How To - Reverse Camera Fitting Guide

[weyland]

As there seems to be a lot of people asking questions about this lately, I thought I'd put together a quick guide showing how I fitted my reverse camera to a facelift VRS hatchback. They way that i've fitted this will apply to most models, with the key differences being the size of handle (based upon car model year) and whether hatch or estate (but this is just inside trim differences), there may also be wiring loom differences for earlier cars or none VRS models. I've benefited from info from these forums so hopefully this will be useful to others. I am by no means an expert & I won't be able to answer all of your questions, hopefully others will chip in and can add other info as well.

 

First of all, this is the camera that I ordered for my MY 2017 VRS (Camera A/Handle A):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000230897829.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.40694c4dTEPT93
 (link may no longer be valid when you read this so screenshot below)

No programming is required for this camera and it supports dynamic reverse  guidelines

Tools:
Trim removal tools would be useful, but otherwise plastic tool that won't mark your car, or screwdrivers or similar with masking tape over the end.

A T20 torx head tool is required if you have a hatchback to remove the pulldown boot strap

Cable rods are very useful, I couldn't have fitted through the roof lining without.

Stereo removal tools unless they come with your camera kit

 

Cable route - I went with an OEM route for my cabling, following existing cables through the roofliner and out to the back as show by the red line below.

 

The camera:

 

The first thing that I did was to check that the boot release switch was working on the new unit - there's no way you want to wire this in and find it is faulty.
You'll need to start removing the boot trim to access it. Remove the plastic clips from the lower boot trim-  this consists of a few plastic clips which easily pop out with trim remover/screwdriver. There are 8 of these on the hatchback.

 

After that  start removing the upper plastic trim, this simply requires forces to release the metal clips. You don't need to remove all of this for now, but it will all need to come off later

 

Remove the lower upholstered trim covering the tailgate. More metal clips - work your way around. You'll also need to remove the pull down strap with the T20 torx head. When this is down you should be able to drop the boot liner which will give access to the boot release handle.

 

This can be awkward to remove, but can be done by pushing in the clip on one on the ends whilst also pushing down on the handle from the inside (ignore the clips along its length) - it should then pop out. Repeat for the other side.

 

Unplug the harness and plug the new handle in - check the release switch works. You can either now push the new handle in until it clips, or leave it out to test the video connection later before fitting.

 

To wire it in

Remove the glovebox (open, rock left to right whilst pulling up & you'll hear the bottom clips release. Raise the glovebox lid up and inside the housing and reach in and remove the dampening on the left hand side)

 

Use the stereo release keys to release the multimedia unit.

 

The kit used here comes with a replacement harness that sits between the original one and the media unit & includes the video feed cable. Some people have removed the upper glovebox section to provide more access, be careful not to unplug the airbag connector if you do this. This can be fiddly, but I found the best way was to lie on my back with my head in footwell looking up at the unit from underneath. With the media unit slid fowards this gives access to the harness. It's the large one at the bottom and there is a locking connecting that needs to be pushed backwards to release. Check how it works on your replacement harness. Unplug old harness and plug it in to one end of the new one, push the harness in to the void and plug the new connector block in to the media unit. This took me a while to get it all to fit in. When done you can now test the video feed to the rear camera before your start wiring it in permanently.

 

I took the camera cable  over the top of the fusebox cage &  out through the side panel

 

I then ran the cable up the A Pillar to the roof lining and all the way to the end. Cable rods were really useful at this point, especially to get around the B pillar , and to go from the end of the roof liner through the cable exit point behind the rubber trunking where the original boot cables are. You can also run the cable in the trim above the sill and work your way back up to the roof lining on the C pillar. When you get to the end of the roof lining you'll need to unclip the rubber gator at the top of the boot so you can get the cable out of the roof liner and in to the boot via this gator. If you install the same way as me you only need to peel the roof liner down a few cm, being careful not to deform or damage it and you'll see the OEM cables behind.

