9500ci Installation
07-03-2010, 04:48 PM
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9500ci Installation
Hi guys,
Installed an Escort 9500ci in the GT3 last week and tried to document as much as I could for all you DIYers out there who may have thought about doing the same. It was quite a project (took me two days in my spare time), but the results are quite satisfying and the performance is stellar. Sorry if some of this seems remedial to the hard core audience.
I started with the rear laser shifter mounted above the license plate using the supplied bracket. First task is to remove the rear fascia.
Start by loosening the two torx screws holding the tail lamps in place (you do not have to remove them) and then slide out and unplug the tail lamp assembly.
Remove the torx screw in the front corner underneath the tail lamp assembly.
Remove the vertically oriented screw at the front corner of the bumper cover, right behind the rear wheel. You will need a u-joint to get to this one unless the wheels are off the car.
Two more on the bottom of either side of the cover
Four along the top under the deck lid.
And then the two along the bottom on either side of the exhaust.
Once all the bolts are out, carefully remove the cover and unplug the connector behind the license plate.
Run the laser shifter wire through the hole behind the license plate and attach the shifter and plate.
Drill a 13/32 hole near the factory grommet, run the wire inside and press the new grommet into the hole.
I couldn’t get the camera in to take a picture, but before you pull the wire inside you need to run the wire along the same path as the factory wires in the tail. You can zip tie the laser shifter wire to the factory license plate light wire all the way around to the antifreeze reservoir. This will ensure it is safe from heat and moving parts.
On the inside of the car, remove the ECU cover. This piece is just pressed in and will come out easily by lifting up in the center.
Next remove the rearward most panel by pulling toward you from the TOP of the panel. DO NOT pull from the bottom or you will bend the attachment clips. There are no screws holding this piece in place. Once that is off, you can remove the carpeted cover over the engine compartment the same way as the ECU cover.
[IMG]hthttp://xpelmedia.blob.core.windows.net/photos/Porsche/Radar%20Install/Small/IMG_0699.JPG[/IMG]
Next remove the factory grommet as shown and cut a small X in it to run the wire through.
Insert a fish tape, mechanical fingers or some other wire running tool through the hole and go back to the engine compartment. You will find the end of the fish tape coming through near the antifreeze reservoir. Pull it toward you and tape the end of the wire to it.
Pull the wire through and make sure the part that remains in the engine compartment is firmly attached to the neighboring wires. Once it is through, and inserted through the X you made in the grommet, it’s time to run the wire to the front.
Remove the door sill cover by pulling straight up on one end to get it started. There are no screws to remove.
Remove the kick panel by pulling off the fuse box cover, removing the 3 Philips screws inside, and then pulling the carpeted panel off from the bottom. Once those are off, run the wire to the front by tucking it under the rear trim panel, and then running it along the door sill underneath the carpet.
Radar receiver and laser shifters in Part 2....
Installed an Escort 9500ci in the GT3 last week and tried to document as much as I could for all you DIYers out there who may have thought about doing the same. It was quite a project (took me two days in my spare time), but the results are quite satisfying and the performance is stellar. Sorry if some of this seems remedial to the hard core audience.
I started with the rear laser shifter mounted above the license plate using the supplied bracket. First task is to remove the rear fascia.
Start by loosening the two torx screws holding the tail lamps in place (you do not have to remove them) and then slide out and unplug the tail lamp assembly.
Remove the torx screw in the front corner underneath the tail lamp assembly.
Remove the vertically oriented screw at the front corner of the bumper cover, right behind the rear wheel. You will need a u-joint to get to this one unless the wheels are off the car.
Two more on the bottom of either side of the cover
Four along the top under the deck lid.
And then the two along the bottom on either side of the exhaust.
Once all the bolts are out, carefully remove the cover and unplug the connector behind the license plate.
Run the laser shifter wire through the hole behind the license plate and attach the shifter and plate.
Drill a 13/32 hole near the factory grommet, run the wire inside and press the new grommet into the hole.
I couldn’t get the camera in to take a picture, but before you pull the wire inside you need to run the wire along the same path as the factory wires in the tail. You can zip tie the laser shifter wire to the factory license plate light wire all the way around to the antifreeze reservoir. This will ensure it is safe from heat and moving parts.
