Valentine One radar detector via ODB2 isn't working

[steven315]

I just tried to install the V1 Radar detector through the odb2 connector which allow the detector to turn on at different mph. No luck. No voltage. If I plug into the cigarette, it works.

Please help.

Thank you in advance

Steve

 

[HankLloydRight]

The OBDII connector in the Tesla is neutered. It doesn't supply any information like in an ICE vehicle. It only provides +12v. So really no other "normal" OBDII device will work.

Not only that, the Model S has a coated windshield which blocks >90% of any radar signal, so it's pretty useless anyway inside the cabin. And believe me, I'm a long-term V1 fan, and I could not get it to work anywhere (even "behind the dots"). Other people claim varying success, but in the end, it's been proven not to work well at all. Even Mike Valentine owns a Tesla (I believe it's his wife's), and knows about the problem, but so far, there is no workaround.

I even tried to mount it inside the nosecone (losing all laser alerts and rear radar) and that didn't work either.

I ended up like most other MS owners and installed a Belltronics Stir+ or Escort 9500ci hardwired detector.

Finally, search the forum for "valentine one" or "radar detector" to find lots of threads on the subject.

 

[R0b_]

I had the same problem as OP. Brought my V1 + savvy to drive back from picking up the car. I get no power at all via OBDII port. My lighter socket adapter died a long time ago, but it looks like it wouldn't matter anyway.
SO SAD. V1 has saved my ass so many times over it isn't funny, I didn't want to have to swap to escort/bel.
:-(

 

[chillaban]

Note that it’s kind of exciting times in the remote detector market. Escort just announced the MaxCi and Max360Ci which are a digital successor to the 9500ci and the 360 config even has arrows!

 

[HankLloydRight]

I had the same problem as OP. Brought my V1 + savvy to drive back from picking up the car. I get no power at all via OBDII port. My lighter socket adapter died a long time ago, but it looks like it wouldn't matter anyway.
SO SAD. V1 has saved my ass so many times over it isn't funny, I didn't want to have to swap to escort/bel.
:-(

The OBDII port should still provide +12v (unswitched) on pin 16 (+) and pins 4 or 5 (ground). I used the product below many times to sap power from OBDII in both my Model Ss.

If the SAVVY is looking for any other OBDII signal to activate, you're out of luck. But you absolutely can get +12v from the Tesla OBDII port.

Amazon.com: GPSit OBD II OBD2 Power Adapter Harness: Car Electronics

 

[HankLloydRight]

Escort just announced the MaxCi and Max360Ci which are a digital successor to the 9500ci and the 360 config even has arrows!

Have you seen the price point of the Max360ci yet?

 

[chillaban]

Have you seen the price point of the Max360ci yet?

Yeah it’s steep but it’s pretty much two 9500ci’s and then some!

If you’re not a DIY guru, the labor for a nice shop to install your system is not cheap, so in my opinion it’s generally better to do it right the first time compared to having regrets later on and paying double labor to rip out the old system and put in a newer one.

 

[HankLloydRight]

If you’re not a DIY guru, the labor for a nice shop to install your system is not cheap, so in my opinion it’s generally better to do it right the first time compared to having regrets later on and paying double labor to rip out the old system and put in a newer one.

Yeah, I was lucky to get a Belltronics STiR+ with laser shifters factory refurb on Ebay for $900. But then paid $1200 to have it professionally installed. While I am a DIY guy and have installed all kinds of things into cars (radars, stereos, dashcams, flux capacitors, other kits and accessories)... they did a great job -- much better than I could have done, so yeah, it's worth it!

And then when I sold my P85+, I had the same shop de-install the radar unit for $400, and re-install it into my newly acquired P85D for $1000, as well as upgrade the laser shifters from the old ZR4 to the newer LSP units for another $600. It's sounds expensive, sure, but a lot less than speeding tickets and especially insurance surcharges. It's also a completely stealth install, which I like. The only thing I miss is the directional arrows from the V1... but I'm not going to upgrade to the Max360ci anytime soon.

 

[chillaban]

Yeah, I was lucky to get a Belltronics STiR+ with laser shifters factory refurb on Ebay for $900. But then paid $1200 to have it professionally installed. While I am a DIY guy and have installed all kinds of things into cars (radars, stereos, dashcams, flux capacitors, other kits and accessories)... they did a great job -- much better than I could have done, so yeah, it's worth it!

