Dash cam installer NYC or LI?

[mk9027866]

Anyone have a good recommendation for a dash cam installer near NYC or long island?

Thanks!

 

[ckwong]

Good question MK! I was about to post the same thing but in NYC/NJ?

 

[TJtv]

Looking for one in NJ also.

 

[ckwong]

Looking for one in NJ also.

Maybe we can get a "group discount" if we can find one!

 

[AndreyATC]

I'm in too
I just got black vue 2 ch

 

[wesley888]

I don't know any installer and I didn't want to just take a chance. So I just route the wire around the trim to the OBD port to get power myself.

 

[HankLloydRight]

It's a little drive for you guys, but I use AFterFX Customs in Stamford, CT.
See: Home Page - AfterFX Customs

They've installed my Escort 9500ci radar/laser detector into both Model Ss I've owned as well as dashcams. They do tons of other customizations like tints and wheels and real high-end "show car" stuff.

They probably could do a dashcam install in about an hour while you wait, they charge $150/hour and have done a ton of Tesla's, so they know their way around the car.

But as mentioned above, it's pretty easy to do a dashcam install yourself.. it's a little harder to install the rear dashcam camera if you have a 2-channel system. In my case, I've installed the main unit up front (getting power from the OBDII port) and then had AfterFX install the rear camera because I always break stuff when removing trim panels, so I let them do that part of the install.

If you go, tell BJ that Hank sent you there.

 

[Nerdy_Engineer]

The installation is pretty easy if you wanted to just do it yourself. I put together a step by step video when I did my installation. Professional installation is fairly expensive so you can save yourself a lot of money by doing it yourself.

Just don't follow the video where I remove the trim on the rear hatch. In the video description, I added text of the steps others have suggested for fishing the cable through without having to remove the trim.

 

[mk9027866]

The installation is pretty easy if you wanted to just do it yourself. I put together a step by step video when I did my installation. Professional installation is fairly expensive so you can save yourself a lot of money by doing it yourself.

Just don't follow the video where I remove the trim on the rear hatch. In the video description, I added text of the steps others have suggested for fishing the cable through without having to remove the trim.

Thanks for the great vid! I'm considering it, but is there a way to do it without a 2nd conduit parallel to the existing one?

 

[HankLloydRight]

Just a few suggestions on dashcam installs.

I used an OBDII plug from Amazon for always-on power.. no tapping into the wiring harness necessary.

I feed the power line up through the lower panel into the space behind the dash...

To fish the power lead through to the cavity behind the lower dash, I used some small connectors:

To connect it to a cigarette lighter adapter:

The quick connectors are necessary because you can't fish the barrel of the adapter through from the OBD port and keep all the wires hidden"inside". The connectors aren't really necessary, but makes a cleaner install. I also added a 5 amp fuse in the middle between the OBD plug and the adapter.

Then as in the video above, I just ran the 12v line down to the dash area and plugged it into the cig port. Totally removable and zero splicing required.

Another top tip-- instead of using the 3M permanent mounting adhesive pads that come with all dashcams (which is hard to remove and can leave residue), I always use this 3M Quik-Lock product -- it makes it very easy to remove the dashcam (or other accessories) if you need to. It also comes in black, which might hide better. Also, it's very easy to remove from the glass if you need to.

 

[vandacca]

Thanks for the great vid! I'm considering it, but is there a way to do it without a 2nd conduit parallel to the existing one?

You can also pull down the existing conduit and squeeze the wires into it. If you attempt this, it will be the most difficult and time-consuming part of the whole process. Some have managed to re-attach the existing conduit, while others have used an additional strip of adhesive like this one.

 

[ckwong]

It's a little drive for you guys, but I use AFterFX Customs in Stamford, CT.
See: Home Page - AfterFX Customs

They've installed my Escort 9500ci radar/laser detector into both Model Ss I've owned as well as dashcams. They do tons of other customizations like tints and wheels and real high-end "show car" stuff.

They probably could do a dashcam install in about an hour while you wait, they charge $150/hour and have done a ton of Tesla's, so they know their way around the car.

But as mentioned above, it's pretty easy to do a dashcam install yourself.. it's a little harder to install the rear dashcam camera if you have a 2-channel system. In my case, I've installed the main unit up front (getting power from the OBDII port) and then had AfterFX install the rear camera because I always break stuff when removing trim panels, so I let them do that part of the install.

If you go, tell BJ that Hank sent you there.

It's about an hour drive which I guess I can use that to calibrate the cameras. Did they get the power for the radar from the same OBDII port or they got it from the front mirror housing? I wonder if they would get the power for both dashcam and radar from the front mirror housing on a MX. Do you know if they have any experience with MX installs? Thanks Hank!

 

[F123456]

The installation is pretty easy if you wanted to just do it yourself. I put together a step by step video when I did my installation. Professional installation is fairly expensive so you can save yourself a lot of money by doing it yourself.

Just don't follow the video where I remove the trim on the rear hatch. In the video description, I added text of the steps others have suggested for fishing the cable through without having to remove the trim.