On the inside of the car, remove the ECU cover. This piece is just pressed in and will come out easily by lifting up in the center.
Next remove the rearward most panel by pulling toward you from the TOP of the panel. DO NOT pull from the bottom or you will bend the attachment clips. There are no screws holding this piece in place. Once that is off, you can remove the carpeted cover over the engine compartment the same way as the ECU cover.
[IMG]hthttp://xpelmedia.blob.core.windows.net/photos/Porsche/Radar%20Install/Small/IMG_0699.JPG[/IMG]
Next remove the factory grommet as shown and cut a small X in it to run the wire through.
Insert a fish tape, mechanical fingers or some other wire running tool through the hole and go back to the engine compartment. You will find the end of the fish tape coming through near the antifreeze reservoir. Pull it toward you and tape the end of the wire to it.
Pull the wire through and make sure the part that remains in the engine compartment is firmly attached to the neighboring wires. Once it is through, and inserted through the X you made in the grommet, it’s time to run the wire to the front.
Remove the door sill cover by pulling straight up on one end to get it started. There are no screws to remove.
Remove the kick panel by pulling off the fuse box cover, removing the 3 Philips screws inside, and then pulling the carpeted panel off from the bottom. Once those are off, run the wire to the front by tucking it under the rear trim panel, and then running it along the door sill underneath the carpet.
Radar receiver and laser shifters in Part 2....
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Last edited by XPEL; 08-30-2011 at 02:04 PM. Reason: Fix image links
07-03-2010, 05:04 PM
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Part 2
Now on to the front! Pull up the weather-stripping at the front of the trunk compartment, and remove the plastic cover. It is just velcroed in place.
Remove both front wheel well liners by removing the 12 torx screws and one 8 mm bolt on each side holding them in place. It is easier to get the screws out if you turn the wheel as shown on each side. Afterwards, remove the side markers.
Next remove the headlamps by first locating the rubber plug inside the trunk carpeting as shown.
Pull out the plug, and using the factory headlamp removal tool in the car’s tool kit, remove the headlamps by inserting the tool in the hole and turning it back toward the windshield.
The headlamp will slide forward where it can be easily removed from its mount.
Remove the clamp joining the bumper to the inner fender. The clamp slides inward from the headlight hole towards the trunk. It’s You can see the clamp from the inside in the second picture.
Unplug the wire connector inside the driver side headlamp hole, and disconnect the headlamp washer tube at the front of the driver wheel opening (not shown). The hose has a quick disconnect on it, so it is easy to disconnect. Be prepared though for washer fluid to run out. You can either clamp the hose off, or tuck it up inside the fender to keep it from emptying the reservoir.
With that done, the remaining 6 torx screws can be removed (4 on top and 2 on bottom) and the bumper carefully eased off its mounts.
Now comes the fun part. In the lower center section of the air intake, place the radar receiver in position and mark the wire mesh with a sharpie for cutting. Use wire cutters to snip each section of wire and remove the section.
File the edges smooth and test the fit of the receiver.
Remove the air intake shroud from the front of the center radiator (it just snaps off) and mate it with the bumper cover. This will allow you to locate the exact position to mount the receiver. Once it is in place, mark the holes with an awl.
Reinstall the intake shroud and screw the receiver in place with self tapping screws (not shown).
Cut out the holes for the laser shifters using the same method as above. To mount them, I made a couple of small L brackets, painted them black, and then inserted a J-nut on the mesh and then screwed the bracket to the mesh. After that, drill a 13/32 hole in the outer air intake to run the wire through. Pass the wire through and secure the grommet into the hole.
Run the wires to the driver side making sure to secure them to the factory wiring with zip ties. Then reinstall the bumper leaving the wires at the driver side headlamp opening.
Run the wires through the driver side fender and then into the intermediate chamber through the factory wire harness grommet.
Remove the windshield wipers and windshield wiper shroud to mount the GPS antenna. If you have navigation, the underside of the shroud will look like the one in the picture. This makes it easy, since you can just mount the antenna to the steel bracket using double sided tape by sliding it in and pressing it down.
