Now have a junk 945

[Carolina 5-O]

Left the headlights on on my van, totally discharging the battery . After jumping it off my 945 began blurting out road hazard warnings at every signal detection. I tried the factory reset to no avail :cry: . Now, this was given to me as a gift in July but the serial # says it's a 04 model. I called BEL and spoke to a customer service rep, informing him of all of the vital info. He instructed me to send it in and they would reflash it free of charge . Well a week has passed and I get a call today saying it will be $59.95. I wouldn't have spent $10 UPS sending it back if they had told me that to begin with. My point, don't believe what BEL reps tell you ...... I'll be buying another detector NOT a Beltronics! I've never had a detector need to be reprogrammed because of a dead battery.:roll: Guess I'll be going back to an Escort, something with QUALITY!!

[jdong]

Err.... will an Escort REALLY be any different from a Bel these days?

[MEM-TEK]

Just curious, did they mention if anything needed to be repaired in the RD aside from also doing the flash? Jumping off a car effectively puts two alternators onto both cars' electronic circuitry. This can result in very nasty voltage spikes which can fry the voltage regulator and/or the diodes inside an alternator, and can damage other electronic car powered devices. Car audio electronics don't get damaged because they have R-C filters built into them to prevent alternator hum from being heard through your car stereo's speakers. Yet small electronic packages such as GPS receivers and radar detectors have no chokes in them to block sudden voltage spikes. Thus I strongly suspect that something inside your RD got popped rather than its flash getting corrupted.

[Carolina 5-O]

I didn't jump it with another car, instead a jump box. It didn't bother my Garmin ......... BEL "explained" to me that ANY repair AT ALL to an out of warranty detector was $59.95........despite what the customer service rep told me. The biggest part that pi$$es me off is being told one thing and then not backing it up!

[Carolina 5-O]

Err.... will an Escort REALLY be any different from a Bel these days?

Actually I don't know what I'll buy. I used the old "classic" Escort up until Ka became so widely used ..... a superb X & K detector. Guess I'll have to bone up on the current favorites. I'm not a speed demon since I get paid by the hour to drive so the detector is more a "security blanket" than anything else. I've used one for so long I feel naked without one. You know the feeling!

[MEM-TEK]

I didn't jump it with another car, instead a jump box. It didn't bother my Garmin ......... BEL "explained" to me that ANY repair AT ALL to an out of warranty detector was $59.95........despite what the customer service rep told me.

I don't think that the jump box would damage your RD other than possibly causing its flash to become corrupted. I'm glad you cleared that up.

Call Escort (not Bel) and ask to speak with Dan or Dave. Both are really good dudes who will listen if you calmly explain the situation. Ask them to check and see if your 945 is in actual need of repair rather than just a simple flash. If it isn't in actual need of repair then explain that the CS rep you talked to before you sent in your 945 specifically told you that the flash would be free and that this misinformation is not your fault.

Let us know how it turns out.

[jimbonzzz]

Just curious, did they mention if anything needed to be repaired in the RD aside from also doing the flash? Jumping off a car effectively puts two alternators onto both cars' electronic circuitry. This can result in very nasty voltage spikes which can fry the voltage regulator and/or the diodes inside an alternator, and can damage other electronic car powered devices. Car audio electronics don't get damaged because they have R-C filters built into them to prevent alternator hum from being heard through your car stereo's speakers. Yet small electronic packages such as GPS receivers and radar detectors have no chokes in them to block sudden voltage spikes. Thus I strongly suspect that something inside your RD got popped rather than its flash getting corrupted.

MEM-TEK: In the interest of not misleading anyone, I sugggest that you closely examine the power supply section of any modern BEL (or any detector for that matter), and then re-think and edit any incorrect statements you might have made above

[Carolina 5-O]

Is Escort BEL now or what?

I've already told the "lady" to send my 945 back to me.

[MEM-TEK]

Is Escort BEL now or what?

I've already told the "lady" to send my 945 back to me.

Escort has owned Bel now for a while. Still, try giving Escort a call to see if they still have your RD and if they will honor their verbal commitment to reflash your 945 for free.

[jdong]

Is Escort BEL now or what?

I've already told the "lady" to send my 945 back to me.

Escort has owned Bel now for a while. Still, try giving Escort a call to see if they still have your RD and if they will honor their verbal commitment to reflash your 945 for free.

Yeah, it's worth a shot to see if they'll hold up on their word. But nowadays Escort/Bel are the same people, more or less the same types of products and same quality builds. Might be a good time to do a bit more research instead of just picking a loyal brand name (not saying Escort isn't good -- just saying both companies have changed and it's time to perhaps update your research)