Valentine 1 and invi mirror

Ko-nsx

Ko-nsx

Legendary Member
Joined
12 August 2002
Messages
3,620
Location
Austin, TX
Has anyone had the valentine 1 remote mounted their rearview mirror lately. I want have that done, wanted to know if he was still doing the fit. I also like the box with the led light that fit over the dali mount. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Getting a valentine next week. I think his company is apex.com
 
Ive tried to get this done recently too. I think the guys name is something powers. I have written him a few emails, and have gotton no response. Last time i checked his site, said that he was no longer accepting orders for these. I hope you have better luck.
 
I've seen them custom made for Porsches on ebay. If you search under 'porsche 996' they appear periodically. I think they ask like $800 for them pre made.
 
The InV1si was developed by Jim Powell for the BMW, and with my initiation, he agreed to develop it for the NSX mirror. He did mine as well as a few others. If you do a search for inv1si (the correct name) you will find pictures as well as other info about the unit. I may have his number sitting around somewhere, but I am currently in South America and will be returning in a couple of days. Hope this helps
 
Jim Powell is no longer doing NSX mirrors. There is something about the NSX mirror that prevented him from doing it correctly. He did my mirror and when I got it back the dimming function made the mirror go extremely dark to the point where not even shapes were recognizable. The mirror also lost its sharpness - it looked fogged up. He offered to try to fix the mirror and get it back to its former brightness if I would agree to lose the dimming feature - I did and I sent it back to him - he couldn't do it.

He finally gave up, refunded my money and his last words to me were "no more NSX mirrors for me".

I have my V1 attached to the interior light and I can see my concealed display on my rearview mirror. If you are interested PM me and I'll give you the details.
 
Although the remote display is a bit wiggy on displaying the # of bogeys in all other aspects mine works just fine. I am content with it and as a DPS officer remarked.. its 'trick'.
 
I had the display installed into my mirror. For me, it came out well and the bit of cloudyness is not an issue (this is only at night).
If you are in a hurry, you maybe dissapointed but IMO it is worth the wait. Mine was done about 4 months ago and as far as I know he is still doing them for those wanting this trick setup.
 
gene '96 #178 said:
I had the display installed into my mirror. For me, it came out well and the bit of cloudyness is not an issue (this is only at night).
If you are in a hurry, you maybe dissapointed but IMO it is worth the wait. Mine was done about 4 months ago and as far as I know he is still doing them for those wanting this trick setup.
Click to expand...

whick guy did yours powell or the other site posted here.
 
I have a few budys that had them done on there Bmw and one on there Nsx. From the site posted above, they sent in there mirror and got one back in two weeks. I looks great very clean install. I dont think they got back the mirror they sent in, but it was the factory mirror for there car. It was in the same condition as the one they had.
If you have a dimming feature its a bit more work and might not look as good.
 
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My install was done by Mr Powell (as I think the other site is his work as well). I 'm not sure but someone might be sending these to him and perhaps charging a bit as the middle man.
The NSX mirror isn't self dimming but it has an issue regarding the quality of use during the night. I was offered to have it (the silvering/glasswork) done again by Mr Powell but I wasn't bothered too much with the slight cloudiness after dark.

I sent my own mirror in and the price was a GREAT deal less than the one quoted on the site.........
 
gene '96 #178
If you dont mind me asking how much was it ? And were did you mount the V1 at?
Thanks Brian
 
A novel idea, but not my choice for the remote visual display. To me, the V1 should be as stealth as possible. While having the visual remote in the mirror provides a stealth appearance while static, it is far from that when active. I don't want idiots behind me riding my a$@ becasue they see what they know are radar detector lights. And, if they can see the lights others can as well.
 
If I remember correctly, I think it was around $175 (but not sure).
I'm not too sure if this was his regular price or just a "courtesy" price for someone who was very excited to have one of his products......
With that price, I supplied the mirror.
The cover for the V1 unit between the seats was an extra $20 through Mr Powell.

I bought the mount kit from Dail Racing and the whole thing is a sweet set up. The "cool factor" is HUGE :D
With a bit of research, it went in easily and taking apart the interior was fun. Not too hard to do :)
 
KPG

As far as havin anyone riding my butt while driving (thinking they could use my detector to keep out of trouble) it has never happened to me. If someone does get too close I move to the right, slow down a bit and let them pass. It's not a race for me so having them go by me is not a problem.
While driving down the road, all the driver sees is a letter in the display (A, L or l) untill it picks up a signal, not the whole display.

To each their own but I haven't seen anything made I like better than this set up.
 
my windows are tinted so I don't think anyone can see in. but the cover for the mount is trick. Gonna try to get the whole setup this week. I have a targa, how easy is it to install?
 
I have a '96-t and installing the unit between the seats involves removing a couple of panels, mounting the bracket behind some bolts and routing the cables along the side of the car. For the mirror you can either tuck the wire around the roof trim and down the side garnish or (as I did) remove them both and route them better underneith these pieces. A connector box for the V1 and the remote unit is plugged into a extra connection in the fuse box at the drivers feet.

I don't know your level of comfort for working on your car but it really is something the average person (who likes to turn nuts and bolts) can tackle (IMO)
 
gene '96 #178 said:

To each their own but I haven't seen anything made I like better than this set up.
Click to expand...
Yep, to each their own. I haven't taken the time to mount mine yet, but there are two option I am considering, which IMO are better options. For either of the options I would use the T mount at the engine bay window, enclosing the unit in a box similar to what is described here. For the remote visual display I foresee one of two options:

A. Because I have an aftermarket stereo, I have a space available just above the head unit that would allow placement of the remote visual and audio display. I would mount them in a fashion where the lights are actually behind a piece of smoked plastic. The audio knob would be available from another small hole, but nobody would know what is there.
B. The LED's in the dash (door open, etc.) could be used in conjunction with the remote visual display.
 
KGP

It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into your future system. Please share pictures with the group when you are finished and tell us your thoughts on the install.

Best wishes,
Gene Greer
 
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gene '96 #178 said:

It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into your future system.
Click to expand...
Future is the operative word.:( Right now I have much more pressing issues with the car to resolve.:mad:
 

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