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Interested in retrofitting a reversing camera and / or parking sensors to my 62 plate

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  • Interested in retrofitting a reversing camera and / or parking sensors to my 62 plate

    After beginning to get into the idea of upgrading my lights, I've been looking around the forum and found that it is possible to retrofit a reversing camera to the Insignia. This is something that I've always wished the car had, particularly after a couple of minor taps on the rear end!

    I saw a thread on here where someone recommended VXMods, as I wouldn't feel confident doing this myself. He stated that the reversing camera is easy enough, but the parking sensors are much much more expensive. I think he said about £300 for the reversing camera and something like £540 for the parking sensors! It's a steep price to pay for a 7 year old car with over 100,000 miles but I'm still considering it.

    I wondered if anybody here knew of anyone else who I could contact about possibly getting this done? See how much other people may charge and compare the differences.

    I did like that VX Mods was also located in the North West, which was handy, and he seemed pleasant enough. But one thing that did throw me off a little, other than the price, is that in all of his pictures showing off the reversing camera, it always catches the registration plate. I've driven other cars where this doesn't happen. Is this normal for Insignias, or is that just because of the way he installs them? Ideally I want to be seeing as much of the space behind the vehicle as possible, not the reg plate.

    I've had a quick Google search this morning and I've found this site called AVR Mobiles which I think states that they do the parking sensors for over half the price compared to VX Mods. But what would the difference be in them? Say if I got VX Mods to do the camera, and someone else like these to do the parking sensors, would they work together?

  • #2
    Originally posted by Visual Hudson View Post
    After beginning to get into the idea of upgrading my lights, I've been looking around the forum and found that it is possible to retrofit a reversing camera to the Insignia. This is something that I've always wished the car had, particularly after a couple of minor taps on the rear end!

    I saw a thread on here where someone recommended VXMods, as I wouldn't feel confident doing this myself. He stated that the reversing camera is easy enough, but the parking sensors are much much more expensive. I think he said about £300 for the reversing camera and something like £540 for the parking sensors! It's a steep price to pay for a 7 year old car with over 100,000 miles but I'm still considering it.

    I wondered if anybody here knew of anyone else who I could contact about possibly getting this done? See how much other people may charge and compare the differences.

    I did like that VX Mods was also located in the North West, which was handy, and he seemed pleasant enough. But one thing that did throw me off a little, other than the price, is that in all of his pictures showing off the reversing camera, it always catches the registration plate. I've driven other cars where this doesn't happen. Is this normal for Insignias, or is that just because of the way he installs them? Ideally I want to be seeing as much of the space behind the vehicle as possible, not the reg plate.

    I've had a quick Google search this morning and I've found this site called AVR Mobiles which I think states that they do the parking sensors for over half the price compared to VX Mods. But what would the difference be in them? Say if I got VX Mods to do the camera, and someone else like these to do the parking sensors, would they work together?
    You can fit aftermarket sensors it be a cheaper option. And for the reverse camera, you can also fit this yourself, but you need an xcarlink device to intercept the signal on the factory display so it can transmit the reverse image on the display.
    As for the seeing the numberplate on camera, it depends where you mounted it.
    This is mine when i had it installed

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    • #3
      VXMods will use genuine items where it will come up on the display of your speedo... Yes he can be pricey (people have always said that) but he will do a good job... The camera alone costs £150 for a genuine one, then you need a VCI code to activate it on your radio setup which is £40. So thats £190 accounted for right away... And unfortunately its not a service I would offer...
      Tools Owned - MDI2 / Tech2 & lots more!
      questions for me? email me at plasmasrepairs@gmail DOT com

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by plasma View Post
        VXMods will use genuine items, Yes he can be pricey (people have always said that) but he will do a good job
        You and Andy are best buddies now

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        • #5
          Originally posted by plasma View Post
          VXMods will use genuine items where it will come up on the display of your speedo
          The op has preface.

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          • #6
            Yeah unfortunately it's not going to come up on my speedo, but I believe that it should come up on my Navi 600. Although I did say to him that I was a bit concerned about resetting it because when I got the car a few years ago, it took weeks for the bluetooth to connect to my phone. It was very weird. It would connect to everyone else's fine, but just not mine. Hopefully I don't have that problem again if I do get VX Mods to do it.

