Use these instructions in order to Hardwire your Radar Detector, so that it is only on when the ignition is on rather than on all the time as is the case with the cigarette lighter adapter, and it gets rid of that cumbersome cord.

First of all open the fuse panel.  To do this got to the drivers side of the dashboard just inside the door, and there will be a panel, use a flat small screwdriver and carefully pop the panel off, inside will be your fuse panel.

You will be using the #27 rear wiper fuse slot to power the Radar detector.  

If you have an Variant, this slot will be filled, and you will have to get what is known as a piggyback fuse unit, this is called an "Add-A-Circuit" and is made by Littelfuse of Des Plaines, IL. I've attached a JPEG image of it in case you're interested.

 

The  "Add-A-Circuit"  plugs into the slot and has two feeds, one for the original accessory, and a power wire, for use with the new connection.

On the Sedan The #27 fuse slot is empty, and if you look into it, you will see the contact for the positive power supply on the left side of the socket.

I bought the “Direct Wire” kit at the local auto parts store for approx. $8.00. It has connectors at the ends of the wire so there is no need to put connectors on.

Plug the power wire (the one with the fuse inline) into the #27 fuse slot, making sure you have a snug fit. Then attach the Ground wire to a suitable location; I used the bolt just below the fuse box.

Once the Ground wires and Power wire is connected, you may want to plug in your radar detector just to make sure you have the correct connections before tucking everything away.  Remember you have to turn on your ignition in order for the line to have power.  Once you ascertain that the line has power, you can start running the cord to the place where you want to mount the detector.

I ran the cord up the A-pillar, tucking in the cord as I went along, and then tucking it into the headliner at the top of the windshield, it’s a pretty tight fit so you should not have to worry about it falling out. If it does seem loose just wrap some electrical tape around the wire (sticky side out), and the added thickness should keep the wire in place. The wire is totally hidden, except where it connects to the detector.

I mounted my detector to the Left of the Rearview mirror, and slightly above, its rather small and it is up high enough so it doesn’t really affect my line of sight whatsoever.

I hope these instructions Help you, It took me about ten minutes to do this.

If you have any questions not answered here feel free to mail me at twilight@edgenet.net.

(Thanks to Jazzmat for the pic of the add-a-circuit, also I found a variation of these instructions on A4.org, and took the liberty of modifying them and adding information that is specific to a B5, thanks to the original authors. Christian Long and Ray Calvo )