Once the antenna is mounted, run the wire over to the passenger side making sure to secure it to the existing factory harness with zip ties. Then drill a hole in the position shown to run the wires into the cabin.
I chose to join all the wires in through one grommet. I chose the one that came attached to the radar receiver wire. This was no easy task, since I didn’t really want to chance cutting off the modular connectors on each of the other 3 wires. Instead, I fished a large flat head screw driver through the grommet and taped on each wire one by one with electrical tape (because it is slick) and then fished them through. I had to use a bit of lube to get them through the grommet, since the modular jacks are about 8 times the size of the grommet hole. Imagine passing a watermelon through….you get the idea. Once complete, it is water tight and looks factory.
Now all you have to do is put the whole car back together
Next up: Part 3: Installing the display, control unit and speaker
Remove both front wheel well liners by removing the 12 torx screws and one 8 mm bolt on each side holding them in place. It is easier to get the screws out if you turn the wheel as shown on each side. Afterwards, remove the side markers.
Next remove the headlamps by first locating the rubber plug inside the trunk carpeting as shown.
Pull out the plug, and using the factory headlamp removal tool in the car’s tool kit, remove the headlamps by inserting the tool in the hole and turning it back toward the windshield.
The headlamp will slide forward where it can be easily removed from its mount.
Remove the clamp joining the bumper to the inner fender. The clamp slides inward from the headlight hole towards the trunk. It’s You can see the clamp from the inside in the second picture.
Unplug the wire connector inside the driver side headlamp hole, and disconnect the headlamp washer tube at the front of the driver wheel opening (not shown). The hose has a quick disconnect on it, so it is easy to disconnect. Be prepared though for washer fluid to run out. You can either clamp the hose off, or tuck it up inside the fender to keep it from emptying the reservoir.
With that done, the remaining 6 torx screws can be removed (4 on top and 2 on bottom) and the bumper carefully eased off its mounts.
Now comes the fun part. In the lower center section of the air intake, place the radar receiver in position and mark the wire mesh with a sharpie for cutting. Use wire cutters to snip each section of wire and remove the section.
File the edges smooth and test the fit of the receiver.
Remove the air intake shroud from the front of the center radiator (it just snaps off) and mate it with the bumper cover. This will allow you to locate the exact position to mount the receiver. Once it is in place, mark the holes with an awl.
Reinstall the intake shroud and screw the receiver in place with self tapping screws (not shown).
Cut out the holes for the laser shifters using the same method as above. To mount them, I made a couple of small L brackets, painted them black, and then inserted a J-nut on the mesh and then screwed the bracket to the mesh. After that, drill a 13/32 hole in the outer air intake to run the wire through. Pass the wire through and secure the grommet into the hole.
Run the wires to the driver side making sure to secure them to the factory wiring with zip ties. Then reinstall the bumper leaving the wires at the driver side headlamp opening.
Run the wires through the driver side fender and then into the intermediate chamber through the factory wire harness grommet.
Remove the windshield wipers and windshield wiper shroud to mount the GPS antenna. If you have navigation, the underside of the shroud will look like the one in the picture. This makes it easy, since you can just mount the antenna to the steel bracket using double sided tape by sliding it in and pressing it down.
Once the antenna is mounted, run the wire over to the passenger side making sure to secure it to the existing factory harness with zip ties. Then drill a hole in the position shown to run the wires into the cabin.
I chose to join all the wires in through one grommet. I chose the one that came attached to the radar receiver wire. This was no easy task, since I didn’t really want to chance cutting off the modular connectors on each of the other 3 wires. Instead, I fished a large flat head screw driver through the grommet and taped on each wire one by one with electrical tape (because it is slick) and then fished them through. I had to use a bit of lube to get them through the grommet, since the modular jacks are about 8 times the size of the grommet hole. Imagine passing a watermelon through….you get the idea. Once complete, it is water tight and looks factory.
Now all you have to do is put the whole car back together
Next up: Part 3: Installing the display, control unit and speaker
Last edited by XPEL; 08-30-2011 at 02:07 PM. Reason: fix image links
07-03-2010, 05:27 PM
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Part 3
On to the inside! I chose to mount the control unit flush in the console. Unfortunately, the spot where I wanted to put it was the same spot where the factory installed the passenger airbag light. To me, this light is not mission critical, so I decided to relocate it to the inside of the console and put the control unit there.
