Mi-Witness install

[exFiesta]

Hi Folks, 

 

I've looked at various options of dash camera, including the popular mobius, and decided I would like a 2-channel setup which is packaged together - and ended up choosing the mi-witness over blackvue. I suppose time will tell if that was a good idea.

 

There's a promotion on at the moment, which includes the 2 cameras, smart power lead (which will allow parking mode to work, until the battery becomes too low), the wifi dongle and a few other bits. I've not received it yet, but preparing the options for installation.

 

I've read quite a few threads on the installation of various dash cameras on the forum, and while I now think I'd be pretty happy installing/hardwiring the front camera and quite probably the smart-power lead (which appears to need both switched and full-time power), I'm a little more concerned by the rear camera.

 

My estate has a pano-roof, and a fairly firm headlining (I'm not sure if that differs much from the non-pano). There are also some airbags on the column between the driver and passenger doors. 

 

A couple of questions, if I may:

 

• Best options on the middle air-bags? (Reading about the ones situated in the front columns - which I don't have - you need to route cables carefully to avoid any issues). I suspect it may be best to try to route through the headlining, rather than around the trim as most of the instructions show for the dash install.
• Has anyone run a cable from front to back in the headlining of the superb (particularly one with a pano-roof)?
• If so, how tricky is it?

Overall, if it's a fairly easy job, I'll do it myself - just seeking some pointers, otherwise I'll try to find an auto-electrician locally to fit it. Mi-witness have some installers for about £150, which leads to the last question.

• Does anyone have any recommendations for an auto-electric guy near(ish) Reading?

 

Finally, thanks to all that have documented their stuff so far, and thanks to any/all who read and consider

[Too Tall]

Go on the floor. Way better option. I ran my rear-view camera coax on the floor. Chose floor over ceiling because of the curtain airbags.

 

From behind the Columbus (or in your case presumably from the fusebox) down to the floor, pry up the hard plastic on the bottom of the footwell, put the cable underneath. Repeat process for the rear seats. Remove the rear seat side bolster on one side, and route the cable up there. refit the side bolster. Now you are at the top of the rear quarter window (near the headrest). Run the cable around the pillar very close to the rear quarter window, you can push it behind the trim with the vents in it. All the way to the back of the car, near the taillights. Now up along the boot opening behind the headliner.

 

Now you have 2 options;

 

1. Fit the rear camera to the rear window, but route the cable to the headliner INSIDE the car. This would be easier, but you need to leave enough cable so you can open the trunk fully.

 

2. Fit the rear camera to the rear window, and route the cable OUTSIDE of the car inside the trunk lid. This would be 'neater', but it would require more effort.

 

Should you opt for option 2., remove tailgate trim, and run the cable to one of the 2 cable guides (little black rubber hoses on the side of the trunk lid that hold the cables to the trunk release and license plate lights). Now drill a tiny hole in the black tailgate trim, and have the cable pop out there near where you want to fit the camera.

 

If I was you, I'd think about installing a rear view camera at the same time...so when you reverse, you get a nice view on your Columbus. It's a very very good mod. And if you're going to go through the trouble of running a cable to the back, might as well run two...

 

I used THIS kit for the Scirocco, no issues on my Superb Estate with Columbus. You just need to plug it in, install the camera between a license plate light and the boot release (cut hole with dremel), connect +, - and 1 to the reversing bulb. Coding and you're done! Haven't found 100% confirmation about a version integrated in the boot release handle that works with the Superb, so I decided for the proven option that requires cutting a hole in the rear lid. Again, very nice mod!

 

More info in a post of me HERE, but it's basically the same thing.

Edited 28 April, 2015 by Too Tall

[exFiesta]

Thanks Too Tall. Interesting, I'd contemplated routing through the floor, but not gone too far with it as it's quite a bit more cable to run - I've estimated a little more than the 4m extension I should have. That said, it would definitely be easier to avoid the curtain air bags, as you've pointed out.

 

Saving fitting would pay for the parking camera... hmm.

[Too Tall]

Hm, don't know about the 4m install. The Scirocco kit cable is 7.5m, so enough room there. Any way you can get a longer cable from the seller?

[exFiesta]

It looks as if it is possible to get an extender which would take it to 8m. I've checked with the seller to make sure.

 

http://www.store.mi-witness.co.uk/mi-witness-extension-cable-for-internal-2nd-camera.html

 

Hopefully I'll receive the kit on Friday so I can play a little to see how it'll all fit.

[Too Tall]

Just so you guys know...prepare to swear like a sailor and make sure you have some bandaids at home, your fingers will be cut to shribbons by the time you're done!  (at least mine were  )

[exFiesta]

Weirdly, I just picked up a set of bandaids!

I think I'll order up the additional cable for slightly easier fitting.

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[superbdreams]

Remove rubber trim at top of tailgate, remove vanity mirror lamp above the sun visor and drop the centre courtesy light section.

Attach rear camera cable to a stick of some sort and after gently holding down the roof lining from the tailgate end, feed the cable through to the front of the car, pull some through the vanity mirror lamp hole and then pass it sideways to the centre light.

Pull all slack out of the cable and position the cable against the sunroof to keep it clear of the side air bags.

[Too Tall]

Hm. I doubt you'd manage to get the stick with the cable from the rear of the car to the vanity light underneath the headlining, especially with a pano roof mounted in the middle...also, do you really want to have a cable running up there? I can imagine if it's not covered in soft cloth tape it will make some sort of noise if it slaps around in there.

 

Anyway, I'd be very wary of touching/marring the headliner. What happens if the cable gets stuck? And if you poke a hole with a metal rod when you're trying to run that cable, you're in for a whole teardown to remove and refit the headliner. Not to mention the cost itself. I don't mind removing and fitting trim panels in a car, you can usually get them back just right, but a headliner is just too dangerous for me to touch.

 

To fit the front camera I went fuse panel / a pillar trim / across the headliner near the windshield into the little gutter that holds the lightsensor cables. I removed the housing that holds the rain sensor/mirror, drilled a small opening at the top, ran the cable in there, and refitted the whole thing. Completely invisible apart from +/- 10cm of cable coming out of the mirror housing.

Edited 29 April, 2015 by Too Tall

[exFiesta]

I agree, the layout is quite different.  A possible route for the cable is this (black line, perhaps using a clip near the pano) - otherwise there is an easy gap along the rubber seals on both doors to feed cable.

 

 

There's a small gap around the pano which in theory you could use to help thread stuff (well, on the front half anyway). 

 

The gap is 'just' big enough to squeeze the phone camera into, and it's fairly busy over by the curtain airbags (stitched together image running from front to middle of pano roof - front is on the right).

 

 

Fair point on possible noise from the cable - chances could be minimised through pinning it in several places.

 

Even so, I've ordered the additional cable so I now have 8m to play with when the time comes.

[exFiesta]

Good luck Simbo.

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[superbdreams]

Hm. I doubt you'd manage to get the stick with the cable from the rear of the car to the vanity light underneath the headlining, especially with a pano roof mounted in the middle...also, do you really want to have a cable running up there? I can imagine if it's not covered in soft cloth tape it will make some sort of noise if it slaps around in there.

 

Anyway, I'd be very wary of touching/marring the headliner. What happens if the cable gets stuck? And if you poke a hole with a metal rod when you're trying to run that cable, you're in for a whole teardown to remove and refit the headliner. Not to mention the cost itself. I don't mind removing and fitting trim panels in a car, you can usually get them back just right, but a headliner is just too dangerous for me to touch.

 

To fit the front camera I went fuse panel / a pillar trim / across the headliner near the windshield into the little gutter that holds the lightsensor cables. I removed the housing that holds the rain sensor/mirror, drilled a small opening at the top, ran the cable in there, and refitted the whole thing. Completely invisible apart from +/- 10cm of cable coming out of the mirror housing.

I wasn't blindly suggesting this route, this is the route I used on my panoramic car.

You can see all the way to the front and no damage was caused to the headlinings.

It took all of 30 mins total.

the cable does not flap about either.

[exFiesta]

I wasn't blindly suggesting this route, this is the route I used on my panoramic car.

You can see all the way to the front and no damage was caused to the headlinings.

It took all of 30 mins total.

the cable does not flap about either.

Hi superbdreams,

Did you run straight down the passenger side from the rear (I guess if you stick close to the pano, theres very little in the way of obsructions)? Do you have any tips on dropping the centre courtesy light section? I found the visor lights pop out easily, but struggled with the centre piece.

For fun, I've ordered an electricians access rod for about £6 from amazon, and a small endoscope - also only a few pounds, so I may just give this a go

Thanks

[superbdreams]

I chose the drivers side but I doubt it matters.

there are extensive posts on here showing how to drop the centre lights but basically pull down the flap behind the ultrasonic sensors and then undo two torx screws, the whole unit then drops.

 

will attach a pic showing how much room there is.

[exFiesta]

Thanks

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[exFiesta]

For reference: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/327562-replacing-front-reading-lights-pano-roof-alarm/?p=3931496

 

In case anyone else is looking for it. (And for me to review )

[exFiesta]

Small update - I've wired in the front, and run the cable from the back to front. Made quite a bit easier with the electricians push rod, I actually ended up popping out by the pano, then doing a second run to the drivers sun kind light, then into the centre console. Push rod pieces were useful for getting from there through to the windscreen.

I've decided to mount the rear cam just back from the screen.

The remaining pieces - figure out how to get the boot trim off, must have tried 5 times now. Then run cable through the rubber channel. Otherwise I'm stuck with a dangling cable from the headlining - not the end of the world but not as neat as it could be.

Then to figure out the smart power.

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[exFiesta]

Re. The internal boot trim - from what I've read, it appears you need to remove the lower trim first - undo the torx for the grab handle, then prise off all the clips.

Once that's off then undo a holding plastic bolt on the top trim and prise off carefully.

Unfortunately, I'm getting stuck on the bottom panel, and just as I reach the main curve I simply can't unclip any more. There doesn't seem to be anything else holding them as far as I can tell.

Have I missed something obvious?

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[superbdreams]

from memory it required quite a hard tug, if you are going to try and feed the cable through the rubber tube grommets you will find that they are quite full.

I just looped the cable neatly and mounted the camera at the top of the screen.

[exFiesta]

Thanks superbdreams - for now, I've done similar so I have a small loop of cable

 

I've also attached the smart power, I'll put up a couple of pics of wiring, and a few other bits tomorrow when the sun is back out.

[exFiesta]

Image of wiring - taken before I finished up for the night.

 

There weren't too many places to wire into, so I piggybacked with 'add-a-fuse' to the boot power for always on, and a free unassigned circuit for switched (checked  both with multi-meter).

 

If anyone spots an issue, please shout!

 

[superbdreams]

Looks correct

[exFiesta]

Great, thanks for your help everyone

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[exFiesta]

A few pics as promised.

 

[exFiesta]

A couple of random shots. 

 

Front: I believe is 720p - quality is OK, but it's not 1080p of course.

 

 

Back: I believe is 640x480px - it's OK if something is close, and to track movements.

 

 

I need to move the rear a little more toward the window, I think.