The fuse box in my 06 monte carlo is on the left side by the battery, its a black box and it has a + and - on the cover of the box that is where the fuses are because i had to change a fuse there for my tail lights, also google electrical schematic for your monte carlo and it will tell you about all the fuses in the box.

 

awesome pics, thanks!
i take it there is no lead in the mirror cable that turns off with the car? do you turn the radar off when you get out of the car or does it not kill your battery?

 

No, the power going to the mirror is always there whether or not the car is running. I accidently did pick up the one that turns off power when u shift into reverse, but its not a big deal because I can't really speed in reverse!

I only have my radar detector on when the engine is running. I read somewhere that starting ur car can spike the voltage and damage the detector sometimes if it is in the on position. I always have my detector off, turn the car on, then turn the detector on manually.

 

so your looking for a all time power source or one with the key
with the key on take a test light ground the clip end. now take the poky end and stert going to the fuses and figure out witch ones are are hot with the key off. or with the key on.

also remeber you ahve some that will only come on for a sec. then shut off. So make sure once you turn ont he car leave it there for a sec. so that it shows it si a good power source.

things like the radio, heated seats, dash lights , theses are on with a switch or on with the key.

things light the head lights have power all the time. the cig lighter or the 12v.power source has power all the tiem in most cases.

 

thanks for your replies. my mirror only has 2 wires, and the hot one is always on. after reading yellow_monte's advice i used that source anyways and have only been turning it on when the engine is running. got a nice thick black cat3 cable and a couple pigtails at lowes for 5 bucks and it looks real nice. thanks everyone.

i have noticed that mounted right under my mirror, this thing gets really hot in the direct sunlight. do you guys all pull yours down when you park, or do they hold up to heat pretty well? mine is a beltronics.

 

I always leave mine in the window. I mount it right about the left side of the rear view mirror so that from the outside you cannot see it at all due to the tint strip. I have never really worried about heat nor ever had problems with heat affecting the detector. The thing that has always bugged me is theft but with the mounting location I have now its not a problem.

Also, in my opinion mounting the detector behind the ting strip has NO effect on the range/performance of the unit. I have used it behind clear glass and tinted and there's no difference.

Here is a quick pic of my setup:

 

i wish i had that blue glass tinting on the front windshield. instead, i have the stupid black polka dot paint that doesnt get along with suction cups. it basically makes installation above the mirror impossible.

i am hoping that my current install is still invisible enough that i wont have to worry about theft.

also in case anyone else with the same 7th gen mirror i have comes across this thread... i did discover that the power shuts off with the data bus, 10 minutes after you shut off the car. power returns with keyless or opening a door. however, i am still turning my detector on and off based on yellow_monte's earlier post.


[IMG]local://upfiles/4455/E6EE8FF5C98C45779521BE086AAAF3D8.jpg[/IMG]

 

Haha I hate the dots on the 7th gens. My mom's impala has the same stuff.

I can't remember where it was, but there was a post on the Radar Detector Forum about a mounting solution for people that have the dotted tint strip like you do. The solution used some sort of adhesive velcro I believe and looked very strong.

Here is the website if you want to look around:
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/

 

as a person that tints glass i hate it also. becuse it cant be tinted over with out useing spray on glue to hold the tint

 

It appears we now have practically identical installs Yellow_Monte, lol. If I ever see your car on the street I'm going to have to wave. I actually posted a more in depth description of my hardwire on those forums. Here's the link for anyone that wants it: http://www.radardetector.net/forums/...-carlo-ls.html