red wires (not just 3). I counted 9 thin ones ranging from red to blood orange to slightly fuchsia, 1 thin red wrapped in thin blue, 1 thin red wrapped in thin white, 1 thick red wire (THIS is the one you want), 1 thick red wire wrapped in thick blue wire, 1 really thick red wire shown off to the left. The correct one was buried pretty deep in the bundle and took a decent amount of tape-cutting to access.

I thought finding the correct wire would have been the toughest part, but I had trouble tapping into the wire with the t-tap connector that came with the Uniden radar detector wire kit I had ordered (link). The blue connector it came with would have been fine for the thinner wires in the bundle, but probably needed a slightly larger awg wiretapper for the middle-size wire I tapped into.

The last part I would have liked to avoid was grounding the other wire. There weren't any bolts on the frame within reach so I had to drill a new hole. Went through two drill bits that weren't sharp enough, and a self-tapping sheet metal screw failed to penetrate as well. Finally got it drilled, but a bad ground connection here made me waste a lot of time because I thought the hot wire was the issue.

Got it working at the end though. Thanks to everyone else who'd already tried it and posted their pictures. 🍻


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Does this stay powered with sentry mode on? I tried finding this wire on my 2023 MYP and couldn't seem to get a voltage reading on any of the Red wires using a clip type multimeter.
 
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The brake controller harness worked for me also. I picked up the $4 pigtail harness from Tesla and confirmed that I am getting 15.5v switched power after plugging the harness into the female connector located in the driver's footwell. I connected the brake controller pigtail to the Blendmount hardwire kit for a Uniden R8 and it is working perfectly. The radar detector turns on when you open any door and turns off when you exit the vehicle and close the doors. Looks like Tesla has fixed whatever what was preventing the brake controller harness from not having switched power.

This is on a 2023 MYLR with the factory tow package. Build date is 10/23 at Fremont.
 
If you have the tow package, I strongly suggest using this approach:
. The adapter is incredibly affordable at just $4, and the installation process is exceptionally straightforward. Works great on my '23 MYP.
Note, this will only work of you have factory tow package ticked....otherwise it's software blocked and no power to the socket.
 
Can verify that the red wire on the right side of the passenger footwell works as a switched 12v on the 2023 Model Y Performance. I wasn't sure if the trailer brake controller method on the driver's side would work on mine since I don't have the tow package, so I went with this method. In retrospect, I would have ordered the adapter and tried that first since it looked easier.

There are A LOT of red wires (not just 3). I counted 9 thin ones ranging from red to blood orange to slightly fuchsia, 1 thin red wrapped in thin blue, 1 thin red wrapped in thin white, 1 thick red wire (THIS is the one you want), 1 thick red wire wrapped in thick blue wire, 1 really thick red wire shown off to the left. The correct one was buried pretty deep in the bundle and took a decent amount of tape-cutting to access.

I thought finding the correct wire would have been the toughest part, but I had trouble tapping into the wire with the t-tap connector that came with the Uniden radar detector wire kit I had ordered (link). The blue connector it came with would have been fine for the thinner wires in the bundle, but probably needed a slightly larger awg wiretapper for the middle-size wire I tapped into.

The last part I would have liked to avoid was grounding the other wire. There weren't any bolts on the frame within reach so I had to drill a new hole. Went through two drill bits that weren't sharp enough, and a self-tapping sheet metal screw failed to penetrate as well. Finally got it drilled, but a bad ground connection here made me waste a lot of time because I thought the hot wire was the issue.

Got it working at the end though. Thanks to everyone else who'd already tried it and posted their pictures. 🍻


View attachment 942129

Any update if this thick red wire in the photo is the correct wire for crimping to get access to 12V? I used this wire and I have power, but my Uniden R8 does not power off after leaving the car (unless I turn on battery saver which kicks in after an hour).
 
This is the money post right here. I watched several YT vids. I tried all kinds of red wires and nothing was switched. Also did not know what wire loom exactly as most YT vids just said it is "the one in the back". Well there are three "in the back".

This is the key. Their is only ONE that does a LOOP as mentioned by @Pics999. Also he describes it is NOT the one bigger red wrapped around a blue. That leaves three more. This switched red is ever so slightly a more fuschia red and if you look at the other two you will see what I mean. It even looks a little more pinkish in his pic. I never tried that one as I was only trying the typical bright red. Like I said it is only different if you have them all together. Also helped to remove a bit of the electrical tape with an exacto.

All works and we are radared up. Thanks.
View attachment 772128
Did you happen to take a photo of the correct red wire you could share?
 
I've got a 2023 Model Y from Fremont. None of the suggestions from youtube or from here I've tried for switched power have worked for me.....until now! The wire from the below video in the driver's side footwell seems to have 15v generally when the radio is on/available. It turns off when the door is closed and the car gets locked...even when sentry mode is turned on. This is better than using the cigarette lighter or USB plugs, since they stay on until the car is fully asleep (sentry mode off).

The wire is thin, so probably can't carry many amps. I'm going to add a relay to feed my accessories (ambient lights, wolfbox rear view mirror cam) from the thicker blue wire feeding the center console cigarette lighter. That can be tapped under the back side of the center console's CAN bus plug. Then I'll use this thin red wire from the video as a trigger for the relay.

If that works well, I'll probably do another relay between my penthouse tap going to my Orella Subwoofer Amp (which sounds amazing BTW). I noticed that the amp gets a little warm even when not in use. So hopefully that'll keep my range from getting mildly drained from lost heat energy.

 
Just wanted to thank all the trailblazers in this thread!

For those of you who have a 2024 MYLR from Austin, I can confirm that there is switched power source in the passenger side footwell. The power comes on when you sit in the driver’s seat and press the brake. It goes off when you exit the vehicle. You can see from the picture it was the thicker of two wires in the cable channel that were right on top of the bundle. I didn’t have to do any digging at all to get to it. To me it looks like it has an orangish tint to it. I just stuck a pin in it to pierce the insulation and validated that it was off with a 12v test light. Then I made sure it came on when seated in the driver's seat with the brake depressed.

I wanted a switched source for my Echo Auto as the existing Tesla USBs seem to stay on and I kept getting notifications that Echo Auto was ready to drive. I hooked up DC to USB A converter (12v - 24v input). I had a quick disconnect and an inline fuse on hand, so I added those into the harness. I used a blue Posi-Tap to make the connection to the switched 12v power source. There is a large ground bolt (10mm) in the door jamb that I loosened and slid a spade fork connector into that for the ground.

I mounted my Echo Auto under the glovebox and the Uniden R3 above the Tesla touchscreen. It was a breeze to route the wire to the radar detector, I just pushed in between the console and the dash with my finger....didn't even need a trim tool. I already had a USB A to radar detector cable, so I just repurposed it to this setup. The phone is held to the back of the Tesla touchscreen with two magnetic phone mounts stuck together (I had used these in another car to hang it under a rearview mirror, so I repurposed them here). The radar and Echo Auto power down as soon as the driver gets out of the car, even before the Tesla touchscreen shuts off). For those that will complain the radar detector is too low, it is still probably higher up than a rearview mirror mount in a Corvette :) . Besides, I usually have Waze up on my Hansshow F68 display, so I know about the police miles ahead of time anyway. I also like that it is easier to reach the mute button on the radar as well.
 

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