Flawless work, Porsche Panamera Radar/Laser Package from AI Design in NY

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04-21-2010, 02:25 PM

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Flawless work, Porsche Panamera Radar/Laser Package from AI Design in NY

2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo

We were lucky enough to receive not one, but two brand new Porsche Panamera Turbos in the shop recently, both of which were set to receive our integrated radar/laser protection set up amongst various other items. Unfortunately, due to the specific type of glass used within the Panamera’s rear-view mirror, an in-mirror set up is not an option for this particular vehicle without losing functionality of the auto-dimming feature in the mirror, something both customers wished to retain. Instead, after careful consideration, Ai Technicians were able to design and fabricate a custom external pod solution to house the radar displays.

Fabrication of the pod begins with the OEM trim piece located directly behind the rear-view mirror. Ai Technicians then use fiberglass to shape the pod into what we think is an aesthetically pleasing form that keeps with the interior’s original overall design. Each pod is then wrapped in specially split European Black Leather, while smoked acrylic was chosen for the display face to provide a discreet appearance when the units are powered off. It is interesting to note that the display face found on the pod is actually a graphically reduced scale miniature of the rear-view mirror shape itself. To ensure that the edges of the smoked acrylic d0 not have a cut appearance – such as sharp edges or tool marks – once finished, special attention is paid to hand polish each piece after they have been cut to shape. Because our external pod solution is essentially an adaptation of the OEM trim piece, the pod still functions -snapping on and off- the same way the OEM piece does, and should not hinder service of that area in the vehicle in any way.

Since an in-mirror set up is not possible in the Panamera, special care was taken to design an external pod, that would be able to handle both the V1 and 9500ci display units with the same attention to detail and functionality our customers are accustom to.

Locating the control units can be a matter of preference or taste, but for the Valentine One/Blinder M27 package, Ai Technicians opted to integrate the controls into two blank switches within the overhead center console located directly above for a convenient operating experience. Speakers for both the V1 and the Blinders were re-located into the microphone blank located directly above the toggle switch.

The 9500ci control unit required a little more attention and creativeness as there is not that much blank space to work with in the Panamera’s interior, however Ai Technicians were ultimately able to fabricate a housing which drops directly into the OEM Panamera ashtray without requiring any permanent modifications to the ashtray itself and without affecting the functionality of the ashtray lid, which is to say that everything is completely reversible.

It is important to note that while the V1/Blinder controls can be installed in the ashtray similar to the 9500ci control unit shown above, the 9500ci control unit really cannot be integrated elsewhere within the interior. Also depending on vehicle options, mounting V1/Blinder controls overhead may not even be an option if the overhead switches are already being used.

Forward facing laser shifters for both the 9500ci and the Blinder M27 systems are mounted into the lower grille area of the front bumper cover to ensure optimal functionality, while a custom housing was fabricated to house the rear laser shifter for the 9500ci. This housing, located directly beneath the third brake light was also wrapped in European Black Leather in keeping with the original aesthetic of the interior. Mounting the rear laser shifter inside the vehicle allows for the shifter head lens to remain clean at all times, while also allowing customers to forgo the often unappealing plate mount as well.

This post was taken directly from AI Design's Blog -->>
AiDesign Blog Porsche Panamera Radar/Laser Package