DIY 2014 Si -- DIY radar detector/electronics hardwire

¡Däs Boot!

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So if you're like me, and have just way too many electronic devices in your car spewing wires all over the place, or want to simply make your radar detector look cleaner, then take a look at this DIY!

Supplies:
Add a circuit, the 2014 civic si uses low profile mini fuses it looks like this:



Valentine one or other radar detector hardwire kit, it simply needs a positive and negative lead, mine looked like this:
IMG_1026.jpg


As you can see above, it has a black negative wire for ground, and the positive wire for plugging into the fusebox.

Finally, 6-10 feet of telephone cord or straight power wire for your radar detector, and some electrical tape.




Step 1, assembling your add a circuit (no picture): as seen in the above photo of the hard-wire kit, the positive lead has a plug, for a thing called a vampire cable... we don't want to use that. First thing to do is simply chop it off with a scissors, then use the scissors to strip the end of the wire. You then take the wire end of your add a circuit, shove your positive lead into the add a circuit, and clamp shut with a pliers. As far as the fuse size for the add a circuit, use any size you choose, because a radar detector uses very little current.

Step 2, mount your hidden display: on my setup, I chose to purchase a hidden display, so that my radar detector can get better reception in an area that I could not see the module from. Also this keeps the detector hidden from police and other traffic looking to follow me and avoid a ticket. (note: I do not condone speeding ;) , and radar detectors are not illegal in my area, however some police do not appreciate the edge they give you)

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Step 3, hide your wires: I chose to mount my display on my visor, which required me to run a wire down the A pillar and through to the fuse box in the passenger compartment. As far as this goes, no matter where you install your detector or other product, going to the left side of the car is a good idea because that is where the fuse box is.
IMG_1564.JPG

IMPORTANT: As you can see above, the wire appears to thread out of the A pillar under the plastic covering the side curtain airbags. DO NOT thread your wire under this plastic, it risks accidental discharge of the airbag and can also potentially obstruct the airbag in the event of a crash, civics have excellent safety ratings, they're one of maybe three cars to survive a front angular crash there is no point in ruining it for a piece of electronics. Instead, thread your wire through the interior weather strip as shown below. once you run the wire down the rubber strip, you will notice by having it exit out the end of the A pillar it looks very clean.
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You run the wire down to the end of the A pillar, and simply remove the panel on the side of your car, with a tool as seen in the photo below. The clips come out fairly easily, and should not break upon removal. Once the panel is off you can run the wire for your detector, and hidden display if you choose through a hole behind the panel that leads down into the fuse box.
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Step 4, electronics: Whap that panel back into place, and head down under to the fuse box. At this point, you should have one or two power cables, and your Hard wire device in your hand. You will now want to plug in your power cables to the hard wire device, and plug your add a circuit into an empty fuse on the panel. I think fuse 23 on the '14 Si is ignition powered, however it is easy enough to check by simply plugging it into an empty fuse with the car off, if it turns on your device choose another slot. If it doesn't turn the device on, turn on your engine with it plugged in to check it will turn on with ignition.
IMG_1570.JPG In this photo I also have the add a circut for lights under the footwell that I installed using another tutorial on this site, both are ignition controlled.

You have to ground your electronic device, this is done simply enough by taking the negative wire and affixing it to any unpainted screw down there. Loosen it up a bit, shove the prong under there, then tighten it up tight again. There is a nice area in between the firewall and bottom rug to shove some extra ground wire into.
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Finally, you will have a whole bunch of extra wire bundled up, thankfully there is a nice little slot behind the fuse box almost designed for such a purpose! Shove all your extra wire into there and you're done! Turn on your car and check that everything works, that's it.
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Is there a DIY on how to do this by tapping into the map lights right above the rear view mirror? This is how I did it in my 2010 Si and it worked perfectly.
 
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