I need some help running a power cable up to my dash cam in my 2011 MINI Cooper. I’m afraid about ruining the headboard or trim trying to force the cable in there. I’m also pretty sure there is some 12v power going to the powered rear view mirror but I’m not sure what to splice. If anyone is good at running wires and wants to help me let me know.
Can you find any how to or videos on removing trim / headliner to make install easier? Usually there are a bunch of hidden clips on the back and a particular order to remove things in
On my Camry, I popped the A pillar trim, then just tucked the wire under the headliner cardboard stuff along the windshield without having to remove the headliner.
My dash cam had a cigarette lighter plug on it, and what I did was soldered a wire on the tip of the plug for positive, and a wire on the outer ground clip for negative, then wrapped the plug up in electrical tape and wired it into an ACC connection on the radio harness.
I can help you do that @themitch22. Just let me know when you wanna do a bit of work on it.
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Mitch, have your VIN handy and Goto:
“Enter webstite” find the block (upper left )that says Input the last 7 digits of your VIN (they,should start with T)
It will show you exploded view ls of every area and part on your Mini (or any BMW car or motorcycle). This will at least give you an idea how the various panels remove (but not how to remove them). If you want a factory service manual for your Mini - let me know.
I’ll use our 2005 Mini cooper’s last 7 as an example:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select?vin=TG13176
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So, just the other day, a car flew over the median, right in front of me, and totaled the car to my right. I want to install dash cams.
Have you found one that will survive the Texas heat? Capacitor versions address the heat issue, but they tend to lose their settings if not used for a couple of days, and an take a couple minutes to boot up once you start the car.
The ones favored by the North Texas Tesla Owners group is a Black Vue, BUT I use a Garmin. They have held up thus far.
Something else to get along with a camera is a hard-wire kit along with a sticky-back mount. (suction cups fall off when it gets above 85 outside.)
A friend of mine has one of these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U0OJMYG/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_bGlnxbN9HV6JK
He said the bump activation wasn’t all that great but if they bump your car, you are still likely to see them pull away.
The Black Vues are positively reviewed, but seem expensive. Would you be willing to post their models as well as yours?
My Garmin is a GDR35D (dual camera 720p for recording, 1080p for single camera). My friend Rick Bollar has a Thinkware F750.
It’s a Black Box G1W it’s pretty well rated and I haven’t had that problem.
I want to get one for my rear view in case I get rear ended or hit and run.
i’m planning on doing something similar in my car (2009 chevy aveo). i’ve been meaning to do it…for nearly two years now.
i bought some sort of fuse splitter/tap thing that goes into fuse box, and also a 12V → 5V converter, but i really didn’t want to run a mini USB cable from the fuse box and up the A pillar on the driver’s side and into the headliner. i’m thinking it may be easier to just splice into my headlamp since it’s so close to my rear-view mirror. i was also having troubles just getting the fuse tap and converter working without running any cables, so i may have received some faulty parts (or messed something up).
i wouldn’t be much of a help, but i can provide an extra set of hands, and would definitely be interested in seeing how you end up doing this! i’m free every evening this week.
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Here is my two cents on “tapping” into a modern car’s electrical system (esp the Euro cars with their piss poor can bus systems)…make sure you tap into a unused current track - adding a “load” to a system that has a control module in it doesn’t end well in many cases. Most fuse/relay panels have unused locations for options or other configurations.
I’ve dealt with far too many wiring issues where the douchebag in the blue shirt at best buy tapped or cut into a factory wiring harness to add a gadget to count. These “certified car stereo installations centres” are typically bad for you and your car.
The last one I did was on a Mercedes ML350 where the dolts spliced in the circuit that had what Benz calls the “convenience” module resulting in no AC, and some lights not working. A new module was over $450.00 plus over $600.00 to reprogram it
Be careful
(Mitch - BMW/MINI cooper has lots of proprietary modules and software on your Mini )
All I want is 5V for a camera without a wire dangling down. My last experience with canbus wiring was putting a HID kit with a “error eliminator” which ended up flickering the HID’s randomly while I was driving.
This is the camera I have in my car:
It records your GPS coordinates, as well as your speed. So it can help you either get out of a ticket, or challenge a cop who says the light was red. Or insurance when someone cuts you off and then slams on their brakes.
It is very small, makes good videos, and it comes on automatically and starts recording within seconds once I start the car. It is so good, I have been thinking about getting a second one and facing it out the rear window of my car!
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Here is a video of a guy using it and actually caught someone hitting another car…
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I have had several Chinese cameras, I had a FLIP camera on my dash for a while, a digital camcorder, and even a GoPro camera and by far, this is the best and cheapest full featured camera out of all of them.
Get the GDR35D or GDR45D. (Same cables, different market and it has the rear camera.)
Amazon is listing the GDR35D at $450.00
Here is where I bought mine from:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221915028811?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Also grabbed this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/330657717316?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649
… and This:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/301509470348?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649