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Fiesta Reversing Camera And Screen


tomroscoe
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Just wondered how you guys were getting on fitting the reversing camera kit. Any news, any thoughts?

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Hi Tom,

My ears were burning and now I know why. As it happens, yes. I finished it this very afternoon and it's great. I'll post more info this weekend as I did it slightly differently. I'll do a step by step too for those who want to know, and a pic or two hopefully. Anyway, it's ruddy awesome, really entertaining and very effective. Brilliant! More info/details/news to follow.

Phil

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Hi TomR,

I decided to scribble down some notes and took some pics and stuck it all in a guide on how I did mine: (http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/47374-diy-guide-to-fitting-reverse-camera-and-screen/). It's much the same as yours with the main variation being how I cabled in the power to the screen and camera. I soldered directly into the same reverse bulb cable, just further down the loom. Works a treat. Anyway, got to say a big thinks for your help and loving reversing everywhere now, lol. Catch you later, lets see if anyone else fits a camera. :)

Regards,

Phil.

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Phil, you've done a magnificent job. Your pdf file is a little work of art and your workmanship puts mine to shame. I just wondered if your day job involves such work - you don't work on new car instruction books or something like that do you?

One question - could you clarify how you lift the gear lever gaiter? l don't want to break off any clips or scratch it, but l can't see how it pops off.

Next, my dash cam is better than yours, so there. Well, maybe. It's the SJ1000 and l have a pdf file of my mag write-up. Under £56 delivered.

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I work in IT management but I guess years of meddling about in computers has helped a bit. I’m no electrician and had to really work hard at that bit. Sweated buckets fretting over which wire was which and in the end it was pretty obvious. Just not confident in it. Biggest problem I had with installing this lot was the ruddy rage. I’m okay for a bit but then I just get impatient and start reaching for the hammers. Soldering wasn't too bad either. Bit rusty but subscribed to a less is more approach to soldering, worked out okay though.

The instructions go hand in hand with writing computing related instructions now and then I guess. Boring as hell but still managed to get some knitted chickens in at the end. If it helps other folks then job done, it’s definitely worth doing.

Your camera is indeed better, lol. I was hit from behind April 1st last year in Bath by a drunk estate agent (the scenario from hell). It was a slightly messy insurance claim and I went for the camera after to cover me if needed in the future. The stuff you record is beyond words sometimes though but it was a good buy and gives a lot of peace of mind.

That gear gaiter is a weird component, pretty over engineered thing comprising of three or so interconnected parts clipped together. It’s fairly chunky so not too easy to break. I worked on the assumption that trying to loosen the bezel would be more difficult and end in me scratching the shiny black dash facia around it. So, I found if you give it a gentle but firm inward squeeze/pull around the side and back edges of the leather area inside, and it should loosen and ease out. You should be able to feel through the leather and have a fumble round inner edges of the frame beneath. It wasn’t clipped in heavily on mine and there wasn’t any noticeable clicks or those nasty cracks from clips releasing or breaking. It was more a case of working inward to distort the shape which seemed to release the clips holding it in place. Don’t overdo or you’ll risk separating the leather from its bezel but working from inside to loosen worked. I think a lot of these Ford parts and panels just need a good firm hand. Nothing over the top but it takes a bit of nerve I've found.

Hope that helps.

Phil.

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Thanks for your gear lever gaiter words, I'll give it a go tomorrow.

I see from your signoff that you've changed a lot of your light bulbs. Did you see my post about how difficult I was finding it to remove the front parking lights? The little L shaped bulb holder (visible when you remove that big rubber plug in the headlamp assembly) is wobbly, but I can't remove it. Is it bayonetted into the reflector?

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Hmm, I might be a bit stuck with your sidelight question. I don't have sidelights as such, the Titanium uses new LED DRL's for the job rather than single sidelight bulb.

I remember on my previous 2011 Zetec it was a fairly easy W5W wedge sidelight. The connectors are much improved but removing the unit itself is still a slightly awkward job.

On the front end I have only changed the dipped beam so far but I am thinking of detango'ing. I've been much more restrained with my bulb changing this time but I'm currently fretting over red or blue footwell LED's. I have noticed in comparing the headlamps from my previous 11 Zetec and 13 Titanium that Ford did some redesign and weight/cost saving too, but I have no idea if the 13 Zetec unit has seen a redesign as well.

I'll keep my eyes open and if I come across a 13 Zetec I'll see if I can't find out, may as well start taking other peoples cars to bits as well, lol.

