[Bitslizer]

5.3 - Remove the liftgate trims. This step seems to be the most redundant. You would think removing the top trim on the gate is enough, but noooo, the side trim covers up the wiring harness to the gate, and the main big ass trim panel interlock the side trim! Since I want to route the cable through the rubber cable grommet, I'm removing all three pieces.
5.3.1 - Open the liftgate, use the trim tool to pop out the two pull cups, and the small panel in the big trim panel, then start from the edges of the gate, pry with the trim tool to disengage the clips one by one to remove the trim piece. See pic 22 for detail View attachment 38979 , and pic 23 for the clip locations in the back. View attachment 38977
5.3.2 - Use the trim tool, or your fingers, to pry loose the top gate trim panel. See pic 24 for detail View attachment 38975 , pic 25 on all the clips of that trim piece. View attachment 38973
5.3.3 - Remove the side trim using the trim tool. See pic 24. View attachment 38975 Sorry I forgot to take a pic of this piece.
5.4 - Detach the wiring harness from the chassis. You may have to use a screw driver to help with it. See pic 26. View attachment 38991
5.5 - Use fingers to detach both sides of the wiring sleeve/grommet from the chassis and gate. Don't tear or damage the rubber as this is the area that is exposed to the weather.

Very nice! but I'm confused why did you have to remove all the tailgate trims? granted I install a second standalone rear cam instead of using a dual front/rear setup as I didn't want to do the fishing and already have the extra cam. I only had to remove the passenger Top and Bottom D-pillar, lower part of the rear headliner (careful not to crease it!) and the top trim of the lift gate to tap the 12v socket and run the wire to the liftgate glass. re-attachment in this post

https://www.pacificaforums.com/forum/401-electronics/27378-dashcam-installation-8.html#post539985

 

[popcanguy]

Very nice! but I'm confused why did you have to remove all the tailgate trims? granted I install a second standalone rear cam instead of using a dual front/rear setup as I didn't want to do the fishing and already have the extra cam. I only had to remove the passenger Top and Bottom D-pillar, lower part of the rear headliner (careful not to crease it!) and the top trim of the lift gate to tap the 12v socket and run the wire to the liftgate glass. re-attachment in this post

https://www.pacificaforums.com/forum/401-electronics/27378-dashcam-installation-8.html#post539985

thanks!
I want to properly route the cable to the gate, which means the new cable has to go thru one of the two existing rubber sleeve/grommets that protect all the wiring from the chassis to the gate. To access that sleeve, I have to take off the liftgate side trim, and to do that, I have to take off the main big panel trim because they interlock together. There maybe a way to just take off the side trim without taking off the main panel, but I don't want to break the clips when I tried.

 

[stop-eject]

Here's how I did mine, the other end tap the wires behind the 12v socket

Thanks. It looks more decent than I thought it would. Maybe I'll go this direction.

 

[stop-eject]

popcanguy, you don't cut corners! I like your integration of the switch in the flip down mirror. Have you considered the auto shut off for the parking mode https://amzn.to/2rPcheZ ? Fishing through the all headliner- wow, I'm surprised it worked! I try to avoid removing trim pieces- it often causes rattles.

 

[Bitslizer]

Here's how I did mine, the other end tap the wires behind the 12v socket

Thanks. It looks more decent than I thought it would. Maybe I'll go this direction.

Yeah I got a 3m adhesive mount in the mail, it will be nicer, more secure after that, the suction mount doesn't like the defroster wire, fall off already. I will also add the acc power tap for the low voltage shut-off then. I cut corners and didn't fish the wire through the tailgate wire groumet like popcan did but that's way more trim pieces than I want to take off ?

 

[popcanguy]

popcanguy, you don't cut corners! I like your integration of the switch in the flip down mirror. Have you considered the auto shut off for the parking mode https://amzn.to/2rPcheZ ? Fishing through the all headliner- wow, I'm surprised it worked! I try to avoid removing trim pieces- it often causes rattles.

That's a good idea! Thanks
Before I install the camera, I did some checking on the aukey by hooking it up to my multimeter. It uses about 200mA when both cameras are recording and the screen is on. That kind of drain is pretty minimal for a lead acid, but it's always a good idea to use the auto shutoff switch like you suggested, especially for a vehicle that is so heavily dependent on its electrical system.

 

[popcanguy]

Yeah I got a 3m adhesive mount in the mail, it will be nicer, more secure after that, the suction mount doesn't like the defroster wire, fall off already. I will also add the acc power tap for the low voltage shut-off then. I cut corners and didn't fish the wire through the tailgate wire groumet like popcan did but that's way more trim pieces than I want to take off ?

yeah suction cup tend to introduce a lot of shakiness to the video footage. 3M adhesive tape is the best, just one advice, get the black one! The tape that came with the mount is white, and it made the camera more visible from the outside....

 

[Bitslizer]

popcanguy, you don't cut corners! I like your integration of the switch in the flip down mirror. Have you considered the auto shut off for the parking mode https://amzn.to/2rPcheZ ? Fishing through the all headliner- wow, I'm surprised it worked! I try to avoid removing trim pieces- it often causes rattles.

That's a good idea! Thanks /forum/images/smilies/smile.gif
Before I install the camera, I did some checking on the aukey by hooking it up to my multimeter. It uses about 200mA when both cameras are recording and the screen is on. That kind of drain is pretty minimal for a lead acid, but it's always a good idea to use the auto shutoff switch like you suggested, especially for a vehicle that is so heavily dependent on its electrical system.

The black Vue is the old gold standard, but I don't like it that the highest voltage is only 12.0v

This viofo unit has 12.4v as the highest cutoff and cheaper, but if your cam doesn't take mini-usb you may need to use a female mini to female USB-A adapter. It's actually a slightly modified version of the street guardian device that's design to trigger a low bit rate parking mode on the a129, but it will work to keep any dashcam running. Note that it does need the yellow Acc line wired to work. The unit won't turn on without the acc line detecting 12v. I have considered tapping the acc line to the constant on 12v but not sure if the low voltage shut-off work if the acc 12v is energized. It's not a big deal for me to go back and tap the 3rd row USB socket so I will do that next weekend. Right now I just stick the yellow wire into the trunk 12v socket to turn it back on after it turned off (after sitting for 2 days)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K83R5W1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_qcoiCb5N8CK3N

 

[stop-eject]

Thanks, I didn't know about this one. It is nice, but it needs a Viofo dashcam to take advantage of athe automatic parking mode switching.

 

[Bitslizer]

Thanks, I didn't know about this one. It is nice, but it needs a Viofo dashcam to take advantage of athe automatic parking mode switching.

It will work as a low voltage shut-off for all other dashcam, just don't have the special parking mode. I use it with a old Yi cam I have and just record in 720p so the 64gb will last 24 hour+, no timed shut-off like the black-vue though. So depends on what you are trying to accomplish

 

[GlenP]

I just got a Rexing V1 dashcam from Best Buy. It came bundled with a cable for hardwire installation via the fusebox, the Rexing part DC-100. The "fuse" connector on the hardwire cable has a single red wire lead. It also has a green wire with a ground loop connector to hook to a bolt on the chassis somewhere. I was wondering if these connectors could be cut, then inserted into the mirror power socket instead? Or does the fuse plug on the red wire actually provide fuse protected power to the camera? Kind of hard to tell with the rubber covering over the end of the connector if this is an actual fuse or just a fuse shaped connector for convenience and the red wire is connected to one of the blades and the other is not connected to anything. Anyone familiar with this particular hard-wire cable?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rexing-v1-full-hd-dash-cam-black/6221119.p



https://www.amazon.com/Rexing-Mini-...&qid=1545803990&sr=1-1&keywords=rexing+dc-100

looks like another version of the cable has two bare wire leads with no "fuse" at all:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rexing...g-v1-and-v1p-dash-cam/5853606.p?skuId=5853606


Seems like this has the power converter in-line to get from the 12V source to the 5V mini USB, and it could possibly fit under the power tap on the windshield behind the mirror.

 

[GlenP]

I was thinking of mounting the dash cam on the right side of the mirror, where it will be mostly out of sight from the driver's point of view, but was not sure if it would interfere with anything. There appears to be a ventilated cover and a little sensor of some kind on the front-facing mirror housing. If I mount the camera in that rectangular region, anyone know what those things are in the circled areas, if they are important sensors that should not be obstructed?

