A129 in a 2019 Mazda 3?

[Nigel]

As long as it is protected by a suitable fuse at the source then it doesn't matter (>= 0.1A). An inline fuse near the start would be sensible.
I would probably use 5A wire since it is decently robust and easily to obtain, really thin stuff is more likely to get damaged.

 

[RavenManiac]

Okay, I just confirmed that ALL of the interior fuses near the 2019 Mazda 3 kick panel are in fact live. When I checked the engine bay fuse box I found five that appear to be switched. They are as follows:

F8-Engine Control Systems
F10-Engine Control Systems
F11-Air Conditioner
F12-Engine Control Systems
F30-Accessory Sockets

I think you can tell who the lucky winner is.

The only problem is that Mazda has done a really good job of ensuring that no water makes its way into the cabin. I found a large rubber grommet where most of the wiring is being fed through, but getting to it inside the engine bay is nearly impossible. I also need something rigid but dull that I can fish through the grommet to help feed the ACC wire. If it glowed in the dark or lit up that would be even better. Suggestions?

 

[Nigel]

Go for an engine fuse, that won't turn off while cranking the engine and potentially confuse the camera, preferably one that stays on for a few minutes after turning the engine off, then it will cover fuel stops but not longer.

You may be able to make an extra hole in the grommet to push the wire through. Any stiff, thin rod will help, eg thin tent pole, kite rod, chopstick.

 

[RavenManiac]

Go for an engine fuse, that won't turn off while cranking the engine and potentially confuse the camera, preferably one that stays on for a few minutes after turning the engine off, then it will cover fuel stops but not longer.

Are you sure that won't mess anything up?

My Mazda dealer is freaking me out. I asked for their advice and they said if I splice into any wire in the car my 3-year warranty is void. Of course, my plan all along was to use fusetaps anyway.

 

[jokiin]

I would use F-30, keep away from anything engine related

 

[RavenManiac]

I would use F-30, keep away from anything engine related

Although I really appreciate Nigel's help and advice, which has helped too many times to count, I would have to agree.

 

[Nigel]

Are you sure that won't mess anything up?

My Mazda dealer is freaking me out. I asked for their advice and they said if I splice into any wire in the car my 3-year warranty is void. Of course, my plan all along was to use fusetaps anyway.

Nearly 100% !

The power is all going to be coming from the same place within the fuse box so if the camera is adding noise then it wont make much difference which you choose, and if you use a low value tap fuse, eg 1 amp, then there is no real risk of blowing the original fuse whichever way around you fit the fuse tap.

I would rather have the better functionality, but the choice is yours.

If you make any change which causes a fault then that fault should not be covered under warranty, but you are not going to do that. They shouldn't be able to deny a warranty claim for a fault not connected with your changes, but I'm not an expert on your local laws so that might not be correct.

 

[Dave Bert]

If your Maxda 3 is like the Mazda 6, there should two 12V accessory sockets, one in front under the climate control and one under the center arm rest console. The one in the front is on when the ignition is switched to ACC or ON. The one under the arm rest is powered all the time. You can check your owners manual to confirm. If that is the case for you it might be easier to just run a wire to the either one of the 12V socket depending on how you want to run your dash cam.

 

[SawMaster]

With non-molded wiring grommets, if you've got the space to work a knitting needle will get a wire through easily. Use dish soap or petroleum jelly to lubricate the end of the needle and work from the interior cabin outward and keep the needle next to the existing wires where it can slip through. Molded-to-wire grommets will usually need the have a new hole poked through with something sharp like an icepick first in a clear area if such exists. Another location to check is where heater pipes or hoses enter the cabin; these are usually sealed with foam rubber but you'll need to use teflon-cased wire to avoid melting the wire insulation.

Warranties are like insurance policies where every imaginable scenario is specifically excluded somehow, but they usually hold up their end of the deal anyway. You shouldn't have a problem as long as you use a fuse tap that incorporated a fuse for the added device. The only assured method of keeping warranty is to have the dealership do the wiring work.

