Anyone know how to open the rearview mirror?

[Digicrack]

I am in the final stages of installing the Escort 9500CI radar/laser detector in my R8 (Pictures and how to coming soon). I really want to install the display inside the rearview mirror so that it is below the compass display.

In order to do that I need to be able to open up the mirror housing. I have been working on it for some time now and can't find a way to pop it open. Do any of you have any ideas? I don't know if they glued it closed or it is just held by tabs......

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

[ianerrid]

I've had a dig through Bentley and can't see any help. It does warn about the danger of the electrolyte contained in the glass, so be careful if you break it!

[hmp10]

I'm trying to figure out how to put a 9500ci into my V10 when it arrives in July. Looking forward to seeing what solutions you come up with.

[Digicrack]

Thanks Ian - I used the audi manuals to know how to get it off the windshield but of course they say nothing about how to get into it.

hmp10, it isn't that hard of an install, just time consuming since the R8's are put together like tanks with lots of fasteners. No wonder it is expensive to repair since there is so much involved in getting into it. I have taken a lot of pictures and will be sharing what i learned and what I would do differently if I was to do it again.

[Digicrack]

Well I got into the mirror tonight. It is put together with very very tight press fit tabs all around the mirror. Some very careful work with a dremel got me past that hurdle.

Unfortunately the circuit board for the mirror is full length and there isn't enough of a gap to put anything behind the mirror.

Now onto plan B. Not sure what that is at the moment but it will be good.

[hmp10]

Someone here posted a link to a custom installation shop in Seattle that has done the 9500ci in a couple of R8's. They put the two small modules (control and readout) in a plastic panel under the ashtray lid. Although they were out of your line of sight, they were easily accessible but could be completely hidden simply by closing the lid.

I've been trying to find out how people are mounting the front lidar units. I've seen a few on V8 grills that either recess the units behind the vertical grill bars (and there's quite a debate on the internet about whether the lidar units can be even partially blocked without losing their sensitivity) or that cut through a couple of vertical bars. However, I have not seen an installation on a V10 where the grill openings are wider (7 vs. 9 openings counting across). So I've been wondering if the lidar units can be put between the V10 grill bars without cutting anything.

[Palmharbordogg]

Don't speed. That is why we have LEOs.

[Digicrack]

The lidar units fit perfectly between the vertical slats in the grill. The only downside is there isn't any room for the mounting bracket. Since the grill parts are angled and the lidar units have to be mounted to within 2.5 degrees of horizontal I had to figure out where was best to mount them.



I was lucky that the bottom part of the black band on the front grill is actually level. I used some double sided 3M mounting tape that stuck the units on for good. Just to be super safe that they would stay put at 190MPH I hot glued them into place from behind.



As far as the place in Seattle - I talked with them when i first got the car, but the price they wanted for doing the work was extreme. I love doing these kind of installs myself and couldn't imagine paying a couple thousand dollars for someone else to do it.

I really want the display unit to be line of sight so I won't put it in the ashtray. I was hoping it would fit inside the mirror since that would be the best. Now I am either going to make a pod that will integrate with the top of the mirror to house it or attach it to the headliner above the mirror along the edge of the windshield. Both of those will still be line of sight, and I will work on it this weekend and decide which I think will look better.

[hmp10]

The lidar units fit perfectly between the vertical slats in the grill.

Perfect! That's what I was hoping.

[Herbert]

Ai Design, located in New York, appears to have found a way to do it in the mirror:

http://www.aidesign.com/what-we-do/e...ser-protection
http://www.aidesign.com/our-work---p...perties/ID-106
http://www.aidesign.com/our-work---p...perties/ID-191