After tinkering with two other back-up camera systems, I'm finally satisfied. I ended purchasing a $114 high-quality low-lux color CCD very wide-angle camera from buy.com, the Power Acoustik CCD-4XS. They also sell a nice looking license plate frame one (though 1 lux only versus 0.3 lux), but my frame was already occupied by another device. Don't settle for cheap CMOS ones that also need IR lights for "night-vision". I got a $73 (including tax+shipping) 3.5" monitor from gooddeals18.com.

Here's the steps to my install:

• Remove the boot handle by removing 4 torx screws from underneath. Then unclip the electrical harness.

• Remove the inner hatch trim by first unscrewing two torx screws from the main panel. Then pull out the third brake light trim piece, then the side trim pieces, and finally the main trim panel. The main trim panel is secured by tight plastic clips that will pop out with enough force. (You might want to get some extra clips from the dealer in case you break some.)

• [You might not like this next step] Drill a hole and place a grommet for the wiring to pass through the hatch behind the boot handle. This is picture of my hole that I had already drilled for another device. You can purchase single grommets from cableorganizer.com. I got a big one cause I needed to pass a RJ-11 jack for my laser interceptor. You don't need one for the wiring that comes with the back-up camera.

• Or you could fit the wiring through where the boot handle's electrical harness already passes but you will have to carefully dremel the plastic plug or the hatch body hole itself. Warning, I dremeled the plastic a too much until it came loose breaking the boot handle release switch. At that time, I had thicker and multiple cables that I needed to pass through for my old back-up camera and the laser interceptor. A new boot handle costs about $80 with a discount from Morristown Mini.
• Secure the back camera with the mounting bracket under the boot handle just lateral to the license plate lights either with the screws or just strong double-sided tape like I did.

• Fish the wiring through the hole and reattach the boot handle.

• Run the wiring along the sides and then down the front of the hinge secured with a plastic tie and then tucked underneath the weatherstripping tucked behind the headliner and sides down to the right.

• I then ran the wiring behind the boot interior side into that cubby area.

• Connect the red wiring to power and the black to ground. I have the power wired to fuse F30 via an Add-A-Circuit (check-out oPossum's "hot or not" sticky and my garmin gps hardwire install) so it's always on when I'm diriving. I can turn off the monitor if it gets distracting. If you want it activated by the reverse lights, though, splice it to a blue/grey wiring for power and a brown wire for ground. [In the picture, is a relay I had from my prior install to separate the reverse light circuit. I could have used a diode as well.] What's nice about this camera is that it comes with an extra red power wire already at the other end along with the video connectors (both a RCA and a headphone jack type) so you can wiring in a switch to activate the camera whenever you want while driving.

• Then, run the wiring to the front tucked in various trim pieces and crevices along the sides to the passenger footwell.
• Double-side taped the monitor base in the center cubby. It fits perfectly in there.

• Put everything back together again (i.e. the trim pieces and stuff).

Here's some pictures of the screen during the day and at night:





As you can see, the 160 degree wide angle works great, allowing both a view of the bumper for speedy parallel parking as well as quite a bit of the surroundings for better safety.

Here's a picture of the final install from afar:



Finally, here's some video footage I took after connecting it to my custom dashcam's DVR.



Addendum: Check this thread for my latest tinkering, a rear wiper delete/camera mod, if you're interested.

 

looks goood...

 

Hey, how 'bout a demo of parallel parking? And would you fix one up for me?

 

Tell me that's not a rust spot in your new Mini!

 

no, thank goodness. it's some yellow, gooey stuff. maybe some stray glue, sealant, or protectant?

 

Here's a video below. For fun, I switched feeds between my dashcam as well.

Not sure what you mean by "fix one up" for you, but I'll gladly help you install it if you make it up to these parts. I don't mind helping out a fellow Texan. I was born in Arlington, TX and lived in Houston for a while as well.

 

Just curious, on that one most excellent YouTube video, the grocery run, was that a great store or do you live in the sticks and have to travel?

I ask because here in San Francisco none of us venture very far to do any shopping. San Francisco is small and compact, but everything we need is close by.

Was that a typical drive, that distance? Was born and raised in San Francisco so maybe I don't have a concept of how far people in other cities travel to do errands.