To begin, open the console, remove the rubber mat inside, and remove the 3 torx screws on the bottom.
Remove the plastic panel in the bottom, and unplug the universal audio interface wiring. Underneath there is one more torx screw to remove.
Snap out the cover underneath the e-brake handle and remove the torx screw there.
Detach the shifter boot by pulling straight up on the forward most side (nearest the radio), and it will come off easily. Remove the two torx screws under the boot.
At the far front of the console on both sides, there is a larger torx screw buried in the carpeted panel shown. Remove them and the panel will come right off.
Underneath you will find two more torx screws per side holding on the sides of the center stack in place.
The trim around the shifter area (the one you can get painted body color etc) is snapped together with the black trim piece above it. Separate the two by carefully inserting a flat blade screw driver in between and turning it. It doesn’t take much to snap them apart, so you don’t have to worry much about hurting either piece. Once the two are separated, remove the top section to reveal 2 more screws forward of the shifter.
Once those are removed, slip the lower section out to reveal the yet two more screws at the very front of the console.
The sides of the center stack pull straight out (toward the back of the car) since the screws were removed in a previous step.
Remove the two screws holding the cubby in place and pull the cubby out. This will reveal the last damn screw…sheesh!
Finally the console will come out.
Ok, now the tricky part. First mark the position of the control panel from the underside using the supplied template. Once the hole is marked, use a Dremmel tool to carefully mill out the plastic marked by the template. DO NOT cut all the way through the plastic at once if you have the leather console (as I do). Instead remove a small layer at a time until you are down to the leather, which you will leave in place. You need the leather to wrap back inside the hole when inserting the control panel. If you have the standard console, cut the hole slightly smaller than needed and use a fine finishing file to complete the task. Take your time and don’t get in a hurry on this step. I can only imagine how much a console would cost to replace (especially a leather one).
The control unit should fit snug in the hole. Once it is in place, use silicone or hot glue to prevent the unit from coming loose.
Next we mount the USB interface in the glove box. Yay, more screws!
The side panel snaps off by pulling straight forward.
Remove the cup holder package (if so equipped) by loosening the torx screws shown. This is the threaded part of the screw in the picture (sorry didn’t get a pic before I unscrewed them). They do not need to be taken completely out (nor can they be). Once the screws are loose, you will have to push down on the unit a bit to free it from the cavity.
Couple more screws behind the cup holders to remove.
Last thing is to remove the hush panel from beneath the dash by unscrewing the large plastic retainers with a flat head screwdriver (sorry no pic).
With the glove box out, you can see a cavity on the left side of the factory CD holder from the back side. This is the target for the USB interface and it is exactly the right size for the plug to fit into. Mark the area to be cut so that the hole will be right in the center of this cavity and then the same height and position as the factory CD holder.
Rough cut the hole with a Dremmel tool and then file it smooth.
Finally, insert the USB interface and secure it with the supplied machine screws.
For the display, I sent the supplied unit to Stealth Mirror (www.stealthmirror.com) and they expertly installed it into a factory Porsche mirror for just north of $400. This makes mounting the display a breeze since you just replace one mirror with the other. Once it is mounted, run the wire behind the headliner and down the passenger a-pillar tucking it behind the panel. I chose the passenger side since I mounted the main unit under the console, and the glove box was already out making it very simple. Plug all the connectors into their color coded sockets and you are ready for power.
I found switched power in the driverside kick panel behind the fuse box. Plenty of choices there. I used a volt meter to probe the fuses until I found one that went on and off with the key and then tapped the wire from the back. Sorry, I was getting pretty tired by this point (2 AM) and forgot to get a picture of this part.
After that, put it all back together and go test it out!
To begin, open the console, remove the rubber mat inside, and remove the 3 torx screws on the bottom.
Remove the plastic panel in the bottom, and unplug the universal audio interface wiring. Underneath there is one more torx screw to remove.
Snap out the cover underneath the e-brake handle and remove the torx screw there.
Detach the shifter boot by pulling straight up on the forward most side (nearest the radio), and it will come off easily. Remove the two torx screws under the boot.
