I'm tempted to open up the Lockpick module and take a pic for anyone who is curious but I probably shouldn't.

Curiosity has always been one of my weak points, so here are a few pics before I start installing.

The first one is all of the hardware you get if you order the Lockpick with the optional multimedia cable and backup camera. There are also some easy-to-follow instruction guides. They are the same ones that can be viewed on the Lockpick website.



Thesecond picis the "guts" of the Lockpick module.

 

I get he feeling that you own a different car than I do because I don't have 2 license plate lights.. Only 1.. So I couldn't mount between them.. But if you have 2 lights then it shouldn't be an issue as far as light sensitivity is concerned.. Plus the added light from the backup lights/rear lights/brake lights/and license plate lights actually adds a lot of light to the video when viewing at night.. it looks like you have a spotlight in the back of your car when viewing through the camera at night with your lights and brakes on.

You may not have any issues with vibrations by mounting directly to the bumper or soft areas but I wanted to say that as it is a possibilitybut I don't know for afact since I didn't try it.

It's Kind of funny that the day after I was telling you how strong the tabs are, They wereput to the test when someone tried ripping the camera off my car when I was parked inthe parking lot at my job..They bentthe tabsslightly, then tried unscrewing the camera by rotating the camera around in the base (Which doesn't do anything except rotate the lens)which is what tipped me off to someone trying to steal it as my video was almost upside down when I started to leave from work.. Afterwards I realized that there was another advantage to screwing the tab into the license plate light screw.. Most people don't carry Torx bits with them when they try stealing cameras so that made itdifficult for the person to rip the camera off (I also noticed they tried to unscrew the Torx screw as it was all scratched) .. If it was screwed into the soft plastic of the bumper I think they would have been able to simply pull the camera off..

Now I am starting to think that maybe I should relocate the cam to a more hidden or not so noticeable place as if someone really wants the camera they will be back with a Torx bit.. At least the camera comes with an RCA connector close to the back of the car that would make the camera easy to replace in the event of theft.. It would suck having to rewire the whole camera again on top of getting it stolen..

 

Wow, your camerahas only been on there less than a week and someone has already tried to take it. This makes me rethink some mounting ideas.

Yesterday I was looking at whatwould be requiredto remove the entire fascia. I have to take the top half loose anyway if I want to mountthe camerabetween the lights. The hardware packet has two "one-way" nuts withscrews and washers. No one couldloosen the screwsonce those nuts are tightened down without putting a wrench on the nuts. Impossible to do without partially removing the fascia. If I add some wide fender washers there's no way anyone could just pry the camera loose. The screw heads are just Phillips, so I might see if Home Depot has something similar in Torx or some anti-theft bit. They makes such things for fancy license plate frames.

ButI don't want people to even notice the camera. One option is to mount it to the inside of the fascia and drill a hole so just the lens is sticking out, flush with the surface. If I could find a locationthat would be aesthetically pleasing I might go that route.

My car is an 07 Sebring. I thought the Avenger setup was the same, as far as the license plate lights are concerned.

 

I see what you were talking about now.. The 2008 Avenger just has a single light in the center so I totally see why you were saying you wanted in the middle now and that's definitely where it should go..

Its pretty stable if you just used one screw on the center (I know you're gonna use 2 screws though because I can tell you don't like an unfinished look and should be fine in the middle of those lights as far as the brightness is concerned. Basically as long as there isn't a light shining into the camera you're ok..

That's cool that it comes with one way nuts.. I didn't even try using them so I didn't notice.. Considering that someone would pull down on the camera I guess putting washers on the back should distribute the pressure of someone trying to rip it off..

Cool concept mounting it inside the fascia.. I dont know if I would have the ***** to drill that big of a hole but it definately would save you the trouble of getting it stolen.. I havnt really put any work into moving it since I installed the system.. I barely had the time to get the car washed.

 

After some thought I decided to go with the external mount idea I originally had - mainly because I felt uneasy about drilling a camera lens size hole in the fascia. I'll see how attractive it is to thieves.

I spent most of the day last Sunday, off and on,removing various trim pieces so I could route the camera wires next to the factory wire harness from back to front. Because the wires for the power were so much shorter than the video I soldered an extra 5 ft to them and moved the fuse holder so that it is behind the MyGIG. I figured ifit ever blew I, or the next owner some year, would lookbehind the radio instead of tearing up trim panels.

Although I'm currently only using the multimediaharness for the camera I have an idea brewing to mount some RCA jacks on the inside of the center console storage compartment for the 3 input connectors. It would be an easy way for my wife to connect her iPod and who knows what the video IN could be used for. I think this project would be a LOT easier than routing the wires for the camera.



The camera is so cool. I've turned it on while driving home at 12:30 a.m. and it still gathers enough light from the taillights to see things on an otherwise dark highway. I didn't know it would do this but even if the MyGIG is turned off the camera display comes on automatically when I shift into reverse.

I tested a DVD movie with the car in drive and it works just fine. Not that I would ever watch a movie while driving or anything - just a bonus feature.

 

I also did this install with the Lockpick and the rearview camera. Have you noticed that the camera gives you a mirror effect image on the screen? Did I install it incorrectly? The cars coming from the left appear to be coming from the right on the screen.

 

You hooked up the third camera wire didnt you? ::hint:: ::hint::

 

I don't know what you mean by third camera wire

 

Sorry I was too busy being a wise *** to elaborate.. I'll stop acting like a jerk..

There is a positive, negative, and mirror wire on the camera as well as the RCA video plug..

The third mirroring wire should not be connected (I forget which color it was)

 

Thanks, I will check if it is touching the metal on the back of the unit