GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I’ve got a head unit already and recently bought a backup camera. It has been hard to find Information. I used to go to matrixowners for these kind of things. I’m so glad this forum is here. Anyone know of a good source of information on the best way to place and run wire for a license plate mounted camera?

Basically through the interior... Run it under the spare tire, pull up the carpet, and just run it straight up the center of the floor to the radio.

Post pics of all progress. Others here may want to do the same and your testimony could sway us to move quicker on it! Hope all goes well.

zbyers wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:23 am Basically through the interior... Run it under the spare tire, pull up the carpet, and just run it straight up the center of the floor to the radio.

If it's a license plate frame mounted camera, why would you run the wire under the spare tire?

To the OP, you'll need to disassemble the rear hatch plastics, and fish the wire through the OEM rubber boot on the driver side of the hatch. Then, I would personally just run it above the door seals, down to the A-piller, then across the dash to your radio.

SlammedNiss wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2019 3:03 pm

zbyers wrote: ↑Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:23 am Basically through the interior... Run it under the spare tire, pull up the carpet, and just run it straight up the center of the floor to the radio.

If it's a license plate frame mounted camera, why would you run the wire under the spare tire?

To the OP, you'll need to disassemble the rear hatch plastics, and fish the wire through the OEM rubber boot on the driver side of the hatch. Then, I would personally just run it above the door seals, down to the A-piller, then across the dash to your radio.

Yeah, i wasn't even thinking about the license plate location.

zbyers wrote: ↑Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:10 am Yeah, i wasn't even thinking about the license plate location.

Yea, I'd be lying if I said I never had a brain fart. Lol!

Thanks for the replies. One of the instructions I found in the online manual is how to take the interior ceiling cover off, I was considering running it up there. Good point about pictures, who knows maybe I’ll video it and post to YouTube.

The head unit I got as an x-mass present was a jvc kw-v840bt. Installing it went well and I’m able to use Apple CarPlay with Waze navigation.

The camera I bought was the eRapta ert02
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076P8QFYD

It wasn’t in the description, but it does come with that thinner adapter at the camera pigtail.

For mounting on the rear my plan is to use one of the license plate light covers to get inside somehow.

I jsut did this a week ago...

The easiest thing was to pop the drivers side door foot panels out enough to run the wire under there and the driver's side rear side plastic panelwhich includes the rear most piller to the roof(only 4 bolts to remove this super easy)...I started at the rear of the car and worked forward to the dash..from the dash it tucked behind the plastic piece near the fuse panel and i pulled it through to the head unit slot with a fishtape (you could use a coat hanger)

In the rear hatch the wiring just went behind the plastic panel...I drilled a small hoe in the plastic handle from the bottom (so it cant be seen) and went up at an angle...I secured/sealed with rtv where i drilled the hole

My camera required taping into the reverse lights (which was super easy to do cause i pulled the drivers side rear panel above and had a connector about 3 or 4 feet from the camera end to a longer wire that went to the front of the car...I tucked all these in the headliner right near the rubber grommet in the pic above....


The only thing i could't do was get the rubber grommet for the tailgate out where wires ran through (also I couldn't get to the other end of the channel in the panel where the wires came out..its tucked behind other metal parts) so I pulled the weatherstripping up just enough to slip the wire past, put it back in place and ran the wire under there and zip-tied it to the outside of the grommet and covered the exposed parts in tape/tucked it down the inside sill to the plastic cover..this last bit isn't necessary a long term solution but its not noticeable visually ..when i have time and if anyone can update on a better way to do this last bit I'll redo it


this is the camera I used btw https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0744G ... UTF8&psc=1

I'm looking at doing this but thinking of one with a combo mirror/display as there's nowhere to put a display that I can see.

Last time I looked, years ago, there were units with wireless camera-display links. Are they still around?

Gentex makes some, but they aren't wireless. Have one in my Rav4. Mine is a model #957. You can buy them second-hand, but just make sure you get the pigtail with it.