Rain on Rear Camera

[Papa's Pepper]

Today I took my Model 3 out for it's first drive in the rain. The rear camera got full of water drops and was severely impaired. Is there some kind of treatment (ceramic coating?) or work-around to help prevent this?

 

[gagan512]

I have the same issue, it's absurd that a 2018 Tesla backup camera can't handle the rain. My older cars have done this fine for the last few years. It seems like a design flaw.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

What did the other cars do? Are you describing water IN the camera or ON the camera?
Certainly there might be various solutions which serve to keep water (dirt is actually a bigger problem) off the camera, but not sure I have seen any implemented in other vehicles. Water getting into the body of the camera seems like a defect though.

 

[jkoya]

The Chevy Bolt has a rear camera washer. I think it's activated at the same time you use the rear window washer.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

The Chevy Bolt has a rear camera washer. I think it's activated at the same time you use the rear window washer.

Cool! I guess they have that electronic rear view mirror, so the camera is mission critical. Is the washer only on that trim level?

 

[strider]

Put some RainX on it. Just make sure you use the right one (plastic or glass).

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Put some RainX on it. Just make sure you use the right one (plastic or glass).

I assume the lens is glass?

 

[sbtz]

Time to look for a tiny umbrella.

 

[RDoc]

Put some RainX on it. Just make sure you use the right one (plastic or glass).

I've found RainX on the lens to make to worse, at least on our S. The water beads up and strongly distorts the image and there doesn't seem to be any air movement to blow it off.

What's really annoying is that a similar camera I installed myself on another car has no similar problems. Apparently the air stream there doesn't deposit water on the lens. It's always clear. That makes me think that Tesla didn't consider the air flow of the camera placement when they designed the car.

I wonder if a wetting agent wouldn't be better so there was a more uniform film of water over the lens. Another thought would be to rig up some kind of wind vane to direct a stream of air over the lens so the RainX beaded water would blow off.

Wait till you drive on slushy salted roads. No hope.

 

[Jimmy 1]

I used Ceramic Pro, works great. But I like the wind vane idea.

 

[RDoc]

I'm just complaining about this again because it was raining when we came home tonight. What a crock of a design. I'd pay a significant amount for a 3rd party solution.

 

[Leeclanual]

I only drive when the sun is shining.