Laser Interceptor 2001 BMW 325xi (Prefacelift)

I picked up a Quad LI setup not too long ago and installed it myself a few days ago. Here's some photos from the installation process.

Enjoy :) Also, Cliff recommends that I relocate the rear heads further apart. I'm waiting on some L-Brackets to move them under the lip of the trunk handle area, further apart. I'm also strongly considering buying a 2nd set of grills to begin work on a horizontal mount for the front heads.

Comments & Criticism are welcomed :) Thanks

-Nick

The trunk, don't mind the dust.. The LI heads are taped up to protect them while installation. The wires are running behind the license plate, and up into the trunk lip where the latch and license plate lights are mounted.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2581/...a17912f9_b.jpg


I notched out some of the rubber in each of the grommets after running the sensor wire through the trunk, and kept the wires tight to the original harness, to make sure water doesn't leak into the trunk or trunk lid.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/...118bf27a_b.jpg


A shot of the rear seat area, with the seats removed. Left side of the photo shows the thick red power cable running to the battery. I chose to enter via the driver's side, where I also ran my audio cable for my AUX input to prevent any noise from ruining the rear sensor's signals.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/...781d8916_b.jpg


Again, you can see the thick red power cable running to the battery, and the rear sensor wires being strung across to the driver's side and into the rear seat area.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4069/...b2771864_b.jpg


Where the CPU is going to be mounted, and where the sensor wires are all coming to an end.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/...b8fedd13_o.jpg


A shot of the existing AUX input cable. The sensor wires are also being run the same way, with a good ol' wire coat hangar.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/...70a42f9d_o.jpg


Mocking up the front sensors and their wires.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/...6f33ab65_b.jpg


Ran the wires to their final destination. This will all be covered by the armrest, center console and coin/cup holders.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/...b5c5deef_o.jpg


A shot of the PA/JAM switch that I mounted next to the butt warmers and traction control. I tried to find a switch that looked OEM

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/...48e4a255_b.jpg

Ahhh the installation nightmare.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/...886f537d_b.jpg


You can see the cut out I made to have the CPU fit.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/...808a2f8a_o.jpg


Everything is back in.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/...5891d00a_o.jpg


Close up of the LI power switch and the PA/JAM switch in the background

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/...8922ff04_o.jpg


A shot of the setup. LI switches, V1 Concealed display in the cluster, V1 mounted above the rear view mirror and the iPhone running Trapster.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/...10843363_b.jpg

Shot of front heads

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2760/...d55c3fc2_o.jpg


Shot of the rears

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/...569a5ddf_b.jpg


Another shot of the rears.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/...22d728c9_b.jpg


Another of the fronts.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2769/...ce334e08_b.jpg

The car needs a good wash, except we just got another 3 inches (or there about) of snow, so I guess I'll hold off until the roads become dry again.

Sweet install. Good job!

excellent...
I want to see it tested to see how it performs with the vertical heads...

:thumb2: Looks good! I like how you took pics of each step of the installation. Hopefully a newcomer in the future with a bimmer will find this thread useful.

I'm curious as well to see if the mounting position of the heads will be effective or not.

I would love to see the test results. I have been skeptical of how they perform vertically.

One of our group had them vertical on the rear and the performance was much better when we moved them horizontal. But I believe the reason we moved them horizontal is we could not get them quite level in the vertical position.

Nice install though!!

I don't think I'll be testing them in the vertical position (unless a LEO clocks me or someone in the Boston area has a LIDAR gun). I've got another set of grills ordered, and I plan on mounting them horizontally in the new set and testing it in the horizontal orientation. I'll keep you all updated for sure.

-Nick

I don't think a vertically mounted LI has ever been tested before. It'd be great if you could test it and provide results for future bummer owners. I understand though if you are too busy to do so.

I'd love to test them in the vertical mount. I could only do testing on the weekends though since I work during the week.

My roommate works for MIT and is friends with a couple of the MIT Campus Police, I'll have him ask around there if any of them for some reason has a LIDAR gun (speeding? on a Metro-Boston campus? yeah right.. let alone LIDAR)..

Anyone in the area have a LIDAR gun or feels like testing?

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Originally Posted by snoopyc4

I don't think a vertically mounted LI has ever been tested before. It'd be great if you could test it and provide results for future bummer owners. I understand though if you are too busy to do so.

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I don't think it's his willingness to test them vertical as much as availability of a lidar gun to test with.

There are a few members in the NE with lidar guns, maybe they can get together and test them before and after so we will have some comparisons.