Could I have a link to the conduit you used, please?

 

[F123456]

Does anyone know the part number for the OEM conduit?

 

[Khanhvngo]

Hi, I just install my own dash and everything was under $80 simple and looks good to.

and original post.

Dashcam for under $80 and looks great!

any question please let me know.

 

[Nerdy_Engineer]

Could I have a link to the conduit you used, please?

Here are the links to the products that I used. I also have a second video about wiring the Balckvue dashcam. I didn't like tapping into the wires with that splice so I ended up wiring an OBD2 plug to a cigarette adapter @HankLloydRight suggested.

Cable Conduit - Amazon.com: Wiremold C110 1-channel CordMate Kit, White: Home Improvement
3M Automotive Tape (black) - Amazon.com: 3M 06384 Acrylic Plus Double Sided Attachment Tape 1/2" x 5yds: Industrial & Scientific
Rustoleum Charcoal Spray Paint - Amazon.com: Rust-Oleum 302590 Chalked Spray Paint, 12 oz, Charcoal/Gray: Home Improvement
Cigarette Lighter Plug - Amazon.com: Roadpro 12V Battery Clip-On and Cigarette Lighter Adapter: Automotive
OBD2 Memory Saver (so you don’t have to hardwire) - Amazon.com: SOLAR ESA30 OBD II Memory Saver Connector: Automotive
Trim Tools - Amazon.com: Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool for Car Dash Radio Audio Installer Pry Tool 4Pcs: Automotive

 

[HankLloydRight]

It's about an hour drive which I guess I can use that to calibrate the cameras. Did they get the power for the radar from the same OBDII port or they got it from the front mirror housing? I wonder if they would get the power for both dashcam and radar from the front mirror housing on a MX. Do you know if they have any experience with MX installs? Thanks Hank!

I don't know about MX really, so I don't know where power would/should be near the mirror housing. Regardless, I'd stay away from that area because of the sensitivity of the AP cameras. One guy on Facebook I saw had his AP cameras misaligned because the dashcam installer routed the cable past/near/through the cameras, causing his AP to fail.. Tesla refused to fix it under warranty because of the misrouted wires.

To power the radar, they tapped into the one of the two USB supply lines that run alongside the passenger footwell area/center console. If you remove the trim and pull back the carpet (where your left foot would be), there should be an accessory plug there specifically for tapping into for accessory power (this plug is not there on early cars, but you can still tap into the wires there for switched power). For a radar install, this is better than OBDII or the mirror housing connector, which is pretty lite-duty.

Here's the ready-made OBDII plug I used on Amazon: Amazon.com: GPSit OBD II OBD2 Power Adapter Harness: Car Electronics
And the cig adapter:
Amazon.com: uxcell Car Charger Power Cigarette Lighter Female Socket Black w 26cm Cable: Automotive

 

[HankLloydRight]

Also note the OBDII port is unswitched, which is good for a dashcam you want to be always on.

For a radar detector or other accessories, you want a switched source, which the footwell USB harness is.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Hi Brett,
One suggestion I would make is that when making crimped connectors like that, the power source (from the OBDII cable or elsewhere) should always be the female (or "receiving") connector, and not the male side like in your video above.

The reason for this that if you disconnect the splice connectors while it's still plugged in and has power, they could dangle and either short each other out, or short to any open ground in the car which would, at a minimum, blow an upstream fuse or worse, cause other problems with sensitive electronics on board depending on where it shorted out. If they were the female ends, the chances of shorting out are greatly minimized.

And for an added level of protection, I always install an extra 5amp fuse when adding on accessory circuits, using a small in-line fuse like this:
Gadgeter 10pcs Inline 16 AWG Blade ATM Water-Resistant Fuse Holder for Car Boat Truck with 30cm Wire And LITTELFUSE UL Certified mini Fuse(Small) - - Amazon.com

 

[ckwong]

I don't know about MX really, so I don't know where power would/should be near the mirror housing. Regardless, I'd stay away from that area because of the sensitivity of the AP cameras. One guy on Facebook I saw had his AP cameras misaligned because the dashcam installer routed the cable past/near/through the cameras, causing his AP to fail.. Tesla refused to fix it under warranty because of the misrouted wires.

To power the radar, they tapped into the one of the two USB supply lines that run alongside the passenger footwell area/center console. If you remove the trim and pull back the carpet (where your left foot would be), there should be an accessory plug there specifically for tapping into for accessory power (this plug is not there on early cars, but you can still tap into the wires there for switched power). For a radar install, this is better than OBDII or the mirror housing connector, which is pretty lite-duty.

Here's the ready-made OBDII plug I used on Amazon: Amazon.com: GPSit OBD II OBD2 Power Adapter Harness: Car Electronics
And the cig adapter:
Amazon.com: uxcell Car Charger Power Cigarette Lighter Female Socket Black w 26cm Cable: Automotive

Thanks for all the advice and comments Hank!