Safety recall

[PhotoEye]

Amazing to see this but I think I would prefer this to be like a restaurant experience. I don't want to see the mess that goes on in the back, I just want to see the nice presentation on my plate when it comes out.

Great to get the feedback from the place.

Really interesting and informative, hmp10. Thank you!

 

[hmp10]

I'm always afraid of rattles when work like is done for whatever reason.

This is the eighth car in which I've had remote radars installed. None of them developed any problems with rattles or panel misalignment in the process. I'm pretty optimistic about this.

 

[PhotoEye]

This is the eighth car in which I've had remote radars installed. None of them developed any problems with rattles or panel misalignment in the process. I'm pretty optimistic about this.

If only we all had access to your expert installers. I would hate to have a newbie cut their teeth with a Radenso install on a DE. Will take me a while to vet one in my area (not a newbie!).

 

[Paladin732]

This is the eighth car in which I've had remote radars installed. None of them developed any problems with rattles or panel misalignment in the process. I'm pretty optimistic about this.

You said the install was 10k, right? Have you spent 80k on radars?

 

[hmp10]

You said the install was 10k, right? Have you spent 80k on radars?

Nowhere close. There are several things going on. The equipment prices have been climbing steadily for several years as the electronics get more sophisticated. The installation is a lot more complex as cars keep getting more sensors and other features. EVs can bring additional complexity, such as the Tesla Plaid not having any circuits that shut down completely when the car powers off. (Several years ago these installs took 1-2 days. The last two have taken a full week.)

The install for the 2015 Tesla was around $4,000. The 2018 Honda Odyssey install topped $5,000. The Tesla install last August was just over $8,000. The Lucid edged past $10,000. (The primary difference between the Plaid and the Air is that I opted to add rear laser sensors on the Air. Police seldom fire lasers from the rear on surface streets and most often do so from overpasses on interstates, and we plan on using the Air for longer road trips instead of the Tesla.)

I'm not as crazy a driver as all this might suggest. But EVs -- and the Air moreso than any other I've driven -- can accumulate speed so quickly and so quietly that it takes constant vigilance not to hit high speeds. I don't use radar detectors as a means to drive dangerously with impunity. I use them to give me a warning when the speed at which I'm driving comfortably on open highways or in the flow of high-speed traffic might still get me singled out for a ticket.

 

[RichMalden]

Nowhere close. There are several things going on. The equipment prices have been climbing steadily for several years as the electronics get more sophisticated. The installation is a lot more complex as cars keep getting more sensors and other features. EVs can bring additional complexity, such as the Tesla Plaid not having any circuits that shut down completely when the car powers off. (Several years ago these installs took 1-2 days. The last two have taken a full week.)

The install for the 2015 Tesla was around $4,000. The 2018 Honda Odyssey install topped $5,000. The Tesla install last August was just over $8,000. The Lucid edged past $10,000. (The primary difference between the Plaid and the Air is that I opted to add rear laser sensors on the Air. Police seldom fire lasers from the rear on surface streets and most often do so from overpasses on interstates, and we plan on using the Air for longer road trips instead of the Tesla.)

I'm not as crazy a driver as all this might suggest. But EVs -- and the Air moreso than any other I've driven -- can accumulate speed so quickly and so quietly that it takes constant vigilance not to hit high speeds. I don't use radar detectors as a means to drive dangerously with impunity. I use them to give me a warning when the speed at which I'm driving comfortably on open highways or in the flow of high-speed traffic might still get me singled out for a ticket.

I know so little about these. Are the Radar guns not triggered? When the detector goes off haven't they already zapped you and it is too late?

 

[hmp10]

I know so little about these. Are the Radar guns not triggered? When the detector goes off haven't they already zapped you and it is too late?

You're referring to "instant on" radar. Police sometimes use it, and it's the form of speed detection against which radar detectors provide the least protection. However, there's a good chance that the police will also be using it on other cars as you approach and, if your detector has enough range, you'll get an alert that still gives you time to slow down before an officer takes aim at your car.

However, "instant on" radar is not favored by police departments these days. If polices officers are going to make the effort to aim at particular cars, they're more likely to use a laser gun, as fewer cars use laser detectors, and hitting one car with a laser gun will not alert other approaching cars to its use. The great majority of radar is used by police who are setting up a steady surveillance field.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

Nowhere close. There are several things going on. The equipment prices have been climbing steadily for several years as the electronics get more sophisticated. The installation is a lot more complex as cars keep getting more sensors and other features. EVs can bring additional complexity, such as the Tesla Plaid not having any circuits that shut down completely when the car powers off. (Several years ago these installs took 1-2 days. The last two have taken a full week.)

