How do you get Wire from engine compartment to inside car?

[Nomercy1981]

Hi

Pretty new here. I have a 2007 Vectra C 2.0T XP. I want to hardwire install a NEXTBASE 522GW dashcam with rear view camera but I don't know how to get the wire from inside of the car into the engines compartment were the fuse box is.

I also want to say I no NOTHING about cars. I don't know terminologies of things as I'm autistic. Has anyone got a video and step by step TOTAL IDIOT DUMMY GUIDE as to how to do this please?

Cant find anything online.

Many Thanks in Advance

Mike

[northpole]

You need to remove the glove box and the carpet on the passengers side... than you'll see where all the cables come into the cabin in a big round rubber grommet. You'll need someway of pulling the wire through that, I used a piece of gardening wire and wrapped my cable around that... than hooked it up directly to the battery... the only downside to that is it is always pulling power... I am going to put a switch on it that I will have somewhere in the mid console..that I can switch to turn on when I want it to...

My camera is a Chinese model that does record on motion, but it means it's always pulling power and I noticed if you don't drive the car for 2 days it manages to draw that much power the voltage in the battery drops below 12v... I do have an infrared motion camera pointed at my car so there is no need for the dashcam to do night- or daytime recording... I only need it for trips a simple on-off switch will do just fine for me....

[Nomercy1981]

You need to remove the glove box and the carpet on the passengers side... than you'll see where all the cables come into the cabin in a big round rubber grommet. You'll need someway of pulling the wire through that, I used a piece of gardening wire and wrapped my cable around that... than hooked it up directly to the battery... the only downside to that is it is always pulling power... I am going to put a switch on it that I will have somewhere in the mid console..that I can switch to turn on when I want it to...

My camera is a Chinese model that does record on motion, but it means it's always pulling power and I noticed if you don't drive the car for 2 days it manages to draw that much power the voltage in the battery drops below 12v... I do have an infrared motion camera pointed at my car so there is no need for the dashcam to do night- or daytime recording... I only need it for trips a simple on-off switch will do just fine for me....

What I was going to do was use a fuse adapter and take the Cigarette lighter fuse out and connect it in there and re attach the fuse so it turns off with the ignition so it doesn't draw power. is there no other way? I don't know how to take the glove box out or the carpet. I might have to pay for someone to install it then because knowing me I will screw it up some how. I'm utterly useless.

[northpole]

I used that but it causes the internal battery to drain very fast... now mine isn't a big brand so you might want to check how long your dashcam stays on without power...(after a full charge of said battery ofcourse) a piggyback fuse holder doesn't work on the dash fusebox by the way they stick out to far...

[Nomercy1981]

I used that but it causes the internal battery to drain very fast... now mine isn't a big brand so you might want to check how long your dashcam stays on without power...(after a full charge of said battery ofcourse) a piggyback fuse holder doesn't work on the dash fusebox by the way they stick out to far...

I watched a Nextbase video and the way its hard wired is into the fuse box using the adapter in the hardwire kit using the cigarette fuse hole.

Anyway I have given in and got it from Halfords and paid for them to install it. I don't care about the money, but since you said I needed to remove all that stuff it put me off doing it myself and i'll let them do it, if they muck it up Its their fault not mine.

Thanks for the advice anyway.

[northpole]

I watched a Nextbase video and the way its hard wired is into the fuse box using the adapter in the hardwire kit using the cigarette fuse hole.

Anyway I have given in and got it from Halfords and paid for them to install it. I don't care about the money, but since you said I needed to remove all that stuff it put me off doing it myself and i'll let them do it, if they muck it up Its their fault not mine.

Thanks for the advice anyway.

if your camera needs a direct 12v source...(just like my mine)for hard wiring it'll have problems keeping the settings and eat sd-cards....

The cigarette lighter fuse unlike most cars on a vectra is off when the car is switched off... it is the reason I went for a direct connection to the battery...

Long story short: if you notice you have to keep setting the date on your camera that is the reason why it does that.. it also is no good for the sd-card your camera uses if it keeps loosing power while it's actually recording...

Anyway you did the right thing have it installed, but keep your eye on the dashcam after a view days it might just start loosing it's settings if it does go back to halfords. That is if they use the cigarette lighter fuse.

[Big Dave]

You can get an OBD2 connector that connects to a dash cam (or any other USB device). Some also have low voltage protection and automatically switch off if the battery voltage drops below a certain figure.

[northpole]

mine has that option but for some reason it doesn't switch off as it should(probably because the internal battery is just to low powered)...
i'm going to fit a switch on it an on/off switch have been looking on eBay for a switch that has the letters dvr incorporated... and illumination, haven't found one yet but if nothing pops up it'll be a simple on/off without illumination... fitted out of sight.. but i want to incorporate it like it's oem... will see what pops up, i might have to look at China ( aliexpress/alibaba/etc) for a switch that resembles the oem switches in the car...

[dbvectraturbo]

Probably too late now but u can put a wire through the driver side just between the wing and the wiper. Behind scuttle panel obviously

[northpole]

can be done but it might damage the cable in the long run.