Street Guardian SG9663DC (DC = Dual Channel)

[murcod]

It's a Ford Kuga- so not all that big. I'd be running the cable from the centre of the windscreen, down the A pillar, along the floor, back up the C pillar and then feeding it from the body into the tailgate- that's going to require a lot of length.

Do you know of any installs with the rear camera near a DAB windscreen antenna?

That's great that a discharged capacitor doesn't crash the time.

 

[jokiin]

It's a Ford Kuga- so not all that big. I'd be running the cable from the centre of the windscreen, down the A pillar, along the floor, back up the C pillar and then feeding it from the body into the tailgate- that's going to require a lot of length.

in my Suzuki Vitara (4 door) with side opening tailgate we still had well over a metre of cable left over after going through the factory grommets etc

my Vitara has a DAB radio (Kenwood) but the antenna is on the front window

 

[murcod]

The Kuga is hinged at the top, like a hatchback. I don't think 6m would be enough- I need to go back up to the centre of the roof before feeding it into the tailgate.

Are you looking at making longer cables in the future?

 

[jokiin]

The Kuga is hinged at the top, like a hatchback. I don't think 6m would be enough- I need to go back up to the centre of the roof before feeding it into the tailgate.

Are you looking at making longer cables in the future?

we did a CX9 and still had close to a metre left over, I would think that would be bigger than the Kuga, I'll check with our installer anyway

 

[Gibson99]

It's really not that hard to properly route wiring in the headliner alongside the curtain airbags. I've done it in LOADS of different vehicles while installing overhead DVD players when i was a mechanic, and of course dashcams in my own cars.

The key is to stay ABOVE the airbags. remember that curtain airbags fire straight down and will come out between the headliner and weatherstrip, so anything you put into the headliner above them will not interfere. Often, there's already a plastic conduit with factory wiring there that you can use to help route your dashcam (or dvd, or whatever) wiring, and then it's a piece of cake. if the manufacturer routed wires there, then you already know it's a safe place that won't interfere with the airbags in any way.

you can even search youtube for crash test videos of your car to find out exactly how the airbags actually deploy, so there will be no doubt about whether a location is safe or not. FYI - the side curtain airbags are partially contained inside the A and C pillars on most vehicles, so you can never completely avoid them if you need to run wiring into the headliner.

 

[jokiin]

It's really not that hard to properly route wiring in the headliner alongside the curtain airbags.

I agree, a lot of people are worried about it when it comes to DIY though

 

[murcod]

we did a CX9 and still had close to a metre left over, I would think that would be bigger than the Kuga, I'll check with our installer anyway

Was the CX-9 done routed via the floor?

It's really not that hard to properly route wiring in the headliner alongside the curtain airbags. I've done it in LOADS of different vehicles while installing overhead DVD players when i was a mechanic, and of course dashcams in my own cars.

The key is to stay ABOVE the airbags. remember that curtain airbags fire straight down and will come out between the headliner and weatherstrip, so anything you put into the headliner above them will not interfere. Often, there's already a plastic conduit with factory wiring there that you can use to help route your dashcam (or dvd, or whatever) wiring, and then it's a piece of cake. if the manufacturer routed wires there, then you already know it's a safe place that won't interfere with the airbags in any way.

you can even search youtube for crash test videos of your car to find out exactly how the airbags actually deploy, so there will be no doubt about whether a location is safe or not. FYI - the side curtain airbags are partially contained inside the A and C pillars on most vehicles, so you can never completely avoid them if you need to run wiring into the headliner.

I'm familiar with how they work, where they're located etc. The bottom line is I'd much rather NOT go pulling apart that area of the vehicle trying to route a cable through there. To route the cable attached to the factory loom I'd most likely have to try and pull the headlining out (around the panoramic sun roof)- I'm not doing that. People just tuck the cable behind the trim, but I always secure any cabling I add to the factory loom to avoid unwanted rattles and cable damage. That's why I'm questioning the value of a dual channel system vs two separate cameras for my vehicle/ application.

 

[jokiin]

Was the CX-9 done routed via the floor?
.

