Dash camera install with lots of detail

[ShiftyWolf]

Hey all. I had a Thinkware U1000 4K dash camera installed in my Audi and recently moved it over to the Taycan. My install hardwires to the fuses rather than doing a mirror tap.

I was surprised by how the A pillar trim safety features changed in just a few years and, even though the existing posts and photos on trim removal were helpful, I wanted to include a number of close-ups and detailed instructions to help encourage anyone who might otherwise be afraid to take this project on. I can say that running camera wiring inside the A pillar trim makes for a much nicer install and really isn't all that hard with the proper tools.

This is intended to be camera agnostic, but I'll gladly answer questions later if anyone wants to know why I went with the Thinkware over several other options.

Two very important tools you'll want before starting this project are a set of plastic trim removal tools (thanks, Amazon!) and a good compact flashlight.

And away we go!

For trim removal, start with the bottom pieces and work your way up. I removed the dashboard fuse box side panel (A) first, followed by the narrow piece (B) near the door hinge. Use the trim tools to gently pry the rubber door trim (C) away from and under the A pillar trim.

Now the part everybody seems to fear most. Gently pull the top of the A pillar trim away from the A pillar (toward the inside of the car). It will only move about 1/2 inch (12mm ) and stop. You can use the trim tools along the sides to do this or it might work with just your hands. Looking down from the top, you'll see a metal pin and tab holding the trim in place. You'll probably want the flashlight to see this best, and may also find it easier to see and work if you very gently push the headliner slightly out of your way.

Proof of VAG parts sharing above

You need to pull the tab indicated by the yellow arrow upward to release the pin from its groove. I found that one of my trim tools was perfect to get in there, hook to the tab, and pull it up.

With the metal piece removed, you can see how the trim piece fits into the A pillar (plastic tab into the hole and metal pin sliding down into the groove.

You'll see the orange braided ribbon and plastic "rivet" still holding the A pillar trim. While you could probably work with this in place, removing it is pretty simple. and makes your task much easier to accomplish.

(Story continuing in my next post)

 

[ShiftyWolf]

You'll have to pry the top to get that rivet off. You can use the blue trim tool from the post above or a putty knife to do the job.

To pull the rivet out, wedge a trim tool under the orange braid and pull upward.

Very useful trim tool for popping the rivet out

And the rivet once removed, showing how it's held in place.

Now the A pillar trim piece should pull away further, then you can pull it upward toward the headliner to remove the trim completely. You can see the plastic piece that fits into the A pillar, plus the circled location that holds the metal pin and tab.

And here's the A pillar connection by itself.

And also the metal pin itself.

For the camera wiring, I gently pried the headliner away from the top of the windshield and pushed my wire inside. There is not much room but everything seems held in place well. For the cleanest install and to avoid any possibility of the dash cam wire getting in the way of the A pillar airbag, I ran it alongside the existing wiring and used zip ties to secure the wire in several places. Then drop the wire down the bottom of the dash to the side panel fuses, completely hidden from sight.

The below photo shows how the metal pin fits into the A pillar slot for demonstration, but be aware that you'll want to reinstall the pin onto the trim piece BEFORE pushing it back into place.

Now you can reinstall the A pillar trim. Put the metal pin/tab back in place, and reattach the rivet and braided orange cord. Orient the trim properly and slide it downward into the dash. There is a metal tab toward the bottom that engages in a slot with a simple push, then you'll need to push the top back in place. Make sure the braided cord is not in your way; I pushed it back and up into the headliner.

Note that when you push the top of the trim piece back, the arrowhead portion (1) of the metal pin will engage first, then you'll need to give another hard whack to push the pin so the second portion (2) is fully held into the metal slot.

 

[ShiftyWolf]

From there, it's a pretty simple process to finish everything. That great big piece of metal makes a terrific ground attachment point, and I used a multimeter to determine which fuse rows were switched and which were constantly powered. My camera wiring had inline fuses, so I just used spade connectors rather than add-a-fuse for a cleaner look.

Here's the camera fully installed and operational, plus a few stills I grabbed from the recorded video. It's been raining all weekend but I think you get the point of how well the camera records out the front.

Actual video is 4K resolution. Porsche, please note the wide field of view that is still crystal clear and not overly fisheye!

Hopefully this is helpful to someone in the future who wants to add something and is uncertain about pulling the trim.

Thanks for following along!

 

[DerekS]

Great post and very good details! Thanks!

 

[bn8959]

I understood the 12v sockets run for 30 minutes after the ignition is switched off. Do you know if any of those fuses are switched that way? I have a BlackVue with a parking battery. On short journeys it doesn’t have time to charge, but having it run for 30 mins extra would be ideal, as the battery pack should fully charge in that time.

 

[ShiftyWolf]

I understood the 12v sockets run for 30 minutes after the ignition is switched off. Do you know if any of those fuses are switched that way?

Looks like no. I just tested this and the switched fuse bank went to 0 volts right after I switched off the ignition.

 

[bn8959]

Thanks for checking. Its not a major issue but would have been nice and easy improvement as mine it already connected in that location via a fuse tap.

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