 

 

Once you've got the cable this far it's a case of feeding it through the rubber gator, up the side of the boot and over to the handle; connect the video cable and tidying up any spare cable.

 

Everything should now be up and running. Retrace your steps to refit your trim. You now have a fully working reverse camera, activated when reverse is selected and with dynamic guidelines. The parking sensor guide now shifts to the left of the screen the same as an OEM reverse camera.

 

I will come back and re-edit this tomorrow and resize pics as it's getting late. I'll tidy up any errors as I see them so please don't jump on me straight away!

 

Edited 8 October, 2020 by weyland
Errors

[langers2k]

Nice guide, shame you didn't write it two days ago when I started fitting my camera

 

As I did a few things differently, I'll add some extra info as it might help others. I used an OEM/original high camera from AiDU Auto on aliexpress. At time of writing they offered:

- a highline kit for the MK3 Octavia at ~£75

- a highline kit with washer jet for a Tiguan also at ~£75

 

After a quick chat, they were happy to parameterise the Tiguan kit with an Octavia file so I bought the Tiguan kit. Given they were the same price/size/shape it seemed daft not to get the bonus washer jet

 

Unfortunately, the washer jet pipe was slightly too short but I was able to remove the fittings on either end and use some PVC washer hose (4mm ID, 6mm OD) of the right length instead.

 

I took a slightly different cable route, shown in yellow:

 

 

Unlike the kit above, it's not 'plug and play' so you end up with a bunch of wires that need to be connected to the appropriate places. The cables are pre-terminated but as I already had the correct crimps, I cut them to length rather than having loads spare.

 

Factory wiring diagram for the highline (PR-KA2) camera is as follows:

 

 

The earth wire was shorter than the others so I used the earth point in the boot below the rear seatbelts:

 

For power, I removed the fusebox and used fuse 18 as per a factory install:

 

After trimming and terminating the wires, I ended up with this:

- new wires highlighted in yellow

- new connector tapping into the CAN-bus circled in light green

 

For the CAN-bus connection, I de-pinned the original quadlock connecter and moved the two CAN-bus wires into a separate connector, this means I didn't need to cut or modify the original wiring to tap into the CAN-bus:

 

 

The eagle eyed amongst you may notice I used a 5a fuse in slot 18. After a quick shopping trip, I've now replaced it with a 7.5a fuse as per the factory wiring diagram.

 

Coding was super easy:

- Address 19, add 6C to the installation list

- Address 10, coding, tick byte 2 bit 4

- Address 5F, adaptions, change Car_Function_List_BAP_Gen2-VPS_0x0B to "activated"

- Address 5F, adaptions, change Car_Function_List_BAP_Gen2-VPS_0x0B_msg_bus to "Infotainment data bus"

 

All works just like a factory install with the various modes etc.

 

As expected, the only error code currently stored is "no basic settings" so I'll need to print out a VAS6350 board and calibrate it at some point

 

 

 

Edited 20 January, 2021 by langers2k

[EnterName]

That is an amazing guide @weyland, thanks for posting.

[mfizz]

@weyland am I correct in assuming that no coding was required? It was simply plug and play? Even though your car never came with the camera?

Edited 11 October, 2020 by mfizz

[weyland]

@mfizz This camera is plug and play, I think the harness has a big part to play in that. The media unit instantly recognised the camera and it worked straight away 

[Swirly182]

Thanks for a great guide. 

 

But, how TF do you feed the cable down or up the boot lid? 

[weyland]

Have you got it through the rubber gator? If so you need a thick wire or rod to push it up the side - you can then grab it half way up by the heated rear screen harness, pull the wire all the way up, then feed it through to the bootlid.

 

Getting it though the gator can be tricky, again a rod and patience is the key 

Edited 19 October, 2020 by weyland

[Swirly182]

Embarrassingly, at that point I hadn't read your guide properly and hadn't removed the vertical window trim piece (mines an estate). This was a pain to remove due to one little plastic plug holding it on at the end. Anyway, removed it and did as you said using the blue wire from a piece of twin and earth. Job done 👍 I routed the cable as langers2k suggested which worked well for me. 

