When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Activation and Installation of Rear Park Assist Camera in 2009 Jaguar XKR
Activation and Installation of Rear Park Assist Camera in 2009 Jaguar XKR
I recently finished installing a rear Park Assist Camera (PAC) in my 2009 XKR Portfolio and spent way more time preparing than performing the work. For the benefit of others wanting to do the same, I thought I’d provide a detailed writeup of what I did. My methods may be different from how others have done it, but this worked well for me. Thanks to Cambo, Jahummer, and many others that posted their pioneering research for others to leverage. Sorry that this is a very long post, but it was necessary for a thorough “how-to” for this upgrade.
First, I purchased all the necessary PAC components as follows. Total spent for these items was about $110.
). This camera provides the required NTSC-signal format and its chrome matches the liftgate’s rear plinth. It also has three different wedge-shaped gaskets to adjust the camera’s upward/downward view.
FAKRA “F” Brown (8011) Female-to-Female RG174 Cable in a 3-meter length (eBay link). This cable is long enough to go from the male brown plug on the back of the infotainment touchscreen to the rear-seat area of the cabin allowing it to connect to the camera cable between the rear seats where it is easy to access. Only a minimum 5-foot cable is needed, but this inexpensive cable came 3-meters long. You could get one shorter if you buy a made-to-order FAKRA to RCA cable from VCABLEMART (link), and then you won’t need the next item that converts FAKRA to RCA.
FAKRA “Z” Water Blue (5021) Universal (Neutral) Male to RCA Female RG174 Cable in 2-inch length (eBay link). This will convert the camera RCA cable to the FAKRA cable going to the infotainment touchscreen.
Solderable RCA Male Plug Connector. The camera cable’s RCA plug must be cut off for pulling the cable, so one of these will be necessary to replace it.
). Probably 20- or 22-gauge wire would be sufficient and might be easier to pull with the camera cable through the liftgate’s flexible conduit (rubber tubing).
Non-Insulated 1/4-inch Female-Spade and Male-Blade Wiring Terminals (4 female and 2 male required; 2 female for the accessory plug during testing and 2 pair of male/female sets for reconnecting to wires from the accessory plug as described later). These are used for attaching the black and red power wires (item described above) to the 12-volt power accessory plug in the left-hand side of the boot.
). Something like this makes it easier to pull the camera cable and power wires from the boot lid rear plinth to the rear-seat area of the cabin.
After securing all the components above, I wanted to make sure I could activate the PAC with SDD before beginning work on the camera and its wiring. Once the PAC is activated and before a camera is installed, only a blue screen will appear when shifting into reverse. The parking sensor’s beeping will still be active but its accompanying pictorial will no longer pop-up, so I did not do the SDD activation step until I was fully ready to do the camera installation.
I activated the PAC using SDD version 130 downloaded from a Google Drive post by TheMindBuddah (link) (thanks to mcpflrb for sharing the Google Drive link in an earlier post on this forum). SDD v130 is a version that will work offline without a Topix subscription and this download had necessary configuration files for both activating the camera for this project as well as enabling AUX which I did previously. I have confirmation from TheMindBuddah that it was updated through 2012, so I believe it has all configuration files for Engineering Mode through model-year 2012. This SDD download was designed to be imported as an Oracle VirtualBox Appliance (.ova file) and results in a Windows XP virtual machine (VM) running on a Windows 10 or 11 laptop with all necessary files including the offline username and password. It is still necessary to modify the VM’s settings to allow access of the vehicle interface and, if desired, a USB flash drive to transfer files back-and-forth between the virtual machine and your laptop (this allows the VM to remain offline with its network setting disabled).
An SDD Engineering Mode password generator is required to allow access for changing the PAC configuration file. I used the 64-bit file (sdd-engineering-access.Setup.0.1.0.exe) posted on GitHub by rhysmorgan134. It can be downloaded and installed from (GitHub link) (thanks to Bill400 and hafren for sharing this GitHub link in their earlier posts on this forum). Unfortunately, this 64-bit file will not work on the 32-bit Windows XP VM, so install it on your 64-bit laptop (I created a separate Windows 10 VM for using this file just to be extra safe).