At the far front of the console on both sides, there is a larger torx screw buried in the carpeted panel shown. Remove them and the panel will come right off.
Underneath you will find two more torx screws per side holding on the sides of the center stack in place.
The trim around the shifter area (the one you can get painted body color etc) is snapped together with the black trim piece above it. Separate the two by carefully inserting a flat blade screw driver in between and turning it. It doesn’t take much to snap them apart, so you don’t have to worry much about hurting either piece. Once the two are separated, remove the top section to reveal 2 more screws forward of the shifter.
Once those are removed, slip the lower section out to reveal the yet two more screws at the very front of the console.
The sides of the center stack pull straight out (toward the back of the car) since the screws were removed in a previous step.
Remove the two screws holding the cubby in place and pull the cubby out. This will reveal the last damn screw…sheesh!
Finally the console will come out.
Ok, now the tricky part. First mark the position of the control panel from the underside using the supplied template. Once the hole is marked, use a Dremmel tool to carefully mill out the plastic marked by the template. DO NOT cut all the way through the plastic at once if you have the leather console (as I do). Instead remove a small layer at a time until you are down to the leather, which you will leave in place. You need the leather to wrap back inside the hole when inserting the control panel. If you have the standard console, cut the hole slightly smaller than needed and use a fine finishing file to complete the task. Take your time and don’t get in a hurry on this step. I can only imagine how much a console would cost to replace (especially a leather one).
The control unit should fit snug in the hole. Once it is in place, use silicone or hot glue to prevent the unit from coming loose.
Next we mount the USB interface in the glove box. Yay, more screws!
The side panel snaps off by pulling straight forward.
Remove the cup holder package (if so equipped) by loosening the torx screws shown. This is the threaded part of the screw in the picture (sorry didn’t get a pic before I unscrewed them). They do not need to be taken completely out (nor can they be). Once the screws are loose, you will have to push down on the unit a bit to free it from the cavity.
Couple more screws behind the cup holders to remove.
Last thing is to remove the hush panel from beneath the dash by unscrewing the large plastic retainers with a flat head screwdriver (sorry no pic).
With the glove box out, you can see a cavity on the left side of the factory CD holder from the back side. This is the target for the USB interface and it is exactly the right size for the plug to fit into. Mark the area to be cut so that the hole will be right in the center of this cavity and then the same height and position as the factory CD holder.
Rough cut the hole with a Dremmel tool and then file it smooth.
Finally, insert the USB interface and secure it with the supplied machine screws.
For the display, I sent the supplied unit to Stealth Mirror (www.stealthmirror.com) and they expertly installed it into a factory Porsche mirror for just north of $400. This makes mounting the display a breeze since you just replace one mirror with the other. Once it is mounted, run the wire behind the headliner and down the passenger a-pillar tucking it behind the panel. I chose the passenger side since I mounted the main unit under the console, and the glove box was already out making it very simple. Plug all the connectors into their color coded sockets and you are ready for power.
I found switched power in the driverside kick panel behind the fuse box. Plenty of choices there. I used a volt meter to probe the fuses until I found one that went on and off with the key and then tapped the wire from the back. Sorry, I was getting pretty tired by this point (2 AM) and forgot to get a picture of this part.
After that, put it all back together and go test it out!
Last edited by XPEL; 08-30-2011 at 02:10 PM. Reason: fix image links
07-04-2010, 05:53 AM
#5
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thanks for a diy on taking the entire car apart 
honestly i would rather move to germany than deal with installing that thing in my car.
good diy though. maybe i'll try it if i ever move back.
honestly i would rather move to germany than deal with installing that thing in my car.
good diy though. maybe i'll try it if i ever move back.
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07-04-2010, 01:22 PM
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Glad to be of help guys! Clear bra installation next 
07-04-2010, 02:46 PM
#10
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Thanks for posting this. I'm seriously considering doing a 9500ci installation but I'm not sure whether to attempt it myself or have a professional installer do it.
08-30-2011, 02:14 PM
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Had a member PM me saying the pictures were no longer on the server on this thread. I forgot all about them when we moved our media server to the cloud. All links are now updated for any of you who were looking for them.
