Hi all,I just fitted a rear view camera for less than £35 including monitor, and what a difference it made to towing. I was much more confident with the van especially on the narrow Welsh roads when I had to pull in and reverse to let other vehicles through. We pulled into services on the A55 on the busy Bank Holiday Saturday and was able to reverse with ease and reassurance into a tight space. Only took about 1.5 hours to do and connected the camera power to the side lights so all I need to do to turn it on is turn on the cars side lights (which I drive with anyway) just thought i'd let you know if anyone was contemplating fitting one, go for it.
Yes it is. I was very lucky, just the right angle as well, although you can get them with adjustable pan/tilt but they are more bulky.
Yes LlaniDavis I always rely on my mirrors. not just for rear view but if I can fit the car through a gap with mirrors on then the van will fit through aswell.
Could you give us the details of the make/model of camera, and where you got it from? A brief explanation of how you fitted it, would be great as well. It looks a very neat and cost effective modification, I'm envious, as my rear washroom means I have a solid back with no rear vision apart from my towing mirrors.
Hi guys, I will take some photos tonight and give you the links tomorrow. It's all off eBay . I did get wireless for it but the quality was rubbish so it's now hard wired, I just run the cable through to the locker and then plug it in in the car I just have the wire going along the floor. But I'll send some pics and links tonorrow
I cut through the back wall of the van with a 2 inch hole cutter, yo ucould use a smaller one depending on where you can get access to . This was in the cupboard in the end bathroom and was about 1 foot away from the centre of the van where the camera had been fitted, obviously the smaller the hole the more difficult it will bw to get the lead through.
I will just buy a bung to fill the hole. The camera I have posted is slightly different to the one I installed but it is a moveable one so is more forgiving , I was lucky that I had the ridge on the back of the van which was at the right angle for mounting but with the above camera it doesn't matter as yo uwill just alter it to suit. I then ran the cable down the cupboard and from there just followed the heating duct under the side table etc to the front of the van and into the storage locker. The side lights on the Lunar are at the bottom of the front panel so this is where I connected the power for the camera. Just turn on the car side lights to turn the camera on. I just run the video wire to the monitor through the hatchback when using it as it didn't seem worth hiding the wire and having a seperate plug for a few times a year that we use it.
Just make sure you have room on the back panel where you can get the cable through. If you have cupboards on the back wall then this would be the best place to go through but remeber you need to get it to the front of the van so make sure you can get it down to the floor. use a piece of garden wire if your holes are going to be offse from each other like mine to help feed the wire through from one to the other. Hope this helps. Any more info drop me a message. Good luck
At the moment I just run it from the caravan locker and through the hatchback of the car but I am going to try it on the spare of the grey caravan plug.
Love the camera, but how does that go with your warranty as you are making a hole in the body of the caravan? and the work is not carried out m the main dealer.
It's a 2005 van so no Warranty for me. I don't think they could void a warranty because you installed something in the van unless they could prove that it is that item that caused the problem. If you purchased a new car and put a towbar on yourself they wouldn't cancel your warranty. I purchased a new Bailey Discovery van in 2005 and fitted an IDM alarm which involved a number of holes cutting, I then had to have a complete new front panel under warranty and never had a problem. Worth checking though.
Yes I suppose it depends on what goes wrong, I was thinking more along the lines of a water ingress issue, but as you say they would need to prove it was caused by something you had fitted.
I wonder how long before it will become a standard fit on caravans. For not a lot of extra money it could be that little extra that helps sells more vans.
The camera is a great idea, Im really tempted to give it a go.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Rear view camera
although you're lucky your van has that convenient ridge.
