Adding a Back Up Camera to Your Car for $40

I recently mentioned how we added a back up camera to my son's car for about $40. His car didn't come with one and he really wanted to add it. I thought it was a good idea and a neat safety addition as well. 

I think it will be 2018 before all new vehicles (weighing less than 10,000 lbs) will be required to have back up cameras. I'm so glad they're doing this. It's about time. 

The one he chose came with a rear view mirror that clips on to the existing mirror and the backup camera was sold separately . It's kind of hard to explain, but the new clip on mirror looks and works just like a regular mirror, but when you put the car in reverse, the middle part of the mirror shows the view from the backup camera.

Here's the mirror we bought...

Back Up Camera Mirror

And the camera...

Back Up Camera

They do sell a wireless version, but at the last minute, we decided to get the wired one because with the wireless one, they would have to locate 2 more power sources to plug the transmitter into. Plus, we read that sometimes the wireless ones can have interference. 

Also, I think places like Best Buy will install these for you. 

I'm not going to go into details as to how they installed it, because every vehicle will be different, but basically they installed the camera at back of the vehicle, then ran the wires through the trunk, behind the driver's side door panels, and up to the mirror. The whole thing took around 3 hours.  

None of the wires are visible and it doesn't look any different than it did before. 

A few things to keep in mind...It really does work, but it's not nearly as good as the ones that come already installed on the cars. My older son's new truck has a back up camera and when in reverse, you can not only see behind you, but all the way down the street to the right and left. However, with this one from Amazon, you don't have as wide an angle. Still a good feature, just not as big a view.

Obviously you're going to get a much better picture with the ones that come already installed and show up on the LCD screens on the dash. As I said, this one shows up in the middle of the clip on mirror and when in reverse, the back up picture has a slight glare in the daytime. You can still see what's behind you, there's just a bit of a glare. It works great at night though. 

All in all, it was well worth the $40 for peace of mind. I would highly recommend, especially if you have little ones that play outside and around the garage or parking area. Or even pets, for that matter. Let me know if y'all have any questions and I'll do my best to answer. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lisa