I'll double check but I'm fairly certain it was, something that was only mentioned a few days ago

. To route the cable attached to the factory loom I'd most likely have to try and pull the headlining out (around the panoramic sun roof)- I'm not doing that. People just tuck the cable behind the trim, but I always secure any cabling I add to the factory loom to avoid unwanted rattles and cable damage.

we don't pull roof linings out, we do most often take the trim panels off from around the tops of the doors though, that generally gives the access we need

 

[Gibson99]

I agree, a lot of people are worried about it when it comes to DIY though

can't blame them. even when i was a mechanic, i was nervous the first couple times i actually removed an airbag. there's a hell of a lot of energy in them, so you do have to be careful. but since you won't be removing them or even disconnecting them from the car for this, it's pretty safe. just don't hit any of the impact sensors inside the doors while the key is on.

we don't pull roof linings out, we do most often take the trim panels off from around the tops of the doors though, that generally gives the access we need

when i was installing DVDs i never removed the headliner either - just A and B pillar trims to allow access into the headliner. less dis/re-assembly than running along the lower sills.

if you have a pano-roof, you might actually be lucky in that you can simply pull off the trim securing the headliner along the edges of the sunroof opening, then just tuck your wires in that way - far from the airbags and above the sunroof's moving parts/tracks. then you won't have to mess with removing ANY pillar trim.

as for preventing wire rattles, you can either zip-tie it to existing wiring or wrap the wire in foam or felt tape so it can't rattle against anything. most times, though, the headliner itself already has padding for noise reduction, so there's already padding to prevent rattles. obviously, every car is different - i can't say what yours may be like. but in most vehicles with a sunroof, there's an easily removable (no tools required) trim around the edge of the sunroof opening that simply pushes on, just like the weatherstrip around the door or trunk. worth a look - might save you a ton of time and effort!

 

[krishg]

we did a CX9

Rick, any pictures and learning from that please?

 

[jokiin]

Rick, any pictures and learning from that please?

he did take photos but I don't have them, he's been off the past few days as his wife is sick and they've spent the past few days back and forth to hospital

if you want to message me a number I can get him to give you a call and give you some pointers if you like, he did mention already that the tailgate grommet is a bitch, something for you to look forward to

 

[krishg]

That will be really helpful, sending my number now.

 

[mcaf123]

can't blame them. even when i was a mechanic, i was nervous the first couple times i actually removed an airbag. there's a hell of a lot of energy in them, so you do have to be careful. but since you won't be removing them or even disconnecting them from the car for this, it's pretty safe. just don't hit any of the impact sensors inside the doors while the key is on.


when i was installing DVDs i never removed the headliner either - just A and B pillar trims to allow access into the headliner. less dis/re-assembly than running along the lower sills.

if you have a pano-roof, you might actually be lucky in that you can simply pull off the trim securing the headliner along the edges of the sunroof opening, then just tuck your wires in that way - far from the airbags and above the sunroof's moving parts/tracks. then you won't have to mess with removing ANY pillar trim.

as for preventing wire rattles, you can either zip-tie it to existing wiring or wrap the wire in foam or felt tape so it can't rattle against anything. most times, though, the headliner itself already has padding for noise reduction, so there's already padding to prevent rattles. obviously, every car is different - i can't say what yours may be like. but in most vehicles with a sunroof, there's an easily removable (no tools required) trim around the edge of the sunroof opening that simply pushes on, just like the weatherstrip around the door or trunk. worth a look - might save you a ton of time and effort!

A really insightful last couple of posts, thanks! Have you done any work on the latest Hyundai Tucson on your travels? I'm due to get mine in less than 2 weeks and want to fit my DC immediately and any up front information would really help me

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 46308]

... just don't hit any of the impact sensors inside the doors while the key is on.

What do they look like, and where are they located? Thanks

 

[Gibson99]

Most airbag wiring is covered in yellow or orange (or some other bold color) loom to make it stand out and say "leave me alone!"and the sensor itself is often a little black box, no bigger than a golf ball.

Not all side crash sensors are in the doors. Some are in the B pillar, some are in the center of the car under the console. I was mostly joking - you'd really have to TRY to hit an airbag sensor.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Most airbag wiring is covered in yellow or orange (or some other bold color) loom to make it stand out and say "leave me alone!"and the sensor itself is often a little black box, no bigger than a golf ball.

Not all side crash sensors are in the doors. Some are in the B pillar, some are in the center of the car under the console. I was mostly joking - you'd really have to TRY to hit an airbag sensor.

Thanks for that information. I have seen those bright orange looms; out of curiosity I will look for those sensors next time.

 

[Gibson99]

A really insightful last couple of posts, thanks! Have you done any work on the latest Hyundai Tucson on your travels? I'm due to get mine in less than 2 weeks and want to fit my DC immediately and any up front information would really help me

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Sorry, no, I haven't worked on the interior of a Tuscon, only engine bay and brakes. But the other Hyundais I've done interior stuff on didn't stand out as being unusual.

 

[Harsh]

A really insightful last couple of posts, thanks! Have you done any work on the latest Hyundai Tucson on your travels? I'm due to get mine in less than 2 weeks and want to fit my DC immediately and any up front information would really help me

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[mcaf123]

You legend!

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[Harsh]

@mcaf123

Don't know whether you plan on hardwiring or not, if not you could run the wire like shown below, green line behind the plastic trim.



These cameras are meant to be stealthy, better to mount it on the dotted area with just the lens visible from the outside.