Sidenote: Great that you did not insert music into the clip. I hate great movies that someone ruins by putting some blaring tune that I don't like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGzbVhrA6A

 

I live in the upper east side of Manhattan and the grocery store is in upper Manhattan. By my scenic route, it's 8.5 miles according to google maps. As the crow flies, it's only a couple miles. It is a great store that is worth the drive. At least that's my excuse to take the mini out. Of course, I could be kind to the environment and just walk to one of two grocery stores just outside my apartment.

I would love to drive my mini around San Francisco. Last time I was there, I rented a scooter to explore the area.

 

I have some scooter tour videos I made and posted on my website, before YouTube was even around. Click the scooter pic to download:


Update: Got new server, so I have to upload on to it. So disregard link statement above.

 

forgive my rant, but i broke my back-up camera tugging on the wiring to much while cleaning up my laser interceptor and camera wiring. i ended up with not quite enough slack to keep the flimsy din connection (between the wiring from the camera and the A/V/power cabling) together so i carelessly tugged pretty hard on the camera wiring from behind the hatch trim and lost my camera image. when i examined the camea, the insulation tore from where the wires enter the back of the camera, and i presume one of the wires snapped from the internal circuits. ouch. more money down the drain especially since i just ordered another. this time, the shiny, new, stealth CCD-5XS model that seems to just screw into the license plate hole. at least i won't have to rewire my intact a/v and power cables assuming it's the same, cursed flimsy din connection. sadly, i've grown quite addicted to using the back-up cam parallel parking in the nyc. it's so fun to back-up quickly and safely within an inch of the car behing me to the intial dismay and then amazement of passerbys. also, the view from my new 7" screen was mesmerizing.

 

I have that issue with my siren/horn I put on my road bike. I tugged on the wire that goes into the actual horn and it came loose. Lucky for me I can pull the horn apart and re-solder it.

After that I am going to put a wire holder thingy on the outside of the horn so that won't pull when tugged.

Can you access the camera housing and reconnect the wire?

At least it was not some $1000 device.

 

good idea. i'm going to try to crack this thing open. at the very least i can salvage it for a passenger cam.

 

well, i got my new back-up cam, the power acoustik ccd-5xs. same manufacturer as my other so i just used my old wiring. turns out, it's design is flawed for where i had originally wanted to put it without any drilling/hacking so i decided to delete my rear wiper and plug the hole in the hatch window with the camera.





My new touchscreen.

 

If I were going to do a rear wiper delete, I would totally take on what you've done here with that camera - that's great!

 

You an MIT graduate? What a great solution. Be prepared for other MINI owners to comment to their friends, in parking lots:

MINI Owner: Look at that MINI, there's no rear wiper.

Friend: So?

MINI Owner: But there's something there. Let's take a closer look.

Friend: We are late for the movie.

MINI Owner: I don't care, I gotta see this.

Friend: Let's get to the movie.

MINI Owner: OMFG it has a camera where the wiper is supposed to go.

Friend: I don't care, let's go.

MINI Owner: Look at this, obviously factory installed. I wasn't given the option to have that.

Friend: Movie time... so sue MINI.

MINI Owner: I'll be calling MINI tomorrow.

Friend: It's Christmas Day.

MINI Owner: Maybe they don't celebrate Christmas in the UK. Maybe there's a toll free hot line.

Friend: You are buying the tickets, for holding us up.

MINI Owner: OK. Hey wait, there's the guy getting in his MINI. [He runs screaming and waving, but just before reaching toward the MINI's rear window to tap on it to get the driver's attention, the MINI driver bolts away.]

[MINI driver looks at his Lilliput LCD monitor, sees some nut chasing his car and thinks "Whew, am I glad I got this camera working again. Lots of nuts at these shopping malls. Looks like I bolted just in time. Maybe he was one of those car windshield washing homeless people, expecting payment."]

 

Hilarious! I was actually also thinking of running the wiper fluid nozzle to come out right below the camera in order to fend off such attacks.

 

I posted install details of my wiper delete/cam mod here.

 

Thanks for your hard work! I just placed an order today for a '09 MCS convertible. I almost did not go through with this purchase because of the incredible blind spot but I went ahead with the full intention of installing a backup camera. I am a mechanical engineer and don't give up easily :-).

Found your post tonight and have already ordered the camera and monitor (which is now down to about $60). You have nailed the view with the 160 degree camera and have saved me from having to experiment. I had also planned to install a monitor in the same place and you found an attractive monitor. What a great post!!

This is my first MINI and I am coming out of a BMW 3 series convertible. I look forward to the MINI arriving mid June 2009.

