[Thinksnow]

I was looking at buying a 2015 350XLT wagon medium roof. It does not have a back up camera and I want to add one. I went to fordparts.com and search for it. It shows a camera assembly the plugs into the license plate wiring harness. That seems a bit to simple. Do all the harnesses have the plug of do I need to change that whole harness so I can plug in? Is there any other components to be purchased/installed?
http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/P...ch=true&year=2015&make=Ford&model=Transit-350

 

[Thinksnow]

I know so members on here have installed the rearviewsafety system that replaces your third brake light. I have the rain sensing wipers so I can't use the replacement mirror, I have to use the clip on mirror monitor of the free standing monitor. Any feed back on this set up? I would appreciate a pic of the clip on monitor or the free standing monitor as a finished product if anyone has one.
Thanks so much.

http://www.rearviewsafety.com/backup-camera-system-for-2015-ford-transit-cargo-vans.html

 

[alarmist]

Rearview Safety is probably the worst company I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. The products are terrible and the customer service is appalling. The good news is as cameras are now mandated for new vehicles, they will probably fail soon, thus putting themselves out of our misery.

The factory camera location sucks. Even if you could simply plug in a factory camera (which I doubt would work as there are intermediary modules involved), it's a substandard solution.

Pioneer makes a camera with excellent field of view which, if mounted near the center light (might not be a brake light on a 350) will give you a view from bumper to horizon, obviating the need for a rearview mirror. There are a lot of significantly cheaper options, but you get what you pay for.

Regardless of what van options you have, as long as you have a factory rearview mirror, there are myriad sources on ebay and amazon for 9" monitors which clip to the rear view mirror. It's all the same Chinese monitor, so find the cheapest vendor. They work just fine.

Installation... fun. There are threads here on how to get wires where you need them, how to get power, etc.

 

[Thinksnow]

Thats a lot of information, thank you. What about Brandmotion? As I search that name continuously pops up.

 

[USMC Vet]

Thinksnow,

I used a TadiBrothers camera system, the 3 camera, rear and both sides. You can choose a 7, 9 or 10 inch monitor. Rear camera can be always on, I have it hooked up to side cameras, so when turn signal is activated it switches to that view and then back to rear when signal is off.

Semper Fi

 

[justcallben]

This one works pretty well

I tried this because it had decent reviews and I also had a rear view mirror monitor left over from my old van.

The things I like best are that the camera looks OEM, very similar to the rear sensors in size and shape, and that the rear view monitor powers up with the cam (the cam is powered by the reverse lights). It works better on this van than it ever did on my old GMC.

The cam came with it's own drill bit/hole saw so there was no guessing about size and, surprisingly, the bit made a very clean and accurate hole.

In the vid you can hear me shift to reverse and back to drive.

 

[asdrew]

This thread is 2 years old and has some good information for anyone looking to add a camera, so rather than starting a new thread here is a new TE-FORD-BU-2 plug and play kit from Metra (click for link):

(it is made specifically for our Transits)

 

[Truck]

I killed two birds with one stone -

replaced the garbage stock audio system with a multi media bluetooth head unit - ran my own camera that I had sitting around and ordered a $30 back up camera.

The ford system is too horrible to even consider keeping and try to retrofit camera tech into (for me and my value system anyway)

 

[Ghostshaper]

I recently put in a 7" pioneer head unit and bought the Tovgear 3rd brake light/camera combo ($69 on Amazon). I can switch to the camera whenever I want, not just while backing up. It actually turns on when I start the van, which can be annoying, too.

I have a bike rack on the rear hitch, so the factory camera is useless. The top down perspective is awesome.

Most difficult part of the installation was running the wire from the back to the head unit.

 

[Truck]

I recently put in a 7" pioneer head unit and bought the Tovgear 3rd brake light/camera combo ($69 on Amazon). I can switch to the camera whenever I want, not just while backing up. It actually turns on when I start the van, which can be annoying, too.

I have a bike rack on the rear hitch, so the factory camera is useless. The top down perspective is awesome.

Most difficult part of the installation was running the wire from the back to the head unit.

Sounds like your power for the camera is tied to ignition - which is fine for when you want to use it anytime (and not just reverse). The HU will launch backup camera every time the camera gets 12+

I have a seperate switch to control the camera. With a flick, the camera is on, with a flick the camera is off. If I start the van - I flick both switches (stereo on, backup cam on) to instantly have backup cam, or I just leave the camera off if I don't need it.