The interface I used between the laptop and vehicle was a Ford Rotunda VCM that was purchased used through eBay. Prior to purchasing the VCM, I purchased a MongoosePro clone and it failed almost immediately, so I lost all faith in using a clone for programming. I also purchased a used Drew Technologies CarDAQ-Plus from eBay and it seems to have all the functionality of the Ford Rotunda VCM and more. I was told by support staff at Opus (formerly DrewTech and makers of the Mongoose interfaces) that the CarDAQ-Plus is superior to the Mongoose because it can be used to interface with many other makes of cars.
While performing the SDD work, an Iota DLS-75 power supply was used to support the car battery. A minimum 55-amp power supply is stated as mandatory in Jaguar’s Technical Service Bulletin 1-224NAS (link). A supporting power source is critical as SDD has a minimum voltage requirement during configuration file programming and there’s no telling what might happen to modules if power falls below this level.
So, if you don’t already have SDD, an SDD Engineering Mode password generator, a vehicle communication module (Ford Rotunda VCM, or equivalent), and a supporting power supply, it would be best to get all this functional before investing in the PAC components.
Following are the steps to activate the Parking Assist Camera in SDD.
This is the Holy Grail that I had searched for, but could nowhere find instructions of exactly how to enter Engineering Mode and activate the PAC; so, here it is in detail. I take no liability if you do something bad to your vehicle, yourself, or to anything else through the use of these instructions.
Reboot your laptop and only open Oracle VirtualBox and its Windows XP VM hosting SDD. To be extra safe, you can put your laptop in airplane mode so it won’t connect to the internet if you do something unintentional. Then open the SDD Engineering Mode password generator from where you installed it. Be sure your laptop is plugged in to a power outlet as you don’t want its battery to fail when running SDD.
Connect the supporting power supply to the vehicle’s jumping posts in the rear boot (positive first, negative second, and then plug it in) and make sure it is supplying more than 12.5 volts (I’ve set mine to supply 13.4 volts). This is a good time to shut off the vehicle’s fan in the climate controls, the headlights on the turn-signal lever, and the infotainment system power; otherwise, these will be on most all the time SDD is being used and will add to the total current draw.
Connect the vehicle interface; first to the vehicle and then to the laptop. In the Windows XP VM, use the pull downs on the top left to select Devices > USB > “REALTEK USB 10/100 LAN [0100]” to make this selection have a check mark indicating that it is active. This is how my VCM is labeled, but your vehicle interface may be called something different. Windows XP VM will then acknowledge the VCM and it may automatically open SDD.
If not already opened automatically in the step above, open SDD in the VM. If you haven’t already, enter the offline username and password for SDD v130 (JLR9A8172 and L538X760, respectively). If this is the first time the VCM has been connected to your Jaguar, then it will want to update the VCM. Allow this to happen so it can properly communicate between SDD and your vehicle. SDD should state, “The VCM is Connected”, in its bottom-right corner; if not, get this working before continuing.
Start an SDD session with your vehicle either by entering your VIN or by having SDD read in your VIN. I recommend reading it in and then clicking on “Identify Vehicle” to make sure there is proper communication. Follow instructions in the pop-ups. After the vehicle data collection is finished, SDD will want you to confirm it has the correct vehicle, so check the provided vehicle summary and confirm by clicking on “Enter Session”. There are a lot of redundant questions in SDD, so bear with it as this is to keep us from doing something unintentional.
You will also be asked many times to turn on-and-off the ignition (don’t press the brake or the vehicle will start), so I recommend setting up a workstation outside the car and keep the windows open with the key on the console to allow reaching in to press the ignition button.
While using SDD, many pop-ups will appear asking for your acknowledgement to continue. Only primary selections will be shown in these instructions to keep things brief. Typically, a button within the pop-up or a green check mark on the right-hand side of a screen are used to acknowledge a choice.
Once you have confirmed the vehicle is correct, you’ll be asked what session type is desired. Select Service Functions from the choices near the bottom.
Once the Vehicle Specification page opens, you should confirm the Central Junction Box Body Control Module (BCM), Auxiliary Junction Box Body Control Module B (BCMB), and Powertrain Control Module (PCM) are communicating with SDD. As shown below, they will have green check marks if they are. Later, SDD will check communication with these modules when initiating the Car Configuration Modification step.
