Rear Install Question

[AMG_Roadster]

I have yet to order my LI but will probably do so shortly. Had been hoping to order the dual but you guys have convinced me I need to have both front and rear coverage.

The car is a Mercedes SLK (hopefully the below picture will work). My only real option to install appears to be on each side of the rear license plate.

My first question is how heat resistant are the wires? If I run them through the license plate light lenses will the wires get too hot? They will be very close to the bulbs.

As long as I do not paint the receiver and sender portions of the heads are there any concerns with painting the heads? I am trying to get them to blend as much as possible to the car which is bright silver.

Finally I have a chrome license plate frame (stock letters & numbers, and MB symbol are chrome also) do you I need to replace the frame with something less reflective? Black stands out a bit much on the silver car in my opinion. Although a black carbon fiber frame may help hide the heads. Or maybe a silver carbon fiber frame will work if I can find one.

[bradthemad]

Nice '32. Bet that exhaust cost a pretty penny.

Here's my SLK's rear LI setup:
dsc09555-a.jpg

Looking up from below:
dsc09557-a.jpg

They're held in place by 2-sided tape, with a couple of pieces of cut-up zip-tie to shim them into being level.

The wires don't actually get too close to the license plate lights. Mine have been there for a couple of years now without melting.

This location has tested out well, but only after getting the heads LEVEL. Punch-through city otherwise. One could get the heads mounted a little further outboard if one were to cut off the mounting tab on the outside (bubble) end of the head. I tried mounting them vertically on either side of the plate using the LI-supplied brackets, but it was difficult to get them level due to the plate being angled forward, and vertical is never as ideal as horizontal with standard LI heads. A more effective but less attractive location is below the taillights. Cliff has pictures on here somewhere of such a setup on his old C55. Knowing his psychic power, he's probably already emailed them to you.

With 2 LI heads mounted right at the plate, reflectivity is not a concern, but a black frame indeed might help them blend in better. Next time, buy a black car!

By the way, you're gonna love running the wires along the trunk hinges. Consider asking Cliff for extra long cables on the rear heads when you order. Mine are standard length and only reach to the back of the driver seat, which is where I had to locate the CPU. If there's anything else SLK-specific I can help with, just ask.

[AMG_Roadster]

Thanks Brad-

The car pictured is not mine I just grabbed a picture I could find quickly vs. running out and taking one from my car. The last several cars were black, decided to try something different this time.

Can you post pictures of the front of your car? I am interested to see how well the heads integrate.

As far as mounting the heads by the tail lights on the bumper - that just isn't going to happen. I understand that I am giving up some protection but life is full of compromises.

Thanks for the suggestion on longer cords for the rear heads. I am waiting to see if Cliff responds to this thread before pinging him.

[Laser-InterceptorUSA]

Thanks for the suggestion on longer cords for the rear heads. I am waiting to see if Cliff responds to this thread before pinging him.

The rear sensor cables should easily reach to your driver dash area as they do on my C63 and did on my C55 which I think are longer then the SLK.

Cliff

[bradthemad]

Can you post pictures of the front of your car? I am interested to see how well the heads integrate.

This is old, but my front heads are still in the same place. You can also see where I had my Blinder M-20, down next to the foglights, before getting the LI. That location was revealed to be only somewhat effective after testing. The grille is aftermarket, an Ebay special, around $130 if I recall correctly. A minor amount of Dremeling was necessary to enlarge the slots where the heads are, but it was pretty easy. The stock grille doesn't offer many good mounting options.

dsc01685-b.jpg

The rear sensor cables should easily reach to your driver dash area as they do on my C63 and did on my C55 which I think are longer then the SLK.

The trunklid on the SLK is double-hinged to open backwards when activating the convertible top. If you follow the route of the factory wiring out of the trunk --center brakelight, LP lights, GPS antenna-- along the outside of the hinges, down into the rear of the trunk, then forward over the p/s wheel well and into the cabin, it's a pretty circuitous path that takes up a lot of cable, but that's what I did to avoid the possibility of the LI wires getting snagged. I've got two jammer cables and two antenna cables running from the trunklid, and there's no way I can let all that just dangle freely.

[Laser-InterceptorUSA]

[QUOTE=bradthemad;850590]

The trunklid on the SLK is double-hinged to open backwards when activating the convertible top. If you follow the route of the factory wiring out of the trunk --center brakelight, LP lights, GPS antenna-- along the outside of the hinges, down into the rear of the trunk, then forward over the p/s wheel well and into the cabin, it's a pretty circuitous path that takes up a lot of cable, but that's what I did to avoid the possibility of the LI wires getting snagged. I've got two jammer cables and two antenna cables running from the trunklid, and there's no way I can let all that just dangle freely.

If need be, you can extent the cables with the proper cross-over type RJ11 couplers and extension cables that I can custom make for you. Simply let me know the exact lengths needed.

Cliff

[AMG_Roadster]

Thanks Brad-

So if you got the wires stock wires to reach to the seats (or so). What do you think, another 10 ft to be safe to reach up the the drivers foot well?

I am a little surprised by the placement of the heads. I would have expected them to be 1 level higher and pushed further out to the sides.

Cliff-

Any concerns over painting the heads? Leaving the sender and receiver uncovered of course.

[Laser-InterceptorUSA]

Cliff-

Any concerns over painting the heads? Leaving the sender and receiver uncovered of course.

No, painting them is NOT recommended, however, if you must, here is a diagram so you know where the emitter and receivers are.

Cliff

[bradthemad]

So if you got the wires stock wires to reach to the seats (or so). What do you think, another 10 ft to be safe to reach up the the drivers foot well?

The wires for the front heads reach the CPU located behind the driver seat, so it's not a big problem unless you want to locate the CPU under the dash or something. I did have to lengthen the wiring harness for the power supply and on/off switch, but that's easy. 3-4 more feet should get the CPU into the passenger footwell. I think 10 more feet is too long for the heads to work properly.

I am a little surprised by the placement of the heads. I would have expected them to be 1 level higher and pushed further out to the sides.

There is another row of slats further outboard in the grille that I could have put the heads in. I have long thought about trying it, but since it works fine as is, I am somewhat unmotivated to go through the trouble of moving them. In the Georgia Testers group, we've extensively tested my car as seen, a CLK with a similar installation, and an SL that had the heads further apart up front, and all did very well (except the silver SL vs. the Stalker LZ1).

[Laser-InterceptorUSA]

Try here or, if you're daring, the latter for the unconventional rear install:

Cliff