Valentine1 Remote Display install
#1
01-19-2013, 04:28 PM
Valentine1 Remote Display install
I installed my V1 a few months ago, but finally got around to installing the remote display today.
Options and opinions about installing the V1 itself have been discussed elsewhere so all I will say there is that I opted to use a fuse tap and ran it from the right side fuse box (I used the right headlight fuse (17 IIRC)).
The main problem I had with installing the display was where to put it as it seems like every square inch of the dash is covered in buttons or something you need to see. After poking around and looking I found that the "non-smokers pocket" in front of the gear selector appeared to be a perfect location. The pocket is larger at the top than the bottom. Sizing it up I found that with holes cut on the front and back the display could slide in and be supported by the remaining pocket material as the wider part at the top matched the depth of the display nearly perfectly. I did have to grind away part of the display's case for the best fit though.
I also trimmed a hole out on the side for the cable to plug in:
Ultimately I had to extend the cable hole downward as well as add a hole on the front (first picture) that allows the cable to run in, runs back out the side, and then plugs it. It also gives somewhere for the excess cable to go.
The next problem I ran into was getting the console apart. In a thread about changing out the trim pieces some one gave me the tricks to get the gear selector off (need to twist the ring at the bottom of the **** to unlock it) and center vents off. What wasn't included in those directions was that the PCM needed to come out as well and the LED that lights up the pocket (though mine never has...) is annoying (more later).
The trick to the vents (also the side vents too) is that there are little tabs you can see inside when you move the slats around. Those need to be pried inwards (towards the center of the vent) to make it easier to pop the vent out. Where I ran into issues was that I initially could only see the two next to the PCM (pulling a side vent was much easier and let me get a better idea of what I was dealing with). There is also a fifth one at the top which I never could see the tab for while it was installed. Additionally there is a cable plugged into the bottom of the vents (it just pulls right off). The method that worked best for me was a small steel bar (an awl should do) I had to pry the tabs with. I started with the bottom (since I could get my fingers under the bottom of the vent to pull) and worked around while pulling. Here are some pictures (right center vent) with the tabs circled which will hopefully make it clearer:
After that the PCM had to be removed so that the rear of the trim could be lifted out. I managed to do without disconnecting the PCM itself, but it was challenging due to how the routed the wire for the pocket LED in a way that gives almost no slack. I had to use a pick to de-route that wire which gave me just enough slack to get the trim over the selector post.
Here is the center console with the trim removed. The red circle is the annoyingly routed LED. The green circle is a hole that was already there that I routed the display's cable through. The extra hole I mentioned cutting into the pocket matches up with this hole.
Routing the cable out of the center console was a bit challenging as there is no space at all in there. When I ended up doing was lifting the rest of the center console. To do this you need to unbolt it (two torx screws under the pocket) and just pull up on the leather bolsters forward of the grab handles. This let me run the cable towards the rear of the car, around a bit, and then forward again along the outside of the console (for reference the left side of the pic is the gear selector unit):
And here is how the cable comes out of the center console at the dash:
There is actually a lot of empty space behind the trim piece above the glove box, so that's where I chose to run it. I suggest that unlike me you wait to reinstall the vent until after the trim is back on
. You can get it back on, but it would be easier otherwise. On my cheap basic trim there is a trough behind the sliver bit at the top that was a perfect fit for the cable to run in:
And finally here it is put back together and working:
Unfortunately the gear selector did not reinstall nicely (separate thread) so I can't shift out of park without pulling the **** off and pulling the little plastic bit on the rod up. I suppose the good news is that it's not going to get stolen until I get that fixed
Since I couldn't find anything about installing the remote display in a 958 I hope this helps/inspires others.
Options and opinions about installing the V1 itself have been discussed elsewhere so all I will say there is that I opted to use a fuse tap and ran it from the right side fuse box (I used the right headlight fuse (17 IIRC)).
