Captain Duff 79 Report post Posted January 19, 2014 For those of you that have fitted reversing cameras or were at the fitting session at RRG last year, I could do with a bit of advice. My camera failed a couple of weeks after it was fitted at the RRG session (the 'waterproof' camera somehow got water in it and has been constantly foggy since). The initial promised replacement never materialised, so now I need to buy another one myself that will just swap out with the existing wiring that was fitted (and hole that was put in the boot lid). Trouble is I don't know what camera's are available, which ones are best (I assume there may be a number of options) and the best places to order them from. Anyone who is a bit more technical on the electrical front or who fitted their own able to offer any advice?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted January 19, 2014 Sorry to hear that you're having problems with your reversing camera. The camera is definitely fogging up on the inside rather than just the outer lens being covered in muck? Mine gets caked in muck when the ground is wet as the car loves to kick up mucky water from behind. If it's not just the outer lens that is dirty and it is in fact getting moisture on the inside of the lens, then your best bet would be to replace it with the same camera or with something very similar in size because the hole in the boot lid will only fit certain cameras (i.e. the camera I brought is bulkier but required a smaller hole where as your camera is a more sleek and adjustable which sits further into the boot which required a bigger hole). The cameras were purchased from ebay I believe so that would be the best place to look as it'll be cheap (as they typically come from china). Have you contacted Jay directly at all? And if so, how long ago was this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Duff 79 Report post Posted January 19, 2014 Yes, definitely on the inside, you can see the droplets on the inside of it from the outside. The fact that it worked fine for around 2 weeks means I know what it should look like on the screen (all I get now is greyish fog with just a little picture detail of surroundings, even with the outside lens carefully cleaned). And yes, there is a long list of mails on 'the other site' since last October. I don't want to expand further (dirty washing and all that), but I'll never be part of another group buy that isn't from a proper retailer as lessons learned etc. Tbh I'm at the stage where I just want a new one, but I am technically pretty dense hence the plea for some recommendations - I don't mind paying a bit extra for a better quality one so long as I can be sure it'll just plug and play into the existing wiring loop and fit into the existing drilled hole etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted January 19, 2014 No way, you've had this issue since then? For what it's worth, it's probably just a bad camera that they shipped out, you're the first I've heard from who's had a problem with their camera. It's just one of the things, my mate who has an official factory fitted reversing camera on his Focus RS which has this massive dome around his camera steams up too which it shouldn't do. The problem is, I have no idea whether you'll be able to find yourself a better quality camera with the same connection as the one you've got. One of the good things about the camera that you purchased is that there is a connector closer to the end of the camera so it should be pretty simple to just removed the camera and connect another one in without messing with the head unit. However I have no idea if this connection is universal or not, so it may be a challenge finding a different camera that will not only fit the connection but also the hole in the boot lip. If you were to just get yourself the same camera again and you weren't confident on swapping the camera out (which is relatively easy by the way), I could give you a hand the next time I'm up your way! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark-in-Stoke 488 Report post Posted January 19, 2014 Hi Guys, I've had the same issue but mine has totally screwed up now (no picture at all) I have spoken to Jay and he gave me a link to the correct cam £11, I ordered one the other day and it's now on it's way to me (link below). This time I will make sure it's totally weather and jet wash proof myself. Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted January 19, 2014 Have you had this issue for a while too Mark or is it more of a recent problem? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark-in-Stoke 488 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 Hi keith, had the fogging since I washed it about a month ago, shortly afterwards the picture started to flicker and then last week it totally died. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pitman 188 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 The image on my camera (which I fitted myself) has also deteriorated a lot, very much as described above. I did actually point it out to Keethos at the recent Tuning Developments meet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GT86Jay 202 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 I sent a camera weeks before christmas? I assumed you got it? My inbox on the other forum is shockingly buggy... It never notifies me of messages/ If its full it just deletes it. And i'm limited to 200 messages. Sorry if I missed any emails... The camera I buy is the one Mark suggested. Must be a bad batch.. I ordered all the cameras for the macclesfield install in one go. And noticed that they were slightly different design. I've not had a problem with any of the previous installs and my one is now 8 months old and still works well and is sharp and clear. Sorry for any problems you've been having. If you need any other help best off emailing me on this forum. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 The image on my camera (which I fitted myself) has also deteriorated a lot, very much as described above. I did actually point it out to Keethos at the recent Tuning Developments meet. Did wiping the outer lens not work for you then after you left? Again, for those of you who are north of Warwick, if you need assistance, I'm more than happy to meet up at some point and I can help you swap the camera out once you've got your camera through! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark-in-Stoke 488 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks for the offer Keith, much appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pitman 188 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 Did wiping the outer lens not work for you then after you left? Again, for those of you who are north of Warwick, if you need assistance, I'm more than happy to meet up at some point and I can help you swap the camera out once you've got your camera through! Made no difference, Keith . I have ordered another camera, so when it gets here, I will swop it out and see. As posted above, mine is / was a self install, so please my posting is not any reflection against the great job Jay did. The reason why I posted is just to support the fact that there would appear to be a 'faulty' batch of cameras from Tomtop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rob275 1817 Report post Posted January 20, 2014 Good old chinese manufacturing ey It may be cheap but more often than not made pretty poorly. The only thing good to come out of China is the Summit gear for the GT86. Anything plastic just does not work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark-in-Stoke 488 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 The new cam was delivered today, the body was ever so slightly bigger so I had to file the hole a little, plugged in new lead, everything ok now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted January 23, 2014 Awesome stuff Mark, glad you got it all working again! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark-in-Stoke 488 Report post Posted January 24, 2014 It did have to be slightly modified after some nob (me) cut the female side of the plug off, had to strip and connect the wires instead. D'oh 2 rob275 and Keethos reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Duff 79 Report post Posted February 5, 2014 Cheers for the ebay link Mark, I ordered 2 of them (in order to have a spare given the low cost) which arrived last week. I'll try and find time this weekend to swap one of them over with the existing faulty one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stephen 2 Report post Posted February 25, 2014 So - speaking as a newbie - how do I add a reversing camera to my BRZ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pitman 188 Report post Posted February 25, 2014 http://www.gt86ownersclub.co.uk/forum/tomtop-white-reversing-camera-install_topic2800.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rob275 1817 Report post Posted February 25, 2014 Keethos may install it if you ask him nicely Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keethos 842 Report post Posted February 25, 2014 Installing a reversing camera will be pretty straight forward for BRZ's yet more expensive as you'll need to purchase a new head unit that has a big display screen rather than a pixel strip type of thing. Once you've got a head unit that can display a video signal, it'll then depend on what's going on in the back of the head unit, some head units will have a generic female RCA connector so any universal camera will do, some head units will only allow their own branded cameras with special connectors for them. The alternative would be that you could purchase a new rear view mirror with a built in mini display screen that can be used to display the reversing camera. What head unit have you got at the moment Stephen and have you got a new head unit in mind? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
