This is for the xA, dunno if it's the same for the xB. I hardwired my radar detector to the red wire going to my dome light by the rear view mirror and grounded and the stock grounding point for the lights(the left bolt). I also noticed a black wire, and I'm guessing that it was a wire for the "door open signal."

I know it's an always on 12v source, but I hate dangling wires, and it seems like too much of a pain to run a wire up the A pillar from the fuse box.

The problem is this: everytime I open a door, the radar detector shuts off, not a big deal, but it is annoying. And I can't help but think that this is bad for the radar detector. And if I have the dome light set to either the "off" position, rather than "door," the radar detector makes this clicking sound, and lights up like it's going to power on, but it never does, and it just keeps clicking and blinking.

Should I try the black wire? Did anybody do the same thing successfully? Any recommendations/suggestions?

 

Not sure about the dome lighting thing for the xA. From what you describe the wire colors are different from the xB up there. However, from looking at the wiring diagram for the xB from the service manual there are two wires that go to the dome light. One (blue-green w/ yellow stripe) leads directly to a 12v power source. It is fuse 15A in the kick panel fuse box under the dash (xB). The other wire is red and yellow and runs to the door lock control relay. I'm assuming the xA is similar wiring, but just uses different colors.(?)

One thing that I was thinking was how you are hardwiring. Is it a hardwire kit that came with the radar detector? If not, did you cut off the adapter that usually plugs into the cig lighter. Sometimes those things have resistors in them. Probably not in this case because it was probably build to run off 12v, but you never know. Perhaps it runs on 5v and has a resistor in the cig adapter. You can get something that the cig lighter adapter plugs into and then has wires that run off of it so it can be hardwired at Radio Shack for like $5. I used it for an a digital compass and it worked fine.

 

You know what, I'll try swapping the wires. I installed the radar detector at night, so I may have seen the wrong colors

 

So whaddaya know, you were right! Thanks man! If you're anywhere near the Sacramento area, I owe you a beer! Whoda thought that the green wire would be constant +12v, and the red wire would be the door/lock relay! It works fine now that I've switched wires.

Thanks again!