rear view camera / parking sensors

[perelaar]

I'm thinking of installing a rear view camera, or parking sensors.
Reason being: I regularly have to park in front of other cars including our own daily driver (the joys of living in a city...) - and I do not want to bump my tow bar into them!

Any advise on brands, types, etc welcome. I'd also like to know where you mounted yours - I'm thinking inside, looking through the back window, but not sure the angle of view is large enough...

 

[61jason61]

I'm thinking of installing a rear view camera, or parking sensors.
Reason being: I regularly have to park in front of other cars including our own daily driver (the joys of living in a city...) - and I do not want to bump my tow bar into them!

Any advise on brands, types, etc welcome. I'd also like to know where you mounted yours - I'm thinking inside, looking through the back window, but not sure the angle of view is large enough...

been looking at these myself for reversing onto my trailers. some good ones on ebay around 30-50 quid. wireless

just wire into reverse light and jobs a goodun. check ebay for sure, some cameras come with no plate surround so you can aim it around tow bar??

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I had a nightmare mounting mine... I wanted one to use both on the car and when towing the caravan, and as I have also boarded up my rear window, I wanted to use it as a rear view mirror as well.

On the roof, it has to be so far away from the rear edge, because of the curved door top, it can't see the ground for many feet right behind you.

On the top of the back door, wiring becomes harder, plus it still can't see over the spare wheel.

Inside the rear screen, same as on the roof, no close up visibility.

Then because of the spare wheel, you have nowhere else to go, until you get down to numberplate level, but down at that level, all you get is dirt on it, and it can't see over the car behind, so makes it hard to use as a rear view mirror.

In the end, I went with a Waeco system, made a mount to fit the monitor where the rear view mirror is, and as I converted mine to a hard spare wheel cover, I made a mount for the camera, on top of the spare wheel cover. The Weaco has 2 camera's in one. The first looks behind you, and the second, when you put the car in reverse, opens a cover, exposing a second downward wide angled camera, that looks straight down the spare wheel. I can't quite see the tow ball, but I know that it is only about an inch under the wheel. The down side was it took a lot of sorting to make sure the mount was steady, to stop vibration when driving, and I still had the agro of getting the wires into the back door.

Having done it all now though, I love it, it makes reversing up to things a dream, and the night vision means I can see stuff behind me in the monitor, that I can't see in the door mirrors. Not only that, but the camera's have microphones, so when doing things, like checking the lights on the caravan, Suz stands at the back, and only has to say what is on, rather than having to shout it out for the whole neighbourhood to hear.

The Camera

The monitor

 

[perelaar]

Nice installation! I'll have to do a test run with a normal digital camera, or a phonecamera, to see if I can't mount one on the roof, looking down.
I have a raised glassfiber roof structure, and have to cut on the inside anyway to replace the antenna (no other way to get to the bolt on the underside...).

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Thanks

Before I went down my route, I was thinking of fitting a rear door spoiler and putting the camera on that as it would give the camera an extra 150mm or so over hang.

Still not dismissed the idea now I have gone to the hassle of getting the wire into the back door.

sent from my phone, sorry for any typo's.

 

[kitchenman]

rear view cam

I mounted mine just above the number plate, actually had to cut a scallop out of the plate, gives me good view of the tow ball
The camera I have rotates and can be tilted to get top of view just above horizon to reduce glare
I find having the view live at all times is better than only when in reverse, when rolling back you can still see
Not a lot of use as a rear view mirror, a car ten feet behind is a dot in the ditance

 

[Smiler AS]

mmmm, do you get such a thing as a combo stand alone unit with satnav with reversing camera input together - that would be handy.

 

[Banshee]

Ferret you installation looks way way too in your face man!!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't rip that off in spite!!!

 

[jims-terrano]

Ferret you installation looks way way too in your face man!!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't rip that off in spite!!!

I agree but then again his who cares his whole trucks in ya face :thumbs:thumbs:thumbs

 

[rustic]

With the monitor, is it reversed left to right like a mirror or does it show correctly?

So is a car number plate reversed or not?:nenau

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Ferret you installation looks way way too in your face man!!!!

I wouldn't be surprised if someone didn't rip that off in spite!!!

Never had any issues, but then we presumably are nicer people down south, and don't go round doing that sort of thing..... It's been on there for nearly 2 years now.

My spare wheel is lifted, so the camera is up quite high, and put of the reach of most little brats. The other thing is, as it is so easy to reverse, you can reverse right up to walls, so close no one can get behind the car anyway.

mmmm, do you get such a thing as a combo stand alone unit with satnav with reversing camera input together - that would be handy.

There is one, but it was expensive, I can't remember the make now... it was cheaper to put a head unit in with a screen with built in GPS, that also had the extra input for a reversing camera.

With the monitor, is it reversed left to right like a mirror or does it show correctly?

So is a car number plate reversed or not?:nenau

With mine you have the option... to be honest, I have it mirrored, as it looked wrong and was confusing to have it showing the correct way. Your mind is conditioned which way to turn when you use the mirror to reverse, and if the display is correct, you effectively have to turn the wrong way.

 

[kitchenman]

That is a 5" £14 monitor with two inputs

 

[rustic]

...With mine you have the option... to be honest, I have it mirrored, as it looked wrong and was confusing to have it showing the correct way. Your mind is conditioned which way to turn when you use the mirror to reverse, and if the display is correct, you effectively have to turn the wrong way.

Great, I could imagine it would be confusing if it was a true image.:thumb2

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Great, I could imagine it would be confusing if it was a true image.:thumb2

The one bad thing I have found, the LED DLR/head lights actually strobe, and when they are out of sync with the scan lines of the camera, they often look like the car behind has flashing head lights. A quick check in the side mirrors solves this, but it does raise a short fall using cameras on cars.