Greetings to All,

I am a new member who is asking for help with my 2008 G35X which needs a replacement back-up camera. I am the original owner, and 2023 is the year that I will fix every thing that is wrong on the car: both mechanically and cosmetically. I just had a detail shop run down a couple of water leaks in the front footwells (that took about 3 weeks of earnest labor by two young men!) and since the car is now dry and viable, I also just had the shocks/struts replaced with OEM-similar KYB gas units (even more expensive than the water leaks, ugh). The car has 74,000 miles on it - we literally only drive it about 5,000 a year in the Pacific Northwest - and it has lived a well maintained and pampered life. It’s the best vehicle I have ever owned, I am quite proud of it, and I hope to drive a few more years before passing it on to the next owner.



But back to my problem of replacing the cloudy, but still working, back-up camera. The camera is part of the original Navigation option (I believe) and therefore uses the existing dash console video screen. The camera is mounted in the center of the plastic chrome spoiler lip on top of the trunk lid. I had my trusted mechanic attempt to polish the lens (in place, no disassembly) and while it marginally improved the view, I think the camera has just been exposed to too much rain and temperature changes over the years and needs replacing. From what I have read on this forum, getting to the camera from the inside of the trunk is fairly easy (I haven’t tried yet), but sometimes the wiring and and switching functions to activate and turn-on an aftermarket replacement camera can be a strained enterprise. Of course, I would love to just buy a replacement camera, use the existing video hardware/wiring, and take it take to a local stereo installer to have those folks fuss over it and fit the camera lens in the stock opening. Deep breathe here, just for fun, I did contact my regional Infiniti dealer and yes they can get a new OEM replacement camera unit, at $1,300, but for me only $1,100. The parts guy did warn me to sit down before he quoted the price over the phone, I appreciated that. :-)



So that’s my current challenge. I am hoping against hope that some ambitious G35 owner on this forum has faced the same issue and can pass along a practical solution: like an aftermarket camera brand, with part number/model, maybe. Or put me out of my misery, tell me it’s not doable, and sympathetically advise me to move along to next issue that can be accomplished. I mean really, what’s the worst possible outcome, I back-up like it’s 1970, by resorting to a backwards visual check, use all of my mirrors, and stop when it sounds expensive; that last part is an old Teamster line we used to say . . . we weren’t that funny in the 1970s-80s. Thanks for your feedback.

 

I will let the more knowledgable folks in here give you better answers but - #1, it's possible you could disassemble that trunk trim piece and clean the inside glass and camera lens for a good result. I've never done that though so I'm not sure. And, #2, there are entire chrome trim pieces with cameras listed on eBay for about $180... A much friendlier price!

Now wait for some comments from folks who have experience with the camera.

 

You can get used ones for under $100 but I would definitely just remove the existing one and polish the lens, it's just cloudy from debris and UV is all, it will polish out.

I like using headlight restoration kits for those things because it's quicker to just clamp it in a bench vice and use my drill with a headlight kit. You can do it by hand though, wet sand with 600, 1200, 2000. Just have a really bright light handy to check your work, use a magnifying glass if you don't have excellent near vision.

Takes about 5 minutes with a drill, 15 by hand.

 

Thank you Skyline for the heads-up. I'm not experienced with eBay, but I did cruise over yesterday and saw those items too. And yes, they are much more affordable than a new OEM camera! Definitely an option I will consider. Good suggestion about lens cleaning too. I'm usually not so lucky to come upon a simple and inexpensive solution, but if it works for some people, why not me? :-)

 

Thanks cleric670. You gave me very specific details and directions even I can follow. I do have a good vice, work bench, lighting, and even several magnifying glasses to use. I'll check with a local parts store (O'Reillys) about the headlight resto kits and use a favorite drill, carefully. I do like the idea of repairing an old part vs gambling with a new/old part. One quick and perhaps silly question, I assume I should concentrate on polishing the outside facing surface of the lens, rather than undertaking a disassembly of the camera and attempting to polish the inside lens surface too, correct? I am quite good at taking things apart, but putting them back together - in working order - can elude me!

 

The lens is sealed over the camera unit itself, you can't take that part off. You're just polishing the outermost part of the lens.

You should first take a q-tip and some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and clean the camera lens in place on the vehicle before you disassemble anything. And look at it really close with a flashlight and magnifier to see if maybe it's something really obvious that the mechanic misses.

 

Thank you cleric670. No advice, suggestion, or direction is too small for me and I will follow your steps to carefully clean and inspect the surface of the lens first. Can I trouble you with one more question . . . I haven't tried to remove the inside trunk cover yet to gain access to the camera and wiring, (if it becomes necessary) is it a fairly straightforward affair? A few plastic nuts or fasteners to remove, perhaps, slide the trunk cover carefully one way or another to pull out? Thanks again.

