Fitting Cheap Reverse Camera - Diy

[xr6tee]

Hi folks,

For those of passing interest, few weeks back, I purchased this sub $40 reverse mount camera from ebay with the intention to self-install it in my BA XR6T ....and see just how well it works.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-car-colour-rear...1QQcmdZViewItem

Attached are few picks how it looks on my XR and I might add, it seems to do the job just fine.

First of all I should mention that I already have a tv tuner integrated with the factory Color LCD and therefore I did not have to worry about the output and/or any additional screen fitting for that matter. As was the case, the tv tuner came with a spare secondary video input waiting to be utilised just for this purpose. :-)

For those interested, here's how I went about the installation....but before I go on I should emphasise that I'm not fan of drilling holes into any parts of the body. With that in mind, it made the fitment of the camera somewhat challenging...albeit not impossible.

It took me few days to think about it but in the end I decided to securely attach the camera underneath the rear plastic garnish "thingy" (see close photo) with no other alterations to the rest of the car body. This trim piece is easily detached via the four screw nuts on the inside of the boot and seems ideal height for the camera fitment. It was the only body piece that needed drilling of four small holes to attached the camera plus filing off slight tiny notch, on the inside of the garnish, to feed the cable through the boot. One extra hole was also made in the existing rubber grommet that feeds the wires for the rear plate lights. These were the only mods. The rest was feeding the wire through the boot (ie. via the driver's side existing loom feed, then underneath, across the rear parcel to the passenger side. From there, along the existing loom down the rear door sills towards the tv tuner, which in my case sits underneath the passenger seat. Along with the video cable lead, I also ran a red (positive) wire to 'piggy-back' off the tv tuner "+ve" lead. - I wanted the camera to be 'on' not only while reversing but all the time (ie. while there's key in the ignition). Why???....let's just say I also wanted to be able to enjoy the rear view shots on 'occassions';-). There was no wiring close in the boot that I could find with ignition 'on'+12V so the tv tuner +ve lead was the go.

On the other hand, the negative lead posed no problemes. I just piggyback off the negative wiring (ie. the black wires) going to the rear number plate lights. I must say, the wiring was a bit fiddly at points but what isn't if you want to have things done properly.

Notice that I used a pair of screws and rivets to attach the camera to the garnish. The self-tapping screws make good fasteners while the rivets were used for security. While it's unlikely to deter a vandal, it should be enough to deter anyone silly enough trying to unscrew such a "high cost" (sic.) item.

p.s. Sorry I have not taken pictures during the fitting steps as I was busy with few challenges that I faced along the way. Hopefully my explanation above is concise enough for anyone contemplating to do something similar.

[Maximus]

I sure looks pretty good.

Only thing is the image is mirrored on the screen. Is that supposed to happen???

[xr6tee]

I sure looks pretty good.

Only thing is the image is mirrored on the screen. Is that supposed to happen???

Sure does. That's the characteristic of the camera.

[Maximus]

Sure does. That's the characteristic of the camera.

As long as you can see the kids behind you it doesn't matter if they are mirrored.