Rear camera owners - views?

[edwards]

So,  we are ever closer to ordering sportline combi. Most of the extras we are fairly sure of,  but the rear camera we just aren't sure to specify or not. We are having the towbar so thats a consideration I guess,  reversing up to the caravan.

 

I've friends who have cars with and without cameras,  but opinion seems to be divided even amongst those with them.

 

Some of me says that on a 37k car then a £300 extra is nothing, but its money I dont have to spend....

 

So, what do you think?  Worth it?

 

 

[john999boy]

As you have a caravan then that may well swing it in favour of having the camera. 

[EoinM]

To be honest it's useful for seeing small obstacles you might otherwise miss. I would have flattened the laziest dog in the world who was sound asleep the other week if it wasn't for the camera. 

 

Would have been doubly annoying as the purpose of the Combi is to bring her around in. 

[Caspian]

I have found the rear camera very useful. The Superb is quite a long car and the camera helps to place it when reversing in to car parking spaces. I also have to reverse in to my garage, and with little room to spare on the width of the doors, I find it reassuring. (clearance 30 mm each side outside the mirrors)

[englishswede]

It is a big car and the camera (when you et used to it!) is a great help when backing out with restricted view. It sees around the corner further than the driver can to begin with.

Also it's a great help when hooking up a trailer. Ok, so I survived before without a camera, but it is definitely easier with. imo..

 

[simhub]

I find the camera useful for seeing what's directly behind the car, but I'm still getting the hang of using it to manoeuvre.  The angle of view is very wide, and the resolution is terrible in low light.  Still money well spent though in my opinion.

 

I also has an extra-wide mode that can see almost 180 degrees, useful if you've driven into a parking space forwards.

Edited 20 October, 2017 by simhub

[freelunch]

It's one of those things that you can easily live without, until you've tried it – like heated handlebar grips.

[nicknorman]

I bought my Combi when it was 6 months old. It had everything I wanted including the retracting tow bar, for towing my glider. Everything except the rear camera! The dealer retrofitted it for me as part of the deal. I just took one look at that expanse of plastic rear bumper and knew I would trash it if I didn’t have the camera. Definitely one of my better decisions, the camera is great and has a look-down mode specifically for backing up to tow bars. Only down side is that it can get dirty in winter. I have a feeling I saw something about a camera washing jet associated with the rear washers, but I don’t have it which is a shame.

 

i would definitely recommend you get the camera! 

[RGKTSi]

I was the opposite.  I didn't bother even though I spent a fair wedge of cash on a 280 L & K combi.  No regrets not going for the camera.  I find the sensors all around the car useful enough.

 

And it wasn't the money, I tried one with a camera and I can see why people find it useful.  I will never tow for starters but that wasn't my main gripe.  

 

I didn't like it sticking down so you can see it.  It gets dirty which could lead to scratching when washed.  Why couldn't Skoda engineer one behind the badge as VW do.  I would have bought it then

 

[TGR]

Get the camera. It's very good and very useful. Especially for this big car! I pretty much use it every time I park (as I don't like to be a nosey parker:)

 

£300 well spent IMO.

[Brackenwood]

I like the camera, it is particularly good when reversing in a tight space as you can reverse up to an inch of another car which would be difficult using mirrors, or looking through the rear window using the internal mirror. I guess none of us get out of our car and look every time we reverse, but supposing there was a small child there, no worry with the camera, and if you have a tow bar you can point the camera down and see the bar for coupling. Go for it.

[CheshireBumpkin]

1 hour ago, Brackenwood said:

I guess none of us get out of our car and look every time we reverse.

 

*Raises hand sheepishly*

 

I do. 10 months I've had this car and I still can't park it.... 

[edwards]

Thanks everyone. Looks like we'll be adding it to the spec, given what a lot of the towcar drivers are saying.

 

Doe anyone have a picture of the actual camera and where it is fitted?  Curious to see what it looks like.

[JR RS]

[dg360]

Wanted it but due to a mix up in order didn't get it.  Don't miss it.  I'm young enough (just about), to swivel in my seat and put my hand on the back of the passenger seat.  I'm sure I'd get used to reversing without doing this eventually but in rentals and loan cars, the camera just makes my reversing skills go out of the window.

[Lol6]

I suffer from arthritis in my neck.  Being able to reverse this fairly large car without having to turn my head through 180 degrees is an absolute godsend.  Took me a little while to get used to it but now I find it an essential piece of kit.

[Baverhanne]

I think the camera is a valuable add-on to the car.

Today my wife drove the family in our other car and was trash talking the reversing camera of my superb. She said that it was just annoying and didn't do anything to help her park... In the middle of that sentence she rammed the left back of our three years old XC70 into a concrete pillar when trying to park it. Thing is that she were aiming for the parking space in the middle with one open spot to the left and one to the right. On the far side of these free spots there were concrete pillars. So - she was of the middle spot with about 2-3 meters!!

She'll never trashtalk my reversing camera again

 

[Enriquez]

RVC this is something You can retrofit any time.

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, Enriquez said:

RVC this is something You can retrofit any time.

 

you can, as was done to mine, but the wiring loom in the boot lid has to be changed and it ends up probably more expensive than having it fitted at the factory. The option was £350, the dealer wanted £700 for the retrofit but of course that was just all part of the price bargaining, think I notionally paid £500 in the end.

[Shirleyp]

I have the superb SEL exec estate. The camera makes hooking up the caravan a doddle when you have practiced a few times

Well worth it

[Shhhkoda]

Without a doubt go for it.  I have a caravan and you can hook up solo, but it's useful all the time.  You get a wider field of view than looking over your shoulder and the added extra of seeing low level obstacles.  I have total confidence in it, in low level light it's pretty good too. 

 

It's my 2nd car with a camera and no going back for me, as someone said once you've experienced it you realise it's true value.  

[rtj70]

I have used it a fair bit the last week or so since having the car. I say I am glad I got it. Not tried using it to guide me into a parallel parking spot but useful when reversing out of space at the local Tesco. Switching the camera to 'wide view'. I assume that option is on cars without the blind spot rear assist which tells you a car is approaching.

 

Also last night reversing into a space and the car saying I was near the object behind (still learning quite how close on the camera) I decided to switch to trailer view.... could see exactly how far the post was away.

 

So far I am pleased with all the options I went for on an SE L.

[Derek_Mac]

 We decided that we should have ordered a rear view camera fitted when we ordered the car, an MY18 Superb, so we put it into our local dealer in Perth.

  They've had it for nearly 2 days now and they fitted the camera,but when they went to program it all into the car they couldn't. :(

They have been talking to Skoda's tech department who've now told them that the camera cannot be retro-fitted to an MY18 Superb!

 Am I being told porkies I wonder?

Edited 14 November, 2017 by Derek_Mac

[nicknorman]

I would have thought so! Of course it can be retrofitted - what is the difference between fitting it in the factory and fitting it after the factory? It is just a matter of configuring the modules correctly.

[rtj70]

I suppose it depends if it needs some additional hardware other than the camera. It will clearly need coding to have the infotainment system recognise it. Might it simply be the wiring to the infotainment system from the camera is missing? Already in this thread  nicknorman has said he had it retrofitted although initially the cost was £700 - so double the price fitted in the factory.

Edited 14 November, 2017 by rtj70