Good Thing for the Dashcam

[K Frame]

None at all? That's genuinely surprising.

Brad

Don't think so. I'm not seeing any indication that that possibility was wired in on the absolute base model 2015 Subaru Foresters, the only model available with the manual transmission.

I couldn't even get heated mirrors wired in at the dealer because the wiring for the heated mirrors.... isn't there. It's a different wiring harness assembly.

I was able to get fog lights added because that apparently was part of the standard primary wiring harness, but that didn't extend to wiring into the passenger compartment.

[HeroHog]

On running the wire to the back of the vehicle: My 2013 Ford Escape was SUPER easy! I just had to stuff the wire between the headliner card and the side plastic front to back. Even my gimpy butt was able to do it unassisted! Look it over, test the gaps, and plan your route. Take it slow and don't force anything! Of course, your vehicle could be a total nightmare so test and plan!

[Bogie]

Back when I was driving, I was up in northern midwest, cruising along at 62 mph (sweet spot) and listening to late night radio on Sirius, and someone blew past me at about 70+ towing a car with a frickin' rope... Okayfine.
 
I hit 911, and got a dispatcher, and told them that they were going to have a problem going westbound at about mile... whatever the next sign I saw was... and I was still on the phone when I came up to an exit, and I saw headlights off the right side of the ramp, way off the right side of the ramp, and another car slowly backing up from under the bridge, at least in the breakdown lane... Dispatcher figured that the tow car had tried to slow to take the exit, and the towed car had essentially PITed 'em. There was laughter on her recording...

[dogmush]

Don't think so. I'm not seeing any indication that that possibility was wired in on the absolute base model 2015 Subaru Foresters, the only model available with the manual transmission.

I couldn't even get heated mirrors wired in at the dealer because the wiring for the heated mirrors.... isn't there. It's a different wiring harness assembly.

I was able to get fog lights added because that apparently was part of the standard primary wiring harness, but that didn't extend to wiring into the passenger compartment.

No Map lights?  I'm seeing a 2015 Forester overhead"console" in a bunch of pictures, but I can't narrow down trim level.  I though Map lights were pretty ubiquitous though, and would be 12VDC pretty close to the mirror.

Failing that, if you wanted a dashcam, most all A-Pillar trim pops right off and includes wiring channels (as long as there isn't an airbag in there). The last F150 I put one in I just tucked the wire into the front of the headliner to the corner, than down the A-Pillar to the fuse box.  It was nice and clean.

[K Frame]

Yes, there are map lights, so the electrical service is there, obviously.

I was thinking too narrowly -- about a specific power lead for the rear view mirror itself, which takes  very specific, very Subaru connector. So yeah, I could tap into the power for the map lights.

[Brad Johnson]

I was thinking too narrowly -- about a specific power lead for the rear view mirror itself, which takes  very specific, very Subaru connector. So yeah, I could tap into the power for the map lights.

Always an option. The Dongar tap was just a convenient plug and play solution if your vehicle was so equipped.

Brad

[K Frame]

Why are you talking about my Dongar, you pervo?

[dogmush]

One thing to keep in mind:

The last time I put in a dash cam it came with a cigarette liter plug, so 12VDC.  Looking at the current crop of dash cams it seems like USB-C is the standard plug now. While technically the USB-C Standard supports up to 20VDC, those Donger taps specify they output 5VDC, and the hardwire kits sold with the cameras all have a suspicious box like 10ft down the cable where you could hide it under the dash.

I'd want to double check what voltage my ~$250 camera takes before I just wired it up to battery voltage in the car.  If you do have to use the camera supplied hardwire kit, then it's long enough running the cable down to the dash is easier than stuffing it all in the headliner.

Just a thought.

[K Frame]

Doesn't higher voltage increase the resolution?

[RocketMan]

Doesn't higher voltage increase the resolution?

It also makes the factory smoke more colorful and sweet smelling.

[Brad Johnson]

One thing to keep in mind:

The last time I put in a dash cam it came with a cigarette liter plug, so 12VDC.  Looking at the current crop of dash cams it seems like USB-C is the standard plug now. While technically the USB-C Standard supports up to 20VDC, those Donger taps specify they output 5VDC, and the hardwire kits sold with the cameras all have a suspicious box like 10ft down the cable where you could hide it under the dash.

I'd want to double check what voltage my ~$250 camera takes before I just wired it up to battery voltage in the car.  If you do have to use the camera supplied hardwire kit, then it's long enough running the cable down to the dash is easier than stuffing it all in the headliner.

Just a thought.

The USB-C connector will support up to 20v, but the default power profile for all USB connector types is 5VDC. Anything with a USB connector, regardless of physical format, is designed for five volts. As you mentioned, the Dongar adapter and camera OEM wiring kits have internal voltage regulators for that purpose.

There are scenarios where higher voltages can be applied, but there's a handshaking protocol required to initiate the event.

Brad

[dogmush]

I literally only put that line in the post because I didn't want someone to come along and say their laptop pulls 20VDC over USB-C., but here we are.

Check the input voltage of your camera before you wire it to your car.

[JTHunter]

I was able to get fog lights added because that apparently was part of the standard primary wiring harness, but that didn't extend to wiring into the passenger compartment.

1982 Toyota 4WD longbed p/u.  I wired both amber fog lights halogen driving lights (both 55W) to my front bumper with the power wire running to an under-dash pair of switches and back to the lights.  I also had a fiberglass shell on the bed that I ran wires through the frame members and up to the shell.  This fed a pair of small red marker lights over tailgate window, orange tear-drop lights on the sloped front of the shell, and small orange markers just in front of the back of the shell on the sides.  I also wired a 12V floodlight inside the shell with a switch to power it that I could reach through the pass-through window.  I also has a 55W halogen flood on the center over the tailgate window that I could control from inside the cab.
If somebody was "tailgating", they got an eyeful. 

[HeroHog]

This was our Auto-X/Rally Turbo Pinto MPG (auto with air!). It's a horrible pic shot with an over ripe potato but it has H2 Halogen 110/55 headlights in the grill, the front-center light on the roof-rack is a standard halogen high-beam, the center rear light is the same, and the two outer-fronts are some INSANELY POWERFUL Hella Driving lights that required 10 gauge wire and a Ford Starter Relay wired direct to the battery or it would, and did, fry the wires and/or fry the (3 different) Cibie HD Light relays I tried using!



Here it is frying the tires at an Auto-X:
https://herohog.com/images/cars/Racing/TurboPinto.mp4

I did 100% of the work on this. It later was cannibalized to build this:

[HankB]

. . . it has H2 Halogen 110/55 headlights in the grill, the front-center light on the roof-rack is a standard halogen high-beam, the center rear light is the same, and the two outer-fronts are some INSANELY POWERFUL Hella Driving lights that required 10 gauge wire and a Ford Starter Relay wired direct to the battery or it would, and did, fry the wires and/or fry the (3 different) Cibie HD Light relays I tried using!

When I was in college one of the other students replaced the high beams in his vehicle with aircraft landing lights. Not only were they larger than the stock lights, but the electrical requirements were different as well - he said that had he thought it out ahead of time he wouldn't have gotten started since he had to put together a new power supply for them. (I don't think they were even 12v, but don't ask me the details, it was over 40 years ago. )

They were bright - really, REALLY bright.

[dogmush]

I think light aircraft are mostly 28 VDC systems.  They would be a pain to wire.

I have a set of LEDs off of an MRAP that are super bright.  I was going to put them on my truck, but so far getting them 24 VDC has been too much of a PITA to be worth itt.