My 2014 civic has a backup camera but lately it's been getting dirty with ice and grime. I was going to give it a quick wipe so that I could have a clearer view (especially since I like to use it to verify that I'm parked straight within a parking spot), but I can't seem to find it. There's nothing abound the rear bumper that looks like a camera. Anyone got advice on where to find it?
Quote from: vdeane on January 20, 2015, 01:06:34 PM
My 2014 civic has a backup camera but lately it's been getting dirty with ice and grime. I was going to give it a quick wipe so that I could have a clearer view (especially since I like to use it to verify that I'm parked straight within a parking spot), but I can't seem to find it. There's nothing abound the rear bumper that looks like a camera. Anyone got advice on where to find it?
On most cars, the backup camera will be a black thing located somewhere on the rear of the car, not necessarily the bumper. On the Toyota Prius, for example, it's a black square located above and slightly to the right of the license plate as you look at the car from behind. Check the area around the Honda logo on the trunk lid. I think the camera may be above the license plate and below the Honda logo.
Our next-door neighbor got a new Civic a few months ago but I don't know if she got the camera. If I see her, I'll ask (unless I see her car and can answer the question on my own).
Have someone watch the camera (with brakes FIRMLY applied, engine off) while you are back there looking and have them yell warmer/colder till you put your finger on it.
When all else fails, read the instructions (http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/information/2014/Civic-Sedan/manuals) (for the sedan, it's on p. 6, but there are separate owner's manuals for other Civic models).
That's one great thing about the Internet. Between the time that I agreed to buy my current vehicle and when I actually went to pick it up, I downloaded the owner's manual and familiarized myself with a lot of the basic controls, readouts, etc. Did the same with my digital camera and my camcorder.
Are the backup cameras in the 9th Gen Civics any good? My mom has a camera in her 2011 Pilot but its lense is so fisheyed that it's pretty much unusable.
Quote from: Thing 342 on January 20, 2015, 04:08:55 PM
Are the backup cameras in the 9th Gen Civics any good? My mom has a camera in her 2011 Pilot but its lense is so fisheyed that it's pretty much unusable.
They need to be fisheyed, to provide a wide view, with just enough clarity to tell you if you're about to back up over a dog, smoosh someone's bumper, or collide with a parking garage pillar. My Prius' camera is definitely fisheyed, but it does its (limited) job.
The camera is usually mounted on the lip above the license plate, next to the lights.
Quote from: oscar on January 20, 2015, 05:29:39 PM
Quote from: Thing 342 on January 20, 2015, 04:08:55 PM
Are the backup cameras in the 9th Gen Civics any good? My mom has a camera in her 2011 Pilot but its lense is so fisheyed that it's pretty much unusable.
They need to be fisheyed, to provide a wide view, with just enough clarity to tell you if you're about to back up over a dog, smoosh someone's bumper, or collide with a parking garage pillar. My Prius' camera is definitely fisheyed, but it does its (limited) job.
Fisheyed lenses heavily distort distances. Something quite close can look far away (evident in the many dashcam videos online). The best thing is too have a
slightly fisheyed lens (just enough to see the bumper of the car) and a rear cross-traffic alert system so you don't back out into a passing car.
Quote from: jakeroot on January 20, 2015, 07:59:31 PM
Quote from: oscar on January 20, 2015, 05:29:39 PM
Quote from: Thing 342 on January 20, 2015, 04:08:55 PM
Are the backup cameras in the 9th Gen Civics any good? My mom has a camera in her 2011 Pilot but its lense is so fisheyed that it's pretty much unusable.
They need to be fisheyed, to provide a wide view, with just enough clarity to tell you if you're about to back up over a dog, smoosh someone's bumper, or collide with a parking garage pillar. My Prius' camera is definitely fisheyed, but it does its (limited) job.
Fisheyed lenses heavily distort distances. Something quite close can look far away (evident in the many dashcam videos online). The best thing is too have a slightly fisheyed lens (just enough to see the bumper of the car) and a rear cross-traffic alert system so you don't back out into a passing car.
It needs to also be wide-angle enough to see if a rear corner of your car is about to collide with another parked car, or scrape a parking garage pillar. "Cross-traffic alert" sounds like it doesn't much help head off corner collisions with stationary objects.