The main problem I had with installing the display was where to put it as it seems like every square inch of the dash is covered in buttons or something you need to see. After poking around and looking I found that the "non-smokers pocket" in front of the gear selector appeared to be a perfect location. The pocket is larger at the top than the bottom. Sizing it up I found that with holes cut on the front and back the display could slide in and be supported by the remaining pocket material as the wider part at the top matched the depth of the display nearly perfectly. I did have to grind away part of the display's case for the best fit though.
I also trimmed a hole out on the side for the cable to plug in:
Ultimately I had to extend the cable hole downward as well as add a hole on the front (first picture) that allows the cable to run in, runs back out the side, and then plugs it. It also gives somewhere for the excess cable to go.
The next problem I ran into was getting the console apart. In a thread about changing out the trim pieces some one gave me the tricks to get the gear selector off (need to twist the ring at the bottom of the **** to unlock it) and center vents off. What wasn't included in those directions was that the PCM needed to come out as well and the LED that lights up the pocket (though mine never has...) is annoying (more later).
The trick to the vents (also the side vents too) is that there are little tabs you can see inside when you move the slats around. Those need to be pried inwards (towards the center of the vent) to make it easier to pop the vent out. Where I ran into issues was that I initially could only see the two next to the PCM (pulling a side vent was much easier and let me get a better idea of what I was dealing with). There is also a fifth one at the top which I never could see the tab for while it was installed. Additionally there is a cable plugged into the bottom of the vents (it just pulls right off). The method that worked best for me was a small steel bar (an awl should do) I had to pry the tabs with. I started with the bottom (since I could get my fingers under the bottom of the vent to pull) and worked around while pulling. Here are some pictures (right center vent) with the tabs circled which will hopefully make it clearer:
After that the PCM had to be removed so that the rear of the trim could be lifted out. I managed to do without disconnecting the PCM itself, but it was challenging due to how the routed the wire for the pocket LED in a way that gives almost no slack. I had to use a pick to de-route that wire which gave me just enough slack to get the trim over the selector post.
Here is the center console with the trim removed. The red circle is the annoyingly routed LED. The green circle is a hole that was already there that I routed the display's cable through. The extra hole I mentioned cutting into the pocket matches up with this hole.
Routing the cable out of the center console was a bit challenging as there is no space at all in there. When I ended up doing was lifting the rest of the center console. To do this you need to unbolt it (two torx screws under the pocket) and just pull up on the leather bolsters forward of the grab handles. This let me run the cable towards the rear of the car, around a bit, and then forward again along the outside of the console (for reference the left side of the pic is the gear selector unit):
And here is how the cable comes out of the center console at the dash:
There is actually a lot of empty space behind the trim piece above the glove box, so that's where I chose to run it. I suggest that unlike me you wait to reinstall the vent until after the trim is back on
. You can get it back on, but it would be easier otherwise. On my cheap basic trim there is a trough behind the sliver bit at the top that was a perfect fit for the cable to run in:And finally here it is put back together and working:
Unfortunately the gear selector did not reinstall nicely (separate thread) so I can't shift out of park without pulling the **** off and pulling the little plastic bit on the rod up. I suppose the good news is that it's not going to get stolen until I get that fixed
Since I couldn't find anything about installing the remote display in a 958 I hope this helps/inspires others.
#2
01-19-2013, 04:35 PM
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Southwest Florida
Posts: 1,724
Rep Power: 91 
I installed my V1 a few months ago, but finally got around to installing the remote display today.
Options and opinions about installing the V1 itself have been discussed elsewhere so all I will say there is that I opted to use a fuse tap and ran it from the right side fuse box (I used the right headlight fuse (17 IIRC)).
The main problem I had with installing the display was where to put it as it seems like every square inch of the dash is covered in buttons or something you need to see. After poking around and looking I found that the "non-smokers pocket" in front of the gear selector appeared to be a perfect location. The pocket is larger at the top than the bottom. Sizing it up I found that with holes cut on the front and back the display could slide in and be supported by the remaining pocket material as the wider part at the top matched the depth of the display nearly perfectly. I did have to grind away part of the display's case for the best fit though.
