Great Laser Jammer / Radar system

[MotherTucker]

I found a very high quality laser jammer / radar detector system that installs very nicely in the R8. It's the Beltronics RX-75 Pro Plus system. The main unit fits perfectly between the radio console and the AC console, and the gray bezel on it matches the R8 interior perfectly.



The laser jammer portion of this works amazingly well. When it detects laser light, it sends back light of the same frequency which confuses the laser gun. I have had policemen follow me after an unsuccessful laser attempt, and they went past me to turn around and look at the front to try to find out why they could not laser me. Usually, they just do a quick blast, then a longer blast trying to get a reading, and then they give up and move on. Here in the USA, it's illegal to broadcast radio waves without a license, but it's not illegal to shine light. So it's not illegal other than in the same 6 states where radar detectors are outlawed. And it works great. The radar detection portion of it is good, although not as good as a Valentine because it has only a single front radar detector, so it doesn't tell you where the radar source is. But it's ability to ignore false readings like door openers is a lot better than the Valentine.

Here's a link to the manufacturer's site: https://www.beltronics.com/store/rx75-plus.html You want the Plus model as that includes the bezel (and also the remote speaker that gives it voice generation). You can search around for where to buy it cheapest, but it generally sells for around $1000 USD. Most places that sell it recommend professional installation only. Personally, I don't trust those shops to do a slow and carefull job, since time is money to them and chances are they've never touched an R8 before. So I installed it. Here's some quick notes and pictures.

I put the 2 front laser units in the front grill. I cut one grill support for each one carefully with a hand coping saw. I used industrial velcro to hold the units but allow them to be removed easily if the front grill ever needs to be removed. The velcro in the picture looks whiter than it does in person, and the laser units also appear red here due to the flash, but they are really black and it looks fine in person. I ran the wires out the upper right corner of the air intake duct by pushing back the rubber a bit there.


If you remove the front driver's side headlight assembly, there is a great spot under it for the radar detector module. I believe it's where the headight washer unit goes, I have a USA spec car that doesn't have headlight washers. It's only got plastic in front of it, so it's completely hidden from view but doesn't have the radar blocked by metal. I used cable ties to secure it to the rubber there. Here's a picture showing the laser unit wires (green arrow) and where the radar unit would be under the headlight.


From there the laser and radar wires all go around the back of the luggage well and then thru the front firewall by going into and thru the big rubber accordian grommet behind the windshield washer fluid reservior, which routes them right to the fuse box area:


The rear laser unit goes on the bottom of the rear license plate. I ran the wire up under the rear center body panel there, by removing that panel and threading the wire up and to the right.


From there, I ran the wire forward to the passenger side of the rear firewall (green arrow):


Like the front firewall, I ran the wire thru the big wiring harness accordian grommet which comes out behind the speaker panel. You just cut a slit in the rubber on both sides and shove thru a thick wire or similar tool to pull the wire back thru. I don't have the B&O stereo, so the speakers are not there which is handy.




I ran the rear laser wire along the bottom of the passenger door, by shoving it up under the door trim, and routed it to the fuse panel at the passenger's feet. So that's it for the sensors.

To get switched accessory power for the RX-75, I removed the panels underneath the glove box, and tapped into the wires that go to the 12V socket on the back of the glove box. You need to consult the service manual to remove those panels, there are some tricky hidden screws.

The main unit fits perfectly if you put the "Plus" bezel on it, the bezel is a great friction fit that holds it in place. I used a single little piece of velcro on the bottom back end of it to hold that in place but still be removable. There's a handy separate mute button that goes great just to the left of the shift knob:


The wires go out towards the fuse box under the passenger knee pad, which snaps right off:


The unit has a central junction box that all the wires plug in to. I removed the aluminum panel, and connected it all up there and then neatly wrapped up all the cables using cable ties. There's lots of room for it all there. You can see the central junction box here:


Lastly, there's a separate powered speaker that adds digital voice and lets you turn the volume down because it adds a speaker near your left ear. I put it in the driver's side rear speaker hole. There's a handy screw there for mounting it. I ran the wires under the carpeted board to the passenger side of the tunnel to join up with the wires from the main unit.