Press the Gold Key on the left-hand side to enter Engineering Mode.
A pop-up window will appear providing a seed number. Write it down and have your VIN available. Case is important.
Now go to the SDD Engineering Mode password generator app, select Car Type “Jaguar” and Option Type “CCF Editor”, then enter the SDD-generated seed number and your VIN. Click on CALCULATE below these entries and a password will be generated. Write this down. Case is important as any lower-case letter entered into the password generator will fail to provide a respective-positioned letter or number in the generated password.
Back in SDD, enter the provided password in the awaiting SDD pop-up window, confirm by clicking “Activate”, and SDD should now be in its Engineering Mode. Case is important.
Select “Recommendations” from the top-left menu-tab choices.
You will now be on the Service Functions page. Select “Run” from the top choice listed, “Car Configuration Management – Current Vehicle Car Configuration Modification”.
You will be asked to agree to taking responsibility if you continue on. Pop-ups will ask you to turn on the ignition (probably already on) and then configuration files will be uploaded. Click to confirm. Pop-ups will warn you about potential issues with certain VINs (between B20075 and B21741) and how to rectify that and about having sufficient battery voltage. You’ll be asked to turn the ignition off. A Software Management Wizard will pop-up asking you to update the SDD software. Wait and the software pop-up will go away; otherwise, I assume you should select YES to continue (I just wait so to not be forced into an update). A reminder for updating dealer information will pop-up so simply select OK. You’ll be asked to turn the ignition on. SDD will run a routine locating all the software parts and will then provide some configuration file instructions for you to acknowledge.
This will bring up “Pandora’s box” as you will now be able to scroll down and change most any item in this “List of Personalisation Parameters for Modification”. If you successfully entered Engineering Mode, all the line items in the Description and Current Value columns will be white signifying they can be changed. If you are not in Engineering Mode, most line items will be grayed out signifying they cannot be changed. Obviously, you’ll want to be extremely careful here because any line item changed will be integrated into the reconfiguration performed when SDD is allowed to make changes for the PAC.
Scroll way down the list and click on the line item titled, “Park assist camera”. Prior to being activated, the Current Value column will be showing “Without park assist camera”. Review available choices from the pull-down list of proposed values in the “Modification Procedure” section near the bottom.
Change the Proposed Value pull-down from “Without park assist camera” to “Park assist camera” and the upper-section line item will then show “Park assist camera” under the Proposed Value column. You are now set up to change this value in the vehicle’s configuration. Next you will allow SDD to make the change.
Check the voltage on your power supply to confirm it is still above 12.5 volts. Confirm that the battery icon at the top-right of the SDD window is green signifying sufficient voltage is being maintained. Do not continue if there is not sufficient voltage as you are about to enter the point of no return.
If you are ready to continue, click the green check mark at the bottom-right of the screen and you will be led through pop-ups that will accept this configuration change to your vehicle. Buckle in and be patient as this can be a stressful time. Systems in the vehicle will be coming on and off numerous times; lights, fans, instruments, and infotainment system. It will take a minute or two for all this to happen. (Note that if you instead want to abort the session and not change configurations files, first click the green check mark at the bottom-right of the screen, then click the red X to not download configuration files, and then click the next red X when asked if you want to continue editing parameters. SDD will state that the session is aborted and you will be returned to the Service Function list.)
When finished, SDD will ask if you want to clear all Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). Your choice.
When leaving SDD, click the Sessions tab on the top-left tab choices. Then choose, “Close Session”, from the bottom menu choices; otherwise, SDD will ask if you want to continue this current session the next time you connect to your vehicle. Always close the SDD browser window and then select Stop Application in the application launcher window.
Now you’ll want to confirm that your SDD session successfully activated the PAC. Turn the ignition on without starting the vehicle, press and hold the brake, then shift into reverse. A blue screen will appear if the PAC is activated. If not, go back into SDD and see what current value is listed for the PAC line item. It will not be worth your time to continue on to installing the camera if you cannot activate the PAC in SDD.
Following are the steps to install the Park Assist Camera.
