Rear view camera installation advice wanted

[EL31415]

Any advice and feedback on rear view camera
and if you can post pictures
Thank you
EL

[sbw]

[Mundopacheco]

Late model Toyota PUs have backup cameras factory installed in the tailgate, right above or beneath the handle/lever. The picture on the screen I saw was very clear and crisp. It would be good to know who the manufacturer is.............

[Dogpilot]

The mounting of the camera is the easiest part. It can be mounted on the inside of the glass, but needs a protective covering of foam around the lens to keep out glare on the inside reflecting into the lens. The switching is actuated by your reverse lamp switch on the tranny.

The big issue is where to mount the screen. I tried a few spots and ultimately rejected them all. The dash does not lend itself to having stuff mounted on it without major surgery. The other issue is pedestal mounted items on the dash, such as GPS's and such are advertised to the world as steal me items, due to their prominence to the outside world sitting proudly on the dash.

There are stereo models which spit out a display screen. Nice concept, but then there is a very small space between the shifter and the head unit. The van was not, it seems, engineered for the modern doo dads. My latest Land Rover has a back-up camera. I was excited to get it. I have had the ultra slow speed collision with a telephone pole, backing out in mess o kids at a Boy Scout camporee. I was inching my way backwards enough to access a space I could proceed out the parking/camping area. I was going much slower than a walk, due to the darting kids. My buddy thought I had to see the pole, as I was obviously going so slow to avoid it. Well it was perfectly centered in my blind spot on the D pillar. Only impact brought it to my attention. Even at that slow speed, it wasted the bumper.

Ever since then, I thought it would be a nice addition to have that camera. Well now that I have one, I have found it less than useful. First off, a few decades of driving conditioning force me to look in the usual manner, craning my neck. Second, there is a lag on the switching on of the system. Third, its night performance is rather useless unless you switch on the rear fog safety lights. So it is more gimmick than useful overall.

I don't want to deter anybody from trying, but should they want to persist in persuing the dream, these guys have a great selection of itty bitty cameras and screens:
http://www.supercircuits.com/
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Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[the caveman]

Instead of a camera you could always get a reverse sensor kit which can have either a warning chime or also with an LCd display to show distance. The display is small and could be placed easier than a screen or if it's just the chime, then there's nothing to mount exposed.

[GWTWTLW]

Crutchfield sells a monitor that clips over the Rear View mirror. I dont know how well it works but it might be a good option and a little less conspicious to the meth/crack whores out there.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_220RVM35/Audiovox-RVM...&ssi=0
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[EL31415]

You can fix the screen above the rear view miror with a flip up setup
I saw here on the forum "Dogpilot" has a touch screen that can be flipped up and down affixed on the ceiling of his Westfalia

[syncrodoka]

I have seen night vision capable cameras on ebay.
I want to do this mod also, but for use offroad use when I don't have a spotter or backing up near trail edges. Driving off something worries me more than driving into something. I have pictured in my head installing a monitor on the back of the sunvisor but that is still up in the air.

[markz2004]

Here is a thread. It gets a little pissy towards the end.

I thought I remembered another member posting their back-up camera upgrade, but my search didn't find it.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2...mp;start=0
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87 Westy, 250k GW 2.4 - 2.0 , 16" wheels

[Dogpilot]

What most of the ebay cameras purport to be night vision is actually light augmented. They add a number of IR LED's to illuminate the scene, as these cheap cameras are very sensitive in the near IR range. Adding a bunch of LED's increases the glare inside, so they have to go outside, compounding the problems.

Even your high tech night vision goggles need some illumination. They have a small IR LED mounted in the middle of the goggles to light up the scene. This was a semi comical discovery to the Somalis. They managed to get ahold of a few sets and where sniping at our troops. Unbeknownst to them, they now had a bright light, visible to our night vision scopes right in the middle of their forehead. You can work out the rest.
_________________
Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[targis58]

from costco for about 60bucks
It's been working well for me for 1.5 years.
Camera mounted up there is better when you have 2 or more bikes on your rack often. It still shows what s approaching behined the bikes when you are reversiing in tight spot..
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90 westy 2wd w/ TBD

[madspaniard]