Phil

 

[RavenManiac]

Good information. Thanks!

Here's something interesting I found when doing a Google search. Apparently, some automobile manufacturers, like Mazda and Toyota, use a large grommet in the firewall for their main wiring harness. On the large grommet, there are one or two nipples. According to some owners, if you cut the top of the nipple off it leaves behind a hole that you can run wires through.

I haven't tried it myself, but here's a picture. Does anyone know if this is true?

 

[RavenManiac]

Go for an engine fuse, that won't turn off while cranking the engine and potentially confuse the camera, preferably one that stays on for a few minutes after turning the engine off, then it will cover fuel stops but not longer.

You may be able to make an extra hole in the grommet to push the wire through. Any stiff, thin rod will help, eg thin tent pole, kite rod, chopstick.

Here's a postscript on the A129 Duo install in my son's 2019 Mazda 3. As it turns out, the ACC fuse I was going to use was blocked by a relay so I couldn't fuse tap into it. As a result, I took Nigel's advice and tapped into F8, which Mazda indicates is an Engine Control System circuit. As luck would have it, I discovered that this circuit doesn't power down until the engine is off and the driver's door has been closed. As an extra precaution, I also took another one of Nigel's suggestions and replaced the 5-amp fuse in both the ACC and 12V Constant power lines with 2-amp fuses.

Plus, I used a metal shish kabob skewer to punch a hole through the rubber grommet to feed the Viofo HK3 Hardwire Kit wires into the engine bay to tap into the fuse box. Everything seems to be working fine.

Basically, Nigel's on a roll with his recommendations and I for one really appreciate his help and advice. Thanks, Nigel!

 

[JB-007]

I don't think its a good idea to puncture a grommet its there to keep out moisture from the engine bay. be careful about punching holes in grommets or in fire walls; it could void the electrical warrantee if the dealer sees it

 

[jdct]

I don't think its a good idea to puncture a grommet its there to keep out moisture from the engine bay. be careful about punching holes in grommets or in fire walls; it could void the electrical warrantee if the dealer sees it

While absolutely ridiculous, unfortunately he is partially right. If you ever have any electrical and especially any engine control system issues, just be sure to remove those wires and/or fuse taps before you visit the dealer for warranty service. Some of them will blame anything than what actually caused a problem, and your dashcam power supply almost certainly will not.

Mazdas are good cars though so your likelihood of encountering such a problem is probably very low.

 

[itsse03]

i ended up mounting the dashcam to the right and behind the rear view mirror, as the other two options was i found less than ideal.

i originally wanted to install it centred below the mirror to get a centred view out the front windshield, but concluded it would sit too low and obstruct my view and hinder my line of sight.

my second choice was then to the left closer to driver so it would be close to me to reach the buttons, but cables run to the right of the unit, and the unit slides off the mount to the right so can't be placed directly beside the mirror mount. as well the rear view mirror tilts into the unit, leaving little space between it and the unit and making it awkward to reach the buttons.

 

[itsse03]

regarding pulling wires through the firewall to/from the cabin and engine bay… if anyone has ever had an after market stereo with amp installed, power wires are always tapped from the battery in the engine bay and the wire is pulled through the firewall into the cabin and back into the trunk to power an amp. only precaution is to make any holes as small as possible to have a snug fit to the wire being drawn through.

 

[Nigel]

...only precaution is to make any holes as small as possible to have a snug fit to the wire being drawn through.

And do go through the rubber grommet. If you leave the cable sitting against the metal then over time it is likely to wear through the insulation and short circuit.

 

[RavenManiac]

And do go through the rubber grommet. If you leave the cable sitting against the metal then over time it is likely to wear through the insulation and short circuit.

Yep, that's what I did. Everything is working well, including the new v1.7 firmware. The only problem is the GPS mount is not working. I tested my son's A129 with the GPS mount from my car and it worked perfectly, so Viofo is sending me a new GPS mount.