Carefully remove the infotainment surrounding-trim piece. Pull up from the bottom while using a trim-removal tool to pry out the surround’s 7 plastic tabs from the metal clips in the dash. First do the bottom ones on each side, then work up to the middle ones on each side, then the three across the top. Use a Torx T30 and T15 to remove the six screws holding the infotainment center. You’ll need to shift into Drive for room to pull out the infotainment center. Press the ignition on without starting the vehicle, step on the brake and shift into Drive, turn off the ignition. Place a towel over the console and slide the infotainment center out far enough to access the rear of it. There are a number of websites where you can find instructions for all this, but I like the one with a video and pictures showing locations of tabs and screws at Jagaux.com (https://jagaux.com/aux-activation-in-jaguar-xk-xkr/) in Step 4.
Here’s a tip: rub Super Lube Multi-Use Synthetic Oil on all plastic tabs and inside the clips. It will make it very easy to remove the trim piece in the future (no trim tool necessary) and will lessen the fear of breaking it. I use this on all plastic tabs and electrical plugs in the vehicle. It is dielectric so will not short out electrical connections.
Plug the Brown FAKRA Female-to-Female Cable into the brown FAKRA male plug in the back of the infotainment screen near the top. Run the cable’s other end and most all the cable out of the infotainment center’s void via a gap forward of the console’s passenger-side trim panel and under the glove box. Carefully slide the infotainment unit back in place being sure not to pinch the cable and leaving enough slack in the cable for the next time you pull the unit out.
Remove the rear-seat backrest between the rear seats. Pull forward at the very top just enough to unclip its connector at the top, then slide the backrest upwards to release the bottom.
Remove the rear-seat armrest and the plastic piece between it and the console. Pull upward to release its 4 clips.
Remove the plastic cover between the rear-seat armrest and console.
Again using a trim tool, carefully remove 8 clips holding the console trim panel surrounding the gear shift starting at the back and working your way forward. If you want to fully remove the trim piece, disconnect the ignition switch and speed limiter at their connectors.
From the top, remove the 2 Torx screws holding the front-half of the passenger-side console-trim panel, then laterally pull the entire side panel loose from its clips. You only need to pull it out an inch or so to lay the cable.
Run the FAKRA cable from behind the infotainment unit inside the passenger-side console trim panel to between the rear seats.
Plug the universal FAKRA male to RCA female connector into the FAKRA cable.
At this point, you should test the PAC system as you want to know if there are any problems before pulling all the wiring from the rear of the vehicle. To do this test, first prepare a power source by connecting your separately-purchased red and black power wires to an unused 12-volt accessory power plug located inside the plastic louvered cover used to access the vehicle’s positive jumping post at the rear left-side of the boot (thanks to Bill400 and kj07xk for details). Later, you’ll use this same plug for permanently providing switched power to the PAC. Use a needle-nosed plier to squeeze the side of the plug to remove it from the jack that is connected to the bodywork. Strip 3/8-inch of insulation off the separately-purchased red and black power wires and solder a female spade terminal to each one. A baking sheet is recommended to protect the vehicle while soldering. Insert the soldered terminals (with their flat sides facing inward to the plug) into the plug and press them fully to their stop at the other end using a small punch or #0 Phillips screwdriver. Ground (black) terminal goes in the singular opening nearest the plug’s clip and the power (red) terminal goes in the paired openings closest to the front of the vehicle – or the furthest away in the right-hand picture below. The factory-provided switched wire in the jack is the red/white striped one. Be sure not to connect to the brown-wire terminal (always-on) or else the camera will not be shut down by the ignition and will drain the battery.
Temporarily connect the other end of the accessory plug’s wires to the camera’s respective red/black wires by twisting them together and insulating with electrical tape. Plug the accessory plug back into its jack making sure it is fully seated.
Temporarily plug the camera-extension cable’s RCA male into the RCA female and the camera into its mini-4-pin connector, switch on the ignition, and shift into reverse. The infotainment screen should now show the signal from the camera.