 

I personally haven't torn apart the trunk on a sedan but yeah it's usually SUPER straightforward, the guy across the street from me added one to his 2007 and I watched some of it.

From what I remember it was just push in snaps that hold the trunk liner in place just like my coupe, then two harnesses on the chrome spoiler/finisher, one for the camera, one for the light, then 4 bolts to remove that chrome finisher.

The camera itself was attached to the finisher with two screws, I remember that distinctly because I put the camera on while he was taking the old finisher off.

 

Thank you cleric670. I now have a plan moving forward for the rear camera after I get my G35X back from the auto detail shop: replacing the 15 y/o 3M hood/bumper protective film, touch-up of fender/hood paint chips, cleaning interior spots via steam, etc.. I am about halfway thru replacing some old under-the-hood wiring for my after-purchase mod to have constant-on daytime running lights; relay, in-line fuse, and whatnot. Then it will be time to change the winter tires/wheels over to spring-summer-fall wheels and tires, which will also be just in time for my wife to take her annual fast and loud (stereo) run to visit a friend in Oregon - I am slightly envious of the "fast" part, but glad I won't be there for the loud music part. :-) So the camera work may happen before or after her Oregon trip, we'll see [pun intended]. Thanks again for the advice, I definitely know where to come if I have other issues and questions. G cars are the best, thank you gentlemen for your help!

 

Moderator EDIT: Banned for botting college essay site

 

SusanGarcia,

Yes and no SG. I have been busy getting the car detailed (exterior paint chips, new/replacement front bumper/hood protective film, interior stain removal), and my [slow] efforts to rewire an electrical relay to make my driving lights stay on, plus general maintenance and a summer tire swap-out to get the car ready for my wife's road trip in a few days. But, I mentioned my fuzzy back-up camera problem to my car detail guy and he ran to grab a buffing wheel/polish and 2000 grit sandpaper and thru his quick work he made a noticeable improvement in a few short minutes. With his young eyes, he said he could see light scratches in the camera lens, and advised me to spend 30-45 more minutes of hand-work with #2000 sand paper to finish it off. So I'm pretty confident that I will eventually solve my problem, after my wife gets back from her trip and I can spend more quality time with the G-car. Which is precisely the solution that cleric670 suggested, namely elbow grease. Thanks for asking.

 

Greetings to all,

Well, it has taken me several months to finally address my foggy backup camera lens, but I (successfully) just did it this last weekend; albeit, 6 months after asking and receiving excellent advice from this forum. Life gets in the way, right? Anyway, I picked-up a craftsman headlight defogging kit which had 800, 1200, and 2000 grit sandpaper circles, a polishing liquid/pad, and a hand drill rubber cup (3-4" diameter?) to hold said discs. I didn't remove the camera from the spoiler-lip mount since it stood fairly "proud" from the body surface, but I was careful to mask-off the surrounding trunk plastic chrome and painted panel area so no potential slip-ups would scar the body parts. Using a spray bottle of water with a few drops of dishwashing soap to provide the ongoing lubricant, I proceeded thru the sanding from 800 to 1200 to 2000 grit sandpaper discs, and then finished it off with a polishing creme provided in the kit. I went pretty slowly, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 speed on the drill, with my rechargeable hand drill, while stopping at each disc sanding period to check on the very slowly improving view out the backup camera. The view did not significantly start to clear up until the 2000 grit, and eventually got to maximum clarity during the polishing phase. I did not take any pictures to post, but I can describe the starting view as completely unusable (think post eye exam, while looking thru an empty milk glass), while the ending view was good enough that I could see cracks and texture in the payment and could probably identify a paper money denomination if laying on the ground; but not a president's face! I would guess it is about 90-95% back to its original clarity, circa 2008, but not as good a visual resolution as my 2021 Mazda; to be expected, right? My wife, who uses the G car as her daily driver is completely happy with the outcome. I am satisfied too, and thrilled that I didn't create more damage to the car on my way to addressing this problem.

So thank you all for guiding and encouraging me in this little project. I think the last repair item I have on the G car is to think about replacing the center console analog clock with one that has a working LED light. My mechanic took the clock out, hoping to replace the LEDS, but was afraid to disassemble the actual clock for fear of breaking the plastic housing. Of course, the dealer has one in stock but they want like $1,000+ for it; seems every old, hard-to-get part, costs much more than I'm willing to pay.

Take care fellow G-drivers, and happy projects to you all!
John

 

Good to hear you got it fixed!