Back Up Camera issue

[MOPARManiac]

This past week camping my back up camera was blurry first thing in the morning. It appears that it is getting condensation on the inside from temperature change. After it warms up it is fine and clear again.

Anyone have this issue? My PW is always garaged so it isn't exposed to a lot of weather. Seems the camera is pretty cheap if it is getting moisture on the inside. I guess I was take it to the dealer and get it replaced under warranty.

[Mule]

I got a pretty interesting view on mine the other day.
Water pools up in the front of the bed when it rains. When I take off, all that water dumps between the bed and tailgate, creating an interesting waterfall effect on the camera.

Mine's a cheap chinese aftermarket one, so I wouldn't be surprised if I had to replace it in a few years.

(Where in Wyoming? Lived in Laramie when I was going to school there, then Evanston for about a year...)

[olyelr]

I am sure you checked already, but are you sure it isnt just condensation on the outside of the lense insteady of inside of it?

[Pit Slave]

One way to check for moisture on the inside is to get an ice cube and hold it on the lens for a few minutes. This will allow it to cool enough to cause condensation on the inside if there is moisture in the housing. You will have to wipe off the lens while you check the image on the screen to see if it's clear right afterwards (once it's cold enough it should condensate fairly quickly on the outside). It will be easier with help from a friend as by the time you go back to check the image, the outside of the lens could have fogged up from the humidity.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[MOPARManiac]

I got a pretty interesting view on mine the other day.
Water pools up in the front of the bed when it rains. When I take off, all that water dumps between the bed and tailgate, creating an interesting waterfall effect on the camera.

Mine's a cheap chinese aftermarket one, so I wouldn't be surprised if I had to replace it in a few years.

(Where in Wyoming? Lived in Laramie when I was going to school there, then Evanston for about a year...)

In Cheyenne.

[MOPARManiac]

I am sure you checked already, but are you sure it isnt just condensation on the outside of the lense insteady of inside of it?

Yep, I checked several times. I would clean it, then check, clean it again, it was always blurry. I couldn't notice the first day, but the second I could see condensation on the inside. After a few hours in the heat it would dry up and then the camera is clear as a bell. My deductible for the max care is $100 and it just sucks to pay that much for a $150 dollar part. I guess that' s how Chrysler can do their max care warranty.

It was an expensive trip. The piece of shit Dometic 3 way refrigerator stopped working. The ammonia in the coils is leaking into the inside of the refrigerator. I just spent a couple hundred fixing the thing last fall and now it is completely shot. I pulled the refrigerator out today and am going to build a shelf for storage and small microwave. Next month I am going to buy a Yeti cooler and just not have a refrigerator. They are F'n money pits in campers. Anything Dometic seems to be.

On top of that I hat to get stitches after getting myself with a knife. Did I mention it was an expensive trip? I will have to get the camera fixed, it's a marriage saver. The only time my wife and I fight is when she is trying to guide me in to hook up a trailer.

[olyelr]

Next month I am going to buy a Yeti cooler and just not have a refrigerator. They are F'n money pits in campers.

The only time my wife and I fight is when she is trying to guide me in to hook up a trailer.

Ha!


You can buy a lot of parts for the cost of one of those coolers!

[MOPARManiac]

Once ammonia starts leaking the whole refrigerator has to be replaced. Cheapest I have found is $500 and I can buy a nice cooler cheaper than that that won't have to be fixed/replaced every few years. It's a small 1.5 cubic feet pop up camper sized refrigerator. I can make better use of the space and just use a cooler. I should have done that all along. It would have saved me some dollars and frustration from when I could have been relaxing instead of trying to fix the piece of shit.

[Bill2014]

Looks like my PW is going to the dealership on Monday to address a blurry backup camera... it's the first issue I've had with the truck. It's been blurry for months now and never seems to improve. I checked for a flash update months ago and there was an update listed - but I didn't have time to dick with it then. When I checked for an update his week, it said I was up-to-date even though I've had the same flash for a while. Perhaps it's a real camera issue and not related to the software.

Cleaning the lens has absolutely no affect - and I can't see any moisture inside...

I'm sure I'll need a new engine (or at least lifters), probably a transmission, and a top off of blinker fluid.

[Bill2014]

Turned out to be a bad camera - apparently they have replaced a LOT of them. They claim that they are prone to "getting moisture in them".

The original camera's are generally defective and eventually allow moisture in and will fail. (unless you live in a low humidity desert).

They are not considered NTSB safety related - so no recall is mandated.

Dealer service likes to replace them - they get allocated 1 chargeable labor hour for a 10 minute job. The thumb sized camera part only costs FCA about $25 and they charge the customer $125 + 1 hour labor.

[FordyceCreekTrail]

Honestly surprised that's all they charge. I thought dealers had a 500.00 Minimum.

[olyelr]

Honestly surprised that's all they charge. I thought dealers had a 500.00 Minimum.

And Im surprised they charged anything at all.

Bill, no lifetime warranty? (although maybe it wouldn't be covered anyway).

[Bill2014]

Honestly surprised that's all they charge. I thought dealers had a 500.00 Minimum.

And Im surprised they charged anything at all.

Bill, no lifetime warranty? (although maybe it wouldn't be covered anyway).

They're dealers... their primary purpose is to overcharge for shoddy repair work and perform endless recalls. Of course they have to document all your maintenance activity to see if there are any gaps they can use to deny your warranty claims too!

Those lifetime warranties cost like thousands of dollars... and they make plenty of money off of them - or they wouldn't offer them. If I thought the truck would require thousands of dollars of repairs, then I wouldn't have bought it.