 

Another suggestion for forcing it though the gator - a tiny bit of washing up liquid to make it more slippery 😁

 

Thanks again for taking the time to post the guide. This will make hitching up the caravan much easier! 

[EnterName]

On 11/10/2020 at 08:31, weyland said:

@mfizz This camera is plug and play, I think the harness has a big part to play in that. The media unit instantly recognised the camera and it worked straight away 

Hi @weyland

Just by chance, have you a clear image of the rear of the camera you fitted?

I ordered one from the link you provided, however the camera I received is not quite the same as the camera in their description.

I think it's just a slight product modification, but I'm wondering if your camera is the same as mine, or subtly different.

Here's what I mean.

 

The three cameras possible to be ordered are A/B/C taken from the AliExpress link. (I've ignored camera C as it's clearly completely different.)

And here's what they sent.

 

The profile and dimensions of the camera (the important stuff) match Camera A. However the back wiring image seems to match Camera B.

It's not an issue, but it did cause a minor "Awwww Hell!" moment when I first looked at the camera. :D

I'm wondering if there are a few different suppliers of this camera, and they just send what they have, so long as it works and fits.

From the other side, my camera appears to be the same as yours, so I guess it's just a slight difference between their product image and what they actually send.

Thanks. :)

 

 

[langers2k]

@EnterName - I wouldn't worry. They've probably got a few suppliers for the camera unit but as long as the handle is the correct shape, I'm sure it's fine.

 

In other news, I've calibrated the highline camera (not required for the aftermarket Chinese kits).

 

I initially tried to use VCDS but none of the security codes worked which appears to be normal with the newer cameras. Instead, I got my trusty VAS5054a out and found a copy of ODIS service v5 online.

 

You'll need a VAS6350 calibration targ et, the dimensions are online so I made a an SVG file and then converted it to a 300dpi 1900x700mm PNG. The forum software doesn't seem to like the PNG for some reason so I've zipped it: vas6350.zip

 

I had the PNG printed locally for under £7 (190x70cm) but you can also play the cutting and sticking game with A4 if you prefer. The VAS6350 needs to be placed correctly on level ground, it seems like there are a few methods but I did the following.

 

Find and mark the centreline of the rear wheels:

 

Find the centreline of the car, I guessed this based on the roof antenna and rear badge:

 

Place the VAS6350 on the car centreline and measure 1700mm from each rear wheel centreline and the first black bar:

 

Fire up ODIS and use the guided function finding. It should spot the not calibrated fault code and walk you through the procedure.

 

Make sure the camera is activated and at some point, it should ask for the distance to the target, target height and the camera height, in my case I think I used 1700mm, 1mm and 890mm. The RVC image will go a bit weird and 30 seconds later, it's all calibrated and no fault codes.

 

Final picture of a very untidy garage:

[weyland]

6 hours ago, EnterName said:

Hi @weyland

Just by chance, have you a clear image of the rear of the camera you fitted?

I ordered one from the link you provided, however the camera I received is not quite the same as the camera in their description.

 

........

And here's what they sent.

The profile and dimensions of the camera (the important stuff) match Camera A. However the back wiring image seems to match Camera B.

 

 

Hi, I wouldn't worry - your current boot release harness will plug into the block in the middle to provide the normal function, and the wire on the left with the purple connector is the only one you need to feed to the front and into the replacement media unit harness to provide all of the reverse camera functionality 

 

 

Edited 22 October, 2020 by weyland

[weyland]

If this guide is useful please add a like 

[Scallystev]

Thank you all, mine is now fitted.

About 3 hours, less if you subtract the time spent staring at it and swearing!