Note that most cameras are provided with a “trigger” wire and you won’t need this because the camera will be connected to a switched power source. It will be on whenever the vehicle is on; this way you won’t have to wait for the camera to fire up when you shift into reverse. Be sure to cover the unused trigger wire’s end so it will not get grounded to something. During this test, you might plan how far back from the plinth’s edge you want your camera to sit by hanging it out the back, closing the liftgate, and simulating where it will sit and at what angle. I set mine far enough back to be able to see the rear bumper in the infotainment screen - and this also allows better access to the liftgate button and makes the camera less visible when admiring the rear of the vehicle.
If the camera works, remove the accessory plug and cut the accessory-plug wires off about 6-inches from the plug (you’ll use this plug again later). Replace the infotainment unit and console-trim pieces so you can enjoy the vehicle until you’re ready to run the camera’s wiring from the liftgate to between the rear seats. I assumed the next steps of routing the camera’s wiring would be the most difficult part and I was correct. So, I would not continue with the next steps until you have a few hours.
I chose to run the camera’s wiring from the liftgate plinth to inside the cabin following the left-hand (driver) side of the car for two reasons; 1) there seemed to be fewer wires and more room inside the liftgate’s left-side flexible-rubber conduit at its hinge point and 2) because of the unused switched 12-volt accessory power plug is in the rear boot behind the left-hand plastic removable louvered cover.
I recommend disconnecting the battery before routing wires to prevent something bad happening, so first open the liftgate and run both driver and passenger seats all the way forward so you’ll have maximum room in the rear-seat area to work. Caution, if you disconnect the battery and close the liftgate, you must have the vehicle’s physical key to open the liftgate.
Remove the center-rear seat back and armrest. Pull upwards on the front edges of the left/right rear seat cushions and remove. Remove the left/right rear seat backs by removing the two Torx T30 cap screws at the bottom of their frame. Lift upwards to remove the frame’s upper hooks.
Remove the liftgate grab handle. Remove the liftgate’s felt-covered lower trim panel. Use the trim tool to release its 2 push-in clips near the lower edge of the window and its 6 clips internal to the trim panel. Work the emergency release handle out of its slot in the panel.
Use the trim tool to pop out the rubber grommets on both ends of the liftgate’s left-side flexible-rubber conduit.
Cut the camera’s power wires (red and black) to only be about 1-foot long from the mini-4-pin connector on the camera’s extension cable, slip heat-shrink tubing on each power wire, and solder the red and black wires purchased separately to these. Secure and insulate these soldered connections with the heat-shrink tubing. With these soldered connections close to the camera’s quick disconnect, they will remain accessible near the plinth and will not be pulled apart when pulling on the wiring; otherwise, the soldered connections end up somewhere in the body of the vehicle and could become a future issue. Cut the male RCA connector off the camera cable (you’ll solder a new RCA on later) and lay out side-by-side the camera cable and both the red and black power wires (purchased separately from the camera). Cut the red and black wires to be the same length as the camera’s wire. Then connect these three wires together at their leading edge and secure to your fish tape or other stiff wire that you will use for pulling.
Run the fish tape inside the liftgate from the hole where the pull-down handle was removed, through the liftgate’s cavity alongside the window, and out the hole for the rubber grommet near the hinge point. Pull all the fish tape and at least 15 feet of the wiring bundle out of this grommet hole. Make sure you leave several feet of the camera’s quick-connect plug and your red/black power wires hanging down into the boot as you will connect the camera to these later.
You will likely need a helper for this step and the next two. Push the fish tape and the wire through the liftgate’s left-side flexible-rubber conduit. This is a tight fit so a person on each end helps. Be careful not to damage the rubber conduit or the wiring harness inside of it. To make it much easier to slide through, rub some Super Lube oil on the leading 2 or 3 feet of the wire bundle. Pull the fish tape and the wiring bundle out the cabin side of the rubber conduit.
From inside the cabin, use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the left coat hook. Then grabbing the inward-facing edge of the B-pillar headliner piece, pull it down only enough to get your fingers into the opening to retrieve the fish tape as it is pushed through. Push the fish tape through the hole in the back edge of the roof into the cabin where you’ve pulled down the headliner piece. Pull the fish tape and the wiring bundle into the cabin.