            Originally posted by sriray View Post
            You can fit aftermarket sensors it be a cheaper option. And for the reverse camera, you can also fit this yourself, but you need an xcarlink device to intercept the signal on the factory display so it can transmit the reverse image on the display.
            As for the seeing the numberplate on camera, it depends where you mounted it.
            This is mine when i had it installed
            https://insignia-drivers.uk/threads/...-thread/page16
            I am leaning towards getting sensors as well as a reversing camera, but the cost of especially doing it through VX Mods is off putting as I've said. Is there any difference to getting aftermarket sensors? This is something I really don't know anything about.

            You say that I could fit the reversing camera myself, realistically how hard is this? I don't know anything when it comes to wiring up a car nor taking them apart. Also I have heard about this xcarlink device once or twice, but I don't really know what it is either. Could you help enlighten me with this too? How about the fact that plasma said I'd need the VCI code, as well?

            Also I've looked at the link you posted, and I do think it is more than likely going to be welllllll out of my depth, but is it possible to fit one of those Tesla-style screens in my car? Or is it not compatible with my car because of it's age or whatever? And yes, how you have your camera is exactly how I'd want it. Can't see the reg plate at all.

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            • #7
              So I've been looking into this whole thing a bit more and talking to Andy at VX Mods over the last few weeks.

              I think getting him to do the parking sensors is not a financially viable option. £570 just for rear sensors, I can't afford. He says he can do the reversing camera for £300 which I am considering though. My only concern (outside of bluetooth issues stated previously) is being able to see what's behind me at night. I asked him if the reversing camera has lights, he said that it does not and only aftermarket cameras have lights, but they're not compatible with factory equipment. He has sent me a picture he says a customer took for him to show how the reversing camera worked at night.

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              I said that it looks like there are external or street lights on lighting up the area around the back of the car, and I asked or is it that the camera has IR / night vision. He says the customer (I'm presuming it's actually him) confirms that there were no street lights or external lights, but the camera does have night vision. Also that he's fitted hundreds and had no complaints.

              Now when I've seen the reversing cameras online and on his own facebook page, it does not look to me like they have IR / night vision?

              Click image for larger version

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              Normally when you see like night vision security cameras, they have like ring of IR blasters around the lens, but this does not look like it does.

              My concern is that I work at night, and where I park there is not always or not good street lighting, and so I want to ensure that if I do get a camera installed I'm actually going to be able to use it when I'm actually in the car. I know in my other thread, I've just spoken about how my HIDs are useless because it's now BST and so it's not always going to be pitch black behind me, but I don't want to get to winter and then be no better off with the camera than I was without it.

              I also don't like how the registration plate is in view of the camera. I asked if that can be adjusted, and he said that's it's not for looking down the street, but he could do the best he can. Now I get that, but when I've used reversing cameras in other cars I don't think I've ever seen the reg plate on the camera before. I get that this is an aftermarket mod, but he's meant to be doing them like how Vauxhall would have done in the factory and to me it just doesn't seem right to me that you can see it.

              Anyway, so can anyone confirm to me how the reversing cameras without lights do perform at night time without street / external lighting? Do the cameras actually have night vision?

              I had actually nearly decided that I was going Cobra 0394 parking sensors installed for me by this company called Professional Retrofits as I thought that they would be much more useful regardless of light, at a wider angle, and at both the front & back of the car. However for front and rear sensors with them it's £534 which whilst it is still cheaper than getting VXMods to install just rear sensors, it's nearly twice the price of the reversing camera. I really can't afford to spend that. I suppose I could get rears and then maybe fronts later, instead of the reversing camera, but I've literally only just thought about that so I'm going to have to think about it a bit more and come up with a final decision!

              Comment


              • #8
                £210 for the front and rear kit and that leaves them £320 to install them, not bad for about 4 hrs work!
                Tools Owned - MDI2 / Tech2 & lots more!
                questions for me? email me at plasmasrepairs@gmail DOT com

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by plasma View Post
                  £210 for the front and rear kit and that leaves them £320 to install them, not bad for about 4 hrs work!
                  £80 an hour

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