Smart Car of America Forum banner

Rear Camera Install

FAQ: 
Jump to Latest Follow
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
NedleyC

·
Premium Member
2008 Passion We call him BOB..
Joined
·
108 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hello All:
I have a Garmin GPS with the optional rear camera. It mounts on the license plate upper screws.

My question, has anyone wired a rear camera yet? If so, how did the wiring go? I know I have to get to the wiring and I figured the drivers side would be the easiest. Does anyone have the color code for the tail light assembly?

We have a rear camera on the other car in the family, and if adjusted correctly, quite handy.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Ned C:
in WISCONSIN.
 
Mister_smart_LA

·
Premium Member
Joined
·
2,297 Posts
#2 ·
NedleyC said:
Hello All:
I have a Garmin GPS with the optional rear camera. It mounts on the license plate upper screws.

My question, has anyone wired a rear camera yet? If so, how did the wiring go? I know I have to get to the wiring and I figured the drivers side would be the easiest. Does anyone have the color code for the tail light assembly?

We have a rear camera on the other car in the family, and if adjusted correctly, quite handy.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Ned C:
in WISCONSIN.
Click to expand...

Tap into the power line going to the reverse light. It'll trigger the rear camera to turn on.
 
T

·
Registered
Joined
·
51 Posts
#5 ·
I installed a camera as well. When the top is folded down in the last position it is impossible to see behind me. As others have already said it’s a straightforward install. I wanted mine to look as OEM as possible, so I used a wire loom going from the tailgate into the car using the same grommet the license plate lighting wires go through. My 451 did not come with the optional dash pod gauges, so I purchased a lcd display for the camera and mounted it where the pods would go. I can upload photos if interested.

The monitor I installed as a 2nd video input, and I’ve debated on using an android tablet with video output linked to my OBD II adapter and connected to that input. With the proper triggers programmed when the car is running the torque app would display on the screen with various gauges and when in reverse the display would switch to the camera. As I said, I’ve debated...haven’t done it yet. I ran across a YouTube video of a guy in Australia who used an old android phone as a permanent gauge display in his BMW. It frees up having to launch the torque app on his phone when he gets in the car...or in my case the OBDII adapters aren’t compatible with my iPhone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
NedleyC

·
Premium Member
2008 Passion We call him BOB..
Joined
·
108 Posts
Discussion Starter · #6 · (Edited)
update

Many thanks for your help Optimist. I will now finish my project.

Hey all: Just finished with the camera install. It's a BC 30 from Garmin. I fished the power leads on the drivers side down to the rear light area. Drilled a small hole in the surrounding metal for ground lead, and thanks to Optimist, tapped into the reverse light lead. Mounted the camera inside in the rear wiper plastic with a nut and small screw. and sure is nice to not have to give yourself whip lash to make sure nothing is behind.

Again, this project inspired me to spend the $15.00 to join.. I can't say enough thanks for the help with this.

Ned C:
 
E

·
Registered
Joined
·
1,235 Posts
#7 ·
I thought about putting my backup camera i installed in my 453 there.... in the plastic lip above the rear wiper on the exterior.... but figured running the wires, even IF i could figure out how to easily take that piece off, would have probably been a bit of a nightmare. So i just took the rear panel off the tailgate (which wasn't very easy, either) and put it in the typical spot... above the license plate. Though, it made me wish i had bought a different backup camera, as this one is angled a bit too far towards the ground, so i see mostly the street behind me, and not as much as i'd like directly behind and off to the sides.
 
M

·
Registered
Joined
·
120 Posts
#14 · (Edited)
My rear camera install:

I Drilled a hole between the lift handle/trigger and one of the license plate light assemblies with the provided hole saw drill bit.

Had to dremel a little into the left license plate assembly, but there was a lot of plastic so it was no problem.

Ended up with a nice flush mount camera install that is hidden and looks OEM.
 

Attachments

E

·
Registered
Joined
·
1 Posts
#17 ·
manolica1 said:
you should buy license lamp that is coming with backup camera
Click to expand...
I purchased one of those and installed it... was not impressed. Quality was not the best. I removed it and replaced it with the one in the image below...was quick and easy (had to drill one hole to mount it like the image in a few posts above). Much better! I have it set to always on when driving so I use it as an extra rear view when the top is down.

Funny to need a rear camera in such a small car, but I am glad I did it!
 

Attachments

M

·
Registered
Joined
·
45 Posts
#18 ·
ehamill said:
I purchased one of those and installed it... was not impressed. Quality was not the best. I removed it and replaced it with the one in the image below...was quick and easy (had to drill one hole to mount it like the image in a few posts above). Much better! I have it set to always on when driving so I use it as an extra rear view when the top is down.



Funny to need a rear camera in such a small car, but I am glad I did it!
Click to expand...


it is funny but for me didn’t worked the one that you showed
 
Jo e Lefors

·
Registered
Joined
·
2,004 Posts
#19 ·
ehamill said:
I purchased one of those and installed it... was not impressed. Quality was not the best. I removed it and replaced it with the one in the image below...was quick and easy (had to drill one hole to mount it like the image in a few posts above). Much better! I have it set to always on when driving so I use it as an extra rear view when the top is down.

Funny to need a rear camera in such a small car, but I am glad I did it!
Click to expand...
I'm sorry I could find the brand or name of your camera.
 
Stocker

·
Registered
Joined
·
91 Posts
#20 ·
NedleyC said:
A footnoted to my original post. Garmin now offers a complete wireless camera called the BC-40.
Sells for $149 or so.
NedC
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip, NedC.

I decided to buy one and try it out. VERY easy installation. I recently bought a Garmin DriveAssist 51 to replace my Garmin DriveLuxe 50. The Bluetooth feature on the DriveLuxe 50 started cutting out on phone calls and disconnecting from my Garmin Smart Link app.

The camera links to the GPS unit automatically. I haven't had a chance to take it to on the road yet. The camera snaps out easily for battery replacement. If you're weary of someone stealing the camera.... Snap it out and place it inside the car.

It won't work unless you have a compatible Garmin GPS unit, so not much use to anyone else. I did watch the videos available from the Garmin site before making my purchase from Amazon.

I purchased two gooseneck mounts to mount the Garmin higher because the DriveAssist 51 comes with a dash cam built in.

I do have the wired Garmin backup camera in my Honda Accord. I didn't want to do any drilling into my smart car.
 

Attachments

1 - 20 of 20 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
About this Discussion
19 Replies
14 Participants
Last post:
Stocker
Smart Car of America Forum
A forum community dedicated to all Smart Car owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, economy, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
smart General Discussion smart Operation and Maintenance New Members Area smart Modifications smart fortwo Electric Drive
Recommended Communities
Community avatar for Mazda3 Forums
Mazda3 Forums
423K+ members
Community avatar for Mercedes-Benz Forum
Mercedes-Benz Forum
617K+ members
Community avatar for Smart cars.
Smart cars.
10+ members
Top