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Old 25th November 2014, 06:09 PM
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steamship steamship is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Londonderry, Northern Ireland
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Default Dashcam Installation in a D2

As a follow-up to a request by The_Laird, I've written up a brief guide on installing a dashcam. The one I bought was from Amazon UK, but installation should be pretty much the same:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My first decision was on positioning the dashcam. (In hindsight, I would move it an inch or two lower from the top, as the extra tint at the top has an effect on nightime quality). Ideally high up to get a good view, but discreet enough, so not 'in your face' all the time. The obvious place was behind the mirror somewhere, and I basically just put it in its mount, and then played with different positions. In the end, I opted to have it right in the centre of the mirror. This way, the mirror helps to conceal it both inside and out. It also helps mask the blue flashing LED at night (you could tape over it, but then won't know if there is an issue with it). The dashcam also has a small display which remains active for about the first minute. Once I decided on its final position, I removed the adhesive cover and stuck it to the screen.

With the holder now in place, I removed the dashcam in order to install the wiring. Since I needed a power source, the obvious cable route was towards the fuse box, so I initially plugged the lead into the mount, and then gently pushed the cable up behind the headlining. The only tools I used for this were just my fingers to prise the headlining slightly and a cheap chopstick... yes, a chopstick. I needed something that I could push the wire back with, and a screwdriver was going to be too sharp, and I just happened to have some cheap chopsticks. The good thing about them was that they had a pretty broad flat point (ideal for pushing wires, without damaging them).



Next step is to repeat the process down the front of the A pillar. The lining on the A pillar is more difficult to move, so I resorted to having to push all the cable in behind it. After that, the cable was fed along the base of the A pillar and the dash, again just using the chopstick to push the cable down out of sight.



With the cable now heading out the door, it was pushed in between the dash and the pillar lining, with the tricky bit getting it turned in just before the plastic door liner, towards the fuse box.



From here, it only remained to terminate both wires. To do this, and for the final part of the cable feed, I removed the trim from below the steering wheel. For the 12v feed, I used a piggyback fuse holder into the fuse at Yellow 2 (telephone/navigation). For the ground, from memory, I secured it to a nut near the steering column.



And what it looks like from outside:



The quality of the video is excellent for the price, and when I renewed my insurance, I mentioned the dashcam, and got a £40 discount (£30 over the phone and a further £10 when I went to pay, as I had to wait 10 minutes).

For those who haven't seen them, here's a link to the videos taken from it during the annual meet in Scotland this year:

https://www.youtube.com/user/seanswilson/videos
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2001 A8 D2 FL 3.7 Q - LPG Conversion, Engine: AKC, Gearbox:FBB, Colour:LY5X Aqua Blue pearl effect, Interior:WJ light beige/dark beige valcona leather with burr walnut inserts

My DIY jobs - Replaced alarm horn, Replaced Coolant Temp sensor, Updated RNS-D firmware, Installed Reversing Camera and Digital TV, Dashcam Installation, Retrofitted Rear Blinds, Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror, Chrome Boot Struts

Sold! 2008 S8 D3 5.2 V10 - Engine: BSM, Gearbox:KLW, Colour:LY7F Suzuka Grey Pearl Effect, Interior:Black/Black with Silver/Black valcona leather with carbon atlas inserts, Bang & Olufsen, Heated windscreen, Soft-close doors, TV, DAB, AMI, Quad Zone, Auto Boot, Auto dim Mirrors, Keyless entry, PDC with rearview camera, AFS II Headlights

My DIY jobs - Fan Jet Windscreen Washers, Retrofitted Electric Side Blinds
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