Phil

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Is the cubby hole the same size on the mk7.5 as the mk7 dyo know?

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Is the cubby hole the same size on the mk7.5 as the mk7 dyo know?

I think so. Can't be 100%. I keep my work garage door remote in there and did on my 11 plate Fiesta too and its as snug a fit now as on that car so I'd say yes, I reckon it is the same size.

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This is brilliant, want to fit mine Tom :D he he

If it's any help I wasn't sure about tricky connection. Was okay with it in the end and admit it took a lot longer but I got a quote from an auto electrician initially based on me having already drilled the bumper, fitted the camera and run the cables to where they needed to go. He quoted £40 all in which I thought was pretty reasonable. Either way, You can get the screen and camera for £20 or less if you shop around and with £40 for some help, its still way below what you'd pay normally. Early on I was quoted £150 to £300 for normal reverse sensors fitted, more for the flush fit ones in some cases; and £200-£400 for a reverse camera fitted. Quids in all the way.

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That's really reasonable but then again I guess if its all fitted etc just needs wiring up it should be straightforward.

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That's really reasonable but then again I guess if its all fitted etc just needs wiring up it should be straightforward.

I'd say if you showed an electrician the instructions and helped them getting into the light cluster and wiring loom etc they could do it in half hour. The rest in reality is just time spent fitting the camera and hiding cables. It's just the kind of stuff they'd make look annoyingly easy. Took me a lot longer but I'll not say hold long for fear of embarrassing myself, lol.

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I think I am going to take the plunge and do this, buts it will have to wait for a bit, this month I need to fix my side skirt back on and get the paint on it sorted and a scratching on my bumper

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  • 1 month later...

Right, so I'm looking to install a reversing camera using much the same method as used here, but rather than drilling holes in my bumper, I'd rather use one of the ones that replaces a number plate bulb. Any ideas of good cameras to use, or how to route the cables through?

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I looked into this Graeme because the higher camera positioning will give a more useful view than the black bumper position. Two snags. Finding a replacement lamp that included a camera was difficult, and if found the wiring would be a right pain.

Wires would have to be threaded through the rubber loom tubes that bridge the top of the tailgate with the car body. Then one of those wires has to connect to the reversing lamp and the other has to end up at the instrument panel. Not easy.

Fitting the camera into the bumper makes the wiring so much easier.

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Try a wireless system.

You only need to wire the screen and camera to the correct wires in their locations and cut out having to install the long, fiddly video wire between the two.

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The signal cable between the two is probably the easier part. Getting power to the screen and camera is far more tricky, even more so for a camera mounted within one of the number plate lights. I looked at wires and wireless and honestly couldn't see much difference between either when it came to the cabling required to power the screen and camera, that's still an awkward knuckle busting job.

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I would honestly say the hardest bit would (to me) be the video cable as it involves going through boot conduits, headliner, pillar trims and dash panels.

Sounds like a faff to me.

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Hi Stoney, using a wireless system only dispenses with the signal cable from camera chip to LCD screen. You still have to get power to the camera and that has to come from the reversing light ideally.

Of course you could power the camera from the number plate light so you didn't have to thread wires through that rubber conduit twix hatch and body, but that would mean you having the LCD screen on all the time at night (as the radio signal would effectively power it up) and it would mean putting on your side lights in the daytime to get the reversing camera powered up.

Like BM says, wireless isn't really wire less.

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Believe it or not I do understand what wireless means.

With a wireless system the screen is not permanently on, (No more than a physically linked system anyway), it activates when it detects a signal from the camera module which activates when the reverse light comes on.

The point of the wireless system is it saves the extra work of trailing a video cable the full length of the car thus making installation a bit easier.

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  • 3 months later...

Go for it Tomo. It allows you to reverse to about 2" from the car behind you (slowly) though at this time of year the tiny camera lens can get a bit mucky down there in the bumper. Still, one fingertip is all you need to clean it.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey guys, this looks fab... I really want to do the whole reverse camera thing but I'm afraid I might fook it up...

Could you take a pick of your fuse box just to show which fuse I need to put the power cable wire in for the screen please. Thanks.

Sent from my Sony SP using Ford OC mobile app

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi guys I've got the factory fitted one in my car at the moment. It is a much uglier camera next to the boot handle and it is displayed in the rear view mirror. But I've just ordered the fiesta st and I'm contemplating doing this.. Looks great

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