OT: opinions on radar detectors

[Jrogville]

My Valentine One detector that I've had for about 20 years has recently started to malfunction in that it's giving me almost constant warnings on the interstate. I've decided that 20 years is probably enough service and I should go ahead and get a new one. The question is do I replace it with a new Valentine that I can get for $289 plus shipping with their upgrade program (a $110 discount)? Or go for another brand?

I've been reading reviews that say the Escort beats the Valentine on false alarms, but out on the open highway, the Valentine has a longer detection range. I know there are better systems that cost over $2k, but that's beyond my interest or need.

What do you think?

 

[boonedocks]

What are you trying by to avoid

 

[Jrogville]

The long arm of the law.

 

[Tiger]

You mean the long reaching arm?

 

[Jrogville]

That too.

 

[vandacca]

Today, I would definitely recommend the Valentine!

 

[jpaz]

Be sure to also get Laser detection, whatever you do.

 

[Jrogville]

Had an interesting conversation with customer service at Valentine Research in connection with upgrading my unit. I mentioned I had an electric car and she asked which one. Told her the Tesla Model X. She then asked whether it was AP1 or AP2. When I told her AP1, she then said that the detector wouldn't work because Teslas has a metallic layer on their windshields.

I mentioned that while my old unit had not worked on my Model S, once I switched to the MX, it started working again. I asked her where they got that information and she said it was Tesla that had told them.

While my experience is that the Valentine 1 works on the X, I can't really tell whether range is degraded, but what I have read on this forum was that it worked just as well as in non-Tesla cars. I wonder if there is any new information out there?

 

[flyinghawaiian]

Had an interesting conversation with customer service at Valentine Research in connection with upgrading my unit. I mentioned I had an electric car and she asked which one. Told her the Tesla Model X. She then asked whether it was AP1 or AP2. When I told her AP1, she then said that the detector wouldn't work because Teslas has a metallic layer on their windshields.

I mentioned that while my old unit had not worked on my Model S, once I switched to the MX, it started working again. I asked her where they got that information and she said it was Tesla that had told them.

While my experience is that the Valentine 1 works on the X, I can't really tell whether range is degraded, but what I have read on this forum was that it worked just as well as in non-Tesla cars. I wonder if there is any new information out there?

When I look at our X through our nest cam in IR mode, the windshield has a very silvery look to it. Our Audi though, doesn't. I assume its the metallic coating.

We stopped using our radar detector since it didn't really work on our S, I just assumed it wouldn't work on the X either

 

[VikH]

When I look at our X through our nest cam in IR mode, the windshield has a very silvery look to it. Our Audi though, doesn't. I assume its the metallic coating.

We stopped using our radar detector since it didn't really work on our S, I just assumed it wouldn't work on the X either

Tesla stopped putting metallic coatings on the S sometime in 2016. The X has a coating up to the bottom of the rear view mirror. As long as the detector is mounted below that point, it should work relatively well.

 

[flyinghawaiian]

Tesla stopped putting metallic coatings on the S sometime in 2016. The X has a coating up to the bottom of the rear view mirror. As long as the detector is mounted below that point, it should work relatively well.

Thanks. I guess it's time to dust off our radar detector