I agree that fisheyes heavily distort distances, but it's something that you quickly get used to, much as with the distorted views in outside passenger-side mirrors. In any case, if you're closing in on an object, its increasing size in the fisheye lens will clue you in that you're close and rapidly getting closer.
Quote from: jakeroot on January 20, 2015, 07:59:31 PM
Quote from: oscar on January 20, 2015, 05:29:39 PM
Quote from: Thing 342 on January 20, 2015, 04:08:55 PM
Are the backup cameras in the 9th Gen Civics any good? My mom has a camera in her 2011 Pilot but its lense is so fisheyed that it's pretty much unusable.
They need to be fisheyed, to provide a wide view, with just enough clarity to tell you if you're about to back up over a dog, smoosh someone's bumper, or collide with a parking garage pillar. My Prius' camera is definitely fisheyed, but it does its (limited) job.
Fisheyed lenses heavily distort distances. Something quite close can look far away (evident in the many dashcam videos online). The best thing is too have a slightly fisheyed lens (just enough to see the bumper of the car) and a rear cross-traffic alert system so you don't back out into a passing car.
They're good for making '90s skateboard videos though.
Quote from: NJRoadfan on January 20, 2015, 05:59:25 PM
The camera is usually mounted on the lip above the license plate, next to the lights.
And that's exactly where it was. It's amazing how easy it is to find when you look in the right place!
What's interesting is that the lens is pointed slightly downward - I always thought it was pointed straight backwards (though that explains why it doesn't get covered with water/ice every time there's weather outside). I guess the view is a little deceptive in that respect.
Quote from: vdeane on January 21, 2015, 01:09:53 PM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on January 20, 2015, 05:59:25 PM
The camera is usually mounted on the lip above the license plate, next to the lights.
And that's exactly where it was. It's amazing how easy it is to find when you look in the right place!
What's interesting is that the lens is pointed slightly downward - I always thought it was pointed straight backwards (though that explains why it doesn't get covered with water/ice every time there's weather outside). I guess the view is a little deceptive in that respect.
I would use computer screen cleaning wipes to give it a rub down, as it will dry without leaving residue.
Eh, on my Subaru, I just wipe it once with my finger since it's a pretty hardened cover. It gets dirty so quick with the salt and grime in the winter that I have to clean it off several times a day on long drives.
Backup camera? Don't have one, never needed one except on the RV we rented once. Try adjusting your mirrors and, if all else fails, actually turn your head to look behind you after inspecting the back of the vehicle before actually backing up.
I had trouble finding the camera on a rental car once so I could clean it off--manual gone from the glove compartment of course. Damn they can squeeze them into tiny little spots you wouldn't expect.
Quote from: Brandon on January 25, 2015, 10:35:06 AM
Backup camera? Don't have one, never needed one except on the RV we rented once. Try adjusting your mirrors and, if all else fails, actually turn your head to look behind you after inspecting the back of the vehicle before actually backing up.
Guess who's too lazy to scrape off her rear windshield when it ices up overnight? The backup camera takes care of that nicely while I wait for the defroster to clear it off (which almost always happens before I get on the Northway anyways, unless it's
really cold out).
Granted, it's not
needed, but it's really nice to be able to check if I'm lined up perfectly in a parking spot without opening the door (the lines don't always show up in the side mirrors), and the grocery store parking lot is VERY tight, so it comes in handy. Oddly enough, I'm actually better at backing up without a camera now than I was before I had it, probably because I now have a feel for how much the mirrors distort distances (I didn't before and was known to think I was about to hit something when I actually had several feet of space left).
Plus, what if I need to re-enact that scene in National Treasure 2 where they had the high speed chase in reverse?
Quote from: Jardine on January 20, 2015, 01:48:46 PM
Have someone watch the camera (with brakes FIRMLY applied, engine off) while you are back there looking and have them yell warmer/colder till you put your finger on it.
Usually the cameras only work when the engine is on and the gear is in 'reverse'. Just keep the foot on the brake; engage the emergency brake if you want as well.
Due to the fisheye lens, you can make some interesting faces for the driver to see on the screen (don't laugh too hard and have foot come off brake pedal!). You can also raise the tailgate and put in reverse gear for a view of anything high (trees, 2nd level or higher of house, sky, etc).
That camera can be a fun toy to play with!
