Tips From the Custom Radar King

JML Audio in St. Louis  regularly installs custom radar detectors in everything from Ford Tauruses to Lamborghinis.

In fact, radar detectors–all custom– represent about 10 to 15 of the business.  It’s a profitable category that isn’t getting squeezed by Amazon or the car companies.

Owner Josh Landau says he is able to regularly win radar detector sales of $3,500 to $5,500 (including installation) from customers off all types. One of his favorite customers named Helen is in her 80s and is on her second detector from the shop.

“We do as many trucks and SUVs as sports cars,” said Landau.

Speaking at a Spring KnowledgeFest seminar earlier this year, he said, “We found our female clients have a heavier foot than some males. They drive a lot and don’t want to be late,” he said. “You’ve got to get out of thinking that radar detectors are for a guy with a Porsche in his 40s.”

A better marker for who might want a custom radar detector is simply how fast someone drives and how much they hate being pulled over.

And the purchase is not all about money.  A traffic ticket can cost $250 to $400 in Missouri, so it would take a lot of tickets to reach $3,500.   But then there’s the fear of insurance hikes, and the hassle of being stopped by a law officer.

JML Audio gives every customer a tour of the shop and when it gets to the fabrication room, the salesman mentions this is where brackets are made for the radar detectors. Most people have never heard of a custom detector or a laser jammer so he plants the idea.   Part of the tour is also to show how a radar system looks installed in a demo car.

Custom detectors also lend themselves to repeat customers.  “Until you have it in your car you don’t understand it. But once you have it in your car, you can’t be without it. It’s like a cellphone.  It’s shocking that some people will literally not drive a car without it,” he said.  One of his regular customers is on his fourth system.

A key sales tool is to sponsor car clubs like the Porsche club.   Landau pays $500 to $1,000 to sponsor a club for an annual fee. The shop is publicized then in club announcements and he sponsors tech sessions.  For the Porsche club, for example, some members bring their cars to the shop and the owners talk among themselves.  “It’s amazing what happens when you get one Porsche guy with another Porsche guy or a Chevy guy with a Chevy guy. They sell each other; they start one upping each other.”

To make a sale, the shop talks about the different radar bands and the difference between Lidar and radar.  “We show we know more than any forum or web site,” said Landau.  The shop spends a lot of time explaining the installation process and why it takes 10- 20 hours so customers know why it costs so much.   JML shows pictures of the grill disassembly on high end vehicles.  This also instills trust in the customer as it shows that others trust the shop with their $170K cars.

JML explains that police use laser guns 25 percent of the time in traffic monitoring so for full protection they will want a laser jammer.

When a customer does order a custom detector, the shop takes care to get the install right.  “We actually have them sit at the wheel and show us where they put their hands so when we install LED indicators, they are not blocked by their hands..

It also keeps the tools and meters and scopes for properly testing the detectors. “I’m shocked to find out how many dealers who do these systems don’t have a radar or laser gun to test them.  You want to test it before it’s in the actual field.”  At KnowledgeFest, an audience member said his shop uses a Bushnell pitching gun that costs $50.

Obviously, a $3,500 radar detector is not for everyone.  “We don’t close everyone.  It’s a decent sized investment.  They’ll say I’m not much of a heavy foot but I have a friend, neighbor or relative… That does happen.  We do sell later to a friend,” Landau said.