GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk8 => Topic started by: Tractor Dave on 02 April 2023, 19:32
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I have a dealer fit dashcam on my R. It's a Nexbase. The wire disappears under the roof trim. How do I remove it? Is it easy to access where they connected the power?
Thanks
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Chances are they’ve connected the power to the fuse box (on the near side dash side accessed when the front passenger door is opened if it’s anything like the mk7) via a piggy back or using a spare fuse socket.
If you remove the fuse box cover you’ll likely see the cable dropping down from under the A pillar trim.
Just a guess mind you, someone else may well have better info.
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I agree with @Exonian as that is how I have connected mine in my mark 8 Golf R.
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Thanks. I will have a look. What holds the roof liner up? Is it easy to drop it slightly?
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Thanks. I will have a look. What holds the roof liner up? Is it easy to drop it slightly?
Pretty easy to drop. I fitted front and rear dashcam and managed to get the wire in the head lining….
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The cable will run a short way under the roof lining, down the left hand door pillar. into the fuse box, which is behind the glove box.
Why do you want to remove it?
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I'm going to put it in the Rs3 :cool:
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Dave, why dont you remove the dashcam from the windscreen, and disconnect it from the wire, tuck the wire into the roof lining, the buy a new hardwire kit from Halfords. They are only about £20
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Good idea.I haven't done anything yet as I'm trying to persuade the Audi dealer to swap for me for free. VW dealer fitted it for free but atm Audi want paying! Like I'm spending over £50k :angry:
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It's a lot quicker and easier to remove a dashcam than to fit it. Took 1.5 hours to install my Thinkware F770 2CH front and back system into the Cupra Born. Took 12 mins to remove it.
It'll be going back into my S3 when it turns up (over 3 weeks at status 38 in Emden, salesman thinks it is imminently due). If you're handy and have some non-scratchy trim removal tools (a few quid from ebay) and a T20/T25 bit on a screwdriver, it'll be a doddle to remove and refit.
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Meant to post up a couple days ago, I checked the headlining and A pillar trims a few afternoons ago.
I’d hazard a guess that once the cable is unplugged from the camera you’ll be able to tease it out from under the headlining easily enough as there is a few mm gap between it and the windscreen, and the same for the A pillars. The A pillar trims are hard plastic not cloth covered as in the mk7 but are basically the same part.
With a trim removal tool you’ll probably be able to prise the pillar trim slightly proud enough to easily remove the cable (pulling the cable towards the windscreen and downwards). In earlier cars there’s an airbag in the region of the top of the A pillar trim but there’s no airbag badge on the mk8 A pillar trim so I don’t know if it’s sat behind the trim or in the headlining above it. The cable should be well clear of any airbags anyway.
The only tight bit is between the bottom of the A pillar and where the cable would be routed into the top of the dashboard before dropping into the fuse box. Again, with the A pillar trim lifted very slightly I’d imagine access will be much easier.
Once you’ve removed it from the Golf you’ll see exactly how to fit it into the Audi.
If you can restore older Audis, removing a dashcam from a Golf will be a doddle.
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Thanks very much for that. Yes, I am quite experienced with old Audi's and would pull an A pillar on an Audi 80 in 5 minutes no problem. Newer cars frighten me and have brittle clips and covers that snap when you breath on them. Canbus wiring, computers controlling everything and scratchy plastics that err, scratch easily :sad:
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Meant to post up a couple days ago, I checked the headlining and A pillar trims a few afternoons ago.
I’d hazard a guess that once the cable is unplugged from the camera you’ll be able to tease it out from under the headlining easily enough as there is a few mm gap between it and the windscreen, and the same for the A pillars. The A pillar trims are hard plastic not cloth covered as in the mk7 but are basically the same part.
With a trim removal tool you’ll probably be able to prise the pillar trim slightly proud enough to easily remove the cable (pulling the cable towards the windscreen and downwards). In earlier cars there’s an airbag in the region of the top of the A pillar trim but there’s no airbag badge on the mk8 A pillar trim so I don’t know if it’s sat behind the trim or in the headlining above it. The cable should be well clear of any airbags anyway.
The only tight bit is between the bottom of the A pillar and where the cable would be routed into the top of the dashboard before dropping into the fuse box. Again, with the A pillar trim lifted very slightly I’d imagine access will be much easier.
Once you’ve removed it from the Golf you’ll see exactly how to fit it into the Audi.
If you can restore older Audis, removing a dashcam from a Golf will be a doddle.
Yes, it should be that easy. The tricky part (which isn't that tricky) is popping off the side cap to the dash (a "D" shaped piece, that will probably have the switch for the front passenger airbag attached) on the side with the fuse box, usually behind the glove box opening. There'll be a 13mm bolt there on the metal chassis of the dash that mist installers will use as an earthing point, so will need to slacken that off and remove the earth wire), then remove the piggy back wiring into the fuses - a switched live, and (if the dashcam has a monitoring function) a permanent live.
Headlining edges are overlapped by the rubber A pillar seals or meet with the A pillar coverings, all tuck back in tidy - piece of cake.