In the boot, release the top portion of the felt-covered left-hand trim panel over the wheel arch; enough so you can reach in and grab the fish tape as it is pushed from the cabin area. Use a trim tool to release its large-diameter push-in clip in the top-center of the trim panel. Then from the cabin, push the fish tape into the left side of the boot by going back through the opening where you’ve pulled down the headliner piece aiming towards the left-rear wheel arch. Pull the fish tape and the wiring bundle into the boot area behind the felt-covered left-hand trim panel.
Remove the fish tape from the camera and power wires.
Separating the camera cable from the power wires, run the camera cable back into the cabin area between the rear seats by going through the hole left of the battery.
Route and tie-wrap the camera cable along the existing wiring harnesses to meet up with the wire previously installed coming from the infotainment screen. Cut the camera cable to an appropriate length. Unscrew a male RCA connector’s cover and slide it onto the camera cable with its threaded-end last. Strip off about 1-inch of the outer camera cable sheath and pull back the ground-wire mesh and trigger wire. Wrap the end of the trigger wire with electrical tape and fold it back along the remaining camera cable sheath (trigger wire is not needed). Twist the ground-wire mesh into a single wire for soldering and carefully remove about 1/4-inch of insulation from the camera’s center wire. Solder the camera cable’s center wire to the center lead of the RCA male connector and the twisted ground-wire mesh to the outer lead of the RCA connector. Make sure the ground wire cannot touch the center wire. Screw the RCA connector’s cover on. Again, I used a baking sheet under my soldering work to protect the vehicle.
Slip heat shrink tubing over the new male RCA connector and connect it to the female RCA connector coming from the infotainment screen. Slide the heat shrink tubing over both these connections and shrink it using a heat gun.
Back in the boot, run the red/black power wires behind the left-side trim panel to-and-out the opening containing the 12-volt accessory jack and the vehicle’s positive jumping post. Cut the red and black power wires to an appropriate length. Connect the power wires to the accessory plug’s wires that were cut to 6-inches long using the two pairs of male/female terminals. Use heat shrink tubing to insulate these connections. Again, a baking sheet is recommended to protect the vehicle while soldering.
Plug the accessory plug back in making sure it is fully seated. Tie wrap the power wires up and out of the way so not to restrict future access to the jumping post.
The last steps are to install the camera in the liftgate’s plinth. If you purchased a camera without a mini-4-pin connector, you will need to do these steps before running the wiring to the cabin.
Reconnect the battery because you will likely close and open the liftgate a few times during these steps.
Remove the liftgate’s plinth by removing the Phillips-head screw of each license-plate light and carefully prying them out from the edge that had the screw. Disconnect the lamp housing from the bulb sockets by giving them a twist. Remove the two hex-head screws above where each lamp housing was seated. Remove the clear plastic caps in the plinth covering two additional hex-head screws and remove them. Now the only thing holding the plinth to the liftgate is adhesive on both ends of the plinth. Protect the vehicle's finish using masking tape and use a trim tool to push downward to separate the adhesive between the plinth and liftgate. Use a Torx T10 to remove the liftgate’s release button from the plinth.
On the underside of the plinth, left of the liftgate release-button hole, mark and drill a small pilot hole. Then enlarge the hole to be just large enough for your camera’s threaded connector (5/16-inch for a NATIKA). The hole should be located such that it maximizes the camera’s distance from the release button but leaves about 1/8-inch from the camera’s side to the edge of the opening for the lamps. Forward/back measurement for the hole should be your preference as to how much bumper to see and how much camera to see when standing behind the vehicle. Mine leaves about 3/8-inch from the camera’s back edge to the back edge of the plinth.
Affix the camera’s adhesive gasket and slide any desired shims onto its wire. The NATIKA camera comes with 3-, 5-, and 7-degree shims and I chose the 3-degree oriented to point the camera slightly upward (thick side towards the vehicle). Run the camera cable through the plinth and secure the camera nut being careful not to crack the plinth.
For a NATIKA camera, cut its green-wire loop to remove the distance guidelines – or leave it as is. Although distance guidelines will not move left/right while steering (the vehicle does not have the technology for this), they do provide some useful information. For example, on mine, objects at ground level are at 16-, 32-, and 48-inches from the rear bumper at the red, yellow, and green inward-facing lines, respectively. You can fairly easily access the loop wire later if you want to change your choice.
