S204 (estate) install of aftermarket reverse camera questions

[Tonygw]

Hi Guys
I have an aftermarket reverse camera with its own screen which I would like to install on my 2012 S204 C class estate.

I had a look and I canot see any easy way to get the cables from the camera installed on the tailgate to the main body of the car? There are two rubber hoses which contain the wiring loom from the top of the tailgate to the car but these do not seem easy to access? Do I need to remove some of the roof liner to access them from inside the car? And how is best to route the cables from there down to the right hand side or the car to the reverse light and power (near where the first aid kit sits).

Anybody else done ths on the estate and is there an easy way or any tips on how to do this?

Making the connections to the wiring loom is easy but routing the cables seem very hard indeed.

 

[AltonAnt]

In my S203 I have routed the cable in the tailgate but ended up using a simpler method with another cam.

Underneath the first aid kit is a grommet that gives you access to the underbody.
I fitted it to the towbar mount I don't use but anything in that area is OK.

The grommet

How it looks on screen

 

[Tonygw]

ah thats a great idea! thanks

 

[Gollom]

I'm guessing hooking it up to my NTG4.5 would be a palaver/expensive?

 

[Chrishazle]

I had mine installed in the S204 by comand.co.uk, W204 C Class Estate Reversing Camera kit, £499 fitted. They show one for the S212 but not for the S211, drop them an email with your VIN!

 

[KillerHERTZ]

In my S203 I have routed the cable in the tailgate but ended up using a simpler method with another cam.

Underneath the first aid kit is a grommet that gives you access to the underbody.
I fitted it to the towbar mount I don't use but anything in that area is OK.

The grommet

Surely that is completely unusable as soon as it rains being so low down? Its bad enough on a bootlid.

Surely that is completely unusable as soon as it rains being so low down? Its bad enough on a bootlid

 

[AltonAnt]

Surely that is completely unusable as soon as it rains being so low down? Its bad enough on a bootlid.

Honestly, it isn’t a problem. The lens is tiny and angled down so any droplets run off.
It has been fitted for a couple of years and I have never had to clean it in that time.

 

[Tonygw]

Right, I have moutned the camera in pretty much the same place just next to the tow bar mount on mine, routed the cable through the gromet and connected the +ve camera wire to the reverse light bulb and the -ve to a convenient earth.
So far so good.

Next question, my system is a wireless type so I need to find an easy +ve 12V connection (idealy switched on by the ignition) for the transmitter. I was going to try an tap the 12V aux socket but for the life of me I cannot see how to remove the socket. Is there another easy option for a switched 12V in the boot area?



And, which is the best +ve12V connection to make at the dashboard? I cant seem to see a convenient 12V switched live apart from the 12V cig lighter socket. Any tips most welcome.

Cheers

 

[markjay]

I'm guessing hooking it up to my NTG4.5 would be a palaver/expensive?

If your car is a W204 saloon, then the cable for the reverse camera will run from the boot lid into the car via the cabling loom near the boot lid hinges, then under the rear bench and under the carpets all the way to the COMAND HU in the dash - that's what COMAND UK did for my W204.

On the S204 estate it's a bit more challenging, because the boot lid hinges are high-up and the cabling loom enters the car via the roof. Hence the clever solution of mounting the camera under the car instead of on the boot lid.

But it does not matter which head unit you have, the cable run from the boot lid to the HU is exactly the same on all W204s.

 

[Tonygw]

CHeers
My car is an estate, S204, but I have mounted the camera under the rear bumper due to the difficulties of getting cable from the tailgate to the car.

I just need to know where I can get switched/ignition power from at the rear of the car andat the dash board end.
I dont have the Command system in my car so am fitting an after market reverse camera with its own 4" lcd screen. The command system takes a reverse camera the audio 20 in mine doesnt unfortunately.

 

[Gollom]

If your car is a W204 saloon, then the cable for the reverse camera will run from the boot lid into the car via the cabling loom near the boot lid hinges, then under the rear bench and under the carpets all the way to the COMAND HU in the dash - that's what COMAND UK did for my W204.

On the S204 estate it's a bit more challenging, because the boot lid hinges are high-up and the cabling loom enters the car via the roof. Hence the clever solution of mounting the camera under the car instead of on the boot lid.

