LongGrayLine16
Seasoned Member
Thought I would share my dash camera hardwire experience, as this is something I do in all of my cars and there weren’t many details out there on this car:
What did I use (tried to link them to an Amazon page for reference, but it is not an affiliate link at all):
Camera: VAVA Dual Facing Dash Cam w/GPS
Wiring: MICTUNING USB Power Cable from Fuse
Fuse Tap: Micro3 Fuse Tap
Why? (SKIP if you just want to know my install process): I have used this exact VAVA dash cam in 4 vehicles (3 at the same time) and have had very good experiences. Seems like the company is flaky in their amazon seller’s page, but I have never had issue. Things I like: camera is powered by USB (makes install with the USB power wire above very easy), has built-in GPS module in the wire to the camera, allows you to add watermark to recordings for vehicle speed, dual-facing front and in-cabin cameras, I have it set to loop 3 min recordings to reduce writes on the micro SD card, basic and easy to use app. Overall, it has what I would consider above average quality of recording. I also like that it uses a magnetic attachment to its suction mount - really this lets me fabricate custom mounts to optimize the placement of the camera in the car (I did this with the Blackwing and my C7 in the past). It has a built in battery backup that allows it to activate with a disturbance.
Process:
The left side cover of the dash (near the driver’s left knee) is home to the in cabin fuse box. There are a few options to choose from in there.
The panel is held on by 5 or 6 body clip tabs. I used a plastic panel pry tool to pop it off gently, and without much resistance the whole panel was easily removed.
The bottom row of fuses are supplied with 12V power with ignition-on. But not in accessory. This works for my use case. I couldn’t find any that worked in accessory power.
I used F32. The row (including exhaust valve) are all a Micro3 Fuse style (kind of a pain since I didn’t have any of those fuse types on hand). There are ample screws on the metal dash to use as a grounding location for the USB power wire/adapter.
While the window mount that comes with the camera would have been ok, it was just that - just ok. So, I decided to make a custom mount myself out of stainless steel 16-gauge sheet metal. I just used a Dremel cutting wheel and grinding stone attachment to get the shape I wanted. I fabricated it to mount on the plastic rear view mirror trim using 3M double sided tape.
From there, the wire run along the top of the headliner is very easy. There is enough gap to just tuck away the wire. I chose to mount the GPS module (in-line with the wire) in the top left corner of the windshield.
From there, you can push up slightly on the headliner to create enough space between the a-pillar trim and headliner. I tucked the wire in there. The door jam gasket on the left of the a-pillar can be pulled back enough to tuck a wire run all the way down the pillar.
At the base of the a-pillar is the defrost vent for the driver’s window. With the fuse panel cover off I used a 7mm driver to undo one screw holding the vent in place. It then just popped right out after pulling upward and away from the dash. That allowed me to run the wire all the way down to the fuse box.
You can see where I will run the wire from here.
After replacing the vent back, the excess wire from the camera, the fuse tap, and USB Power wire can all be tucked into the cubby of the fuse panel.
Pop the panel back into place and you are good to go.
Now, every time the car is put into ignition on, the camera turns on and begins recording. When the car turns off and door opened, the camera turns off.
I know some people are going to say, “use the SVR!” Well, I do also use the SVR. But, this is cheap insurance policy. My thoughts on a dash cam (especially one with GPS speed): If there ever were incident I have full coverage of it, including my speed at the time. Allows me to also record audio, something the SVR DOES NOT DO. Read off a license plate, catch conversations, etc. If I was in the wrong? It’s my camera, I don’t have to show it.
Pretty easy and clean install if you ask me. I only lose about 3.5” long by .5” tall worth of visibility, and its directly under the rear view mirror, all tucked away.
What did I use (tried to link them to an Amazon page for reference, but it is not an affiliate link at all):
Camera: VAVA Dual Facing Dash Cam w/GPS
Wiring: MICTUNING USB Power Cable from Fuse
Fuse Tap: Micro3 Fuse Tap
Why? (SKIP if you just want to know my install process): I have used this exact VAVA dash cam in 4 vehicles (3 at the same time) and have had very good experiences. Seems like the company is flaky in their amazon seller’s page, but I have never had issue. Things I like: camera is powered by USB (makes install with the USB power wire above very easy), has built-in GPS module in the wire to the camera, allows you to add watermark to recordings for vehicle speed, dual-facing front and in-cabin cameras, I have it set to loop 3 min recordings to reduce writes on the micro SD card, basic and easy to use app. Overall, it has what I would consider above average quality of recording. I also like that it uses a magnetic attachment to its suction mount - really this lets me fabricate custom mounts to optimize the placement of the camera in the car (I did this with the Blackwing and my C7 in the past). It has a built in battery backup that allows it to activate with a disturbance.
Process:
The left side cover of the dash (near the driver’s left knee) is home to the in cabin fuse box. There are a few options to choose from in there.
The panel is held on by 5 or 6 body clip tabs. I used a plastic panel pry tool to pop it off gently, and without much resistance the whole panel was easily removed.
The bottom row of fuses are supplied with 12V power with ignition-on. But not in accessory. This works for my use case. I couldn’t find any that worked in accessory power.
I used F32. The row (including exhaust valve) are all a Micro3 Fuse style (kind of a pain since I didn’t have any of those fuse types on hand). There are ample screws on the metal dash to use as a grounding location for the USB power wire/adapter.
While the window mount that comes with the camera would have been ok, it was just that - just ok. So, I decided to make a custom mount myself out of stainless steel 16-gauge sheet metal. I just used a Dremel cutting wheel and grinding stone attachment to get the shape I wanted. I fabricated it to mount on the plastic rear view mirror trim using 3M double sided tape.
From there, the wire run along the top of the headliner is very easy. There is enough gap to just tuck away the wire. I chose to mount the GPS module (in-line with the wire) in the top left corner of the windshield.
From there, you can push up slightly on the headliner to create enough space between the a-pillar trim and headliner. I tucked the wire in there. The door jam gasket on the left of the a-pillar can be pulled back enough to tuck a wire run all the way down the pillar.
At the base of the a-pillar is the defrost vent for the driver’s window. With the fuse panel cover off I used a 7mm driver to undo one screw holding the vent in place. It then just popped right out after pulling upward and away from the dash. That allowed me to run the wire all the way down to the fuse box.
You can see where I will run the wire from here.
After replacing the vent back, the excess wire from the camera, the fuse tap, and USB Power wire can all be tucked into the cubby of the fuse panel.
Pop the panel back into place and you are good to go.
Now, every time the car is put into ignition on, the camera turns on and begins recording. When the car turns off and door opened, the camera turns off.
I know some people are going to say, “use the SVR!” Well, I do also use the SVR. But, this is cheap insurance policy. My thoughts on a dash cam (especially one with GPS speed): If there ever were incident I have full coverage of it, including my speed at the time. Allows me to also record audio, something the SVR DOES NOT DO. Read off a license plate, catch conversations, etc. If I was in the wrong? It’s my camera, I don’t have to show it.
Pretty easy and clean install if you ask me. I only lose about 3.5” long by .5” tall worth of visibility, and its directly under the rear view mirror, all tucked away.
