EscortCobra Official Direct Wire SmartCord, Charges Through Vehicle’s Electrical System, Works with All Current Generation Escort and Cobra Windshield Mounted Detectors, Red LED Alert Indicator

I used this to direct wire my Escort radar detector into my 2013 Golf GTI.PROs- Easy to hard-wire your detector and remove the unsightly coiled cord that's hogging your 12v power socket.- Cables supplied with it are generously long, should be able to install a detector just about anywhere you need.- The cable to the detector is flat and easily squeezes into tight spaces around windshield to hide from view.- The controller is exactly the same as the SmartCord that came with the original detector and allows you to see the status of the device and remotely mute alerts.CONs- I wasn't a fan of the hook and loop fastener used to mount the SmartCord controller onto the car. It sticks well to both the car and the smart cord, but they feel like they're only loosely connect to each other. In reality it's never fallen off and I doubt it ever will, it just feels like an unprofessional mounting option. I would probably skip the hook and loop if installing again and just use some good double-sided tape.My install was easy and comprised of the following steps:1. Determine the locations of the various components2. Route the wires appropriately3. Connect to power and groundWhere is the fuse box?-- Driver's side, open the door and it's behind the panel in the center console.Where I wanted the radar detector?-- Horizontal center of windshield, several inches above the dash to give a clear line of sight to the rear windowWhere I wanted the control panel?-- I placed mine on the lower center console below and behind the steering wheel. This isn't exactly ideal as I can't see the lights as they're blocked from view by the steering wheel, but I can easily reach the Mute button by feel, and that's the most important feature for me.Routing the cables was surprisingly easy. The cord to the detector is flat and easily fits between pieces of trim so it can be hidden. I specifically placed the SmartCord control in a location that made it easy to route wires without removing trim panels.I fed both input power and detector output cords through the underside of the dashboard in the drivers foot well, and into the fuse box. I then routed the detector output lead up and out the top of the fuse box, around the bottom of the windshield pillar, and along the gap between the dashboard and the windshield until it reached the center. It took a bit of tugging along the path of the cable, but eventually I had enough length of cable to reach the detector and enough slack to allow me to hide it. I just poked the cable into the gap along the bottom of the windshield with my fingers, squeezed it between trim at the bottom of the pillar, and down into the fuse box.I had quite a lot of cable left over, but I'm sure all cars and locations being different they supply enough cable to cater to all. I just used electrical tape to tie up the excess cable and tape it down to the side of the fuse box to stop it rattling around.To connect to the power supply in my vehicle I used a Bussmann ATM Mini Circuit Converter (Add-a-Fuse) to expand an existing ignition-controlled fuse slot so that the detector only comes on when the ignition is on. The only tricky thing to be aware of is that these fuse adapters only work one way round, so if it doesn't work the first time you need to flip it around and try again.Finally I needed to connect the negative lead somewhere. Most (all?) vehicles run the battery negative feed throughout the entire chassis, so all you need to do is find a (non-structual) metal screw / bolt that can be used to attach the negative lead to the chassis. I also used a multi-meter set to continuity mode just to be doubly sure I had a valid ground connection.In my case the attachment point for the chassis was quite a way from the positive fuse connection, so I just split the power cable down the middle (it's built to do this, don't worry) until I had enough cable to route the negative feed to a valid mounting point.I'm very happy with this kit and so glad to have free access to my 12v power socket again.

I got this so I could hide the cord to my radar detector better and this hard wire kit did the job! Just gotta wire the positive to the radio fuse and the ground to a metal spot screwed in. Then the smart mute part you have enough wire to put it anywhere in the drivers area. The Velcro that comes with it doesn’t really stick well so I just jammed it between my steering column and dash panel and it’s holding there well. But I’m sure you can get sticker tape and mount it wherever you like. Then the wire to the detector is very long. So long you could put the wire all the way to the passenger side!Overall very easy set up and very clean looking once all done!

I ordered this so I can hard wire my Escort Max350c for my X gen Honda Accord. It works quite nicely cuz if I want to mute the report all I need to do is just press the mute button instead of reaching up to the detector. I thought and found such a nice place for it in my Accord since the other two slots are not being used

I bought this so I can hard wire my Passport Max 2 to my car's electrical system. It works exactly as you'd expect it to, and it provides an easy way to quickly mute the detector when it picks up random signals that aren't actually threats. My unit picks up automatic doors and this gives me a quick way to mute and lockout unwanted detections. This cord also features a light to tell when the system has power and it has another light that flashes yellow when it detects something.The cord itself is a bulky button and pcb setup inside a not so easy to hide box that clashed with the interior style of my car. I don't like having cords everywhere, and I don't like how aftermarket products never match the look and feel of the car, so I ended up taking my SmartCord apart and installing it directly into my dash.What I did to install this cord was install it to only come on when the car is on (not accessory). I then took the dash trim piece off where I wanted to install the buttons, measured everything and traced out where each button should go. Then I drilled the necessary holes and took the pcb out of the cord and mounted it inside my modified dash piece. I used a epoxy to hold everything in place so nothing comes off when I hit the mute button. Then I soldered all the right connections back to the cord I had to cut of (so it would fit where I wanted). Lastly, I took the faceplate from the original cord and glue it to my traced outside on the dash piece.It doesn't look 100% factory installed, but it looks far better than the original cord would have.

Good quality kit and nice that you can attach the mute button so you don’t have to reach for the radar to mute alerts. My fuse tap kit came with a different ending than the spade connector and was initially confused but the included T tap connector made installation a breeze

Always liked escort products and this one is definitely a win. I wish the cable that runs to the radar was slightly longer however overall good product

This is great. Tossed my old coiled cable and wired this into a hidden wireless look. However, the end going to the fuse box was too short so I had to cut the ends off and attach extra wire. Manufacturer should not be stingy with the cord reaching to the fuse box, all of our autos are different.It works great though, go for it.

Works like a charm! My car looks a lot cleaner now without the coiled wire hanging down to the AC power source. Easy to install, especially if you buy an "add-a-fuse" available on Amazon for just a couple of bucks. This prevents you from having to cut and splice. I recommend it!

Works perfectly for my 9500xi.I used this kit to hide the remote and the cords.Ended up flush Mounting the remote to a pannel in my car

Awesome! Used to hardwire my Escort into my Mk6 GTI, so much cleaner than a dangling wire to cigarette lighter.

It us great and easy to install