Finally decided to put my 04 Acura TL with over 250k into semi retirement and get a new CM vehicle. It took a lot of time to find just the right candidate that had all the traits needed in the ultimate CM vehicle and fit my needs but i finally decided on the 2014 Mazda 3 GT.
Knowing i did not want to peace it all together over time like I did with the TL i went all out from the start with some serious help from my install buddy.
Upgrades and CM's:
-Tinted windows.
-ALP, 2 front 1 rear.
-PYTHON 5706P security and remote start with window control upgrade and 2 way communication up to 1 mile.
-RedLine BS/RDR.
-V1 with YaV1.
-Laser targeting system.
The Mazda 3 has the perfect grill for any CM installation, hides the heads very well and has lots of placement options.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psm6ygalkt.jpg
30% tinted all around:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psp0yitnbs.jpg
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...pstppw4obo.jpg
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psx1dpl1rc.jpg
Left ALP head:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psfyb2zzff.jpg
Right ALP head:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1zijcq6b.jpg
Rear head, passenger side:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psiktuzvcx.jpg
Interior CM placement:
Red circle on left is V1 remote mute, red circle right/center is ALP control.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psztztzaie.jpg
It took quite some time getting it all together but over all a very clean straight forward install.
The ALP is one great parking sensor/jammer, they are on top of all the new guns and the updates needed to stay ahead of the ever changing game. This is manly due to BestRadarDetectors and the RALETEC testing team that actively are testing and providing data for updates to ALP. I also use the parking sensor mode a lot and it works very well, plus its consistent enough that i trust it.
A few negative notes.
- Mazda 3 is very tight fit and finish and many parts are permanently put together like the front nose that's riveted together and the front dash that's pretty much one peace.
- ALP was relatively easy to install, heads are nice and small for placement but the cable length is just way too short for rear installs, especially on a hatch back. The 3 is a small car and i was still 3ft short cable for the rear head and the CPU was installed by me feet. We made a RJ25 cable extension that fixed that issue.
- The V1 CD and remote volume do not seem to work with the BT dongle and YaV1 when set up together, never shows settings and lags.
- If i want to use the app for the aditional ALP features the key pad will not work so its one or the other.
ALP testing (thanks to RedRocket for his help and use of his skills and guns for testing):
X2 = 2 runs
Yellow = PT
The testing was done on a rainy day, and though it had semi stopped raining there was some mist kicked up from the rear that we thought helped a bit on the rear. You can see the only PT's on the rear were where i had no head protection.
The results:
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psc03a49f1.png
Though its rare i get hit with laser and i dont ever see the new guns many would like us to beleve are more prevalent i did get one encounter the ALP saved me form on back roads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJPaIXGcKM
