B4 I Buy, anyone running rear dashcam with OEM bike rack?

[myvanrodney]

Is the view badly obscured by the tailgate rack on the rear camera?… dual camera dash cams are expensive so don’t want to waste my money.

Thanks all.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Get a standalone one:

 

[Kedaw]

You can mount the rear facing camera slightly off center, this will improve vision when the rack is in stowed position. As for when the bikes are on the view is slightly blocked, but this depends entirely on what bikes you have on ( ladies bikes have a lower frame bar).

 

[bvddobb]

We have also seen sets with the camera in the tail gate grip above the number plate.

 

[Hawthorn37]

Ours is a little obscured but not fatally so. Removing unnecessary bike arms and channels can help. With the bikes on the visibility is quite poor, but you can make out bits between the gaps.

 

[myvanrodney]

Ours is a little obscured but not fatally so. Removing unnecessary bike arms and channels can help. With the bikes on the visibility is quite poor, but you can make out bits between the gaps.

Thanks... so would you say its still worth having a rear camera?

 

[Hawthorn37]

Thanks... so would you say its still worth having a rear camera?

Yes

 

[AlanC]

I fitted my rear Black View camera at the bottom of the rear window off-centre just to the right of the wiper motor cover as you look from outside. This was below the bike rack but still covered the whole rear area well. The rear blind also missed it.

Alan

 

[myvanrodney]

I fitted my rear Black View camera at the bottom of the rear window off-centre just to the right of the wiper motor cover as you look from outside. This was below the bike rack but still covered the whole rear area well. The rear blind also missed it.

Alan

Brilliant, thanks !

Ive just ordered the 970 LTE. How did you route the wire?... do you have a photo by any chance.

Thank you.

 

[AlanC]

Sorry, I have sold my Cali and didn't take any photos of the camera installation.

Mine is a 750 model and as I had to park our Cali on the road often and wanted the camera system to be permanently powered. So I powered the cameras from the leisure batteries.
There was a row of unused fuse sockets under the passenger seat on my 2010 Cali which just needed a fused piggyback connector to pick a 12volt feed for the power box.

The front camera cables were run across the top of the windscreen just tucked under the roof lining edge, then across the top of the front passenger door. The power cable then went down under the rubber edging of the door opening to the floor. From there just across to under the passenger seat to pick up the power. I ran a cable under the carpet to the front and up to the fuse box in the dashboard to pick up an ignition-switched feed using another piggyback connector. You need to chat up your friendly VW dealer to find out which fuses in the dashboard are Ignition switched.

VW dealers are not told which fuse does what. They have to contact VW for every vehicle they work on to find out the relevant layout! You will also need a cigarette lighter socket adaptor.

The rear camera cable was run from the top of the B pillar above the sink and wardrobe to the rear. This was a little troublesome but pulling off the door B pillar trim, taking out the lights above the sink, and using an electrician's cable pull helped. My van did not have a rear aircon, which can cause a little obstruction beside the wardrobe.

I managed to pull the cable through the rubber conduit tube on the tailgate that routed the rear screen heater, number plate light, and rear wiper cables. This was tight due to the 3.5mm plug but doable. This was the most difficult part of the job.

The cable was then tucked under the edge of the rear window trim to the bottom of the window and the camera.

The system on sale now has changed a little since I bought my cameras as the power supply box has been replaced with a more intelligent battery system.

I hope that helps.

Alan

 

[myvanrodney]

Sorry, I have sold my Cali and didn't take any photos of the camera installation.

Mine is a 750 model and as I had to park our Cali on the road often and wanted the camera system to be permanently powered. So I powered the cameras from the leisure batteries.
There was a row of unused fuse sockets under the passenger seat on my 2010 Cali which just needed a fused piggyback connector to pick a 12volt feed for the power box.

The front camera cables were run across the top of the windscreen just tucked under the roof lining edge, then across the top of the front passenger door. The power cable then went down under the rubber edging of the door opening to the floor. From there just across to under the passenger seat to pick up the power. I ran a cable under the carpet to the front and up to the fuse box in the dashboard to pick up an ignition-switched feed using another piggyback connector. You need to chat up your friendly VW dealer to find out which fuses in the dashboard are Ignition switched.

VW dealers are not told which fuse does what. They have to contact VW for every vehicle they work on to find out the relevant layout! You will also need a cigarette lighter socket adaptor.

The rear camera cable was run from the top of the B pillar above the sink and wardrobe to the rear. This was a little troublesome but pulling off the door B pillar trim, taking out the lights above the sink, and using an electrician's cable pull helped. My van did not have a rear aircon, which can cause a little obstruction beside the wardrobe.

I managed to pull the cable through the rubber conduit tube on the tailgate that routed the rear screen heater, number plate light, and rear wiper cables. This was tight due to the 3.5mm plug but doable. This was the most difficult part of the job.

The cable was then tucked under the edge of the rear window trim to the bottom of the window and the camera.

The system on sale now has changed a little since I bought my cameras as the power supply box has been replaced with a more intelligent battery system.

I hope that helps.

Alan

Thanks Alan, very helpful.

 

[Swiftflare]

I fitted my rear Black View camera at the bottom of the rear window off-centre just to the right of the wiper motor cover as you look from outside. This was below the bike rack but still covered the whole rear area well. The rear blind also missed it.

Alan

Thank you for the advice

 

[TripleBee]

To be honest, I don't have a bike rack, but the view through the rear window is close to unusable.
The overhead cabinet takes away half of the view anyway, and with the rear headrests, the rest of the rear window is also blocked.
I have park distance control at the back, two immense rear view mirrors outside, and I installed an aftermarket rear view camera that only goes on when reversing, and even then I only use it to look where the van is when the rear PDC beeps continuously.
The best way to solve your problem would be installing a rear view camera just above the number plate, where the original would be (if you don't have one), and connect it to a screen (there are some rear view mirror screens that install on the car's rear view mirror, but instead of the real view, it shows the image of the camera.