TraderAlex

There have been some discussions in recent weeks
about how to tap in power from the Homelink, for everything from radar detectors, to auto-dimming compass mirrors many have ordered from the recent group buy.

I don't take personally responsibility for anything you try, as described here by me, so you are on your own, but-the issue pertains to snaking wires between the moonroof housing and the Homelink power connection. I discovered the hard way that there is a metal shell up in there, which runs horizontally, the full length of the leading edge of the roof line. I believe this structure is in place to provide rigidity to that leading edge of the roof, which begins just past the windshield. There are clear channels to snake wires; however, the open channel that runs from the Homelink visor cut-out hole running and torwards the moonroof housing is on the outer side of that shell. The open channel that you can see left of the open moonroof housing and traveling left torwards Homelink is on the "inside" of that shell. In other words, the easy path for snaking wires from one side to the other is separated by a piece of sheet metal. I figured this out after about ten minutes. Not realizing why I could not find my snake on the opposite end, I finally heard the snake brushing against the opposite side of that metal shell. The way around the problem is to take advantage of two small horiztonally positioned punch holes that you can see inside the open moonroof housing. They look like two snake eyes, maybe 3/8" in size, and located dead center inside the moonroof housing, and towards the leading edge of the headliner. If those holes are not currently occupied by wires pertaining to your particular car/equipment configuration, you can snake wires through one of those. I used a series of 8-9 thin drinking straws taped together. I strung a length of 22-gauge wire through the straw snake, and bent the end of the 22-gauge wire at a right angle, as it emerged from the leading end of my snake. I started feeding that concoction through the Homelink visor cut-out rightward, until I was able to see it's arrival at the moonroof housing through the two, tiny snake-eye holes I mentioned. I rotated the straws and twisted them gently, until the bent-end of the 22-gauge wire appeared at one of the holes. I grabbed it with a tweezer and pulled it through. I attached by tape a pair of color-coded 22-gauge wires to that snake wire, and then carefully pulled it back leftward, and out through the Homelink visor cut-out. Mission accomplished.

Regarding tapping power from the Homelink: Everyone who said that the fit through the Homelink cut-out is "tight" was correct. But there is enough room to pass through some attached tap-in connectors, just the same. I used the T-Bone type tap-in connectors simply because they had a somewhat smaller profile than
the splice-style connectors. Also, since the tap line is connected to the T-Bone tap-in connector by means of a spade connector, it permits easier removal of the Homelink visor, should it ever be necessary. (the tap-line is permanently locked into place, when using the splice-style connector).

You have to remove the Homelink visor (there are two connectors-a black one for the vanity mirror, and a light tan 2-wire connector which powers the Homelink. Regarding Homelink power, the black wire is the hot wire, and the brown wire is the ground. There are only about 2 1/2 inches or so of wire 22-gauge wire running from the tan harness connector down to the visor. So you will have to stagger the positioning of the two tap-in connectors along that very short length of wiring, so that you can be sure to pass all the connectors back through that narrow cut-out, when you reinstall the visor.