Quote from: vdeane on January 25, 2015, 02:28:01 PM
Quote from: Brandon on January 25, 2015, 10:35:06 AM
Backup camera? Don't have one, never needed one except on the RV we rented once. Try adjusting your mirrors and, if all else fails, actually turn your head to look behind you after inspecting the back of the vehicle before actually backing up.
Guess who's too lazy to scrape off her rear windshield when it ices up overnight? The backup camera takes care of that nicely while I wait for the defroster to clear it off (which almost always happens before I get on the Northway anyways, unless it's really cold out).
Experience tells me the best thing to do is for you to reverse into the parking spot the night before, so all you have to do is drive straight out the next morning.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on January 25, 2015, 03:03:27 PM
Quote from: Jardine on January 20, 2015, 01:48:46 PM
Have someone watch the camera (with brakes FIRMLY applied, engine off) while you are back there looking and have them yell warmer/colder till you put your finger on it.
Usually the cameras only work when the engine is on and the gear is in 'reverse'. Just keep the foot on the brake; engage the emergency brake if you want as well.
Due to the fisheye lens, you can make some interesting faces for the driver to see on the screen (don't laugh too hard and have foot come off brake pedal!). You can also raise the tailgate and put in reverse gear for a view of anything high (trees, 2nd level or higher of house, sky, etc).
That camera can be a fun toy to play with!
If you put the car in "on" (usually the second position on the ignition switch) without starting the ignition you can shift into reverse (and activate the backup camera) without the engine running- most folks don't know you can do this because it's pretty unusual that anybody would even try.
If I recall correctly from other posts, vdeane has a manual transmission, in which case she would just leave it in reverse with the engine off and turn the key to "on" to activate the backup camera, no need to worry about applying the brake.
Quote from: jakeroot on January 25, 2015, 03:54:09 PM
Quote from: vdeane on January 25, 2015, 02:28:01 PM
Quote from: Brandon on January 25, 2015, 10:35:06 AM
Backup camera? Don't have one, never needed one except on the RV we rented once. Try adjusting your mirrors and, if all else fails, actually turn your head to look behind you after inspecting the back of the vehicle before actually backing up.
Guess who's too lazy to scrape off her rear windshield when it ices up overnight? The backup camera takes care of that nicely while I wait for the defroster to clear it off (which almost always happens before I get on the Northway anyways, unless it's really cold out).
Experience tells me the best thing to do is for you to reverse into the parking spot the night before, so all you have to do is drive straight out the next morning.
Funny, I hate backing in, although last week I backed the convertible into the garage because I suspected I might have to jumpstart it the next time I drove it. Glad I did, as it did indeed need a jump and running the cables up over the car to another car in the driveway is not easy!
Of course you're right about it being easier to leave a space if you're parked backwards, but so many people have trouble backing in that it seems more trouble than it's worth for many of them. Better just to pull straight through two spaces if it's possible to do so, IMO. (Plus I find it annoying how a lot of the back-in crowd will give no indication of what they plan to do, no signal or anything, and then they want everyone behind them to back up so they can park backwards. It's sort of like parallel parking–you need to signal so people don't come right up behind you, making it impossible to park.....and even then, some of the dopey teenage drivers who never learned to parallel park will still pull up because they don't know why you're signalling.)
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 25, 2015, 04:55:52 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on January 25, 2015, 03:54:09 PM
Quote from: vdeane on January 25, 2015, 02:28:01 PM
Quote from: Brandon on January 25, 2015, 10:35:06 AM
Backup camera? Don't have one, never needed one except on the RV we rented once. Try adjusting your mirrors and, if all else fails, actually turn your head to look behind you after inspecting the back of the vehicle before actually backing up.
Guess who's too lazy to scrape off her rear windshield when it ices up overnight? The backup camera takes care of that nicely while I wait for the defroster to clear it off (which almost always happens before I get on the Northway anyways, unless it's really cold out).
Experience tells me the best thing to do is for you to reverse into the parking spot the night before, so all you have to do is drive straight out the next morning.
Funny, I hate backing in, although last week I backed the convertible into the garage because I suspected I might have to jumpstart it the next time I drove it. Glad I did, as it did indeed need a jump and running the cables up over the car to another car in the driveway is not easy!