Samba member Surfinwesty (Matt) is about to do an instal soon. I think he did have one already in his old westy. He'll chime in soon. I think he mentioned to me his setup was monitor in sunvisor and camera in license plate area.
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1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

[surfinwesty]

You got it...Wired up the camera and video taped the whole install. Will post it when I get a chance.
_________________
Current Love:
"Adobe" 1984 VW Westy w/Subi

Retired:
"Swell Chaser #1" 1980 Westy (in VW Heaven)
"Swell Chaser #2" 1981 Westy (sold to loving family)

[1621]

Not a camera, but certainly a viable reverse aid option. Seems nice because someone or something can still dart behind your vehicle and if you divert your eyes for a moment, you might miss it. This guy posted a great review and pics of the install in another forum.

http://www.clubtitan.org/forums/showthread.php?t=52836
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'85 Westy

[reluctantartist]

1621...that looks like a nice setup. Thanks
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1982 Westy, 1974 412 Variant... Yes, Aircooled's are great! Oh and I do have modern computer controlled vehicles too, but I just don't care about them.

[koolmoe]

I got this:
http://www.google.com/products?q=Nextar+I4BC
and now just awaiting a not-freezing day to hook it up. My concerns are:
1. unit updates - supposedly Navteq maps so possibly can update if unit isn't supported well.
2. camera connection - ensuring the license plate door doesn't snag the wire to the backup lights.
3. general quality

Will see! $160 at a local FLAPS. My current Michelin cheapo GPS is out of date, slow, and not supported...(though there is an interesting hack, in French). There are a couple other combo units, or higher-end (priced) GPS units that can take a video input, but expensive. I'm surprised this isn't a more popular combination....
KM
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--
Current: 1990 Westy GL (Savannah. Good to be back!)
from '95 til 2008: 1995 Pathfinder (frame rusted out, charitable parts donation)
from '91-'95: 1982 Westy Diesel (Smokey. Traded in for far too little!)
from '87-'91: 1980 VW Rabbit (my econoPorsche - passed on)

[surfinwesty]

My only concern is that the wireless signal can be strong enough to reach from the back of the westy to the GPS unit. Tell us if it works.
_________________
Current Love:
"Adobe" 1984 VW Westy w/Subi

Retired:
"Swell Chaser #1" 1980 Westy (in VW Heaven)
"Swell Chaser #2" 1981 Westy (sold to loving family)

[koolmoe]

Old thread but searching for something else, came back across it...
I also mentioned this somewhere else but since it was asked;
Yeap, this works fine. Image is a little static-y sometimes but plenty good to see what I need. Totally pleased with it. Comments:

1. Not sure what frequency but a common public one. If the unit detects a signal, it auto-switches to that video... Last week I saw, what I imagine, was someone's security camera pointing at their front porch as I drove by the house.

2. It's still hard to tell when I'm too close to something, not really getting the distance from the camera lens to my bumper. May adjust it so it shows some of the bumper in the image.

3. Map updates are like $85. Ouch.

But I'd recommend it overall.
KM
_________________
--
Current: 1990 Westy GL (Savannah. Good to be back!)
from '95 til 2008: 1995 Pathfinder (frame rusted out, charitable parts donation)
from '91-'95: 1982 Westy Diesel (Smokey. Traded in for far too little!)
from '87-'91: 1980 VW Rabbit (my econoPorsche - passed on)

[DAIZEE]

I'd just like to add a non technical point. There is a TV commercial which absolutely concerns me. It's a little girl showing off the family's new van (not VW) and she brags about her dad's rear camera so that it shows him that she has left her bike behind the van.

What kind of message is this. We put cameras out rather than teach our children NOT to do something, even like don't hang around behind vehicles ever, whether parked or not.

So cameras are good but teaching kids their responsibilities and the ramifications of their (child) negligence should go along with any camera or no camera.

Ok I put my soap box away for now!

[IdahoDoug]

Anybody making a rear view mirror with a backup camera screen in it yet for the aftermarket? My brother's Honda minivan has this in it from the factory. Perfect design. The mirror is just a mirror, but put it in reverse and about a third of the mirror surface becomes a display of the camera view. That would be perfect in a Vanagon if the dash is limited.

DougM
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader