Dashcam Switched Power

[John_S]

Recently got ourselves a Karoq, first Skoda for us and we really like it. Replaces a Tiguan for the family
moving duties. Anyway for whatever reason the lighter socket on the Karoq is always live which isn't very
useful for powering a dashcam.

 

Had a look for a how-to for tapping a switched feed from the fusebox but only found little bits of info
here and there so here is my quick guide to how I've done it.

 

Convieniently there is a fuse box right behind the glove box (UK RHD car). Getting to the fuse box was in
my opinion the most difficult task! The instruction manual does describe the process but it still took some
figuring out.

 

The glovebox is hinged at the bottom, has 2 bump stops (one either side) and a damping arm. The damping arm
is removed by first pressing the lowest pivot point of the arm towards the engine, this should free the
bottom pivot point and allow the arm to be detatched from the glove box. The 2 bump stops are freed by
pressing them away from the glove box, see photo.

 

From there it's pretty straigh foward. I used piggy-back/add a fuse to take a switched feed from fuse 47.
For a return I used a ring tag on the T27 torx bolt that holds the fusebox in place, it's not ideal as the
fuse box is plastic but I couldn't find anything easier or better that didn't probably involve taking more
things apart.

 

Routing the cable to the dashcam was simple, drops easily out the back of the glove/fuse box, behind the
rubber seal up the door frame/A pillar and along the top of the headlining/windscreen.

 

Hope this helps others with installing a dashcam.

 

Cheers

 

John

[solarfusion]

Thanks that's useful. So were you able to hide the cable going up the A pillar without removing anything? Mine's a PCH so want to avoid damaging anything.

 

The lighter socket on my wife's Fabia II was always on too so I used two piggy back adapters to swap the power from a switched source instead. Must by a Skoda thing.

[Michael G]

I love these posts. Thanks John.

 

If you've a minute, can you say which dashcam you used and how it was fixed?

 

TIA.

[Panther_uk]

I did mine pretty much the same way, and yes the glovebox isn't the easiest to remove and finding an earth point was the hardest part to be honest. I think I also used Fuse 47 (rear wiper if I remember right)

 

I use an old DOD LS330W dash cam fixes with just the standard sucker arrangement to the left of the rear view mirror.

[Karman]

I am thinking of doing the same but have any pics of the cable coming out of the glove box and up the A pillar, across the head lining Thanks. Worried about rattles and vibrations.

Edited 14 April, 2018 by Karman

[John_S]

14 hours ago, solarfusion said:

Thanks that's useful. So were you able to hide the cable going up the A pillar without removing anything? Mine's a PCH so want to avoid damaging anything.

 

The lighter socket on my wife's Fabia II was always on too so I used two piggy back adapters to swap the power from a switched source instead. Must by a Skoda thing.

 

Ours is PCH also so in the same boat. Don't want to damage anything and needs to be easy to remove when the car goes back. The cabling I just run along the door seal rubber, across the join at the top of the A pillar cover and then along the headlining at the top of the windscreen. No trim removal required. There's a little bit of cabling on show as it exits the fuse box but I'm not too bothered about it, see photo.

 

12 hours ago, Michael G said:

I love these posts. Thanks John.

 

If you've a minute, can you say which dashcam you used and how it was fixed?

 

TIA.

 

In this car I've installed a Mini0801, it's probably 3+ years old and still works, don't think they make them anymore! Just sticks to the windscreen with a sticky pad.

 

7 hours ago, Karman said:

I am thinking of doing the same but have any pics of the cable coming out of the glove box and up the A pillar, across the head lining Thanks. Worried about rattles and vibrations.

 

See photos, if you can afford a bit more time than I had you can probably install it a lot neater. As installed i doubt it would rattle or vibrate.

 

Included some more photos of the bits required for the installation.

 

Edited 14 April, 2018 by John_S
forgot to attach photos!

[Karman]

Thanks for that, shows a nice neat job.

[Great Yeti]

WARNING!!!

Hi Guys. For those fitting a dashcam to their vehicle. You need to be aware that for at least the last eight years that I know of, Skoda have fitted their "Curtain Airbags" (the ones behind the headlining and down each side of the vehicle) in a way that extends part way down the "A" pillar.  From memory, that's almost half way down! Anyone who was to run a cable up the "A" pillar and across the top toward the screen may/will compromise the operation of that Airbag and very likely turn the Dashcam into a projectile hazard in the event of the Airbag operating. It has been well documented in other forums here on Briskoda a good many times.

 

The safe way is to come up the gap between screen and the "A" pillar trim, thus avoiding crossing the top of the pillar with the cable. There is usually plenty of room to tuck the cable in without crossing the Airbag and without removing the trim. However, on most models the trim pulls away from the body with a firm tug should you decide to be 100% sure that you are not compromising the operation or endangering yourself, or others who drive your vehicle.

 

Hope this helps - Stay safe......Tony

 

PS: Just now managed to find a picture from a Yeti that shows the airbag so you can see what I am trying to explain. (With thanks to another member for the original pic) - The Airbag is the white object top left. The red tube is a drainage tube for a panoramic tube. 

[Arkaig]

10 hours ago, Great Yeti said:

WARNING!!!

Hi Guys. For those fitting a dashcam to their vehicle. You need to be aware that for at least the last eight years that I know of, Skoda have fitted their "Curtain Airbags" (the ones behind the headlining and down each side of the vehicle) in a way that extends part way down the "A" pillar.  From memory, that's almost half way down! Anyone who was to run a cable up the "A" pillar and across the top toward the screen may/will compromise the operation of that Airbag and very likely turn the Dashcam into a projectile hazard in the event of the Airbag operating. It has been well documented in other forums here on Briskoda a good many times.

 

The safe way is to come up the gap between screen and the "A" pillar trim, thus avoiding crossing the top of the pillar with the cable. There is usually plenty of room to tuck the cable in without crossing the Airbag and without removing the trim. However, on most models the trim pulls away from the body with a firm tug should you decide to be 100% sure that you are not compromising the operation or endangering yourself, or others who drive your vehicle.

 

This Warning is particularly appropriate given that early Karoqs were the subject of an official safety recall for the replacement of A-pillar trims to ensure the safe operation of head airbags.

 

 

[John_S]

10 hours ago, Great Yeti said:

WARNING!!!

Hi Guys. For those fitting a dashcam to their vehicle. You need to be aware that for at least the last eight years that I know of, Skoda have fitted their "Curtain Airbags" (the ones behind the headlining and down each side of the vehicle) in a way that extends part way down the "A" pillar.  From memory, that's almost half way down! Anyone who was to run a cable up the "A" pillar and across the top toward the screen may/will compromise the operation of that Airbag and very likely turn the Dashcam into a projectile hazard in the event of the Airbag operating. It has been well documented in other forums here on Briskoda a good many times.

 

The safe way is to come up the gap between screen and the "A" pillar trim, thus avoiding crossing the top of the pillar with the cable. There is usually plenty of room to tuck the cable in without crossing the Airbag and without removing the trim. However, on most models the trim pulls away from the body with a firm tug should you decide to be 100% sure that you are not compromising the operation or endangering yourself, or others who drive your vehicle.

 

Hope this helps - Stay safe......Tony

 

PS: Just now managed to find a picture from a Yeti that shows the airbag so you can see what I am trying to explain. (With thanks to another member for the original pic) - The Airbag is the white object top left. The red tube is a drainage tube for a panoramic tube. 

 

 

Thanks, that's an excellent point. I've just been out and tweaked the wire routing. The A pillar trim comes away at the top easily enough, without complete removal, to have the power cable sit forward of the airbag, now being closer to the windscreen and no longer in the path of the airbag if it were deployed.

 

Cheers

[Cd1yat]

Thanks very much for the guide. Just fitted a nextbase in about 30 min. The official instruction guide suggested using the heated rear screen fuse but that seems to be permanently live too! Fortunately, you had already picked out a suitable alternative and it's great.

[Vectis]

I had to use fuse 34 as on mine the electric seat module is in the way of using fuse 47.

[Vectis]

Just a few pics of my installation, I placed the dashcam just to the left of the rear view mirror and ran the cable up and along under the head lining, down under the A pillar trim along the edge by the windscreen and then across the dash between the bottom of the A pillar and the dash using some of those plastic trim removal tools to ease it in. Then down the inside of the rubber seal and into the fuse box, there is just one small bit of cable showing in pic 3 where it goes into the rubber seal. As I posted earlier I used fuse 34 due to lack of space on the Edition.

 

I've just been out and had a fiddle and the cable is now completely hidden.

 

Edited 3 June, 2018 by Vectis

[skaif]

Thanks for this, have managed to route my cables and tap the right fuse! Any issues with the dashcam and stop start? 

