Hi everybody,

as the thread title hints my rear view camera got broken (fuzzy/blurry image, sometimes artifacts in the picture etc.) If this is the case with your car also I would advise the following: First check for any moisture or dirt inside the camera lens. If this is your problem, likely the fix will be to change your camera. However if your picture is crisp, but it only flickers occasionally it could also be a loose cable so dont buy a new camera just yet. First check the cables that go to the camera (the one inside the trunk is easy to check). Flickering and artifacts in the picture also may mean a broken sensor or logic so in that case a new camera is your way to go.

On the other hand new cameras cost heaps so if it's only moisture maybe you will be able to take it apart and fix it... I will inform here how that goes.



On to the actual process, it is really straightforward.

First remove the plastic housing around the lid lock. This comes off just by pulling it out gently while peeling from the sides. It requires some but not excessive force.


Then remove all the screws holding the trunk liner in place. There are 11 of them. Press very gently, concentrate on trying to turn the screw.


If some screw refuses to come out there are two options. Firstly press on the carpet around the screw while attempting to remove it. This worked for a few screws.


Next option is to take a screwdriver, and screw the smallest screw you can find on to the plastic screw. This will work as a handle you can pull the plastic screw out with. If you don't screw it in too deep you will probably be able to reuse it.


After removing the carpet remove all the cables, taking note of the order of the two similar looking connectors on the left hand side (circled in red in the picture).



Now it is only a matter of removing all the nuts holding the chrome trim on. There are altogether 7 of them, if I remeber correctly. Take note on the far left and far right nuts. But before you pop your tools out, spray the nuts with a penetrating fluid such as WD-40. This will hopefully spare you from the next few steps.




If you notice excess resistance on the nut and it refuses to spin, try to put additional penetrating fluid on it and wait a moment. If this doesn't help grab the end of the bolt with pliers and try to open the nut with a wrench, so that the pliers are absorbing the extra force you put on. This will hopefully prevent the plastic that holds the bolt from breaking.


However if you can't get anything to work and/or the nut is already spinning freely you are left only with the option to cut it off. This takes a lot of patience and caution. Please have a fire extinguisher at handy, in case the sparks from your grinder happen to catch something on fire. Also do not hit the trunk with the spinning blade. This will make you and your car cry (if you do clean it and lay some fresh paint on top to prevent rusting). How I got about is that I used a Dremel, which is just the right size for this sort of stuff. First I cut the nut off halfway, and then turned to a 90 degree angle against the lid and cut the nut open from the middle in order to peel it off. This took maybe 30 minutes or more to do, as I had to be incredibly careful.

On the right side you will notice a broken plastic support, that was probably broken already before I started the removal. On the left you have the nut I cut off.

Now that you have all the nuts off and cables detached you can start gently removing the trim, pulling it out away from the trunk lid. Once the two cables going through the lid start getting tight just push them from the inside to pop the rubber out and pull them through.

Removing the camera is simple, just gently bend the plastic clip on one side and then lift that side up, pulling the camera off.


Installation is a reversal of the removal procedure. A couple notes to that though:
1. Be careful to align all the bolts on the trim to the holes on the lid before you try to push the trim back in place.
2. Do yourself and all the future owners of the car a favor and put some anti-seize on to the bolts before screwing the nuts on.
3. DO NOT overtighten the nuts. This could break the supporting plastic.
4. Pay attention to the two similar cables when attaching. A picture helps. The other one has 3 and the other 4 cables, so mismatching them takes some skill.

I did actually not have a camera handy when I did this, so I will still have to buy a new one.

The camera spare parts no. is:
C2Z17243

This I believe is for all model years but check with your reseller first.

If you need to replace the chrome trim, the chrome trim spare parts no. is:
C2Z16227

This is for pre-facelift models. Check with your reseller if you need the facelift or sportback version.

You will find both of these online.

Also I noticed some other problems such as a cracked license plate light housing and two broken bulbs, so off to fetching new as well.

I put the trim back on without the camera and it works for now but I'm considering replacing it for looks and the sake of the few broken bolt supports.

Hope this helped someone,

Cheers,
Dare

 

any update on if you were able to take the camera apart, remove the moisture and re-seal it? I had this issue on my original camera. Swapped it out with a used camera and within weeks that one had the same problem. I think over time the seals wear down so buying a used camera is not the way to go.....

 

Those clips on the rear chrome trim are the ****ing worst!!! They are poorly designed with not enough contact so they eventually become brittle and break off one by one - I gorilla glued all the edges of those tabs just in case but yet to see if they'll be ok.

 

I actually did, and I decided to wait a while before posting anything to check if any issues occur but then forgot to reply. I will post instructions with pictures here in a moment, it's relatively simple.

Could not agree more. Anyone in the car field knows steel bolts rust in only a couple years and in due time they will be impossible to break off without excessive force. Having the bolts attached only by means of a flimsy plastic plate is a ridiculous idea. I'm fairly certain many mechanics at shops have glued them back on if service has been necessary.

I still haven't changed the chrome trim on my car but will do it soon and I'll be sure to put plenty of copper grease on the bolts to keep them from seizing.

 

Below are instructions on how to fix a foggy rear view camera


1. First take the camera apart by unscrewing the four torx screws on the case, lift the case door, remove the seal and remove the silica gel bag




2. Then unscrew the motherboard and carefully lift it up to reveal the lens.
Warning! Be careful not to touch the camera sensor as it is very fragile!