So that's it. A very good unit, looks great, works great. Hope this is helpful for someone.

mt

[EdoctaT]

Very nice work!
Do you have pictures of your car somewhere?
What color is that?

[MotherTucker]

Pictures: 2009 Brilliant Red at Sebring Matter of fact, you can see the laser jammers in the pictures. They stood up to 140MPH winds there!

It's standard Brilliant Red. I was using an LED flashlight in addition to the camera flash, and so the colors vary a bit.

[R8Taiwan]

Great write -- looks like something I might want to do for all my cars.. LOL

I wonder if there's any other place to put the 2 front laser units other than cutting the front grill....?

[Jimmyz]

The Belltronic laser jammer/radar detector system is basically the same system as the Escort Passport 9500ci, except for the fact that the Escort system has more features and a better screen/user interface, so I don't see why anyone would get the Belltronics system unless they did not know about the Escort system. My dad installed the K40 Calibre with front and rear laser jammers, which has the benefit of having a rear radar detector and instead of a screen, it uses a Bluetooth remote and 2 small hidden blue LEDs. I am currently deciding if I want the same K40 system he got or the 9500ci on my incoming Audi S5. They both have their benefits and disadvanteges (the Escort has GPS technology to block out false alarms, and warn you of usually used speed traps, speed cameras and redlight cameras, and it also has a second front laser jammer, and some say they like the display over just blue lights, plus the system got great reviews online. The K40 system has a rear radar detector, whereas the Escort only has a front one, it has no screen so it is stealth, and it uses bluetooth, so there is no need to feed wires through the firewall, and it makes it easier to install/remove, and lastly, although the K40 system gets bad reviews online, every radar system installer says the K40 system is much better than the Escort system, and K40 will pay your first speeding ticket during the first year of ownership and only if the cop used radar to catch you). There is also a cost issue, as the K40 system with front and rear laser jammers usually costs 500 to 1000 dollars more than the 9500ci, but I was able to negotiate 50% off all dealer added acessories, so for me, the K40 may even be cheaper than the Escort, but will probably cost the same, which is 1700 dollars installed for the K40 system on the S5 (which isn't exactly 50% off, as the usual dealer price is 2750, but they got it down as low as they can without losing any money, since the have a 2nd part to install the kit, and they charge the dealership 1700 bucks, which is no BS as my dad got the same deal when he got his K40 installed, and as I was there when the guy (who was like 21 years old, LOL, but you can tell he was a professional, and as good as anyone else, if not better), and I saw the bill made out to Audi, which was something like $1724.32, which means the did lose 25 bucks since the dealer charged him 1700 flat, LOL.

[MotherTucker]

Thanks JimmyZ, that's good information about those other models. This thread will be a good reference for others when looking for and installing a laser/radar system.

Also, you win an award for writing the longest sentence in the history of man

mt

[SFR8]

good job mt - you are one heck of a handyman/electrician. I would never dreamed of doing this myself. How long did it take you?

[MotherTucker]

I wonder if there's any other place to put the 2 front laser units other than cutting the front grill....?

You could try to put them in the grills under the headlights, but then you have to cut big holes in the grill there. It's less invasive to put them where I did. It's also where the instructions tell you to put them, because the size of the laser spot is roughly 1-2 feet in diameter by the time it hits you, and the police may aim for either the license plate in the center, or the headlights. That location works with both. I saved the pieces I cut out, they could be glued back in, but you really wouldn't notice them missing without looking very closely I think.

. How long did it take you?

I didn't really keep track. I enjoy working on cars as a hobby at night. Maybe 16 hours? I did a slow and careful job, figuring things out as I went.

mt

[dk996tt]

That looks like a great install! I was just pulled over the other day in my S65 and the cop saw my laser diffuser mounted on my front bumper. Even though i handed him a FOP card, he just wrote the ticket. It looks like a cop could easily spot the rear laser unit beneath the license plate.

[bz888]

Great write up!! Thanks for the effort!