 

[popcanguy]

I was thinking of mounting the dash cam on the right side of the mirror, where it will be mostly out of sight from the driver's point of view, but was not sure if it would interfere with anything. There appears to be a ventilated cover and a little sensor of some kind on the front-facing mirror housing. If I mount the camera in that rectangular region, anyone know what those things are in the circled areas, if they are important sensors that should not be obstructed?

I think it's fine there, as long as the vents holes aren't blocked completely, it shouldn't be a problem. Depends on the camera you have, the field of vision maybe blocked slightly by the black plastic cover though. I installed mine on the left side of the mirror and my cam has 170 degree view, the result is that black plastic blocks about 8% of it. The only place that won't obstruct the camera's view would be directly under the mirror, but then it may be blocking the driver's view too. I suggest you try different locations before you apply the adhesive.

 

[GlenP]

Good point about the field of view of the camera, mine also is 170-deg view. I have a toll tag on the left side, but that may be a better spot for the camera, I may remove that and try that position also. I can use those temporary removable 3M adhesive strips for hanging hooks on the wall, before using the sticker that came with the camera.

 

[PatentlyPhil]

I think it's fine there, as long as the vents holes aren't blocked completely, it shouldn't be a problem. Depends on the camera you have, the field of vision maybe blocked slightly by the black plastic cover though. I installed mine on the left side of the mirror and my cam has 170 degree view, the result is that black plastic blocks about 8% of it. The only place that won't obstruct the camera's view would be directly under the mirror, but then it may be blocking the driver's view too. I suggest you try different locations before you apply the adhesive.

I did my dash cam install just before Christmas, and noticed that the plastic covers frequently got “in frame”.

I ended up mounting mine just to the left of the GPS antenna, which is far enough over to not get much in-frame, but still allows full field of view of the road.

I’m using the Roav S1 in the Pacifica, and it’s spectacular. I have the C1 model in my Durango, mounted in a similar spot. Hard wired it to the mirror in the P, and to the fuse box in the D.

 

[stop-eject]

I was thinking of mounting the dash cam on the right side of the mirror, where it will be mostly out of sight from the driver's point of view, but was not sure if it would interfere with anything. There appears to be a ventilated cover and a little sensor of some kind on the front-facing mirror housing. If I mount the camera in that rectangular region, anyone know what those things are in the circled areas, if they are important sensors that should not be obstructed?

The thing on the top is a humidity sensor for the climate control. The part on the mirror is a light sensor for auto dimming.

 

[GlenP]

I decided to mount it on the left side, so I can see it and access the buttons. It does not really obstruct the driver's view of the road, and only a little bit of the mirror post is visible in the camera field of view. For now, I am just using the included 12V lighter port cable, routed around the windshield and tucked into the panel, and applied a few of those sticky retainer clips to the bottom portion over the pedals to the floor 12 V port. I might try the hard wire option to the mirror 12V supply when the weather warms up and I can spend some more time in the garage tinkering with it. But out of the box, this was a fairly easy plug-and-play (or in this case plug-and-record) installation.

 

[citanic]

After almost a year I got the camera as Christmas present. For now I'm running it from the USB port which I switched to permanent power taking in consideration that my camera has motion detection and I do not have a garage so I would like to have records of what is happening during the night around my car. I was tented to do the installation according the OP but I'm not clear if that's a permanent power source (I do not think so).

 

[stop-eject]

I was tented to do the installation according the OP but I'm not clear if that's a permanent power source (I do not think so).

It is not.
For recording while parked I recommend one of the controllers discussed here. It will shut off the dashcam if the battery voltage will fall below a set threshold.

 

[Bitslizer]

So I went with the separate front / rear cam setup (just because I ended up with an extra cam), tapping the trunk always on 12v socket to power the rear cam that still record while parked with the van off so I don't have to fish cable from the front of the van to the back. I finalized my rear install with the low voltage protection kit. Tapping the 3rd row USB socket for the ACC. The USB/speaker grille panel easily pop out with a trim tool so you don't need to remove the entire passenger rear interior quarter panel to access the USB port's wiring and its not too difficult to fish a wire from the 12v socket to the USB socket, but be warned that the USB socket there are 3 wires, besides the black ground wires, the other 2 wires are both 12v, one of them is either constant on or on for a longer period, the 2nd one shut off when the ACC turn off (i.e. open car door after turning off the van) I guess the one that stay on (for longer?) maybe the LED lighting for the port? not really sure. I forgot which wire is what color so anyone going this route should test with a multi-meter