Rear view cameras Adria or visionplus

[Bluebanjo]

Hello

 

Dealer is offering a visionplus or Adria rear view camera for my 2019 Adria twin but is not very forthcoming about with what models etc. Does anybody have any experience of either of these? Thanks.

[Cattwg]

Just a thought, are you looking for a “parking camera” which will only give you a view behind of about 20 feet? Or are you after a proper “rear view camera” that will give the 20 foot view when in reverse and a much longer one (maybe 100 yards) when going forward? It’s as well to stipulate what you are expecting.

Sorry but as regards your actual question I can’t help.

Cattwg :-D

[flicka]

I would check with the dealer to establish what the Adria camera actually is.

On their twin PVC models, it is usually the base vehicle standard option, which Adria would or not, specify when ordering the vehicle

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Tony

 

VISION systems are described here

 

https://www.visionplus.co.uk/shop/ranger-rear-view-systems/

 

As has been advised above, you should confirm exactly what is being offered in both cases and what the cost will be.

 

If the dealer is “not very forthcoming”, that’s because you have not been sufficiently insistent that the dealer provide adequate information for an informed choice to be made.

[Colinsburgh]

Hi,

I have a 2018 Adria twin. The options for rear view cameras may depend on the specification of the Ducato base vehicle that Adria have ordered. Mine came with the Luxury pack which included Alloy wheels, Uconnect radio with sat nav, Bluetooth etc fitted at the Fiat factory. This also included a reversing camera which is built into the high level brake light at the rear of the van . It gives about 50yds view backwards with parking guides. Output is viewed on the 5" screen of the Uconnect radio. The picture is pretty sharp but is limited by the small size of the screen. I find it adequate for purpose. The installation at the back of the van is neat and unobtrusive.

 

I think you may have to check with the dealer the actual spec of the base van before deciding what you want.

 

Hope this helps, Peter

[Bluebanjo]

Oh but I have! Just really uncommunicative! Would rather buy from the dealer I bought the van from (2 weeks ago!) as you'd hope you'd have more recourse if there was a problem but at the point of telling them to shove it!

[Derek Uzzell]

This Fiat Forum discussion may be of interest

 

https://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/419268-reversing-camera-pre-wiring.html

 

Re-reading Tony’s original posting, I’m not sure if his motorhome dealer is offering just a rear-view camera or a complete camera + monitor system.

 

There is a suggestion in the Fiat Forum discussion that Adria Twin models may come pre-wired for a rear-view system and if the motorhome already has a radio unit (like the Uconnect radio Peter mentions above) that might influence what equipment is best fitted.

 

There are quite a few cameras designed to replace the high-level brake light of a Ducato panel-van. For instance, Dometic offers the CAM 35 product

 

https://www.dometic.com/en-gb/uk/products/safety-and-security/driving-support/rear-view-systems/dometic-perfectview-cam-35-nav-_-69778

 

that has the option to add a CAM35 FS ‘long range’ camera

 

https://www.dometic.com/en-gb/uk/products/safety-and-security/driving-support/rear-view-systems/dometic-perfectview-cam-35fs-_-56068

 

 

An Adria motorhome dealer might be expected to have experience/knowledge of installing a rear-view camera/system on Adria panel-vans and - if alternative cameras/systems are being offered to a buyer - to be able to advise on what the relative merits/capabilities are of each product. There are potential benefits in having the camera/system installed by the motorhome’s vendor, though it’s worth pointing out that a retro-fitted camera/system won’t be covered by either the Fiat or Adria warranty, though it should have its own warranty tems and conditions.

 

It’s possible that whoever Tony has spoken to at the motorhome dealership has limited technical expertise regarding rear-view camera systems (salespersons are rarely omniscient) but that’s no excuse for failing to provide Tony with basic information necessary for him to decide whether to opt for a VisionPlus or Adria product or - if he likes neither - to have a different system fitted elsewhere.

 

Rear-view systems are discussed here

 

 

The scope, quality and cost can vary dramatically, but, if a vendor is unable or unwilling to provide relevant information, it won’t be possible to decide if what is being offered is likely to disappoint and/or be poor value for money.

 

 

 

[Bluebanjo]

Thanks Derek. I’ve finally managed to get a response from the dealer, Chelstons. They are offering a vision plus system fitted for £699. Given that the most expensive vision plus system is £376 retail that seems a little expensive! I’m querying that with them but may have to look elsewhere.

[Derek Uzzell]

Based on the VisionPlus website, the more expensive systems involve a dual-lens camera and all the systems have a dedicated monitor that’s mounted either on the dashboard or clips on to the interior rear-view mirror.

 

A ‘wired’ rear-view camera system needs to have a cable running from the camera on the motorhome’s rear wall to the monitor in the cab, and installing that cable can be a fiddly process. But many motorhomes have pre-cabling for a camera system and this can significantly simplify the task.

 

I’d want to know a) what VisionPlus camera and monitor system I’d be getting for £699 and b) what the alternative Adria system comprised. Also, whether pre-cabling is present as, if you decided to go elsewhere, this should facilitate fitting any system.