3. Place the camera in an oven on top of an oven mitten or similar.




4. Set the oven to 80 degrees Celcius and set the timer to ab. 2 hours. This step is for evaporating the moisture within the camera housing and lens.
Warning! Do not exceed this temperature or damage to the camera may occur!




5. Remove the camera from the oven and set it to cool down on a table. Make sure the motherboard is still lifted slightly from the case and not sealed against the lens. Allow the camera to cool down for a couple of hours and let the possible moisture evaporate.

6. While the camera is cooling down set the silica gel bag into the oven in order to reactivate it.




7. Set the oven to 120 degrees Celsius and the timer to 2 hours.




8. Once the silica gel has been reactivated and the camera has cooled down, look through the camera lens and carefully inspect the camera casing to make sure no water is left inside.


9. Once positive no water is inside the camera, carefully reattach the motherboard making sure that the camera sensor is snug against the lens, and tighten it down.




10. Insert the silica gel back into the case. Check the seal for any possible cracks, re-install and install the case door. If there are cracks visible in the seal either replace it or use a small amount of silicone glue on both sides of the seal to make sure it is waterproof before installing the case door. Only use a minimal amount of silicone to prevent it from gluing the case together permanently!


11. Check the tubing around the cables that enter the camera for any possible cracks. Also check the seal around the cable entry point for cracks. The usual cause for moisture inside the camera is the seal or tubing failure.

If you find cracks in the tubing, insert a generous amount of silicone glue inside the tubing from the crack to fill it up around it properly and prevent leakage.

Whether or not you find cracks in the cable seal you may notice that it is a little loose and not a snug fit around the cable tubing. I suggest using silicone glue inside and around the seal to make sure it is waterproof.

This step is in order to prevent the moisture from re-entering the camera.




12. After sealing it up, wrap some fabric tape (similar as used in car wiring looms) around the siliconed parts to make sure the silicone stays in place. The fabric tape will take any abuse that the silicone or tubing would have taken. In my case the tubing was cracked and this was the likely cause of the leakage, so after sealing it up with silicone I wrapped the area where the crack was with tape.




10. Re-attach the camera to the car and check to see if it works.



In my case it worked like a charm. I have now used it for over a year after this fix was done and no issues have arisen since, so I declare it a success.

 

great write up. I'll be attempting this

did you put the silica gel package into the casing and close it up (i.e. leaving the silica in there permanently)?

 

Thanks, I’m glad if I can help. Yes I did, that’s the way the manufacture intended it so that’s what I did as well. The silica will (should) absorb any small amount of moisture that is or gets inside the camera during changes in temperature.

Keep in mind I didn’t modify the casing seal in any way and didn’t glue it on so the camera could still be taken apart again if needed. I only used the silicone glue around the cable entry and the crack in the cable tubing. That’s served me well so far and I would imagine most similar issues can be solved the same way.

 

My 2009 XF has a rear camera issue that I haven't seen discussed on this board. The image that appears is washed out as if completely over-exposed. This occurs particularly in bright sunlight (I live in Texas so there's a lot of that!). I've tried cleaning the camera lense but that hasn't helped. Could this be a cable problem or would the camera itself need to be replaced? Has anyone else experienced this problem? Thanks for the help.

 

I haven't had the issue you've described, but here are my thoughts on the subject:

Have you tried shading the camera lens with e.g. your hand when the over-exposure occurs? Ask a friend to do it? This way you could determine whether it has something to do with the sunlight. Does it fix itself if you turn it off and back on again without moving the car? Could you post a picture of the issue?

If shading it helps, it sounds like the camera has difficulties adjusting to the lighting and/or there is something off with the lens that causes too much sunlight to be directed into the sensor. If it doesn't, it sounds like a issue with the camera itself. The second test would help with checking that.

As far as wiring goes, to my understanding the camera signal is transmitted via one-channel composite analog video signal. Usually you would expect to see it go completely out, flicker or flash if it were an issue with the wiring, but this doesn't rule the possibility out.

Is this issue new to you or has it been present as long as you've had the vehicle? If it's the latter it could be a software issue that has been fixed with an update but I'm not aware of such. Someone with more knowledge about the subject could tune in on that.

 

Here is a quick fix that appears to have successful on my long intermittent then finally failing camera:-

1. Select a dry sunny day with the boot facing the sun, preferably with the boot in the open position.
2. Use a hairdryer to warm the camera, do this gently several times with 15 minute breaks in between. This should disperse any water inside.
3. Leave for a couple of hours then, whilst the boot is up and open, liberally spray WD40 into the narrow gap around the camera lens.
4. Leave the boot up and open for a couple of hours.
5. Close the boot and wipe off any excess WD40
6. Keep the camera projected from water for a week and review results.
7. If it doesnt work, repeat from step1
8. If it does work, clean the narrow gap around the lens thoroughly, then seal it with a translucent sealant ensuring the gapp is fully filled. Clean off any excess from the camera imediately.

Hope it works as well for you.

Dave

 

First post but I'll do a proper introduction soon.
Have this issue with my 2016 XF... It seems that everyone does!

Any advice on disassembly?

So going to be taking mine to bits to dry it out soon, but I did think that it's common for commercial CCTV to have anti-misting heating elements.

Linking up one of these 12v 6w PTC plates to gently warm the casing might prove to give enough 60/70 degrees surface temp to drive off the moisture when the car is powered up. 12v feed from 'somewhere' in the rear as only half an amp, probably enough to steal from the number plate lights.

Thoughts?