Escort Passport 9500ix blendmount
 

Hey guys, I picked up my Z about two weeks ago from a another member and have been adding stuff here and there.

The suction cups on my radar detector were... sucking (not in the good way) so I picked up a Blendmount on e-bay a few days ago. The materials and finish are excellent but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it yet. I find that the detector obstructs my view very much when hung under the rear view mirror. I previously had the detector mounted to the right of the rear view (see suctions cups still attached). What do you all think?

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http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...330_164339.jpg

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just a quick question, how tall are you? also, have you tried lowering the seat for better viewing dynamics

Very cool I've been thinking about getting this exact same setup and was wondering how it would look.

Have you tried mounting it to the passenger side visor with the clip or the more expensive suction cup thing they sell?

That's what I'm using as well. Agreed on the excellent quality... only downside is the price.

I'm surprised it obstructs your view that much, mine is perfect for me and I'm around 6'.

Nice, I'm going to have to get one - I love the 9500ix.

I like the idea of not have anything attached to the windshield for someone to see passing by. If I park in a public place, I remove the detector and leave the suction cups attached, that still tells someone there might be something inside. Could take down the cups but thats a PITA.

Thanks :tup:

I'm 5'11". I did try raising/lowering the seat to see if it would help but it was about the same. I'm going to give it a few more days to get used to it before I decide anything.

With the detector suction cupped next to the rear view I could see the display just fine from my normal driving position. But I noticed if I moved forward just a little bit (to adjust the radio) the angle made it a little harder to see the display. I think if I clip it to the visor it will be too far back for me to see clearly. I had the same problem with the detector mounted on the visor on my last car.

As for the supercup that escort sells, according to the reviews the cup does not last more than 5-6 months in hot climates. I also went and looked on radardetector.net and they all seem to agree with the reviews.

I agree it's not cheap. I did by it directly from Blendmount through their e-bay store. It's about $18 cheaper (including shipping) than buying it directly from their website. But after I found my $450+ radar detector hanging from 1 suction cup a few times I figured it would be worth investing in something more secure than an aluminum bracket with two 5 cent rubber cups. LOL.

Pro's:
Overall I find the mount is very sturdy. The detector does not bounce even when going over speed bumps and the joint allows you to adjust it so it's nice and level. The mount even telescopes down if you want it further away from the mirror. For example: if you have the standard mirror with the flip lever on the bottom.

Con's:
1. The detector is very visible from outside the car.
2. The detector's light sensor sits right under the rear view so the auto-brightness on the detector always thinks it's dark out. Not a deal breaker for me since I leave it on medium but I thought I would point it out for those that use the auto-brightness feature on their detectors.

Just an update:

After driving with the detector mounted underneath the mirror for a few weeks I've gotten used to it and don't notice it anymore. So I'm keeping it.

An added bonus I found is that I can put my sun visor behind it without suction cups getting in the way. :tup:

Nice setup, it's clean and pretty much what I want to do as well. Did you install it yourself?

Can you mount it all the way forward and bye the remote adapter for your warning. Although the rear sensor might be hidden by the mirror.

Yes I installed it myself. It's just two screws that go into the bracket around the stem of the mirror. You can see them in the 5th/last picture of my original post.


The mount is mounted all the way forward. You can slide it a few more millimeters but that's it. It's at the point where the mirror stem begins to taper to the ball joint and the clamp wouldn't be secure at that point. If by "remote adapter" you mean the smartcord, then I have it. It's in the same place most other people have it, in one of the blank plates in the center console.