 

Do you know what radio-unit your Adria will come with? It’s commonplace now to display a rear-view camera image on a double-DIN size radio-unit embedded in the dashboard’s centre. Standard-fit units often have that capability and ‘camera-compatible’ units that can be retrofitted can be surprisingly inexpensive (example advert here)

 

https://tinyurl.com/yxmo3kum

 

These links relate to a couple of firms advertising fitting motorhome rear-view systems

 

https://www.avrmobiles.co.uk/acatalog/parking-cameras-motorhome.html

 

https://www.motormods.co.uk/motorhome_accessories.html

 

There are alternative providers (GOOGLE-search on "motorhome rear view camera installation”) but it should give you an idea of what the costs might be for not having your dealer fit the system.

 

[Bluebanjo]

Yes, the Adria is pre-wired but even Adria haven’t been able to tell me what their system spec is! I haven’t put a radio in the van and will probably want the one where the monitor clips over the rear view mirror. I’ve asked for a quote from my local dealer and see how that compares

[NickVanBitz]

Bluebanjo - 2019-08-14 7:46 AM

 

I’ve finally managed to get a response from the dealer, Chelstons. They are offering a vision plus system fitted for £699. Given that the most expensive vision plus system is £376 retail that seems a little expensive! I’m querying that with them but may have to look elsewhere.

 

Unless the Pre-Wiring is an exact match to what the Vision-Plus requirements are, then I would guess the difference is the labour required to get through the bodywork and to the front of the vehicle.

Some Panel Van conversions aren't the easiest things to work on, so can take a good 2-3 hours to install a fill camera system.

A lot of manufacturers use Dometic Cameras ,so it might be pre-wired for that, but again it could also retain the Fiat's Pre-Wiring for their systems which may explain why they are being a bit vague in their response to what may be fitted.

[Derek Uzzell]

Logically, when a motorhome has been pre-wired for a rear-view camera, the motorhome’s manufacturer should be able to say with certainty what equipment that cabling is intended for.

 

My Rapido was pre-wired as standard and (for various reasons) I chose to have the Rapido factory-fitted option of a Dometic CAM50 camera displaying on an in-dash Pioneer radio unit. I’m well capable of DIY installing a rear-view camera system but, if I had decided to do this, I definitely would not have chosen a system that included equipment unsuitable for exploiting the pre-installed cabling and that demanded running another cable front-to-rear, simply because it would be a perverse thing to do.

 

If I were in Tony’s shoes, if your suggestion is correct that incompatibility between the Adria pre-wiriing and the VisionPlus equipment might require 2-3 hours of work to install a different cable and that this extra work would bump the price up tp £699, I’d go ballistic if I discovered that this was what the dealer was proposing to do.

 

Tony has said that his Adria motorhome does not have a radio, so the rear-view system will essentially be stand-alone and (presumably) only linked to the Fiat part of the vehicle to provide ignition-controlled 12V power and (perhaps) automatic operation when reverse-gear is selected.

 

The Adria-vending dealership seems unable to satisfy Tony’s reasonable requests for basic information that might allow him to decide whether or not to fork out £699, and there’s really no excuse for that.

[NickVanBitz]

I couldn't agree more Derek, as when the gentleman went through the options list for his Adria, the camera/media upgrade could have been less than having it retro-fitted at a later date.

Sadly however the practise of some dealers are to use their own selection of aftermarket products and price them accordingly based on the margins they have in the product and reliability etc, which would lead us back to them charging a labour rate to fit a complete system without using the pre-existing wiring.

 

It's also worth looking at warranty/guarantees that some with some aftermarket systems too. Take the Dometic Camera systems as an example. If it has been installed by an approved Dometic agent, you will get a longer warranty compared to someone whom has got the camera through Dometic as a standard dealer. Also look at well known manufacturers for long term support, should you go past the warranty period and need a replacement component at any point.

 

Also a footnote to pre-existing wiring, 95% of the time the wiring hasn't been damaged during the motorhome's assembly and can be used. However there has been on the odd occasion that the wiring has been damaged and requires repair/replacement.

I cannot answer for other company's practise, but labour rates should reflect whether pre-existing wiring is used and be discounted accordingly.

[Derek Uzzell]

On-line comments suggest that, when Adria pre-installs cabling for a rear-view camera on their A-class and profile models, the cable is designed for CAMOS equipment - so there’s a possibility that a CAMOS-suitable cable is used for Adria PVCs too.

 

There are lots of camera units (various designs, various prices) that replace a Ducato van’s high-level brake light. This is a neat approach, but the result will only allow a ‘look down’ capability that will be OK for reversing but no use for looking backwards when driving (a capability mentioned by Cattwg in the 2nd posting of this thread). If a replacement brake-light camera unit were not used, presumably a camera would be mounted on the edge of the van’s roof or alongside the brake-light.

 

Historically, when a motorhome owner wants a camera system offering look-down and look-back views, a bulky twin lens camera has been used, but it’s now possible to obtain two views from the “Jewel” single lens camera made by CAMOS that should go alongside an Adria Twin’s high-level brake-light and (if Adria does pre-install CAMOS cabling) may be straightforward to fit. This advert refers

 

https://www.rhinoinstalls.co.uk/Camos_Jewel_Camera_system

 

This Fiat Forum thread asks about fitting a rear-view camera to an Adria Twin

 

https://www.fiatforum.com/ducato/419268-reversing-camera-pre-wiring.html

 

but no information about the cable type is provided, nor is there any clue about this in the 2019 Adria Van brochure - just that all “Twin” models have “Pre-installation for rear-view camera”.

[Bluebanjo]

Thanks all for your insightful comments. The dealer now says that the existing wiring is only suitable for a single camera system and that it needs to be desired to fit a twin camera. I’m gojng to do some more research before I commit.