How to keep backup cameras clean?
 

So my cars (Mini and TLX) both have backup cameras. But I find that in our winter, it's extremely difficult to keep them clean.

Whenever it rains, the camera becomes useless the next few days unless I keep cleaning them every time before I drive. And even then, it often becomes covered by water/dirt by the time I arrive to my destination and need it for parking.

Yes, I know it's a first world problem, but what's good when you have these gadgets on your car and they are a PITA in real life usage?

So, is there any water/dirt repellent that I can apply on them so I don't need to keep wiping them?

... Wipe it once and a while?

Edit: a dab of rainX or equivalent

i've tried that. dosen't work :(

all i can do is whenever i am outside of the car, i make a conscious effort to wipe the lens with my thumb when i can. otherwise it's covered in crap and is useless...

i wish i had this (the camera not the car):

Nissan Debuts Intelligent Self-Cleaning Rear View Camera on New Note [w/Video]

Serious question, but will wiping the dirty lens of the rear view camera cause scratches on it?

i've noticed no difference with the oem camera on my mom's mdx over the last 4 years? but i think the lens is glass... same goes for the kenwood aftermarket camera soundsgood installed on my dad's ride to replace another cheaper one from china that filled up with water and it was like looking through a fishbowl :(

but i've seen cheap aftermarket cameras with a plastic lens and i cannot vouch for those :o

My TL has a reverse camera and I am very surprised how well it works. The whole back side of the car and be filthy and it is still usable. It does get dirty and wet but it still seems to do very well.

One thing I have done since owning the car is put a layer of paint sealant on the lens (when I detail the car) and I find it helps keep the water off for the most part (could also be due to its location, not totally sure)

On SUV's I find they get very dirty due to the aero of the vehicle and the turbulence that throws dirt up the back of the vehicle. Only thing I would do then is make it a habit to walk by and just wipe it clean.....that or do the old school turning the head thing to back up :P

My parents have the new VW Golf that has the camera tucked into the badge/hatch lever and only reveals the camera when it shifts into reverse. One of the best convenience features ever.

yeah i remember that. i bought a euro one from ecs tuning for my mk5 long ago. it works great and having a dirty lens never occured to me, but in super cold weather the mechanism freezes up and the camera won't pop out... but then again it rarely ever gets that cold out here.

Finally, others who feel my pain :lol

How to keep backup cameras clean?
 

same here....countless acuras with the same issue. it's a poor design I'm thinking. had a rental rav4 last week and the camera was always clean even from the snow slush in the Wisconsin winter.

As a person without a back up camera I never really thought about this issue. Never dawned on me why companies are hiding them in emblems but I guess its a fix for this problem. More then "it just looks cool"
http://assets.passionperformance.ca/...wagen_Golf.jpg
http://thenewswheel.com/wp-content/u...coln-MKX-1.jpg

^a german car and a lincoln with a fancy gimicky feature. surely wont ever break :lol:



lick your finger and give it a quick wipe when you walk by every now and then. seriously, are you guys that soft?

im soft now.

OP needs a camera to park a mini and a tlx... my pickup truck has a camera and i dont even use it. properly adjusted mirrors ftw.

The whole pivoting rear camera thing in the VW is a cool idea, but in 10 years I bet most wont work right any more.
Simple is best.

Simple is always best. Look at what happens to a BMW 7 series after 5 years let alone 10

the vw setup is pretty straightforward. a spring loaded badge with a camera attached to the backside, and a solenoid that would push it out with the reverse light signal. take it out of reverse and the camera goes back in.

if someone could figure out how to make just the camera itself pop in and out of some sort of opening it would be perfect, but from what i'm googling, manufactuers are leaning towards system where it's tied to the rear windshield washer to spray the camera... but that dosen't work for people like me who drive something without a rear wiper :(

The mercedes CLA also has a backup camera which comes out of a small door by the license plate...

Only picture I can find of it:

http://www.gaadi.com/auto-reviews/wp...rse-Camera.jpg

It's not that I need the camera to park, but when you are parking, the camera does a much better job when you are trying to park into a very tight spot.

With camera, you can back it to the limit of literally kissing the other bumper... without the camera, you just keep on going back and forth. So it does make a difference.

I tried to google around for some solution for 2hrs... nothing.

It's not so much of a problem in summer or down in Cali... my wife's S7 has all-around view (4 cameras) in Cali and we never noticed the problem. But it's bad here.

No... the lens is quite durable (as expected... it supposed to withstand the elements). But when you get dirt and water on it, it becomes blurry as hell.

I just quick wipe with my fingers every time

@hehe spot on

Not much you can do about it, sometimes I have to hop out and wipe it if I'm going to an extremely tight spot. It's better to do that rather than misjudge distance and back my truck into a pole or something. The lack of view behind me is a bit difficult in a pick up truck, haha!

I have been driving without backup camera for 15 years, be a man lol

These images of cameras hidden behind the cars emblems you guys are posting remind me of a peeping tom lol

People also drove cars with wooden wheels that were drawn by horses for 100 years, maybe you should be a man and go back to driving one of those.

Seriously one of the dumbest things I see every day, "But I've been doing it this way for XX years", SO? now there is a better, more convenient, easier, more economical, etc, way of doing it.

Be fucking dinosaur, but don't criticize those that adopt new technology and use it to their benefit.

It's always been said, the seven most expensive words in business are:

The same shit applies to your bullshit post.