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I've had my current 8500 for 3-4 years now and the thing is driving me nuts with random laser false alarms. I've seen where others have experienced similar issues and before I purchase a 9500ix, I'd like to know it doesn't the same problem. Does the 9500ix use the same cheap electrolytic capacitor that the 8500 did?
Nether have issues unless they are broken. My ix detects laser every time and almost never falses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anti-thesis
The detector may has never been dropped or hit in any way. If it is "broken" it is due to the manufacturing build and isolated to my particular unit. The following is from another board...
A friend of mine asked me to take a look at his Passport 8500 radar detector. After about 3 years of use it started to give him false laser warnings. It also appears to be a common problem for many aging 8500s.
The problem itself is as old as the electronic world: lousy power filtering. Escort uses cheap capacitors that tend to degrade over time. The problem is accelerated because radar detectors are exposed to direct sunlight and high temperatures. Cheap electrolytic capacitors just dry out and cannot effectively filter the noise on the power line. The noise reaches the laser sensor module, it gets amplified and triggers alerts.
Fixing is relatively easy: open the device, unsolder the cover shield that screens the laser detector circuit, and replace the faulty capacitor. You can use anything that matches or, even better, exceeds the capacitance of the faulty capacitor. When you're done, let Escort know that using quality capacitors in their $300 device wouldn't hurt their profits much, but will surely improve customer confidence. It should also be mentioned that the total price of all components that make the guts of the 8500 is at most $50.
That's allot of unnecessary gibberish, who's going to replace a capacitor them selves??? Like everything else in the world no matter the quality eventually you will have issues. I have a 7 year old 8500 that never falsed laser. So if the part is so cheep, and they all fail why didn't mine?Quote:
Originally Posted by Anti-thesis
Logically the 9500 sires laser should be better than the passed models, and I never had a problem with all 3 of my 9500's.
X2 No issues here.Quote:
Originally Posted by CJR238Nether have issues unless they are broken. My ix detects laser every time and almost never falses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anti-thesis
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anti-thesis
:bs:
Aside from the possibility of tiny gaps developing along the mating edges of the 8500's laser circuitry RF shield and the mainboard, does anybody recall the capacitor scandal which finally made the news in 2004? Pretty much any electronic devices produced from 2001 to 2005 could have defective capacitors in them. Do a Google search on "defective capacitors" and the first half dozen links will tell you all about the problem and how it came to be.
I have both an 8500 X 50 and a 9500ix hardwired in two seperate cars and neither is giving me a problem with false laser signals.
History of my 5 recent Escort RDs
9500ix: No problem
8500x50: No problem
3rd 8500: Moderate laser false problem initially then it drove me absolutely insane
2nd 8500: Intermittent laser false problem went worse to unbearable
1st 8500: Minor false laser problem developed after 1.5 yrs then proceeded to get worse to the point of near full time falsing.
8500 X50 gives me no laser issues here. so far mounted high I've gotten near 100% direct-hit notification and no false laser alerts even though I drive a car using IR adaptive cruise.
I have 2 9500ix's, one that used to be a 9500i and the other that I purchased new. Neither one is prone to laser falses in my car or in any car I rent. However, my girlfriend drives a pretty old car and was complaining about constant laser falses on one of my 9500ix's, the one that used to be a 9500i. So, I swapped them out and the newer one does not false laser in her car at all.
So basically, my girlfriend's car obviously has a noisy electrical system. One of my 9500ix's can handle it, while the other cannot.
Grab a $10 used car stereo from a pawn shop which has a separate small plastic box on its external power/ground wires. Inside the box is a noise filter which should consist of a capacitor and a choke. Cut the wires on both sides of this noise filter (after having first marked the wires on the side of the noise filter which normally go to the car's power and ground). Install this noise filter inline on your RD's hardwire setup, being sure to connect the marked end of the noise filter to the car's power and ground. The other side of the noise filter then gets connected to the power and ground wires of your hardwire setup. These simple car stereo noise filters usually attenuate electrical noise by 30 to 40 dB and should stop any laser falsing.
+1.Quote:
Originally Posted by MEM-TEK
In many 1G DSMs, a defective capacitor could kill the entire ECU.
There was a period of time in the late 90s during which most of us DSM-enthusiasts broke open our ECUs, to replace certain capacitors.
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Anti-thesis, this is not a simple problem that has a one-shot answer.
Think of it as a "double hit" issue - that in some cars, some of these detectors will see a problem. You have to have both criteria filled.
In-short, no, "the issue" has not been solved - but then again, whether this issue manifests is, in many cases, dependent on your particular vehicle, as well as on the particular detector that you own (i.e. your 9500 versus my 9500 versus his 9500).
As a concrete example:
My 4307 build-date 9500i does not see this problem, in my early-build (6/04) 2005 Legacy 2.5GT.
My friend jim1967's 9500i *did* have this problem, in his early-build '05 Legacy 2.5GT.
Neither of our Rev5 x50s had this problem, in our respective cars.
Logic dictates that this is a two-part problem, with one part being the car, and the other, being the detector.
My three 8500s all had laser falsing problems regardless of what car I had them in. Having said that I must admit that the frequency/intensity of falsing were slightly different from car to car... though not by much.
^ That would seem to indicate that either all three units had true problems or, alternatively, that the sampling of vehicles was too small and did not cover enough variables.
I had an awesome 8500 x50 in the past and it falsed a lot in one car, my '94 Accord. It never ever falsed in another vehicle (95 BMW, FZ6, 20xx Blazer,rental cars, toyota tacoma). I didn't have a 9500i with that car but I have owned 3 9500i's and had them in my 2003 BMW without issue and rental cars, FZ6, monte carlo, and Uhaul truck.
The issue with the Accord + 8500 was certainly electronic noise (or whatever). I do not know if the 9500i would had handled it better...
Few Honda's, VW, Lexus, Chevy, Dodge, Isuzu, Volvo and Audi... I'd say that kinda failure percentage for any product is...... Apparently they've resolved the problem drastically with 8500X50 on. And meanwhile I assume Escort was piling up quite a number of returned 8500 in their warehouses (at least 2 from me) as well as leaving many fuming customers dry.Quote:
Originally Posted by TSi+WRX
[quote=xlx;535486]Ah, in that case, it's indeed: "......"Quote:
Originally Posted by TSi+WRX
Not good. :(
OK, so now that's confirmed, what about how power was sourced, in terms of the detector/detector accessory - specifically, the SmartCord(s)? Were an interchange of the detectors' SmartCords attempted? That's yet another potential trouble spot.
Uncertain.Quote:
Apparently they've resolved the problem drastically with 8500X50 on.
For example, my friend's x50 versus his 9500i. His x50 was not problematic, but his 9500i was - with all other variables held constant.
^ Certainly possible, and could also in-part explain the "refurbished" sales, on eBay.Quote:
And meanwhile I assume Escort was piling up quite a number of returned 8500 in their warehouses (at least 2 from me)....
That's without a doubt. :(Quote:
....as well as leaving many fuming customers dry.