 

gawannamini -
Just got my 09 convertible in April. absolutely love it except for ridiculous lack of rear visibility when top is down. Not sure which camera you're talking about, as the convert does not have a rear wiper.

 

I installed the camera system a month ago and it works well. I have to run this moringing but will provide more details when I get back.

I used a tiny camera that is about about 3/4" cubed and it mounts next to the lisense plate. Total for parts was about $180 and I installed it myself.

It is wonderful for parking but this particular camera has a wide angle (160 deg) lens and if I use it to change lanes you have to be careful with this particluar camera as the cars are MUCH closer than they appear on the camera.

I too love the MINI convertible and look for excuses to drive again.

Regards,

Doug

 

looking forward to the details. I am not the most technical guy - although I did install sirius on my miata...

 

I have an R52 (1st gen convertible, which has even worse rear visibility than the R57) with a wide angle rear camera. The camera is great for backing up, but for lane changing I find it better to eliminate the huge C pillar blind spot using a wide angle passenger side mirror, such as Multivex or the OEM Euro spec mirror. Mirror adjustment is also critical.

 

Frank, Some more details on my 2009 MCS convertible back up camera install:

• I pretty much followed the instructions from the posting at https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...up-camera.html Don't pay any attention to the wiper mount camera as this is another option for hardtops but not us convertible nuts. I ordered the 3.5" LCD display and the camera directly from the links in the referenced posting. They were still active in April when I last checked.
• The above post is for a hardtop but the convertible is actually more simple.
• The 3.5" display fits easlily into the cubby below the window switches.
• I tied the display power into the power port leads (looks like cig lighter)
• The camera comes with all the necessary wiring from the camera to the LCD display
• I removed the boot handle (chrome handle on back of tailgate) and ran the camera cable through the existing rubber grommet that you see at the bottom of the tail gate.
• I ran the wire beneath the boot carpet and up through the center console.
• IMPORTANT - I wanted my display on all the time. This display has two video inputs. If you connect the camera to one of them you have to turn the display on every time you start the car. If you plug the camera into the other the display will come on by itself and not require you to press the display on button each time. The display instructions do not address this. Video input 2 on my display provided the automatic on that I wanted.
• I did drill one small hole and installed a rubber grommet but this is behind the chrome boot handle. There is already one there for the license plate light that you may be able to use.
• I connected the camera ground to the brown wire that runs to the license plate light and I connected the positive wire to the red wire included with the camera cable. It lets you feed the positive 12 volts from either end. I connected mine to the power socket and the camera and display have power when the ignition is on only.
• The camera mounted with small screws to the underside of the boot handle (or you could use double face tape).
• The tail gate trim prys off failly easily.
• I mounted the display but you could tape it in place. There is a small plastic trim piece that makes up the back of the cubby and this pops straight as it is held in place with two metal snap connectors. I mounted the camera (which came on a swivel/tilt mount) to the plastic trim piece and snapped it back in place.

The wiring is very straight forward. If you are not comfortable removing the tailgate trim, the console between the seats etc. any audio shop or shop that adds accessories should be able to handle this. It took me about 3-4 hours as I was figuring it out as I went but I could do another in about 1-1/2 hours.

Bottom line: this makes driving the convertible so much easier and parking is a breeze. Let me know if you have any other questions. I highly recommend this addition. I have attached two photos of my completed installation. Look carefully at the display and you can see the bumper of the MINI. It is curved due to the fish eye lens.

Doug

 

Thanks Doug.

I probably will go the pro route... The last time I drilled something in a new car, it wasn't pretty. Oh the embarrassment of showing up with a half *** job and paying to be bailed out by an audio tech.

 

My first job after grad school was in the town of Fishers, out side of Rochester, NY. Now upstate NY isn't the most hip of areas, so I decided to live in something called the "Park Ave Corridore" where all the neat cafes and artist studies are (near the Eastman house). It was five turns from my house to park at work in Fishers, a 20 min drive of about 20 miles (most on a freeway). Now all these upstaters a) thought I was crazy to live "so far" and b) that this must be because I'm from CA where we all drive forever. I'd ask them how far they lived and what thier drive was.... Typical answer was 20 miles and 45 minutes... They lived out in the farm country and had little roads. I never did get a good answer as to why they thought I lived far from work when most of them lived as far or farther, and it took me less time to get there!

Matt