I'll make a proper introduction as soon as it lands in my garage, but I'm finalizing the paperwork and shipping of a MY19.5 P380 R-Dynamic that is in great condition aside from (hopefully, anyway!) what seems to be a problem with the rearview/backup camera. I'm hoping someone can help me diagnose the problem and plot a repair strategy.

So, when the car is in reverse and the camera pops up on the infotainment screen, the view appears "vignetted" in that the field of view is masked with a circular cutout. In other words, it looks like the cam is peering through a tunnel. I'll attach a pic for clarity:


vignetted backup cam view

It seems like a relatively simple fix since the camera is working at least, however I don't know if it's alignment, a missing lens, a broken mount, or what. Anyone have any insight on how I should begin to tackle this?

 

Have you taken a look at the camera/lens on the back of the car? It will likely be visible what is going on, before you dig into the trunk lining. Either the whole camera assembly has come loose, in which case the lens won't be in the hole through the bodywork, or the camera assembly has separated from the lens cover that is what you see on the back of the car. Luckily you won't have to remove all the lining to get to the camera, just the rear section. I don't know how they mount and have already put all the trunk lining back in my car, but a visual inspection will definitely give you some idea of what is going on.

 

Thanks, @GerbilEngineer . Yeah, I have not had the chance to look at it myself yet, but I was wondering if this is a common problem with a common failure mode and a common resolution.

 

Our '14 can't vary the view on our rear camera (without whacking it with a BFH ) but our newer Lexus can. That car has several settings for the rear camera's 'view' or perspective.

See the CAMERAS 'button' on the upper left of the screen on the first picture? Can your '19 change views by pressing it?

 

Thanks. I don't have the car in-hand yet, so I don't know. Looking at it, and mainly judging by the color, I'd guess it doesn't; it looks like it's indicating that's the active mode. I also can't imagine why that view would be a selectable perspective; "tunnel vision"?? But, like I said, I don't have the car and don't know if it's selectable or not, so I'll check out everything when I get it next week.