So if you add a SPST switch to the 12+ line of your camera, you may control it as you please.

At first I hated the top down view, but once I got the lines on the screen set to perfectly project the van it works well. The on thing is hard to determine if you are backing up to a ledge that your overhang will clear, or if your hitch will hit the ledge instead.

 

[EL34xyz]

I have the Tovgear camera that replaces the upper stop light

I got it on Amazon, but it seems to be not available now
It was around $70
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0719QSF7M/[/ame]

I just added a small monitor to my dash and plugged in the camera
the camera has a really nice super wide field of view

 

[frorider]

I think (?) from what i've seen that there are a bunch of cheap Chinese rear brake light cameras that are all from teh same mfger but are sold under different brands anywhere from $70 to $200. I hear complaints about leaks (fixable w/ silicone caulk) and zero customer service.

But for 2018 the MR and HR transits come with a nice OEM ford rear camera in the third brake light. https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/camera-assy-6466103-1

I'm pretty sure it directly fits the hole in our Transits regardless of model year, but my concern is whether the Ford # 13412 wiring harness works directly for any model year? If so, this seems like the most robust solution but is over $400.

Like many Transit owners, I'm finding the license plate area camera somewhat useless (e.g. rear bike rack or trailer in the way). It appears Ford realized they were stupid for using that location and rectified the issue for 2018 model year.....?

 

[justcallben]

Not for nothing but did you check out my cam setup? I have the parking sensors in the rear bumper so I just mounted my rear view cam in a new drilled hole right in the center. Nobody can even tell what it is unless I point it out. http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/electronics-audio-lighting/24977-back-up-camera.html#post350402

Sure, some people like the cam up high but I like mine down where I can see low objects. Also, I don't like the big "wart" that comes along as part of the deal with that high mount brake light cam. Nobody seems to mind all these ugly a$$ bumps all over. I want to streamline everything.

Cheers.

 

[perchancetodream]

Rear traffic view

I like to keep an eye on traffic conditions behind, so I'm more interested in cameras that look straight back for a rear view. The obstructed middle of the view through the rear doors bugs me, and the bulkhead makes things worse.

I'm satisfied with the parking view of the stock camera.

 

[frorider]

you know the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of simply installing one down low in the bumper if I can get it low enough that my bike rack and lower ladder mount aren't obstructing it much. I found an image of the 2018 hi mount Ford camera/brake light -- I don't think it retrofits my 2015 van:

 

[Eiko]

I like to keep an eye on traffic conditions behind, so I'm more interested in cameras that look straight back for a rear view.

That would be nice. I was not able to find a rear view camera with a narrow enough FOV to allow a useful rear view mirror replacement. Let us know if you find one. It's going to have to be less than 90 deg FOV, maybe closer to 70 or 60 to mimic what you see in a rear view mirror.

 

[Travlin]

I like to keep an eye on traffic conditions behind, so I'm more interested in cameras that look straight back for a rear view. The obstructed middle of the view through the rear doors bugs me, and the bulkhead makes things worse.

I'm satisfied with the parking view of the stock camera.

As mine displays in the mirror (and I have no rear glass) I did the mod to have it on whenever the key is on. It is useful in traffic as I know precisely when I have cleared a vehicle in an adjacent lane. The rest of the time the FOV is too wide to use effectively for tracking traffic behind me as I had hoped it would. But hey, when they pull up behind me at a light I can now count the bugs on their grill.

 

[maxbrew]

http://www.brandmotion.com/camera-v...mirrors/7-3-lcd-display-mirror-fltw-7692.html

I have a 2018 model so my backup camera is already mounted high. I think it works well and I really like the feature that lets me "look" straight down at the bumper. However, I wanted something more and replaced my stock rearview mirror with the Brandmotion mirror connected to a LP camera. It lets me remove the reverse lines and I use it as a rearview mirror. While I do have windows in the back doors, I have them covered w/Strawfoot's insulated covers and have not removed them in a couple months. Worked great last week negotiating traffic in downtown New Orleans. I have a switch that lets me turn the camera on full time. Cut the switch off and it is just a rearview mirror. Works good for me.

 

[Eiko]

However, I wanted something more and replaced my stock rearview mirror with the Brandmotion mirror connected to a LP camera.

What's an LP camera?

 

[maxbrew]

License Plate.