DIY: E34 V1 Hardwire & HomeLink Installation

[stilljester]

Hi Everyone,

Spent the afternoon installing the hardwire kit for my V1 & a BMW HomeLink unit I purchased off eBay last week. I reviewed a lot of old threads but I couldn't find any which matched / contained all the information I was looking for. Hopefully this will help the next person who install either in their car. As there were several thread on how to remove visors, install shifters etc. I tried not to duplicate something which already existed.

Overview:
Wiring Diagram:

Connectors: Molex 3 Pin Kit


HomeLink Unit: PN 83 80 869. (I suggest looking for a unit which includes the body side wiring harness as mine did.)


Main Steps
1. Construct your accessory harness by first crimping the terminals and then soldering them into place. (Remember: Soldering shows how much you love your car, don't skip.)



2. When finished your harness should look similar to this


3. In order to install the HomeLink you will need to cut a hole for the unit in the headliner. To gain proper access remove the visors, center lights, grab handles etc, allowing the headliner to drop. Once lowered you will see something which looks like this:


4. To avoid cutting a hole which is too large you should create a template which matches the size of your HomeLink unit.


5. Mark the headliner with your template and prepare to remove the marked area.


6. Using a new razor blade slowly cut through the headliner board but not the outer fabric. (There are two board layers with foam between them.)


7. Once you cut through the headliner board layers carefully cut the fabric from the front in a " X " pattern. (Do not cut all the way to the corners)


8. Assemble & Install your wiring leads for the body side connector which mates to the accessory harness you previously built.


9. The HomeLink buttons are lit so to illuminate you'll need To tap into the light circuit. I used the connector by my shifter and ran wiring down the following path. (Wires are exposed for illustration purposes only.)


10. To power the V1 & HomeLink units you will need 12V ACC source, I spliced into the driver's side vanity mirror wiring.


11. For ground I connected into the passenger side vanity mirror. (Either side would work but I used the passenger side as I was running the wire for the lights circuit the same way as seen in Step 9)


12. Test functionality and your wiring. If successful reassemble the headliner, visors and lights etc....


13. Enjoy!

[funfunfer]

Great writeup. Thanks. When does the V1 piece sit?

[south42]

dumb question, what is the V1? what is the range on the Homelink?


Andy

[stilljester]

Great writeup. Thanks. When does the V1 piece sit?

Behind the headliner towards the passenger side.

dumb question, what is the V1? what is the range on the Homelink?

Andy

-V1 = is a Valentine Radar Detector.
-Not sure but seems to work fine at 50ft or less.

[Kinghorn]

Hold on,

HEADLINER IS A SINGLE PIECE? Wheres the sunroof switch? Why is their no panel? Why does it look so good?
suede by the way is an excellent choice and great write up!

[stilljester]

Hold on,

HEADLINER IS A SINGLE PIECE? Wheres the sunroof switch? Why is their no panel? Why does it look so good?
suede by the way is an excellent choice and great write up!

-Sunroof delete car hence the lack of switch and access panel. (Would have probably made things easier.)
-Luck mostly I'm sure.
-Thanks previous owner had everything covered in Alcantara so I can't take the credit.