Run the camera cable into the liftgate going through the hole for the left-hand license-plate light. Replace the liftgate release button, the lamp connectors into their housings, and then reinstall the plinth and lamp housings.
Tightly connect the two halves of the camera’s mini-4-pin connector. If desired, use heat-shrink tubing on this connection to keep it from coming undone. Roll up and tie wrap the extra camera and power wiring and secure this bundle inside the liftgate.
Test the camera and, if all is working, replace all trim components, turn headlights and climate back on, reset clock, and recalibrate parking brake and windows.
At the other end of the spectrum is this: HD Quick Connect Wireless Solar Powered Backup Camera. It cost $125 and took less than 15 minutes for me to install it in 2018, and it's still working. The black plastic license plate frame holds the solar panel and camera. The wire on the left side is for my CTEK battery maintainer.
For me, it was inexpensive, easy, and quick - that's all I needed.
Thanks @KurtC for your motivational thread. I’ve had a rear camera for awhile now, through the GVIF unit I installed to support my HKS Camp2 gauges, but really wanted to get that OEM interface of simply displaying the image automatically when shifting into reverse.
I already had my car torn apart to install Cambo’s CarPlay/AndroidAuto unit, and had changed my camera from my previous trunk mounted GVIF, to the behind the dash GVIF in Cambo’s setup, so why not activate the OEM interface for the camera instead?
For future readers, one thing I’ll add for reference is that if your Windows platform is 32-bit, you need to download an older version of Oracle VirtualBox, as the new versions only support 64-bit hardware. I used the last version of 5.2 software, 5.2.44, and it worked fine on my old 32-bit laptop dedicated to SDD (was running v125 natively, but that didn’t support the PAC option).
After getting the OEM interface working, I found that my camera, which had worked ok though both GVIF units, gave a really bad image though the OEM interface:
Black and white and out of sync.
So I played with some extra cameras I had from that initial installation, and quickly found out that those 4-pin connectors used by these cameras don’t have a standard for pin assignments, and I quickly fried a couple, and my original camera.
Since I now needed a new camera, I ordered 12 off Amazon, including the one chosen by KurtC.
I really wanted to like the Natika chosen by KurtC, as it was small and chrome finished. But I wasn’t enthusiastic about the image quality, the contrast was too high:
Via process of elimination, I settled on the Auto-Vox Cam7 (there is also a Cam7 pro, but the images looked the same, perhaps in the AHD mode it would look better, but our displays don’t support AHD). While a bit fish-eyed, the field of view is much wider, and just what I need for viewing cross traffic when backing out of parking stalls. There are no grid lines, but some cameras had useless ones anyway. Autovox Cam7
All three images were taken from the exact same spot, as my XK hadn’t moved for a month.
Again, thanks KurtC for the motivation!
I didn't realize there was such a dramatic difference in video quality. I may have to compare mine to others. It SEEMS okay, but with nothing to reference.
Thanks for taking the time to put together such a comprehensive write-up, and for calling out the smart, helpful people who assisted along the way. Those are the kinds of actions that make a healthy community. It is appreciated!
Last edited by bgpenguin21; Jun 30, 2025 at 04:26 PM.
Thanks for adding the additional details on the SDD install. Getting that setup on one of my old laptops is on my short-list of things to do. Appreciate it!
Thanks for taking the time to put together such a comprehensive write-up, ........... It is appreciated!
Giving accolades is commendable, but you really didn't need to quote the ENTIRE THING. It's already up above. Maybe just include the first statement or so.
...Via process of elimination, I settled on the Auto-Vox Cam7...
Thanks kj07xk for posting the the winner of your 12-camera test. I struggled with all the camera choices and your information might have led me to choose the one with the wider and less-contrasted view. Do you remember if the Auto-Vox Cam7 is one that is interchangeable with the NATIKA's 4-pin connector? If so, I might purchase one to compare.
Giving accolades is commendable, but you really didn't need to quote the ENTIRE THING. It's already up above. Maybe just include the first statement or so.
lol. I edited it as soon as I posted and saw that I hit the wrong quote button.
Activation and Installation of Rear Park Assist Camera in 2009 Jaguar XKR
