[ResIpsaLoquitur]

I've been using AGS's extremely helpful mirror tap write up for a few years, on two cars, every time I need to uninstall or reinstall.

A couple of weeks ago, on a really hot day, the suction cups warped from the heat, and the radar detector fell with a pretty decent jolt. The radar detector stopped working, so I ordered another mirror tap, popped open the write up, and used needle nose pliers to get the two leads in to the correct slots. No power to the radar detector. Thought for a split second that maybe the radar detector crapped out on me. Grabbed another Cobra I have that uses the same male end plug, and tested the mirror tap; no power to that one either with the new mirror tap. Plugged in both Cobras with the supplied coiled 12 volt plug, both worked just fine.

After the jolt happened, and I uninstalled the cover to attempt to push the leads back in, I got a iDrive notification for a split second that the rain sensor and automated wipers weren't working. It disappeared, and I put the cover back on. The HomeLink buttons are responsive; they generate the orange indicator light when pressed.

The male end of the plug where the leads go into is seated all the way in the female end.

Has anyone had this happen where your mirror tap isn't transmitting power? How did you resolve it? There are plenty of hardwired/mirror tap radar detector threads, but I couldn't find anyone having this issue, let alone a resolution for it.

Thank you all in advance!

P.S. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Thank you AGS!

[DGM M5C]

Never had it not provide power, but have thought the pins were seated in the right slot only to find out they weren’t. That’s the only thing I could think might be happening. I’ve done mirror taps on my cars for the past decade and rarely does one get installed perfect the first time.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by DMG M5C

Never had it not provide power, but have thought the pins were seated in the right slot only to find out they weren't. That's the only thing I could think might be happening. I've done mirror taps on my cars for the past decade and rarely does one get installed perfect the first time.

I was hoping it was something as simple that, so I checked connections and placement several times. I did three complete separate uninstall/reinstall/uninstalls Unfortunately, no dice. Thank you for trying!

[DGM M5C]

Originally Posted by ResIpsaLoquitur

I was hoping it was something as simple that, so I checked connections and placement several times. I did three complete separate uninstall/reinstall/uninstalls Unfortunately, no dice. Thank you for trying!

I wonder if the fuse blew and that’s why the iDrive message went away. Throw some water on the windshield and see if it works. I don’t know….just thinking outside the box if you’re not able to run a voltmeter to the connections and verify if they are providing power.

Other than that, I’ve got nothing. Good luck.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by DMG M5C

I wonder if the fuse blew and that's why the iDrive message went away. Throw some water on the windshield and see if it works. I don't know….just thinking outside the box if you're not able to run a voltmeter to the connections and verify if they are providing power.

Other than that, I've got nothing. Good luck.

I think there is power since the orange indicator light illuminates when pressing a HomeLink button, and the auto dimming function of the rear view mirror is working, but the next step is get a voltmeter in there. I'll take all the help I can get, inside the box or not. Thank you very much!

[pbonsalb]

After you get it fixed, splurge on the Blendmount so the detector does not fall again.

[AGS]

I find the plug you insert the mirror tap into to be very finicky. When I was moving it to my 2022 M5C it took me 15-20 minutes to get solid, uninterrupted contact. I had to slide the blades down different sides of the wires on the back of the plug.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

After you get it fixed, splurge on the Blendmount so the detector does not fall again.

Excellent advice, thank you very much! Just checked out their website. I'll definitely be ordering once I figure out the electric issue.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by AGS

I find the plug you insert the mirror tap into to be very finicky. When I was moving it to my 2022 M5C it took me 15-20 minutes to get solid, uninterrupted contact. I had to slide the blades down different sides of the wires on the back of the plug.

Thank you so much for the input! I am going to try to get a good connection again later today. In the past, because of your write up, I've gotten it to power up in seconds with one push each and every time. That's why I assumed I wasn't getting power. I'll report back again!

[DGM M5C]

Originally Posted by AGS

I find the plug you insert the mirror tap into to be very finicky. When I was moving it to my 2022 M5C it took me 15-20 minutes to get solid, uninterrupted contact. I had to slide the blades down different sides of the wires on the back of the plug.

That's what I said. Great minds think alike...or we just have the same experiences!

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

AGS, I tried to get a better connection today based on your comments, and tried multiple variations of which side to put it around the existing plugged in wires. Still no go. I think there's a power delivery issue from the jolt of the radar detector falling, but my voltmeter leads are too thick to get into the holes on the backside of the wiring harness to confirm. Will order one with thinner leads this evening and check when it comes to confirm.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

RESOLVED:

Coming back to this old thread with what happened at the dealer (almost 4 months later) so that it may help someone else.

Though I ended up not getting charged for this for unrelated reasons (another thread coming soon), $200 (a full hour of diagnostic labor) is steep for what couldn't have taken more than 5 minutes.

If you have this issue, you can likely resolve it yourself. I should have been able to, but didn't.