And then when I sold my P85+, I had the same shop de-install the radar unit for $400, and re-install it into my newly acquired P85D for $1000, as well as upgrade the laser shifters from the old ZR4 to the newer LSP units for another $600. It's sounds expensive, sure, but a lot less than speeding tickets and especially insurance surcharges. It's also a completely stealth install, which I like. The only thing I miss is the directional arrows from the V1... but I'm not going to upgrade to the Max360ci anytime soon.

I feel like if you already have a custom install system, it's probably rarely worth ripping it out and installing a new one. But if you don't have anything installed currently, it might be worth waiting for the jury to come back on some of the new products and options out there!

 

[myblubu]

Have you seen the price point of the Max360ci yet?

How much is the new one??? I have the 9500ci w/front and rear laser shifters installed in a MS that I'm selling and considering if I want to move it to my other MS. Love the 9500ci and was thinking about getting one for my new MX, but I installed my V1 in it and it's working fine. Just wondering if it's worth moving the 9500ci to the other MS or buying the new version. It would be hard for me to imagine the improvements on the new version - the existing one is awesome!

 

[HankLloydRight]

How much is the new one??? I have the 9500ci w/front and rear laser shifters installed in a MS that I'm selling and considering if I want to move it to my other MS. Love the 9500ci and was thinking about getting one for my new MX, but I installed my V1 in it and it's working fine. Just wondering if it's worth moving the 9500ci to the other MS or buying the new version. It would be hard for me to imagine the improvements on the new version - the existing one is awesome!

The Max360ci MSRP is $3,500! If you only want front facing radar and laser, a lower level model will start at $3k.

Escort Max Ci 360 & Max Ci Review: Custom Installed Radar Detectors Deliver Serious Capabilities

Add installation costs. If you can drop $4k-$5k on the new system, by all means do it, it sounds totally awesome.

If you can't, you can still get the 9500ci new on ebay for about $1k (Escort no longer sells it new).

 

[wcfinvader]

Just so you know most cops don't leave their radar on. They only turn it on when they think someone is speeding so radar detectors are a lot less effective than they used to be. If a cop has a laser gun there isn't even any way to get advance notice of it. Basically in today's world by the time a radar/laser detector goes off the cop already has you clocked. A majority of police that I've talked to will ticket you automatically if they see a radar detector as well.

My solution to this is to run Waze while driving. This gives you advance knowledge of where cops are sitting. You see a cop all you have to do is push a button and it gets listed for other drivers. It's very effective on I-80 in Nebraska anyhow.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Just so you know most cops don't leave their radar on. They only turn it on when they think someone is speeding so radar detectors are a lot less effective than they used to be. If a cop has a laser gun there isn't even any way to get advance notice of it. Basically in today's world by the time a radar/laser detector goes off the cop already has you clocked. A majority of police that I've talked to will ticket you automatically if they see a radar detector as well.

This is completely not true. For regular radar to work (as long as it's not instant-on or POP radar) it has to be turned on and working. They can't just "turn it on" to clock you. Even POP radar and laser guns can give you good advanced warnings and bounced reflections from cars in front of you.

90% of the radar I intercept is always-on radar, since most people do not have detectors. I get alerts 1/2 mile to a mile or more ahead of the cops.

And with Laser guns, the stealth products we're talking about here reflect and shift the laser signal to confuse the laser guns long enough for you to slow down and let the cop get a good reading. Laser detectors and shifters are very effective if you know how to use them properly.

Also, a cop can't just write you a ticket because you have a detector. They actually have to catch you speeding and provide the proof. Having a detector means he might not give you a break. But the stealth installed systems like the Escort or Belltronics (and even Valentine1 if installed properly) are undetectable to the cops.

WAZE is a good adjunct to radar, but the data goes stale very quickly. About 60% of the cop alerts I see on there, the cop has already moved on. Another 30% of cop alerts on WAZE are a cop that already has someone pulled over or attending to an accident Those are useless. Maybe 10% of the time is it an actual, active cop running a speed trap.

But if you have a $99 radar detector from Autozone, then yeah, those don't offer you much protection. It's a simple risk/reward scenario.

 

[Lloyd]

Note that it’s kind of exciting times in the remote detector market. Escort just announced the MaxCi and Max360Ci which are a digital successor to the 9500ci and the 360 config even has arrows!

Very Pricey $$$ ! The ci 360 Front only unit starts at $3000.00 Upgraded units with shifting and rear detection will be released later.