Of course you're right about it being easier to leave a space if you're parked backwards, but so many people have trouble backing in that it seems more trouble than it's worth for many of them. Better just to pull straight through two spaces if it's possible to do so, IMO. (Plus I find it annoying how a lot of the back-in crowd will give no indication of what they plan to do, no signal or anything, and then they want everyone behind them to back up so they can park backwards. It's sort of like parallel parking–you need to signal so people don't come right up behind you, making it impossible to park.....and even then, some of the dopey teenage drivers who never learned to parallel park will still pull up because they don't know why you're signalling.)
I do valet at a local hotel, and it requires me to do two things plenty of times a day: 1) reverse a car into a parking spot, and 2) parallel park a car next to a curb. So, truth be told, I am rather used to doing both all the time at this point, whether I'm at work or on a personal errand. I see lots of people trying to copy us (our parking garage is public) when they see all the other cars backed in, and it never ends well. It takes them three or four tries before they've straightened up and usually they aren't far back enough. Parallel parking is another story entirely; mostly, it's a horror (people are constantly hitting the curb, scraping their rims, tapping other cars, etc). I have witnessed so much hit and run in the past half-year I probably should go to the police. Eventually, 99% of people get pretty close to the curb, but the other 1% just give up and find a parkade.
The good news is that most new cars with backup cameras have trajectory lines so it's damn near impossible to not get in on the first try. And with the backup camera itself becoming mandatory at some point in the near future, I can see the reverse-in crowd growing.
I'm very good with parallel parking, I just don't particularly like backing into regular spaces if I don't have to do so, especially angled spaces. What I really hate is the people who think they should back in but are afraid of the wall behind them.
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 26, 2015, 03:42:09 PM
I'm very good with parallel parking, I just don't particularly like backing into regular spaces if I don't have to do so, especially angled spaces. What I really hate is the people who think they should back in but are afraid of the wall behind them.
Which is odd because backing in with a wall is even easier. I used to work a valet job too and was required to back in. My trick to not back into the wall was to watch the shadows- in an SUV it's particularly easy- just watch the third brake light shadow shrink. In a sedan you can do the same with the tail lights.
Quote from: corco on January 26, 2015, 04:32:32 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 26, 2015, 03:42:09 PM
I'm very good with parallel parking, I just don't particularly like backing into regular spaces if I don't have to do so, especially angled spaces. What I really hate is the people who think they should back in but are afraid of the wall behind them.
Which is odd because backing in with a wall is even easier. I used to work a valet job too and was required to back in. My trick to not back into the wall was to watch the shadows- in an SUV it's particularly easy- just watch the third brake light shadow shrink. In a sedan you can do the same with the tail lights.
That's exactly what I do. It's an easy trick, but one of our lots has a two-foot wall behind it, which is obviously taller than the rear of the vehicle (so you can't back until the wheels hit the curb) but is short enough that the "shrinking lights" trick doesn't work. Very annoying, and the only easy way to tell when you're safe is when you're roughly aligned with other vehicles.
Personally I love the New Yorker approach to this problem - back up slowly until you feel a slight thud from physically bumping into the wall or vehicle behind you, then pull forward a smidge to not leave your car touching it. Very easy to place yourself perfectly, and eh, who gives a shit about a few little dents and scratches in the fender? :awesomeface:
But I of course will only do this when driving my own car. And then only when I am in New York City, since as far as I'm aware it is not a commonly accepted practice anywhere else.
It will be interesting to see if this practice goes away once backup cameras become standard equipment on all vehicles.
Quote from: Brandon on January 25, 2015, 10:35:06 AM
Backup camera? Don't have one, never needed one except on the RV we rented once. Try adjusting your mirrors and, if all else fails, actually turn your head to look behind you after inspecting the back of the vehicle before actually backing up.
With older cars, I would totally agree. However, for various reasons (rear crash protection, artistic design, etc.) the top of the trunk is creeping ever higher and the rear window ever smaller (check out some of the comments in the more recent MSP police vehicle evaluations regarding ergonomics and visibility). Because of that increasing blind spot, it's getting harder to judge where the true back of the car is.
I don't have a camera on my current car, but I do have sensors built into the rear bumper (radar? ultrasonic?) that are tied to the car's stereo system (came with the car). Worth every penny...IMO. Used in addition to turning the head and using the mirrors of course.