[Vectis]

12 hours ago, skaif said:

Thanks for this, have managed to route my cables and tap the right fuse! Any issues with the dashcam and stop start? 

No

[silver1011]

Have you entered the fuse box from the top then, behind the air vent?

 

As opposed to the OP who ran their wire further down the door seal and entered from underneath the dash?

 

You've done well to feed the cable behind the dash into the fuse box blind?

[mattjames1980]

Great work. Looking to put in a mini 0906 dual cam soon. Will use this as a guide. Did my superb last year and took the plastic off the side of the dash to find a bolt to earth and route wire to a pillar, worked quite well... Will check the karoq if it's the same and add a pic if this is the case.

[mattjames1980]

Hi all, popped the panel closest to the door and it came away easy enough. You can get to the fusebox through the side here and there's two points into the frame you could use to ground. Just thought I'd put it up if people wanted to see...I'm putting in a mini 0906 with rear so went out and bought trim tools for 11.99 from halfords...made the job easier but a thick plastic knife or ruler might do it...slid in from the top twist to get the top clips disconnected then slid down the side...they 'pop' as they go so easy enough....this is the wife's on PCP so didn't want to dmg...u think Skoda would be bad...try telling the Mrs her three day old car got scratched! Thankfully avoided 

[silver1011]

I take it you've left the passenger airbag switch connected in your picture?

 

I tried pulling mine off but assumed the airbag switch was holding it firmly in place so decided against pulling any harder. Good to see that's not the case and even with the switch connected the panel can be removed.

 

Looks like it'll be easier starting from the top as that clip is the one closest to the edge.

 

The Kodiaq looks almost identical, I got around having to remove the panel as I was able to get up into the fusebox from the bottom. Removing the panel will undoubtedly save some length on the power cable as you can take a more direct route. I was a couple of inches too short (standard 1.5m Garmin cable) so have had to order a 5 meter cable. One extreme to the other!

[mattjames1980]

Superb had a little plastic hook form/shape at the bottom so be careful you pull out from the top then up....mine is a bit dodgy now as I pulled too hard at the bottom assuming it was stuck...karoq didn't have one, maybe a design change but it might follow superb? Didn't disconnect passenger airbag, there was enough play in the wire....don't have any eyelet connectors on me so need to go back to halfords....missing maplin

[mattjames1980]

29 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

order a 5 meter cable. One extreme to the other!

 

5m!!!! Saying that...I have a lot of slack in my cable to the rear camera that is tucked in the roof liner at the back, looped once or twice...good luck!

[silver1011]

Yes, I'm going to have some 'excess' now 

 

I'd rather that though, so I can ensure there is no interference with the airbag in the A-pillar.

 

Thanks for the photo's.

[colinshead]

This topic has been really helpful, got a new Nextbase 312GW fitted in an hour and a half (could be much quicker but took my time not wishing to mark a 4 day old car!). Releasing the glovebox not easy if you have big hands !!  I used a Nextbase Hardwire Fitting Kit, which comes with everything you need.

 

I, like John in first post, piggy backed onto fuse 47 (rear wiper). This 15 amp fuse was sat more or less on its on in my car, so easy to fit the piggy back. I used double sided car trim self adhesive tape to stick the actual small power adapter unit onto part of the air ducting to the right of the fusebox. I also used some small cable ties to secure the wiring to the ventilation fan lugs, just to guard against rattles etc.

 

I tested everything before closing up the glove box again, and before threading the cable up to the dashcam position.

 

Photos below show the overall arrangement, and some detail. I ran the cable under the trim below the glove box, up under the rubber door seal, then under the edge of the A pillar trim, exactly as described earlier. The cable a tight fit in some places. I used a small blunt steel scraper well protected in a cotton cloth, to (carefully !!) push the cable down where necessary. You could obviously also use a plastic car trim tool for the job.

 

Edited 9 July, 2018 by colinshead
Correct typo

[silver1011]

Thanks to the tips on here I've fitted a dash cam to my Kodiaq.

 

My experience, with plenty more pictures, can be found here...

 

 

[Gomezz]

I too used the tips from here and fitted my Nextbase at the weekend. Very helpful post and pics.

I found it easier to remove and refit the glove box on the Karoq than it was on my Octy scout though.

Thanks to colinshead for the guide.

Edited 23 July, 2018 by Gomezz