But it does not matter which head unit you have, the cable run from the boot lid to the HU is exactly the same on all W204s.

Thanks Mark. I have the estate. Is it simple to connect to the back of the HU? (NTG4.5) I'd love to have it done for me, but sadly finances will not allow that!

 

[AltonAnt]

CHeers
My car is an estate, S204, but I have mounted the camera under the rear bumper due to the difficulties of getting cable from the tailgate to the car.

I just need to know where I can get switched/ignition power from at the rear of the car andat the dash board end.
I dont have the Command system in my car so am fitting an after market reverse camera with its own 4" lcd screen. The command system takes a reverse camera the audio 20 in mine doesnt unfortunately.

Does the 204 have fusebox in the rear like the 203?
I use one of those fuse taps to power my dashcam which would also work for this.
Otherwise could you tap into the 12v accesspry socket supply?

I used a single cable for both power and video like in this video

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[Gollom]

Right, I have moutned the camera in pretty much the same place just next to the tow bar mount on mine, routed the cable through the gromet and connected the +ve camera wire to the reverse light bulb and the -ve to a convenient earth.
So far so good.

Any chance of a picture of the mounted camera please? Cheers!

 

[Tonygw]

Hi Guys

I ahve now finished the install of my reverse camera, took a while due to other commitments. Heres the pictures. Its not to everyones liking I am sure but suits my needs well. Its as good as installing a dash cam or aftermarket sat nav so I'm ok with it as it is. Only thing I dont like its the "Buyee" logo on the display. I am going to remove that when I get time.

 

[celicajames]

Ok, I have just spent the afternoon with this same situation and for those that want to do it, it is possible ... Just not easy, so for the sake of any future searches here's how I done it. To get the cable through the flexy cable grommit thingy you can unclip the flexy grommit from the boot lid by poking a screwdriver into the centre of the long edge against the metal and it comes away with a wobble, I then used a flexible rod to poke through the rubber tube (I poked through the left one), gently pry the roof lining down and slightly to the right of centre is an oval whole I could just poke a finger up and back on myself and felt the rod with some supreme skill pinned the rod into my finger while guiding it out the hole, the gap through the flexy tube is too small for a plug so I cut it off (with enough length to re-connect later) tape on the cable to the rod and pull it through. The rest is easy but I will say I'm an electrician so kinda good with cables and found this quite hard to do BUT it is possible and the result with my android auto add on box is awesome, even shows steering lines that nice with the steering wheel and the backup sensors on the display! Good luck!

 

[Gollom]

Thanks Mark. I have the estate. Is it simple to connect to the back of the HU? (NTG4.5) I'd love to have it done for me, but sadly finances will not allow that!

Holy Revived Threads Batman! Any comments on this?

@markjay

 

[markjay]

Holy Revived Threads Batman! Any comments on this?

@markjay

Seriously? 4 years on, and you didn't fit the reverse camera yet? Talk about procrastinating...

The simple answer is that I don't know - Comand UK did the installation - I saw how they ran the coax cable form the camera to the HU, but I did not see what exactly they did at the back of HU.

Having said that, my understanding is that there's a coax connector at the rear of the COMAND unit, and that all that is needed is to go into the engineering menu and enable the reverse camera feature.

See also @KillerHERTZ Z video (showing NTG4, not NTG4.5).

If you're asking how easy it is to 'pop out' the COMAND unit... well, Alfie did this in front of my very eyes in under 3 seconds .... but I can't say how many (dozens? hundreds?) units you need to 'pop out' before you get to that level of proficiency

 

[john493]

I'm just in the process of fitting a reversing camera to my S204 estate, 2012. It looks tight to get the cable with phono plug through the rubber wiring flexi-tube, although the left hand tube looks to have a bit more room than the right hand one. Hoping to finish it off tomorrow. It's going to connect to my Apply Carplay conversion, which I bought from Ali-Express (NTG4.5-4.7). Any ideas to help getting the cable with plug through the rubber tube would be welcome; I really don't want to join the cable if I can avoid it.

Appreciate the idea to mount the camera under the bumper, but I really want to mount it higher, just above the number plate.