I also trimmed a hole out on the side for the cable to plug in:
Ultimately I had to extend the cable hole downward as well as add a hole on the front (first picture) that allows the cable to run in, runs back out the side, and then plugs it. It also gives somewhere for the excess cable to go.
The next problem I ran into was getting the console apart. In a thread about changing out the trim pieces some one gave me the tricks to get the gear selector off (need to twist the ring at the bottom of the **** to unlock it) and center vents off. What wasn't included in those directions was that the PCM needed to come out as well and the LED that lights up the pocket (though mine never has...) is annoying (more later).
The trick to the vents (also the side vents too) is that there are little tabs you can see inside when you move the slats around. Those need to be pried inwards (towards the center of the vent) to make it easier to pop the vent out. Where I ran into issues was that I initially could only see the two next to the PCM (pulling a side vent was much easier and let me get a better idea of what I was dealing with). There is also a fifth one at the top which I never could see the tab for while it was installed. Additionally there is a cable plugged into the bottom of the vents (it just pulls right off). The method that worked best for me was a small steel bar (an awl should do) I had to pry the tabs with. I started with the bottom (since I could get my fingers under the bottom of the vent to pull) and worked around while pulling. Here are some pictures (right center vent) with the tabs circled which will hopefully make it clearer:
After that the PCM had to be removed so that the rear of the trim could be lifted out. I managed to do without disconnecting the PCM itself, but it was challenging due to how the routed the wire for the pocket LED in a way that gives almost no slack. I had to use a pick to de-route that wire which gave me just enough slack to get the trim over the selector post.
Here is the center console with the trim removed. The red circle is the annoyingly routed LED. The green circle is a hole that was already there that I routed the display's cable through. The extra hole I mentioned cutting into the pocket matches up with this hole.
Routing the cable out of the center console was a bit challenging as there is no space at all in there. When I ended up doing was lifting the rest of the center console. To do this you need to unbolt it (two torx screws under the pocket) and just pull up on the leather bolsters forward of the grab handles. This let me run the cable towards the rear of the car, around a bit, and then forward again along the outside of the console (for reference the left side of the pic is the gear selector unit):
And here is how the cable comes out of the center console at the dash:
There is actually a lot of empty space behind the trim piece above the glove box, so that's where I chose to run it. I suggest that unlike me you wait to reinstall the vent until after the trim is back on. You can get it back on, but it would be easier otherwise. On my cheap basic trim there is a trough behind the sliver bit at the top that was a perfect fit for the cable to run in:
And finally here it is put back together and working:
Unfortunately the gear selector did not reinstall nicely (separate thread) so I can't shift out of park without pulling the **** off and pulling the little plastic bit on the rod up. I suppose the good news is that it's not going to get stolen until I get that fixed
Since I couldn't find anything about installing the remote display in a 958 I hope this helps/inspires others.
Options and opinions about installing the V1 itself have been discussed elsewhere so all I will say there is that I opted to use a fuse tap and ran it from the right side fuse box (I used the right headlight fuse (17 IIRC)).
The main problem I had with installing the display was where to put it as it seems like every square inch of the dash is covered in buttons or something you need to see. After poking around and looking I found that the "non-smokers pocket" in front of the gear selector appeared to be a perfect location. The pocket is larger at the top than the bottom. Sizing it up I found that with holes cut on the front and back the display could slide in and be supported by the remaining pocket material as the wider part at the top matched the depth of the display nearly perfectly. I did have to grind away part of the display's case for the best fit though.
I also trimmed a hole out on the side for the cable to plug in:
Ultimately I had to extend the cable hole downward as well as add a hole on the front (first picture) that allows the cable to run in, runs back out the side, and then plugs it. It also gives somewhere for the excess cable to go.
