path

I just bought a used '00 C4 coupe with 11,500 miles. Black on black, Litronics, heated seats with memory, rear wiper, digital sound, 18" inch sport design rims, full leather including doors and dash, supple leather. I picked it up in Milwaukee this weekend. Harley was having it's 100th birthday bash, what a sight. Anyway, I drove it back to Detroit the same day. What an amazing machine! I have always dreamed of owning a Porsche 911 and in just three days this car has exceeded all expectations. With that being said I do have a couple questions.

The car also came with a K40 radar detector installed. When I drove it home the detector never made a sound. I also brought along a Solo 2 and it sounded the alarm several times. Does anyone know anything about these detectors and how they work? On/off switches, etc? How good are they?

I took of the front license plate holder, not necessary in Michigan, and there are two small holes in the bumper. Does Porsche have plugs for the holes?

Thanks and I look forward to meeting all of you at upcoming PCA functions.

The newest member of the Porsche family,
Pat

path

Sorry, just did a search on bumper plugs. Please disregard. I would like some advice on the K40 thought. Should it stay or should it go?

Mark Wheeler

I have a K-40 installed in my car (it was done by the previous owner) and it sucks. Tons of false alarms to the point that it's not even worth turning on. No kidding, it will false alarm whenever I go over a bump and them all the lights and buzzers will "jam" in the full power position until I turn the system off and back on. What a piece of junk. I plan to remove it from my car soon. If I decide to buy something to replace it I'd buy a Valentine One. It seems to get the best reviews regardless of where you look.

Good luck and enjoy your new P-Car!!

Mark

Gery NJ

Sounds great, mirrors my experience several years back.
I also have K40 and since installed V1. I leave them both on, but don't rely on anyone one. Situation awareness is what will save your a$$.
enjoy, life is 2 short

Trojan Man

Mark, I think you probably have a bad install - my K40 has saved my butt several times and does NOT constantly give "false alarms". I would suggest going to a FACTORY AUTHORIZED K40 installer and have them debug the system for you.

Also - about radar"false alarms" in general - they are not really false. ALL radar detectors are designed to pick up X, K, or Ka band radar - whatever the source. Unfortunately, most radar signals are not from Police, but any number of other things including automatic opening doors at the grocery store. The detectors cannot discriminate against these signals - they are just doing their job and reporting them to you.

docjackson1

i can't tell you about a k-40, but i can tell you that a valentine is the best detector i have ever had.

Karl S

Pat,

Congrats on the new car, I hope you enjoy it.

Unfortunately, my experience with the K-40 mirrors Mark's. Maybe I had a bad install too, but it was done by a factory authorized shop, although one that is no longer in business. It falsed so often that I only used it on trips out in the country where it worked ok.

My unit had an on-off switch which was mounted in the map pocket under the steering wheel. If you turned it clockwise it was in city mode and the sensitivity was lowered to theoretically reduce false alarms. It lit up an LED yellow or white in this mode. If you turned the on-off switch counterclockwise, it was in interstate mode with full sensitivity and the LED lit up green. In the center position the unit is off and the LED is not lit.

Karl

Mark Wheeler

Trojan Man,

I'll try to run it by an authorized installer to see what they say. It's worth a try.

Thanks,
Mark

path

Thanks guys!! I finally found it. The controller was on the tunnel near my right knee. It does seem to false more than my Solo 2. I think I'll just have an installer re-position the laser diffuser and go from there. Shouldn't cost too much.

Thanks again, Pat