Sweet install I'm also curious about the vertical install.

you look familiar :p

my quads on the way, im gonna try the vertical install and test it, i'll keep you posted.

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Originally Posted by chris98891

you look familiar :p

my quads on the way, im gonna try the vertical install and test it, i'll keep you posted.

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Let me know when you are ready to test!

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Originally Posted by category4

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

you look familiar :p

my quads on the way, im gonna try the vertical install and test it, i'll keep you posted.

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Let me know when you are ready to test!

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counting down the days! haha hopefully the install won't take too long

sweet install

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Originally Posted by dedlewamp

I'm curious as well to see if the mounting position of the heads will be effective or not.

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It is effective!
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...it-all-ok.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by category4

I would love to see the test results. I have been skeptical of how they perform vertically.

One of our group had them vertical on the rear and the performance was much better when we moved them horizontal. But I believe the reason we moved them horizontal is we could not get them quite level in the vertical position.

Nice install though!!

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Well Pmoth got different results in the Northeast
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...it-all-ok.html

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Originally Posted by snoopyc4

I don't think a vertically mounted LI has ever been tested before. It'd be great if you could test it and provide results for future bummer owners. I understand though if you are too busy to do so.

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Been tested by Pmoth
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...it-all-ok.html

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Originally Posted by Lucky225

Sweet install I'm also curious about the vertical install.

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Here look at these results
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...it-all-ok.html


Vertical mounted LI's have been tested on an e92 BWM!!!!
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/laser-jammers/37019-what-day-li-installed-tested-hostile-hit-all-ok.html

My only concern about the test after reviewing the pictures. The car would be jamming on a dead on shot, and then the road bends. I'm really interested in an off axis test.

Install looks good, but I would do two things. I'd try to push the heads on the front out alittle more, and I would get rid of the USA pin thing, since it looks like its blocking part of the jammer.

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Originally Posted by OPTiK

Install looks good, but I would do two things. I'd try to push the heads on the front out alittle more, and I would get rid of the USA pin thing, since it looks like its blocking part of the jammer.

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Appreciate your concern, and I actually took both of those points into consideration when mounting the heads.

If you'll notice, the bubbles are A. mounted correctly w/ the bubbles "up" and B. the top edge where the bubbles are, are actually protruding (you can kind of see this in the last picture) past the edge of the fins in the grill.

I was trying to get a healthy balance of stealthness and functionality. Putting the heads further out, would leave the top edge of the head sticking out much farther then I would have liked, and would compromise the stealth factor. While leaving the heads partially exposed past the grill, it should allow for a higher (not the highest) possibility of detection when being painted by a LIDAR gun.

As for the BMWCCA (BMW Car Club of America) badge, I viewed the head with a camera and viewed where the laser diode was actually shooting from. The diode does clear the badge rather comfortably. The only time I could see the badge hindering performance is at the crest of a hill, where my car is still angled up, while a LEO paints me from below; but even then, it would have to be an extreme angle.

And finally, I'm planning on rotating these puppies 90 degrees to the horizontal position :cool:

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Originally Posted by ATF

My only concern about the test after reviewing the pictures. The car would be jamming on a dead on shot, and then the road bends. I'm really interested in an off axis test.

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Laser shots for the most part in the real world are straight on. If not the gun would be affected by a Cosine error

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snoopyc4

:thumb2: Looks good! I like how you took pics of each step of the installation. Hopefully a newcomer in the future with a bimmer will find this thread useful.

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This thread is invaluable! I'll be sure to come back to it when I get LI for my 2004 330 coupe. love the placement of the kill switch. very clean.

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Originally Posted by ExcelonGT

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snoopyc4

:thumb2: Looks good! I like how you took pics of each step of the installation. Hopefully a newcomer in the future with a bimmer will find this thread useful.

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This thread is invaluable! I'll be sure to come back to it when I get LI for my 2004 330 coupe. love the placement of the kill switch. very clean.

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Just a warning on the kill switch. It was the only hiccup really during the whole installation. I forgot to check the clearance behind the shifter trim. Turns out the center console trim (the faux leather/plastic/rubber) was blocking the switch. I thought about cutting away at it, instead I used a hammer and screwdriver and sacrificed a bit of the metal/plastic that was blocking the switch. It's still secured by 3? other screws in the vicinity; so it's solid.

If you have folding seats, or the ski pass through, your install should be easier.

Also, between the E-Brake and the Shifter, just forward of where I have my CPU.. DO NOT SCREW INTO THERE. Underneath the bit of carpet there is some kind of airbag sensor or computer.

