Dash cam hard wiring

[Microgerry]

Has anyone recently fitted a dash cam and used a hard wired kit with the piggy back fuse lead?

Just wondering how difficult it is to hide the cables, is it worth it?

[shnazzle]

Has anyone recently fitted a dash cam and used a hard wired kit with the piggy back fuse lead?

Just wondering how difficult it is to hide the cables, is it worth it?

The main thing is getting the wiring into the cowling around the windshield. Optimally you need to remove the soft-top latch hooks, but those two big bolts have a good helping of loctite on them. Impact gun is the only way to remove them.


I did it without removing them, and it was an absolute pain. But I managed to bend the plastic enough for it to pop out and by some miracle it went back together.

[Joesson]

Has anyone recently fitted a dash cam and used a hard wired kit with the piggy back fuse lead?

Just wondering how difficult it is to hide the cables, is it worth it?

The main thing is getting the wiring into the cowling around the windshield. Optimally you need to remove the soft-top latch hooks, but those two big bolts have a good helping of loctite on them. Impact gun is the only way to remove them.


I did it without removing them, and it was an absolute pain. But I managed to bend the plastic enough for it to pop out and by some miracle it went back together.

I fitted a dash cam mount to my Daily and my 2 several years ago. I have one camera that I switch between the two.
Having read about the difficulty removing the soft top latch hooks I was pleased that I  didn't find it necessary to remove them.
The cable can be eased between the screen and the trim at the top of the screen and iirc I loosened the side trim. I got access to the passenger( left hand ) door jam fuse box and used a piggy back fuse.

Was it worth it?
I think so the installation is unnoticeable from inside and outside the car. The camera , wiring and mount cannot be seen from inside the car as it is behind the rear view mirror.

[Microgerry]

Has anyone recently fitted a dash cam and used a hard wired kit with the piggy back fuse lead?

Just wondering how difficult it is to hide the cables, is it worth it?

The main thing is getting the wiring into the cowling around the windshield. Optimally you need to remove the soft-top latch hooks, but those two big bolts have a good helping of loctite on them. Impact gun is the only way to remove them.

Thanks both for your advice. I too want to be able to swap the camera between two cars so will have to do this twice. Hopefully nothing will break on my 2

I did it without removing them, and it was an absolute pain. But I managed to bend the plastic enough for it to pop out and by some miracle it went back together.

I fitted a dash cam mount to my Daily and my 2 several years ago. I have one camera that I switch between the two.
Having read about the difficulty removing the soft top latch hooks I was pleased that I  didn't find it necessary to remove them.
The cable can be eased between the screen and the trim at the top of the screen and iirc I loosened the side trim. I got access to the passenger( left hand ) door jam fuse box and used a piggy back fuse.

Was it worth it?
I think so the installation is unnoticeable from inside and outside the car. The camera , wiring and mount cannot be seen from inside the car as it is behind the rear view mirror.

[Microgerry]

@Joesson

Btw, do you remember which fuse you took out on the Roadster?

[Joesson]

@Microgerry

I installed both a Sat Nav and the Dash Cam via piggy back fuses.
My car is in the garage on SORN and I can't open the passenger fully to check which is which, but one is to a one of the 7.5A fuse on the bottom left hand bank of fuses in the door jamb. The other is to a 15A fuse , Cig. Lighter at the bottom of the right hand column of fuses.

[jvanzyl]

Fitted a next base front and rear setup. Wired it to the dome light. Don't forget the 12 - 5v step down converter. No need to put wires down the a pillar.

[shnazzle]

Fitted a next base front and rear setup. Wired it to the dome light. Don't forget the 12 - 5v step down converter. No need to put wires down the a pillar.

That there is a clever man. Do what he do

[Microgerry]

Fitted a next base front and rear setup. Wired it to the dome light. Don't forget the 12 - 5v step down converter. No need to put wires down the a pillar.

Very clever, never thought of that!
Spent about an hour trying to hide the cable down the pillar.
Mine was a Nextbase too, a 522GW. Cannot get Alexa to work with it though even though I set it up correctly.

[Microgerry]

@Microgerry

I installed both a Sat Nav and the Dash Cam via piggy back fuses.
My car is in the garage on SORN and I can't open the passenger fully to check which is which, but one is to a one of the 7.5A fuse on the bottom left hand bank of fuses in the door jamb. The other is to a 15A fuse , Cig. Lighter at the bottom of the right hand column of fuses.

Ok thanks.
I put mine on the cig lighter as a temporary measure to check everything is working ok but will move it to a permanent live fuse soon.

[Joesson]

@Microgerry
The following, although not specific to our 2, may be helpful, you will see that a fuse is advocated as is good practice.

https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Add-a-Circuit-to-Your-Car/

[cyclehead]

You can route a power wire past the ragtop latches, without removing them.  Just poke wires from the "A" pillar, into the windshield surround structure above the glass, and bypass the latches.   You'll need to pull back the plastic cover on the "A" pillar.  You can pull the plastic cover loose at the interior light to see the hollow windshield surround structure.

[Mollydog]

I've only once temporarily  fitted a DVR to our MR2, I piggybacked power from one of the 10amp fuses on the passenger side on the dash using one of these:


 
I wasn't sure how to remove the pillar cowling so had the cabling held with blue-tak between the pillar and the screen, not nice looking but I didn't want to damage the A pillar cowling, not knowing how to move it to hide the cabling behind it,  anyone know if there is any information on removing the cowling on the net?

On our Elise  (as on the MR2 as well) we never drive the car(s) without the lights on, day or night so on the Elise I wired the DVR with a relay, to get power  on when the lights are switched on



The cigarette connector plug shown in the diagram isn't the factory fitted one used for cigarette lighting, but a new one placed near the fuse box this then powers the DVR either by 12v DC or if the DVR uses a USB then a 5v DC



This DVR was a Mini 0906 dual 1080 front and rear, I had to reinforce the bracket for it as it flexed too much while driving





And with most DVR's a good polarising filter isn't a bad idea



Used to capture good night images, providing it wasn't pitch dark

Front


Rear


By pressing this bluetooth button the DRV would capture one front & rear image simultaneously

[shnazzle]

I always have all lights on as well. It's automatic. I get it and turn the switch to full. If I could leave it there and have them turn off when I remove the key, it'd never leave that setting.

[Mollydog]

@shnazzle

My daughters BMW has this facility, with the light switch on the dash you have two or three settings and one of them is one where lights come on dipped once ignition is on and auto off when ignition is switched off, a very useful feature nowadays

[Joesson]

@Mollydog

I have the same dash cam, with a base unit fitted to each of my cars and swop the cam between the two. I've not fitted the rear camera though.
As for the "A pillar cowling" I found that my trim tools lifted the edge of the trim adjacent to the screen sufficient to allow the cable to be pushed in where it's stayed, similarly above the screen, all wiring tucked away.
I have found that the filter won't stay on in my 2, maybe because of vibration, but I use the cam only as "Insurance" and seldom review what it has seen.