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FCP Euro Service Kits

FCP Euro Kits

Vehicle accessories like radar detectors are often thrown in cars haphazardly; Users stick them on the windshield, plug it into the 12v socket, and drive. While this has no negative impact on its effectiveness, a radar detector is stealthiest when it is tucked out of the way without any wires showing.

As a bit of a wiring fanatic, I made sure that this radar detector was installed as stealthily as possible. The best part about hardwiring a radar detector is the fact that it doesn't take up any 12v outlets in the glovebox or center console. As this vehicle will be used for an upcoming 800-mile road rally this summer, any and all charging ports will need to be free so our navigation devices can be charged on the road!

 

Installation

For this installation, we went with what is generally considered the best overall radar detector on the market - the Valentine One. Unlike other detectors on the market, this one comes with a coiled-wire 12V adapter and a straight-cable hardwire kit in the box. No additional purchase necessary.

To begin, sit in the passenger seat, the majority of the work will occur over here.

Inside the glovebox is a 12v outlet, we will be tapping into the feed line for this outlet in order to power the Valentine One.

Remove a good amount of the rubber door trim along the entire A-pillar, and down past the door hinges.

Open the glovebox, then pry off the side panel.

Remove the lower kick panel underneath the dashboard. Three T15 torx fasteners hold this in.

Unplug the light on the lower kick panel and remove it from the vehicle.

 

Glovebox Removal

Disconnect the glovebox from the vehicle by removing all of the T15 screws holding it in.

There is a tricky screw at the bottom left of the glovebox. I was able to crack this loose with my 1/4" ratchet attached to the bit, then unscrewed it with my fingers only.

Let the glovebox rest on the ground, no need to disconnect anything further.

Locate the wire you'll be working with behind the 12V outlet in the glovebox. The striped 12V wire will need to be tapped.

An easy ground to bolt the wire to is directly behind the glovebox. Unscrew it a little with a 10mm socket, then tighten it with the wire attached, pointing upwards so as not to interfere with the glovebox when it is reinstalled.

With the wires connected, I zip tied the bundle of excess wires together and stuffed them up and to the right of the blower fan.

 

A-Pillar Removal

The A-Pillar can be tricky to remove, be extremely careful not to break anything. It took some fighting, but I was able to get it after some careful persuasion.

Carefully prying back the top of the pillar, take a peek inside. There are two clips that hold it to the vehicle, one up top and one towards the middle of the pillar.

The pillar needs to be pried back, then slid up towards the roof before prying outwards. If you pry outwards without sliding the pillar up first, the clip (and the pillar) will break or deform, rendering them useless. A very firm tug is necessary to slide the pillar up so the upper clip will be freed from this slot.

Here you can see the pillar removed from the vehicle:

And the upper clip on the pillar:

At this point, the vehicle probably looks like this:

Start routing the cable from out behind the glovebox, roughly along these lines.

It is imperative that the power cable is zip-tied to the existing wiring harness on the a-pillar. The curtain airbag cannot be impeded by any wiring, so follow the path that Mercedes used for the original wiring and you will be fine.

Continue to run the wiring above the mirror and to the radar detector on the driver's side upper windscreen. You are done!

 

Shop Mercedes Benz Parts Online Catalog Lifetime Warranty

 


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Written by :
Alex Fiehl


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