Has anybody hardwired their dashcam into an Mk3? I was hoping to find someone who's already done it into their fusebox, so I don't need to test which fuse I'm creating a circuit in i.e. avoiding things like lights, ICE etc etc. Thanks
Been trying to work this one out myself... had basically 30 minutes to try and get one in last week... The ground was easy enough - pulled off the side panel where the glovebox is, there's a black bolt that you can use a ring terminal on. I sanded some of the coating off the metal contact points to help. For the power, i had no time, but the empty fuse space i used on the third column seems to supply always on power, but will switch off sometimes. I have no idea why. Someone on here must have found the best source!
You could use the wiring for the cigarette lighter, which is what I've done for my dash/logger and onboard video. It activates when the car is woken up, and then shuts down a couple of minutes after the car is locked.
I had two in mine, front and back. Not sure which fuse I used, but you'll need a piggyback add-a-circuit and just a multimeter to check which ones live when ignition is on. It's worth having one around in any self respecting toolkit. For the rear you can run the wire along the sill trim from the front. Quite long for a usb 5v device but it worked fine. Was quicker removing it though when I sold the car.
If you get the piggyback circuit it's easy. Put it in the fusebox in the glovebox and run the cable along the A piller (remove the door rubber to get access. Make sure not to block the A piller airbag. I used the cigarette lighter fuse in my 275 as that is always powered when the car is running. The only problem is that if you have stop start when the engine restarts the power surge can cut out the dashcam so I turn off the stop start every time I get in.
I intend on doing the same thing in the near future, I have previously used the self dimming rear view mirror fuse to get an ignition live to act as a remote for my amp (8 on the diagram, currently pulled out). £3 quid piggy back from halfords, up-rate the fuse from 3 to 5 and you're good to go.
Sorry just been away for a while, I've bought a Thinkware F50 dashcam and it comes with the hardwire kit. I will be using the piggy back fuse method to wire it in. It has parking mode too so i was wondering which fuses to wire into so i can get that capability. Another note, there's different levels of power I should imagine. 1) Being when the car's locked = everything's off 2) When the car is unlocked = the interior lights and the R-link screen turns on 3) Ignition on 4) Engine start I'm thinking (keyword) to wire it so that I have access to power (residual or otherwise) when the car's in state 1 or 2
Any reason you want to hardwire? I ran mine from the rear cig lighter under the centre console, the glovebox up the a pillar lining too 10mins, no faff easy to remove.
See if you were planning on just using it during driving you would just have to piggy back it off the interior rear view mirror fuse, job done. In your case it's different. I'm assuming this would have to constantly be live for parking mode. Not sure what fuse you would have to use for that, hopefully somebody on here might have done it and will let you know.
Are you sure constant power will be necessary? My £50 Nexus jobby from halfrauds has a battery in it which allows it to turn on with movement. Admittedly wouldn't last long if parked somewhere busy. You might struggle to find a true constant live as I imagine the canbus system will switch things off after a set period. May be easier to just run a new wire in from the battery, this is easy enough through a grommet just behind the glove box.
The problem if you have stop start is that it interrupts power when restarting the engine. My dashcam switches on and off like mad because it doesn't have a battery, but has a capacitor which holds much less charge.
This will probably be your best shot. With it turning on and off with movement, isn't that parking mode?. Do you have stop start Meg16_Beth?
So mine does have stop start, and i would imagine there is a power interruption if that's on. I'll check that when I've installed it. With a multimeter, there is a particular fuse inside the glovebox that gives me a current even when everything's turned off (display, dashboard, interior lights). I'm trying to find a fuse diagram inside the glovebox to see which one it is. The piggyback fuse and hardwire kit makes it a doddle to install for me so i'll be going with that method. Halfords, credit to them, gave me a piggyback fuse connector for free from their returns bin. Is there a guide on removing some of the interior panels on the passenger side like the glovebox and the doorside trim?
think there could be power at your rear view mirror itself, fuse row 3 (from left) space 3 from bottom should be empty as it's power supply for rear view mirror but unless you've auto dim that 3a fuse is not in place but the wiring must be at mirror, just fit fuse and wire camera to that maybe
You can but you won't need to take the glove box or anything like that out. Just run it along the roof lining and down the Seal around the door and under and into the fuse board.
I was just trying to find the best earth/grounding point. the one I have seems to be in the door sill just to the left of the glovebox. If there was a chunk of metal INSIDE the glovebox area, it would save me having to run the earthing wire over the door seals. I'll try and get a picture of what I'm on about when i can
I used one of the screws in the passenger footwell. Seemed to work quite well and meant I didn't need a long of excess wiring.
If you take off the side panel of the dashboard on the passenger side, just next to the glovebox, there's a metal point visible inside there. A bolt secures a metal bracket to the car body.
I've got a Nextbase cam and decided to use the fuse piggyback connector. Couldnt get it to fit into the rear view mirror slot so used the rear wiper fuse. Works a treat.
The fuse location is still available regardless of hand brake fitted, it’s just empty slot on manual so could be perfect full time power outlet
So - what i did 1) Use a multimeter to find a direct connection to the battery via the fusebox, the rear windscreen wiper fuse gave me a constant voltage even when the car was completely off (dash, tomtom/r-link, interior lights). 2) Use a multimeter to find a source of power for when the ignition is on. I used the cigarette lighter fuse for this. 3) Find a ground point. 4) Use two piggyabck fuses to plug into rear windscreen wiper and ciggy lighter fuses. Use a 2Amp fuse to allow current for the dashcam from both sources. 5) there was bracket attached to the firewall in the passenger footwell that had a 14mm nut, which I used as my ground point. 6) Feed the wires from behind the fusebox into the footwell and then up the rubber seal on the passenger side door, up the A pillar (BEHIND THE AIRBAG SO IT WORKS), and then in the headlining 7) Camera works, parking mode works, Rear wiper works, cigarette lighter works The End
I've done mine by connecting directly to the wiring for the interior light feed just above the interior mirror. This approach has minimal changes to the cars wiring and only needs the light unit pulling down, not half the dashboard . Note this is not a permanently fed live only has a 12v supply when either ta door is open or the ignition is on, my camera has battery back up so permanent supply wasn't needed.
Have you used a diode on the two piggy back connections or are you happy with the cross feed? If I'm understanding correctly (two power sources joining together at the camera) it sounds like your ciggy lighter is now always live as well, being fed by "backwards" from the camera, with the rear wiper as the source. I'd be careful what you leave plugged in to the lighter as you could end up blowing the new fuse from the rear wiper if this is the case.
Sounds like the ideal solution, probably the prompt I need to finally hard-wire mine and free up my cig lighter.... maybe when the weather is warmer . Cheers for sharing your findings!
It's going to take more than one can to get me out there! I've got an airbag light to sort out first, that's my excuse anyway
Just for reference, this is a different fuse on a 250, the one Steph plugged it into is the rear wiper (I think) and on mine it was permanently powered, however the 3amp use above it (just behind the fuse on Stephs pic) is the rear view mirror, that works brilliantly.
I used the cigarette lighter fuse, comes on when the car is unlocked rather than on ignition but serves its purpose.
In my car it switches off about a minute after the car is locked, but I'll try it in the fuse you have suggested (3amp fuse above the rear wiper) and see if that's any better. I'm in a 250 too btw.