The next problem I ran into was getting the console apart. In a thread about changing out the trim pieces some one gave me the tricks to get the gear selector off (need to twist the ring at the bottom of the **** to unlock it) and center vents off. What wasn't included in those directions was that the PCM needed to come out as well and the LED that lights up the pocket (though mine never has...) is annoying (more later).
The trick to the vents (also the side vents too) is that there are little tabs you can see inside when you move the slats around. Those need to be pried inwards (towards the center of the vent) to make it easier to pop the vent out. Where I ran into issues was that I initially could only see the two next to the PCM (pulling a side vent was much easier and let me get a better idea of what I was dealing with). There is also a fifth one at the top which I never could see the tab for while it was installed. Additionally there is a cable plugged into the bottom of the vents (it just pulls right off). The method that worked best for me was a small steel bar (an awl should do) I had to pry the tabs with. I started with the bottom (since I could get my fingers under the bottom of the vent to pull) and worked around while pulling. Here are some pictures (right center vent) with the tabs circled which will hopefully make it clearer:
After that the PCM had to be removed so that the rear of the trim could be lifted out. I managed to do without disconnecting the PCM itself, but it was challenging due to how the routed the wire for the pocket LED in a way that gives almost no slack. I had to use a pick to de-route that wire which gave me just enough slack to get the trim over the selector post.
Here is the center console with the trim removed. The red circle is the annoyingly routed LED. The green circle is a hole that was already there that I routed the display's cable through. The extra hole I mentioned cutting into the pocket matches up with this hole.
Routing the cable out of the center console was a bit challenging as there is no space at all in there. When I ended up doing was lifting the rest of the center console. To do this you need to unbolt it (two torx screws under the pocket) and just pull up on the leather bolsters forward of the grab handles. This let me run the cable towards the rear of the car, around a bit, and then forward again along the outside of the console (for reference the left side of the pic is the gear selector unit):
And here is how the cable comes out of the center console at the dash:
There is actually a lot of empty space behind the trim piece above the glove box, so that's where I chose to run it. I suggest that unlike me you wait to reinstall the vent until after the trim is back on
. You can get it back on, but it would be easier otherwise. On my cheap basic trim there is a trough behind the sliver bit at the top that was a perfect fit for the cable to run in:And finally here it is put back together and working:
Unfortunately the gear selector did not reinstall nicely (separate thread) so I can't shift out of park without pulling the **** off and pulling the little plastic bit on the rod up. I suppose the good news is that it's not going to get stolen until I get that fixed
Since I couldn't find anything about installing the remote display in a 958 I hope this helps/inspires others.
You are quite the tinkerer
Kudos and respect
Driving is pretty much all i do
Would not even begin to trust myself to dig in like you did..and put it back together right
Impressive
+1!!
#3
01-19-2013, 04:49 PM
I still say the broken gear selector is a security feature though 
I have a long history of taking apart my car interiors and putting them back together incorrectly
#4
01-19-2013, 06:03 PM
Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Southwest Florida
Posts: 1,724
Rep Power: 91
#5
01-20-2013, 01:41 AM
Kudos and thanks for sharing all the details. Great work! Question though, are you able to see the remote display while driving? Doesn't seem like it would be very visible with the shift *** in the way.
#7
01-20-2013, 11:45 AM
Great write-up! The dash is pretty crowded and curvey so if I use the remote display I will just velcro it to the steering column. A strip at each end will keep it secure and from rocking back and forth.
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#8
01-20-2013, 12:18 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Pittsburgh Area
Age: 73
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Not sure if I am missing something, but what is the advantage of the remote display when you still have to put the main unit on the windshield or hanging from the visor?
#9
01-20-2013, 12:29 PM
I did think about that, but having done something similar in the past its not a route I'd go again if I can avoid it. Part of the issue is visibility (both the display as well as the dash) given where I place the wheel vs how I sit. Another issue is that as the display gets older the button requires more force to function and the velcro doesn't offer enough support in my experience. Finally there is a bit of a safety issue as you have to reach through the wheel to operate it and I've had a few cases where things ahead of me unexpectedly changed with my arm through the wheel (nothing bad resulted, but sill rattled the nerves quite a bit).