In case it hasn't been mentioned before, and in my opinion, Viofo is an outstanding company with well-built and packaged products and excellent customer service that rivals that of Apple and Honda. If anyone is considering the purchase of a dashcam, buy one from Viofo. You will not be sorry.

 

[michal_PL]

Okay, I just confirmed that ALL of the interior fuses near the 2019 Mazda 3 kick panel are in fact live.

Have you maybe checked this after a few minutes of the car's inactivity (with doors locked)?

I'm no expert, but the reason I ask this is that since the USB port on the dashboard stays active for a few minutes after leaving the car, I was wondering if this could also be the case for some of the fuses near the kick panel, i.e. maybe some of them stay live only for a few minutes, just like the USB port on the dashboard?

It would be great if one could use the 3-wire hardwire kit without having to connect it to the under-the-hood fuse box.

 

[MikeSoh12]

Here's a postscript on the A129 Duo install in my son's 2019 Mazda 3. As it turns out, the ACC fuse I was going to use was blocked by a relay so I couldn't fuse tap into it. As a result, I took Nigel's advice and tapped into F8, which Mazda indicates is an Engine Control System circuit. As luck would have it, I discovered that this circuit doesn't power down until the engine is off and the driver's door has been closed. As an extra precaution, I also took another one of Nigel's suggestions and replaced the 5-amp fuse in both the ACC and 12V Constant power lines with 2-amp fuses.

Plus, I used a metal shish kabob skewer to punch a hole through the rubber grommet to feed the Viofo HK3 Hardwire Kit wires into the engine bay to tap into the fuse box. Everything seems to be working fine.

Basically, Nigel's on a roll with his recommendations and I for one really appreciate his help and advice. Thanks, Nigel!

Hi Raven, I'm wondering how you access the wiring throught the rubber grommet? I've taken out the glove box and realised that the air filter thingy is block the it, is that true or it is somewhere else? There seems like no where to access from the engine bay since its block with alot of stuff above the grommet. Can you explain how did you get it done? I desperately need to get my parking mode dash cam installed asap due to parking on the street.

 

[M3Strooper]

Hi guys,
Sorry to wake a dead thread but I came here looking for info on how others wired their cams so I'm leaving this here for any who stumble upon this thread in the future:

For anyone looking to have parking mode without having to connect to the main fuse box there is a way, thanks to the help of instructions posted by a mazda3revolution forum member who I'll credit when i come across his post again. (see attached file).
NOTE: YOU DON'T NEED THE HOMELINK MIRROR FOR THIS METHOD TO WORK.
THESE STEPS SHOULD WORK FOR ALL 2 AND 3 WIRE DASH CAM HARDWIRING KITS.
Power Magic Pro installs will need wires extended or creativity in placing the box.

Carefully remove A pillar trim as outlined on page 3
Locate the 24pin connector as outlined on page 6. Use a flathead screwdriver to press the release tabs on the connector and the cable management clips and pull the 24pin (and 8pin) connectors towards you.

Reference pages 6 and 7 for the following: (I recommend miliary tapping unit you know your dashcam works properly. Then solder or vampire tap as you please.
Locate pin [12,1] which is the black ground wire. Strip a small section of the cable and tap with your dash kit's ground wire
Locate the darker green wire which is your +12V ignition, this one may be a few pins so just find the darker green wire that's near the wire in fig 4-5. Tap with your acc wire
Locate the red wire which is your +12V constant [1,1] and tap that with your battery wire

Test your dashcam to ensure it functions and enable/test parking mode as well as sometimes the wires on the hardwire kits are backwards

Now route your cables, store excess wire by taping or zap strapping to the harness cable. Use OEM cable management to keep your cables down and away from the airbag. Spread them out evenly or otherwise the A-pillar won't close properly.
The plastic mirror cover actually has some good cable channels so you can actually feed wires through that and up to the headliner. Just pop out the passenger seat belt/airbag module slightly and feed the cables through that.