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Thanks very much for that. Yes, I am quite experienced with old Audi's and would pull an A pillar on an Audi 80 in 5 minutes no problem. Newer cars frighten me and have brittle clips and covers that snap when you breath on them. Canbus wiring, computers controlling everything and scratchy plastics that err, scratch easily :sad:
The A-pillars have multi part clips that fall to bits when you disassemble and have to reassemble to clip back. If the wiring has been tucked in, it should pull straight back out, and you'll have to tuck the edges back or make sure rubber door seals are sitting properly for overlap of the headlining or A-Pillar edges. Fitting a rear cam is more involved, having to pull or screw tailgate trim off and the trim capping where the headlining meets the tailgate and you have to feed it through the rubber gaiters between the back of the body and the tailgate, where the tailgate wiring goes through.
I'm hoping to get my S3 in the next few weeks, and one of the first jobs will be refitting the Thinkware dashcams. I'll take some pics for you if you don't need yours doing in the meantime.
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Thanks. Very useful.
My car is due end of the month :cool:
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Thanks very much for that. Yes, I am quite experienced with old Audi's and would pull an A pillar on an Audi 80 in 5 minutes no problem. Newer cars frighten me and have brittle clips and covers that snap when you breath on them. Canbus wiring, computers controlling everything and scratchy plastics that err, scratch easily :sad:
Yep, I’m right with you on that! :grin:
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I removed the camera today and it was very easy. Just as you guys said.
They used a fuss piggy back to take power.
(https://i.postimg.cc/x1HNGS1f/2023-04-26-16-13-27-369.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YvrSkZFZ)
Now while I was in there I was rather concerned to see this surface rust on a brand new car!
(https://i.postimg.cc/Ls2kns3K/2023-04-26-16-15-46-909.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mPp1nBn8)
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That’s not good to see.
I’ll check mine at the weekend.
Thanks for the heads up.
Did you have to loosen the A pillar trim to remove the power cable or was it even simpler than that?
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I was able to gently lever it back and remove the cable. There is an airbag in there but I couldn't see a warning. I had to feed the cable behind it.
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I was wondering if these cars have been built a while ago and sat in a compound waiting for chips but most of the trim and fittings have 2022 dates on them
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The dashboard chassis always looks scruffy with rust or discolouring around the welds - you're not meant to be in there looking is probably VW's attitude.
Been like that on MK7 Golf R, 2018 Polo GTI+, 2019 Polo GTI+, ID3 and Cupra Born that i've fitted dashcams to. The car isn't going to deteriorate, they just don't take too much care making it look pristine when no one will see it.
I expect to see the same when I fit my dashcams to the S3.
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Fitted the S3's dashcam yesterday - the dashboard chassis was actually painted - that's a first, and it also made finding a grounding point for the dashcam a bit of a bugger. There were 3 bolts to choose from and only the top bolt was able to provide a decent earth.
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I was wondering if these cars have been built a while ago and sat in a compound waiting for chips but most of the trim and fittings have 2022 dates on them
A bit off topic but when I ordered my MK7.5 it was held up due to the WLTP fiasco at VW and a spent some time in storage. VW were using the not fit for purpose new Berlin Airport to store some cars but mine was stuck at Wolfsburg for a few weeks. I was worried that it may have been stuck dockside somewhere but not the case. TBH can’t see why storing a car outside is any different from driving and keeping one outside? (Unless stored near the sea)
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Swapped over very easily.
Used the piggy back fuse.
No rust on the Audi at all. As said above, difficult to find a good ground as the dash frame seems to be hard plastic. Just need a new sticky pad now.
(https://i.postimg.cc/505rRTJ3/2023-04-28-14-38-58-603.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vgBX1Pcg)
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Has anyone got an experience of a fitcamx dashcam? https://fitcamx.com/products/fitcamx-dash-cam-for-volkswagen-golf-mk8-gte-gtd-gti-r
I have been looking for something small / discreet so considering this or a garmin mini 2. The fitcamx could look the most oem… but I know my ocd might not like the finish and colour match of the new cowling.
I fear for both to have parking mode I’d need to still hardwire via fuse box plus a rear cam will be more wires
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Has anyone got an experience of a fitcamx dashcam? https://fitcamx.com/products/fitcamx-dash-cam-for-volkswagen-golf-mk8-gte-gtd-gti-r
I have been looking for something small / discreet so considering this or a garmin mini 2. The fitcamx could look the most oem… but I know my ocd might not like the finish and colour match of the new cowling.
I fear for both to have parking mode I’d need to still hardwire via fuse box plus a rear cam will be more wires
High failure rate for the dashcamX (overheating) across multiple VAG forums I frequent, and low light performance is crap - there's a reason why they're £50 and not £250.
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Is that the same as the fitcamx? They are not £50 they seem to be in £170+ range
The install video doesn’t look that easy either!
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I meant the fitcamX, apologies. These seem to have shot up in price. About a year ago you could pay £50-60 for tge front cam unit only. The functionality seems to have gone up. I'd rather have something that will work well and for a long time than something that looks a little more integrated.
I've had a Thinkware F770 2CH setup in both our cars since 2016 (mine has been in 4 cars, my wife's has been in 3). If you're reasonably competent in DIY, these aren't tough to hardwire, rear cam wiring properly routed through the tailgate wiring gaiters from the main car body.
The dashcams have paid for themselves a few times over, proving fault of 2 drivers who hit me and lied through their teeth about it. I would definitely not be without parking monitoring and a rear cam.
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Good to know thx. Are yours front and rear? And if both would you recommend a rear one or is front just enough?
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Good to know thx. Are yours front and rear? And if both would you recommend a rear one or is front just enough?
I'd recommend both, front only won't help if someone rear ends you, and might only get you a 50% chance of catching someone scraping your unattended car in a car park with a parking monitoring situation.