Front and rear with shifters is $3495.00

 

[chillaban]

Just so you know most cops don't leave their radar on. They only turn it on when they think someone is speeding so radar detectors are a lot less effective than they used to be. If a cop has a laser gun there isn't even any way to get advance notice of it. Basically in today's world by the time a radar/laser detector goes off the cop already has you clocked. A majority of police that I've talked to will ticket you automatically if they see a radar detector as well.

My solution to this is to run Waze while driving. This gives you advance knowledge of where cops are sitting. You see a cop all you have to do is push a button and it gets listed for other drivers. It's very effective on I-80 in Nebraska anyhow.

The 360Ci we are talking about is both a radar receiver and a laser jammer which will hold off laser readings until you press the mute switch twice.

Your characterization is a bit doomsday. Police still use always-on radar and even with instant-on they will often shoot traffic in front. Waze is nice but people are not very good at reporting well-hidden police traps, and the police are also aware of Waze and move once they see themselves spotted.


You are indeed unlikely to get off with a warning if they see a radar detector. That's one of many reasons why a concealed detector like the 360Ci is appealing to hardcore radar detector users. I personally think begging for a warning is a pretty poor plan — if you are pulled over, it's pretty much game over. Much better to avoid that in the first place.

 

[wcfinvader]

This is completely not true. For regular radar to work (as long as it's not instant-on or POP radar) it has to be turned on and working. They can't just "turn it on" to clock you. Even POP radar and laser guns can give you good advanced warnings and bounced reflections from cars in front of you.

90% of the radar I intercept is always-on radar, since most people do not have detectors. I get alerts 1/2 mile to a mile or more ahead of the cops.

And with Laser guns, the stealth products we're talking about here reflect and shift the laser signal to confuse the laser guns long enough for you to slow down and let the cop get a good reading. Laser detectors and shifters are very effective if you know how to use them properly.

Also, a cop can't just write you a ticket because you have a detector. They actually have to catch you speeding and provide the proof. Having a detector means he might not give you a break. But the stealth installed systems like the Escort or Belltronics (and even Valentine1 if installed properly) are undetectable to the cops.

WAZE is a good adjunct to radar, but the data goes stale very quickly. About 60% of the cop alerts I see on there, the cop has already moved on. Another 30% of cop alerts on WAZE are a cop that already has someone pulled over or attending to an accident Those are useless. Maybe 10% of the time is it an actual, active cop running a speed trap.

But if you have a $99 radar detector from Autozone, then yeah, those don't offer you much protection. It's a simple risk/reward scenario.

Of course they can't write a ticket for the detector but they have discretion to write a ticket for speeding or just give a warning. The majority I've talked to have said they won't even consider a warning if there is a radar detector present.

I'm unsure what a laser shifter is but a detector goes off when the cop pulls the trigger to shoot the beam of light to track your speed. By that point it's too late. The ones that use radar shut off their radar until they see a car that they want to check. There's little if any boot up time to get a reading.

I've ridden with many cops from Missouri and Iowa and they all do this that I rode with. There was only one cop that left his radar on when I rode with him and that was because he said went after other violations rather than speeding.


By the way Waze works well on I-80 in Nebraska. The info may get stale quick but it gives you an idea that there maybe and probably is a cop in the area.

 

[HankLloydRight]

I'm unsure what a laser shifter is but a detector goes off when the cop pulls the trigger to shoot the beam of light to track your speed. By that point it's too late.

Look it up, or read what I wrote. Laser shifters give you plenty of time to adjust your speed before being "clocked".

I haven't had a single speeding ticket in the last 25 years when using a radar/laser detector. And I speed *a lot*.

The single time I did get a ticket was one month after I got my MS and before I had a detector installed.

 

[Electric Dream]

I've had Valentine Ones for many years now. In the UK, there are no hand-held radar guns being used by the Police any more, they all use laser guns.

The V1 is sensitive enough to pick up light scatter from a cop targetting a vehicle ahead of mine, so it IS possible to get a warning with the laser detector and slow down before the cop points it at me. It's saved me in this way many times.

In the UK, laser jamming can now get you a prison sentence (I kid you not), so although I used to use one, I don't bother any more.

On the subject of the Savvy, I have two of these and I'm pretty sure it does not use the power (if present) on the car's OBD port. I have them wired into my cars using the hard-wired 12V kit Valentine sell. The Savvy gets it's power from that and just uses the OBD CANbus connection to monitor speed.

I tried Waze and in the UK at least, there aren't enough users to make it reliable enough. I currently use a V1 and a device which monitors the radio system used by our emergency services to detect potential speed traps.