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Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob

Laser shots for the most part in the real world are straight on.

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In the "real world", cops don't stand in the middle of the road to shoot laser, so straight-on is not usually possible. ;)

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Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob

Laser shots for the most part in the real world are straight on. If not the gun would be affected by a Cosine error

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While I've seen cases where it is from the side of a road on a straight away, I've noticed, especially in the NE area, that the smarter LEOs enjoy curves, bends, hills and a healthy combination of them (at least the smart LEOs).

I've narrowly missed two LIDAR hits (one curve, one hill) and got nailed doing 29 (according to the citation) over the PSL on a very mild bend and a very mild hill, on I-90, but it hid the median enough to tuck a statie behind a K rail and he tagged me from approximately 2600 feet (half a mile)(I measured with my odometer on another trip).

This is why I'm concerned with any off axis shots, and why I'm planning on converting my front setup to horizontal. While the test PMoth did prove successful (from what I can tell appears to be head on).

My thread: http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...m-pattern.html shows (in a non-scientific way) that the heads are actually "polarized" in a certain direction. I didn't record a video of the rear heads which are mounted horizontally, but they did appear to have a narrower cone of light, vertically, than horizontally (when mounted horizontally). Which also probably explains why they offer a high power head, which has a horizontally and vertically polarized diode.

Off axis shots are harder to get a reading.

When I shot laser I am usually 8-12feet off the road, and that is how most MA troopers and CT troopers shot and I have no problem jamming them to the gun if I was that much of an A-hole. and I am usually in the passing lane.

Cops are creatures od habit and laziness cause they aren't out there with the mindset that 99% of the cars have jammers In fact 99.9% of cars on the road don't have laser jammers so that is a huge advantage! Most cops will be 1000ft-2000ft from a crest of a hill on a straight away cause it makes getting speed readings easy for them


You set-up will suffer in extreme angle 35' off road less that 500ft. Which is EXTREMELY rare in the North East

Wow, awesome install! I need to get pics of mine up soon!

hey ATF, i've got the car taken apart and was wondering which wires you tapped into on the wiring loom for the radio...i cant find my multimeter to test em, and the bentley manual is confusing me haha

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Originally Posted by chris98891

hey ATF, i've got the car taken apart and was wondering which wires you tapped into on the wiring loom for the radio...i cant find my multimeter to test em, and the bentley manual is confusing me haha

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I didn't tap into the radio. I used the car phone cable. It's tucked along the hump for the drive shaft. Probably squeezed down in between the passenger seat and center console area, under the carpeting. It's wrapped in some black foam/tape.

Violet/White is switched 12v and Brown is your ground. In most e46's, do it at your own risk if you're not going to double check with a multimeter.

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob

Laser shots for the most part in the real world are straight on.

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In the "real world", cops don't stand in the middle of the road to shoot laser, so straight-on is not usually possible. ;)

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They don't stand in the middle of the road they park in the break down lane and shot from there. 75-150 feet off the road:rolleyes: I can't wait until summer and I start getting hit with laser again now that I have a camera I can show you how the north does it

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Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob

They don't stand in the middle of the road they park in the break down lane and shot from there. 75-150 feet off the road:rolleyes:

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Wait... how do you reconcile that statement with your earlier claim? :hmmmm2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob

Laser shots for the most part in the real world are straight on. If not the gun would be affected by a Cosine error

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everything is all installed!

thanks cliff for the help and ATF for the thread, i did something pretty similar. mounted my rears above the plate on the trunk handle and put the switches in the useless thing in front of the coin holders side by side. routed the wires differently for the trunk though, i followed the battery cables from the trunk under the passenger side door sills then routed them under the seats. did this because i was installing the cobra 75 under the passenger seat at the same time and it was easier to run the antenna cable like that. i'll take pictures tomorrow hopefully.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

everything is all installed!

thanks cliff for the help and ATF for the thread, i did something pretty similar. mounted my rears above the plate on the trunk handle and put the switches in the useless thing in front of the coin holders side by side. routed the wires differently for the trunk though, i followed the battery cables from the trunk under the passenger side door sills then routed them under the seats. did this because i was installing the cobra 75 under the passenger seat at the same time and it was easier to run the antenna cable like that. i'll take pictures tomorrow hopefully.

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I hope you don't run into any interference from the low gauge cable used for the battery.

