Skeeter3

Hi folks,

Just swapped over my Viofo a119v3 dashcam to my 08 ES350 and rather than hardwire it, I went the simple route of just plugging it into the cigarette lighter port (USB-A). In essence, I just ran the cable behind the headliner, behind the passenger A-pillar, under the glove box, and under the tunnel, into the center console's 12V port. This does mean that the camera is only on when the car is on. This is a relatively easy job, requires no special tools, and should take less than an hour. I'll do a quick write up here to hopefully help people in the future. Depending on whether you want to run your power cable to the center console, or the ash tray 12v port, you'll need quite a long cable. Mine was 4m (13ft) and reached the center console via it's rear, so budget ~10ft to reach the 12v plug by the shifter.

Tools needed:
-Trim removal tool (or your hands)
-Drill and drill bits (optional)
-Small zip ties or duct/electrical tape for wire management
-10mm wrench

Steps:
Precursor: disconnect negative battery terminal, 10mm nut. There's an airbag behind the A-pillar trim, better safe than sorry.

1. Get an idea of where you want your dash cam to be. I mounted my dash cam on the passenger side, behind the rear view but within the wipers' range, so that the windshield is wiped during rain. Tape the end of your power cable that plugs into your dash cam in its approximate spot on the windshield, and start tucking the rest up behind the headliner. Continue towards the passenger A-pillar.

2. Remove passenger A-pillar. Pry outward at the top where it meets the headliner. It should pop out with a bit of force. You'll be met by a captive wishbone looking piece of plastic that you need to manipulate through a hole to get the trim piece off. Below is the image of it removed, I mangled it with pliers and rotated it 90deg to get it through the hole, it's a PITA. Then remove the center clip on the A-pillar trim by pulling out. There's one more clip on this trim piece, see step 3.




3. Where the door meets the dash, there is a skinny trim piece. The top of this skinny trim piece holds the bottom of the A pillar trim piece in place. Pop it out from the top and the A pillar trim will come out.


4. Finish tucking your power wire up under the headliner and bring it down the A-pillar. I taped mine to the existing wires. I used tape rather than zip ties because I just undid this process on my previous car to remove this dash cam and getting the zip ties off was annoying. Make sure you don't run your wire in front of the airbag. Keep it clear.



5. Back to the picture on Step 3: pop out this skinny trim piece most of the way. It may bring the door seal with it, that's ok. Run your wire back behind it and down into the floor board. Then pop the door seal and the skinny trim piece back in.

6. From here, run your cable up above where the passenger feet go. Frankly, I duct taped my wire to the plastic and ran it through the floor vent opening and over to the center tunnel. You may be able to run it further towards the front of the car where the carpet ends, I may go back and do that.


7. Ok, your wire is now by the passenger's left shin area. Tuck it up under the tunnel and decide where you want to plug it in to. If you want to use the cigarette port right in front of the shifter, just pop the wire out here (and loop up any slack under the dash, tucked away somewhere). If you want to run it into the center console, keep running the wire between the carpet and tunnel plastic all the way back to the rear seat area and go to next step.


8. To run it into the center console (cleanly), you'll have to drill a hole in the back of the console by removing the rear vent panel. Pry off the panel using fingers or trim removal tool. It just pops out towards the rear seats. No screws or anything. Run the wire down the tunnel from the front of the car, just tuck it up between the carpet, and it will pop out in the back by this rear vent panel in the lower right. I used a small drill bit to get a pilot hole then a step bit to enlarge until a USB-A could fit through. In below pic, red is the hole and aqua is the wire path.


Then just run your wire through the hole, into your center console and into the 12V/USB-A plug of your choice.

Hope this helps someone. I find it easy to un-do when selling the car, and don't have to bother tapping into wires or soldering or anything.

TCoolest2

Very good.

spaceballs

Good guide, I've been doing this to all my cars, I'm too lazy to properly wire it, but it works a charm.

luxuryrice

The drilled hole in the Cc is nice thinking , will have to steal this idea to lessen the clutter of wires under my front seat.