[powereli]

Every thread I've read and every video I've seen shows people hardwiring their V1's into the overhead, map-light panel of the F10 5 Series. The problems I have with this solution are:
- tough to get the panel detached
- tough to find ground wire location
- V1 does not go OFF when car is off, forcing you to manually use on/off knob every time.

I have a much simpler solution and I'm sharing it here, that solves all the issues above.

Ready?

- open the glove box and then fuse panel access door
- pop off trim panel on side of dash/glove box.
- remove 5amp fuse in the upper right area of fuse panel (see photo attached for exact location, and note that MY power wire is BLUE, not red)
- take V1 hardwire kit out.
- strip back red/power wire to expose about 1/4 inch of bare wire. Again, please note my power wire is BLUE in the picture, not red.
- wrap exposed end of wire around fuse end
- replace fuse, making sure red/power wire is jammed in with fuse
- make sure you have a tight connection and wire is not coming out
- now, the ground wire
- with the side trim panel removed, there is an exposed piece of metal
- with a drill, drill a small hole in the metal, and attach the ground wire to the metal with a small self-tapping metal screw
- plug in black V1 telephone cord, and you're done
- use a small flat head screwdriver to hide phone cable up and around door and windshield glass trim.
- place V1 anywhere along top of glass that suits your personal preference
- done and done

Now, when the car is off, the V1 is off. When the car goes on, the V1 goes on. Simple. Install takes about 15 minutes.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by powereli

Every thread I've read and every video I've seen shows people hardwiring their V1's into the overhead, map-light panel of the F10 5 Series. The problems I have with this solution are:
- tough to get the panel detached
- tough to find ground wire location
- V1 does not go OFF when car is off, forcing you to manually use on/off knob every time.

I have a much simpler solution and I'm sharing it here, that solves all the issues above.

Ready?

- open the glove box and then fuse panel access door
- pop off trim panel on side of dash/glove box.
- remove 5amp fuse in the upper right area of fuse panel (see photo attached for exact location, and note that MY power wire is BLUE, not red)
- take V1 hardwire kit out.
- strip back red/power wire to expose about 1/4 inch of bare wire. Again, please note my power wire is BLUE in the picture, not red.
- wrap exposed end of wire around fuse end
- replace fuse, making sure red/power wire is jammed in with fuse
- make sure you have a tight connection and wire is not coming out
- now, the ground wire
- with the side trim panel removed, there is an exposed piece of metal
- with a drill, drill a small hole in the metal, and attach the ground wire to the metal with a small self-tapping metal screw
- plug in black V1 telephone cord, and you're done
- use a small flat head screwdriver to hide phone cable up and around door and windshield glass trim.
- place V1 anywhere along top of glass that suits your personal preference
- done and done

Now, when the car is off, the V1 is off. When the car goes on, the V1 goes on. Simple. Install takes about 15 minutes.

I wired (post #103) my V1 a similar way. Using an add-a-fuse made it much easier...

[powereli]

so rad! Where can I buy a 5amp 'add-a-fuse'?

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by powereli

so rad! Where can I buy a 5amp 'add-a-fuse'?

I got mine at Pep Boys but I'm pretty sure any auto parts store will have them. Amazon also has them...

[M5Beast_NYC]

can I use this on my dash cam as well? so you are saying this will shut off the power when the car is powered off?

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by M5Beast_NYC

can I use this on my dash cam as well? so you are saying this will shut off the power when the car is powered off?

Yup... It does exactly what you did (and I used to do). What it does is add a piggy-back fuse slot to the existing slot in the fuse block. I turn the power off and a second or two later my V1 shuts down.

You can use these for any device you want to add. Just be sure to get the correct amperage for the device.