Things I have learned:

On an estate you do have to take lower door trim off, but not necessarily the upper one;

Some of that plastic coated spring which is designed to hold net curtains is fantastic for feeding through the wire;

Go shopping before you start, not halfway through.

Steve

[Tbrezn3]

Hey everybody!

Does anyone know, if the camera fits the superb 2017 mk3?

thanks! ;)

 

[weyland]

Hi mate, best thing to do is measure your current handle to determine which size and style you need

[Scallystev]

My car is a 2017 estate and it fits and works perfectly.

Steve

[DakinHB]

Thank you everyone for this thread. Incredibly helpful in getting my reverse camera fitted

[jazzmag2k]

On 25/10/2020 at 16:53, Scallystev said:

Thank you all, mine is now fitted.

About 3 hours, less if you subtract the time spent staring at it and swearing!

Things I have learned:

On an estate you do have to take lower door trim off, but not necessarily the upper one;

Some of that plastic coated spring which is designed to hold net curtains is fantastic for feeding through the wire;

Go shopping before you start, not halfway through.

Steve

Just Saved me about a tenner thanks

[jazzmag2k]

Thanks for the guide, this hadn't even crossed my mind as something I could do but it's something I'm gonna

 

Will wait until picking up on Saturday just on the off chance it already has the reversing cam, (I don't think it does but I've not seen the car in person)

 

Does anyone know what the stock is usually like on Ali Express? Currently non to ship from Czech Republic but do have them from china. Would prefer from Cz purely due to shipping time.

Cheers

Alan

[weyland]

Get it from China, it'll be fine -  It will take 7-14 days. I'm unsure why they have different warehouses for certain things as you're essentially ordering Chinese made goods, direct from China which is why everything is so cheap.

[weyland]

Oh, and you're more than capable of doing it. It's the thought of it that puts most people off - once you get stuck in it's quite straight forward, just take your time 

[J.R.]

38 minutes ago, weyland said:

Get it from China, it'll be fine -  It will take 7-14 days. I'm unsure why they have different warehouses for certain things as you're essentially ordering Chinese made goods, direct from China which is why everything is so cheap.

 

More and more of the production is shipped to EU warehouses ordered by the reseller once you click "buy it now" and dropshipped directly to you, the manufacturer sends out pallets & containers at a time & doesn't get involved in small orders, the reseller never physically sees or touches the goods.

 

That said for smaller items ordered from EU warehouses they often still come direct from China because of the subsidised shipping rates but they are probably held at a dropshipping warehouse there.

 

There are also re-distributeurs (there is probably a correct term for it) that recieve large parcels from manufacturers, an example might be the glasses you buy on line from a seemingly UK or EU company that is no more than a website, they are made in the factory in Pakistan or wherever and shipped in bulk orders to the redistribution company who then send them out by the postal service.

 

And then you get Amazon doing all of the above for sellers not even on their platform, I have bought security cameras from Ebay supposedly in stock from a French seller which were sent from China to Amazon France who put the original box inside one of theirs with the Amazon smiley logo with loads of paper filing and then delivered it to me.

 

I have bought 2 dashcams from Ali-express and they arrive withing 10 days.

[jazzmag2k]

13 hours ago, weyland said:

Oh, and you're more than capable of doing it. It's the thought of it that puts most people off - once you get stuck in it's quite straight forward, just take your time 

Just to triple check before I order (found a photo of the car in reverse and it doesn't have cam), its the MBQ Wire + Camera A version I need isn't it? To be clear it's a 68 plate VRS hatch

 

Guidance appreciated

[weyland]

Facelift cars take camera A, if it's the harness shown in my pics (piggy back) it'll be fine. You should also get the stereo removal tools to release the media unit inside the glovebox

[jazzmag2k]

4 minutes ago, weyland said:

Facelift cars take camera A, if it's the harness shown in my pics (piggy back) it'll be fine. You should also get the stereo removal tools to release the media unit inside the glovebox

Great thank you. Ordering now