Escort Passport 9500 CI = 78 in a 50 ticket
 

I will start by saying that when it worked it worked great. I love the idea of GPS and radar working together -- it's a smart idea. Also, I have seen the face of a laser cop looking dumbfounded as I zoomed by, so that part is good. Now the bad part.

I just got a ticket in the Cayenne for going 78 in a 50 on the Pallisades Parkway. The worst of it is that my $1,700 radar detector did not make a peep, beep, or any other noise and it was over by the time I saw the cop on the right hand side of the road beaming radar.

Some might say, well he wasn't beaming radar, but the ticket says he was, and when I got down to the GW bridge where they always have fixed radar guns beaming radar at the tolls, not a peep. Then into the city where it usually goes crazy, and it just sat silent with "Highway" in blue on the display.

Now the worst of it. This is the second unit I have had fail like this after the second year of ownership, with the other unit being installed in my 996TT. In that case, I noticed that it did not go off at a place it usually does (a place I did not mark to ignore). I sent that unit in and it was past warranty so I had to pay some money ($50 or $100 I forget) to have the front radar unit repaired/replaced (they verified that it was broken BTW). Finally, one other complaint. Both units tended to false on rear laser when you drive down a tree lined road that creates a bit of a strobe effect as the sun flickered between the trees.

So now I am pissed on two fronts. One, if it's failing shouldn't it have some internal check that tells you that you have no detection protection so I don't get ticketed, and two ... really two units in a row that fail after two years of ownership ... at $1,700 purchase price + installation shouldn't these be more reliable. Also, given that it is a hard install/uninstall, taking it out to send it back is a PITA.

I am not happy and can no longer recommend these units as I once did. http://images-2.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/...cons/icon8.gif

Really sorry to hear of the bad luck/bad experience. I hope you're able to get the ticket reduced at minimum, and hopefully dismissed!

The problem with these units is they get left inside cars that are in the hot sun. And when all the windows are up the temperatures they are subjected to exceeds there design tolerances. And some of these units even have self test features that fail after being baked. IMHO a radar detector should only be of the portable variety and they should never be left in a enclosed car on a hot day. I do not know if that was your problem or not but I bet it is a very likely culprit.

The very best radar detector you can get for the HiWay is still the STI Driver by Beltronics, and I top that off with a Blinder Lazer Jammer. My Blinder lazer jammer has never failed me; it sure has save my butt on several occasions. Radar is another story, they sure are not as cut or dried as lazer, especially with false alarms.

Here is some info for you.
http://radartest.com/

And one more
http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=100542

Any Valetine1 users and lovers here read the second test and note the heat test. Bell and passport units are much better, they have been for almost a decade. And enter the new Escort Redline. for now my money is still on the Sti driver or magnum just because of my familiarity with it. Its durable and it takes the heat well if it does get left in a hot car.

Sorry to hear that. Hope you're able to get some relief on the ticket.

I've been wondering whether a radar detector would really end up helping or hurting me. I'm concerned that I might pay less attention if I had a detector and thought that I was well protected. It seems that good situational awareness and a watchful eye are possibly the best defense for me.

I can certainly understand the benefits of a detector on those rural highways where there's nothing around and a lot of blind turns and rolling hills (i.e. good places to hide). But in a more urban highway/freeway setting, watching out for cops and observing the overall traffic flow seems to work reasonably well. Other thoughts on this?

Sorry to hear, I have an opposite story...

Been using a Passport x50 in the Lexus for about 2 years now, has a bunch of false alarms on X band, and occasionally LASER false alarms. But every single time it's ka it's a cop.

So I'm driving around in a 30mph zone when the LASER shows on the screen and starts beeping crazy, I mute it thinking it's a false alarm like usual, and 5 second after I have a cop walking to the middle of the road signaling me to pull over.
Other than that, which was my fault I guess, the Passport x50 works really good. Also did a 2000mile road trip with it, and it was accurate on the highways.

I also recently replaced the Valentine 1 in my turbo to a Passport 9500ix which is similar in specifications to the 9500ci. It seems to work good, the Valentine 1 had false alarms ALL the time, and I hate on the V1 that the LEDs are all tiny and the same color, I can't tell when it's k/ka/x etc... The arrows were nice though, when it wasn't a false alarm.

then they are poorly designed. We have all kinds of electronics in our cars that don't fail from the heat.

i thinkive had my 8500 over 8 years. it has never failed me. it does do a self cal every so often. once it did it 2x in one hour!

I don't think it's the heat that caused the failure. We had a scorcher of a summer (on the hottest day my PCM NAV shut itself off as a thermal precaution, which I'd never seen). Mine continues to work fine.

To the OP: My attitude towards radar is it's a backup. I never rely on it. Out here in NY/NJ, the pace method or just eyeballing from side of road is too prevalent (and enforeceable in court). And highways like the PIP, Turnpike etc are crawling with cops, many of them unmarked, especially as you approach the city. You really gotta pick your spots on these highways (long visibility, side barriers, etc).

The best advice I can give you when u have the itch to put the hammer down is exit the state. The points don't transfer into NY (unless you don't pay the tickets).

What is your opinion of the laser defense plate covers (e.g., Laser Shield)? Seems like the cheapest, easiest to install, least likely to malfunction...

Go V1. at 500 bucks u take the chance anyway. no way i'm spending anything more than that on a detector. and at least u know where the signal is coming from.

I've used the Valentine 1 for a few years now and have been very happy with its performance. It has definitely saved me on dozens of occasions and I've never received a speeding ticket since having it.

Bad Installs?
 

I had two different shops install these units two years apart. Both pro install shops, though I admit that the first shop was not as top shelf as the second. The second shop was absolutely first rate. They did a super clean install and do them all the time for Manhattan Motorcars. I am off this week, so I will pull the front unit from the Cayenne and send it in and see what Escort says. I will also ask if they have any idea why it failed and report back what I find.

Stay tuned

Don't get complacent because you have a V1.
That's all I'm currently running. No more. After a road trip up to Central CA, I've found out first hand that CHP is HEAVILY using LIDAR. I crested a hill, V1 went crazy and I got a ticket. No chance to do anything but bend over. Witnessed multiple other cops sitting by the side of the road with their guns.

I'm getting an LI unit as soon as I can find a good local installer.

i guess. i'm not a pro at this but my point is for the dollar value that is top i would spend on any detector. considered the time & ticket it's saved me also the ability to transfer from car to car it just works perfect for me. certainly would hate myself if i've spent thousands of dollar but still got hit by the popo...