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Originally Posted by ATF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

everything is all installed!

thanks cliff for the help and ATF for the thread, i did something pretty similar. mounted my rears above the plate on the trunk handle and put the switches in the useless thing in front of the coin holders side by side. routed the wires differently for the trunk though, i followed the battery cables from the trunk under the passenger side door sills then routed them under the seats. did this because i was installing the cobra 75 under the passenger seat at the same time and it was easier to run the antenna cable like that. i'll take pictures tomorrow hopefully.

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I hope you don't run into any interference from the low gauge cable used for the battery.

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i'm hoping the same thing. i ran the cable for my dice down the opposite side, but of course there are no huge power cables there.

i think i may pull them back out and go the center route like you did, as i have my antenna cable running down the same side as the rear heads right now, and i'm pretty sure that will definitely cause interference (the reason for this is i had to get everything back together quick before it started snowing because i had to do some driving the next day.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

i'm hoping the same thing. i ran the cable for my dice down the opposite side, but of course there are no huge power cables there.

i think i may pull them back out and go the center route like you did, as i have my antenna cable running down the same side as the rear heads right now, and i'm pretty sure that will definitely cause interference (the reason for this is i had to get everything back together quick before it started snowing because i had to do some driving the next day.)

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Hah I don't blame you for getting it done quickly then. Just be conscious of the possibility of a problem, and fix it when you have time. You might re-run the CB antenna wire too.

I'm about to get started on moving my rear heads to under the trunk handle lip.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ATF

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

i'm hoping the same thing. i ran the cable for my dice down the opposite side, but of course there are no huge power cables there.

i think i may pull them back out and go the center route like you did, as i have my antenna cable running down the same side as the rear heads right now, and i'm pretty sure that will definitely cause interference (the reason for this is i had to get everything back together quick before it started snowing because i had to do some driving the next day.)

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Hah I don't blame you for getting it done quickly then. Just be conscious of the possibility of a problem, and fix it when you have time. You might re-run the CB antenna wire too.

I'm about to get started on moving my rear heads to under the trunk handle lip.

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yeah you can hardly tell they are on there they blend in so well. the main reason this install took so long:

http://i45.tinypic.com/1z4bpmh.jpg

that thing has all the trunk wires, coax, and jammer head wires running through it. comes directly through the same grommet into the trunk.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

yeah you can hardly tell they are on there they blend in so well. the main reason this install took so long:

http://i45.tinypic.com/1z4bpmh.jpg

that thing has all the trunk wires, coax, and jammer head wires running through it. comes directly through the same grommet into the trunk.

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props to you running it through there, I looked at it and said screw it. It's hard working on my car right now... I just tried.. 14*F windchill outside right now..

little update on my install:

got the new sensor in the mail, took everything apart and reinstalled it in my parking garage at school, haha.

i also did a LOT of wire management by moving the CPU up to underneath the ashtray/sunglass holder, and moving my dice module up between whatever the hell is back there and the side of the center console between the radio and passenger side footwell.

this cleared up the area underneath the cup holder for the wiring for the CB and the wiring for the PA/Jam switch wiring.

im also pretty sure i can hear the warnings more clearly as well, and its easier to get to so i dont have to take the center console out to get to the CPU

Little update from me :D

2nd set of grills arrived. It's a different style, so I'm just going to end up using the existing grills to mount the LI. I'll post pics of both styles and how they vary later this weekend.

Trying to figure out what I want to do about mounting a firestik to my tow hook.. AHHH :eek:

Need to do some measurements and find out if a Uniden 520XL will fit in the rear ashtray.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ATF

Little update from me :D

2nd set of grills arrived. It's a different style, so I'm just going to end up using the existing grills to mount the LI. I'll post pics of both styles and how they vary later this weekend.

Trying to figure out what I want to do about mounting a firestik to my tow hook.. AHHH :eek:

Need to do some measurements and find out if a Uniden 520XL will fit in the rear ashtray.

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that would be slick if you could swing it, theres a surprising amount of depth in those three layers of ashtray (i have the armrest)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chris98891

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ATF

Little update from me :D

2nd set of grills arrived. It's a different style, so I'm just going to end up using the existing grills to mount the LI. I'll post pics of both styles and how they vary later this weekend.

Trying to figure out what I want to do about mounting a firestik to my tow hook.. AHHH :eek:

Need to do some measurements and find out if a Uniden 520XL will fit in the rear ashtray.

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that would be slick if you could swing it, theres a surprising amount of depth in those three layers of ashtray (i have the armrest)

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I've got the armrest too, do you find yourself adjusting things constantly? I was just going to set it and forget it.