The Toyota Prius has, as an option or standard, a TV camera at the rear that presents a picture of what's immediately behind the vehicle on a screen in the dash. I would think this would be an option on other models such as the Avalon, but apparently not.
Has anyone here retrofitted a rear view CCTV to a car?
TIA
Ed
Does a pickup truck count? There are kits out to mount to a pickup tail gate so people can hook up their campers and boats up faster. You simply watch the screen as you back up and it allows you to hook up whatever you are towing without always having to get in and out of your truck. Helps to eliminate the trial and errors I guess....
Perhaps not coincidentally, the Toyota Prius also has the kind of ugly big "ass" that makes it hard to guess how close you are to an object behind you.
Also, a big chunk of its target market consists of people who need all the help they can get when it comes to parking.
They're also likely to live in the suburbs, and back that Prius out of a driveway where children and pets may be playing.
The rest of us don't need a silly CCTV in a car.
As much as it pains me to defend quite possibly the only car Toyota has ever made that's uglier than the Echo, I am guessing the reason for the big tall ass is aerodynamics. The trunk lid/rear end of cars used to be typically much lower than it is typically today, but I am guessing that they are made taller to reduce the amount of separation that occurs at the rear of the car (and consequently, lift.) It also provides for more trunk space, which is a nice selling point.
When backing out of a parking space, it is rather nice to be able to simply look over your shoulder and see where you're going, however...
nate
Hmm, I usually just picked up the tongue of the trailer and moved it the last few inches.
Of course, my body will probably let me know just what a dumbass I am when I get old...
nate
...
And besides, the rental I had which had one, it was so filthy from road grime it wasn't useful anyway. No one ever mentions that little detail of having ot keep the area semi-cleaned.
Pop
Surprised to see it on the Prius, but then again, I can imagine that as having a substantial blind spot, as cars go. The Dodge Magnum strikes me as another good candidate.
Vans and up are where you find the real market for such cameras. Our shuttle buses at work have backup cameras with a 'V' of range dots printed on the monitor with a Sharpie. The drivers really do refer to it when they can't avoid backing up, and also to keep an eye on the bicycle rack. A backup camera also seems to be an increasingly common RV accessory -- doubtless a factory offering on the nicer ones.
When a full-sized van came into my life, I got one of those "van eyes" lenses and figured out how to incorporate it into my scan when backing up. Even though it's a conversion with lots of large windows, backing up in crowded areas where pedestrians may lurk, such as in a supermarket parking lot, always makes me feel like the Sorcerer's Apprentice. A camera, especially one with some low-light capabilities, is an intriguing prospect now that the prices of cameras and small LCD displays seem to be coming down.
Kruse,
Thanks. Your remark was the most helpful. I'll check it out.
Ed
Yes, that and a lot of SUVs need them too. To say nothing about the Chryslers that look like a chopped '50 Merc with a rake.
You bet! Otherwise, we back up by radar... when we hear something go bang you stop. Then the hearing goes...
As a matter of fact, that's our problem. We are 4 houses down from the elementary school. So far, we've been lucky.
Well, the Avalon is not selling into the youthful market, is it? The average age of an Avalon owner is probably about the same as a Buick Lucern (nee, Park Avenue).
Look what I found!
Ed
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