The steering column certainly works, I'm just not comfortable with it myself. I also try to go for the stealth/built-in look when I can
The steering column certainly works, I'm just not comfortable with it myself. I also try to go for the stealth/built-in look when I can
#10
01-20-2013, 12:36 PM
In my case I mounted the main unit on the passenger side of the mirror. Given that its wider than i am used to and the monster center console I find it way too far out of my normal sight line and a stretch to reach when I needed to mute it. I'm still considering moving it to the driver's side anyway though.
#11
01-20-2013, 01:27 PM
I had to use the remote display because on my S550 I couldn't reach the Valentine to mute it since it was against the center of the windshield and on the deep dash. That was the only clear shot through their heat repelling glass because the one near the rear view mirror was too small.
#12
01-22-2013, 12:52 PM
so thanks for that. I'm thinking of the Valentine 1 or the Belltronics STIR+ and maybe a Laser Interceptor.
#13
01-22-2013, 01:13 PM
Once I find out the proper procedure I will of course post it so others can avoid the cost of a new ****
I'm thinking of the Valentine 1 or the Belltronics STIR+ and maybe a Laser Interceptor.
I will admit though that it's been a long time since I did any side by side comparisons myself. The V1 keeps treating me good so I have no impetus to look at changing.
#14
03-08-2013, 04:43 PM
I'm still waiting on someone to confirm that I broke it (in which case I'll crack this one open to see what the internals look like), but my suspicion is that I needed to pull the button outward while pulling it off the selector rod. I think by not doing that I broke the piece that fits in the slot at the top of the selector rod.
Once I find out the proper procedure I will of course post it so others can avoid the cost of a new ****
I'd obviously recommend the V1 I will admit though that it's been a long time since I did any side by side comparisons myself. The V1 keeps treating me good so I have no impetus to look at changing.
Once I find out the proper procedure I will of course post it so others can avoid the cost of a new ****
I'd obviously recommend the V1
I will admit though that it's been a long time since I did any side by side comparisons myself. The V1 keeps treating me good so I have no impetus to look at changing.
#15
03-08-2013, 04:52 PM
Oh yeah, I forgot about this thread sorry. As it happens I only finally got it fixed last week anyway and my Tech was nice enough to show me the procedure.
As previously mentioned you twist the bottom of it. I thought it was just the little square-ish part that was turning, but when he showed me I noticed it's the whole bottom portion of the **** that is turning. I used one of those rubber strap wrenches when I did it so there was no worry about scuffing.
The part that I missed (but was pretty obvious after the damage was done) is that you also need to pull the button outward, then it should lift free. Note that when I was fiddling with the old **** after I had already broken it I had to use a small flathead to help lever out the button, but my Tech was able to just grip either side and pull it out.
Reinstallation is just the reverse of the process (pull the button out, slide it on, twist the bottom back into position).
I did have to pay for a new **** (and the dealer beat Suncoast's price (since I didn't have to pay shipping) even though they refused to apply the PCA discount), but they didn't charge me for the labor which was nice.
As previously mentioned you twist the bottom of it. I thought it was just the little square-ish part that was turning, but when he showed me I noticed it's the whole bottom portion of the **** that is turning. I used one of those rubber strap wrenches when I did it so there was no worry about scuffing.
The part that I missed (but was pretty obvious after the damage was done) is that you also need to pull the button outward, then it should lift free. Note that when I was fiddling with the old **** after I had already broken it I had to use a small flathead to help lever out the button, but my Tech was able to just grip either side and pull it out.
Reinstallation is just the reverse of the process (pull the button out, slide it on, twist the bottom back into position).
I did have to pay for a new **** (and the dealer beat Suncoast's price (since I didn't have to pay shipping) even though they refused to apply the PCA discount), but they didn't charge me for the labor which was nice.
