Escort repair.

[dbmet]

I need to send mine in , but may try this out first since its out of Warranty..

[dpatel01]

I believe I am on my 3rd unit is this common?

Leaving the RD in the car in extreme climates will have adverse effects on its performance. You will see more reports of self cal/service required errors on this forum with Bel/Escort products. Its not that they're poorly made, but because they've had the ability to notify their owners if there are calibration problems. The newer versions of the V1 have this feature too, where it throws an "E" on the display. These service required/E features are useful becuase it saves you from having to send in the RD for repair, not knowing if there really is a problem or not.

[nicktg2n]

nice to know you can send it in. I'm new to the whole radar detector thing so im tryin to learn as much as possible. I just bought a 9500i

[JNewell]

Unbelievably useful post and you're a saint for having the patience to type that all out in such a clear fashion. I'm saving this one to the hard drive with the pdf copy of my manual!

Hi iceberg,

Before you send in your X50, you might want to give the following a try since your X50 is out of warranty. I know that you can't view links or images yet, so I will try to desribe as best as I can:

Lowes sells a small multi-bit Torx screwdriver under their Kobalt brand name. Its cheap and perfect for the job. Also pick up their similar multi-bit Phillips and flathead screwdriver. You will need both for the following. Also make sure that, while doing the following procedure, that you are seated, won't squirm around or rub your feet on the floor (generates static electricity), and are not wearing any synthetic clothing. Pure cotton clothing is fine.

Its possible that, simply, the scews which attach the horn to the circuit board are a bit loose. This can cause false alerts (usually on K or Ka bands), self calibration error messages, and service required messages. Opening up an X50 is easy. Remove the Torx screws on the bottom cover. The X50 has a snap catch where a fourth case screw would be near the serial number sticker. So, after removing the three bottom case screws, lift off the bottom cover while at the same time pivoting the bottom case cover about the corner located nearest the serial number sticker. The pivoting action will release the snap catch located on the side of the X50 near the serial number sticker.

Don't touch anything inside the RD once you have the bottom cover removed, with the exception of any of the three soldered "bars" which you will see near the side of the circuit board which has the volume knob. These "bars" actually are bent over and soldered through-hole tabs which hold the X50's laser circuitry RF shield in place. These "bars" are grounded, so you should keep a finger on one of these tabs while you do the following.

You will see six small Phillips head screws. These screws hold the metal microwave antenna onto the circuit board. Use an appropriate Phillips screwdriver to tighten these screws. Tightem them moderately tight but not too tight. Note if any or all of these screws seemed to be a bit loose. I would like to know what you find.

Once you have tightened the screws, reinstall the bottom case cover and the case screws. Then take your X50 for a spin and let me know if (hopefully) the self calibration and service required messages have gone away.

[jjamez]

Reads like an awesome post, just wish I could see it! Thanks!