The install for the 2015 Tesla was around $4,000. The 2018 Honda Odyssey install topped $5,000. The Tesla install last August was just over $8,000. The Lucid edged past $10,000. (The primary difference between the Plaid and the Air is that I opted to add rear laser sensors on the Air. Police seldom fire lasers from the rear on surface streets and most often do so from overpasses on interstates, and we plan on using the Air for longer road trips instead of the Tesla.)

I'm not as crazy a driver as all this might suggest. But EVs -- and the Air moreso than any other I've driven -- can accumulate speed so quickly and so quietly that it takes constant vigilance not to hit high speeds. I don't use radar detectors as a means to drive dangerously with impunity. I use them to give me a warning when the speed at which I'm driving comfortably on open highways or in the flow of high-speed traffic might still get me singled out for a ticket.

I thought I was being aggressive having owned three different Valentine radar detectors over the years with four Porsches. When I'm driving "quickly" on the interstates I generally make sure to have a "pidgeon" or "rabbit" about 1/4 mile in front of me that I am pacing. That has worked quite well in combination with my detectors because he/she will trigger the instant on radar or even in some cases the laser (which the Valentine can also pick up although not as reliably as the radar). This has saved me on more occasions than I can count. My concern with the Lucid is that the detector can only be mounted in the lower right corner of the windshield so may not be nearly as effective but I will still have my "pidgeon".

 

[hmp10]

My concern with the Lucid is that the detector can only be mounted in the lower right corner of the windshield so may not be nearly as effective but I will still have my "pidgeon".

While it's better to mount radar detectors as high as possible, it's better to mount laser detectors much lower so that they catch the light beam that is usually aimed at the front grill. Thus, for combined radar/laser detectors, mounting low on the windshield is the optimal placement for portable units. A radar signal can be captured over a much winder angle than a laser signal. (Installed systems usually have the laser sensors mounted as low as possible and the radar antennas mounted higher.)

 

[borski]

While it's better to mount radar detectors as high as possible, it's better to mount laser detectors much lower so that they catch the light beam that is usually aimed at the front grill. Thus, for combined radar/laser detectors, mounting low on the windshield is the optimal placement for portable units. A radar signal can be captured over a much winder angle than a laser signal. (Installed systems usually have the laser sensors mounted as low as possible and the radar antennas mounted higher.)

Do you have a photo of both laser sensors / jammers in the front? I only see the one.

 

[hmp10]

Do you have a photo of both laser sensors / jammers in the front? I only see the one.

Here's one of the laser sensors. There is one on each side of the front air intake, and there will be two on the trunk under the lip above the license plate. The front radar sensor is immediately to the right of the lidar sensor under the LED light bar. It was so small and inconspicuous that it doesn't even show in a photo.

Here's the module to hold the display/control unit that the installer fabricated. The display will be slightly recessed to shade from glare through the glass canopy, and he covered the module in Alcantara to match that on the car doors. It will be mounted on the alpaca wool under-dash panel just under the left A/C vent so that it cannot be seen from outside the car.

 

[borski]

Here's one of the laser sensors. There is one on each side of the front air intake, and there will be two on the trunk under the lip above the license plate. The front radar sensor is immediately to the right of the lidar sensor under the LED light bar. It was so small and inconspicuous that it doesn't even show in a photo.


View attachment 960


Here's the module to hold the display/control unit that the installer fabricated. The display will be slightly recessed to shade from glare through the glass canopy, and he covered the module in Alcantara to match that on the car doors. It will be mounted on the alpaca wool under-dash panel just under the left A/C vent so that it cannot be seen from outside the car.

View attachment 961

Super helpful, thank you!

Curious; why’d you pick Radenso over Stinger? Just cost?

 

[hmp10]

Super helpful, thank you!

Curious; why’d you pick Radenso over Stinger? Just cost?

My installer recommended the Radenso for our Tesla Plaid, and I like it better than the Escort Passports we've used in several recent cars.

 

[borski]

My installer recommended the Radenso for our Tesla Plaid, and I like it better than the Escort Passports we've used in several recent cars.

Just curious, did you consider Stinger?

 

[hmp10]

Just curious, did you consider Stinger?

Haven't heard of Stinger . . . .

 

[hmp10]

I was looking up some information and came across a recent Consumer Guide report that included recall data on some 2022 EVs.

Lucid: 3
Mercedes EQS: 8
Tesla Modal S: 9

All have had recalls for issues that could compromise safety and, interestingly, both the EQS and Air have had recalls related to tow hooks letting go.

 

[MikeTz]

I was looking up some information and came across a recent Consumer Guide report that included recall data on some 2022 EVs.

Lucid: 3
Mercedes EQS: 8
Tesla Modal S: 9

All have had recalls for issues that could compromise safety and, interestingly, both the EQS and Air have had recalls related to tow hooks letting go.

I've seen tow track operators pull cars with the wheels locked in place (car not in neutral ? ) I have not seen any Lucids but I can imagine that happening. Not easy to make a hook that can drag a 6k pound car that is not freewheeling.