And the Frankenstein car begins

[Naughtysauce]

Since Honda and any smart legacy car manufacturer like to share parts across their lineup, I'm tempted to make my car into a FrankenClarity w/ the permission of my girl of course who has a 2018 Accord.

First experiment will be to attempt swapping out the sub par Clarity backup camera w/ the slightly less sub par backup camera from the accord which is slightly clearer and brighter. I'm even tempted to see if the backup camera from the new RDX base without the 360 view(it's much better quality than the one w/ 360 camera view)will work. Going to have to look at the connections once I remove the Clarity backup cam and take it to my local Acura dealership to compare. I find it perplexing that a car that retails for almost 40k can have a potato as a backup camera.

The next experiment since I'm forced to re-align the crap job the Honda tech did installing her leather steering wheel is to see if the connections for the controls and the steering wheel itself will fit on the Clarity since I'm not into the Clarity's controls being the older gens set up. I much prefer the controls on the 10th gen Accord's steering wheels. Much more intuitive and premium feeling.

 

[jdonalds]

Our backup camera is great. I keep it on the wide angle setting. I can see cars approaching from either side when backing out of a parking space. No plan to change anything here.

 

[Naughtysauce]

Our backup camera is great. I keep it on the wide angle setting. I can see cars approaching from either side when backing out of a parking space. No plan to change anything here.

I actually find it acceptable during the daytime, it's when it starts to get dark or in a parking garage is when it falls apart. Was thinking of doing this project in the Accord in the first place when I test drove the new RDX because the quality on that camera is on another level.

 

[rodeknyt]

backup camera from the accord which is slightly clearer and brighter.

Keep in mind that "clearer" may be due to differences in the resolution of the screen on the dash and not the camera. The Clarity isn't using state-of-the-art tech on the head unit.

 

[Naughtysauce]

Keep in mind that "clearer" may be due to differences in the resolution of the screen on the dash and not the camera. The Clarity isn't using state-of-the-art tech on the head unit.

The screen itself seems to be able to handle HD images, everything else seems very crisp except for the backup camera. Most of the time, it's just an issue with the type of sensor they used for the camera, and I get why Honda wants to save the latest tech advancements for their Acura line, but I feel like this is one place they could have done better. We'll see once I start swapping stuff as soon as I have some spare time.

 

[insightman]

The screen itself seems to be able to handle HD images, everything else seems very crisp except for the backup camera. Most of the time, it's just an issue with the type of sensor they used for the camera, and I get why Honda wants to save the latest tech advancements for their Acura line, but I feel like this is one place they could have done better. We'll see once I start swapping stuff as soon as I have some spare time.

You are as brave as the first person who plugged their Clarity's OEM EVSE into a 240-Volt outlet. I hope your mods are just as successful because many of us would like to know how to achieve a better rear-view camera image.

 

[Naughtysauce]

You are as brave as the first person who plugged their Clarity's OEM EVSE into a 240-Volt outlet. I hope your mods are just as successful because many of us would like to know how to achieve a better rear-view camera image.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my expectations will be rather disappointed as the Accord camera is not the best, only slightly better than the Clarity's. My best bet for the clearest picture is the RDX base camera being compatible. But at a price of around $140 I'm contemplating on getting one of these nifty rear view dash cam/backup camera setups. One of my favorite features in the Bolt premier was the rearview mirror camera, this will step it up a notch. I'm still going to experiment w/ the accord since it's readily available to me, but I'm leaning towards the latter for the best camera quality. It's soo funny how these manufacturers go with such a cheap cameras when these sensors are very cheap to make.

 

[Naughtysauce]

Just hit a snag in my plan. Although it's clear that the leather used in the 10th gen Accord is far superior to the leather used in the previous gen, I failed to note that even if it fit on my Clarity, I would have to purchase a new airbag unit which is in the tune of $700+. At that point, diminishing returns sets in and I would just have to live w/ the previous gens steering wheel.

 

[su_A_ve]

I have a sneaking suspicion that my expectations will be rather disappointed as the Accord camera is not the best, only slightly better than the Clarity's. My best bet for the clearest picture is the RDX base camera being compatible. But at a price of around $140 I'm contemplating on getting one of these nifty rear view dash cam/backup camera setups. One of my favorite features in the Bolt premier was the rearview mirror camera, this will step it up a notch. I'm still going to experiment w/ the accord since it's readily available to me, but I'm leaning towards the latter for the best camera quality. It's soo funny how these manufacturers go with such a cheap cameras when these sensors are very cheap to make.

View attachment 13800

My understanding is that these options suffer from two main issues:

* You need to run wire all the way to the back and out the trunk lid for the rear camera. Definitely avoid drilling new holes
* They usually do not have any auto dimming function so you get blinded easily if an idiot comes from behind with the high beams.

 

[Naughtysauce]

My understanding is that these options suffer from two main issues:

* You need to run wire all the way to the back and out the trunk lid for the rear camera. Definitely avoid drilling new holes
* They usually do not have any auto dimming function so you get blinded easily if an idiot comes from behind with the high beams.

I don't have an issue running wire to the back and since I already have a backup cam, the furthest this would go is the back window and primarily for just recording.

I have 5% on all my back windows so getting blinded is not an issue. If anything I have trouble seeing in the many backroads in my area where there are no street lights and these cameras have night vision.

 

[Mark W]

Keep us updated on the backup cam issue. My Clarity has the worst backup camera of any car I have driven. If there was a relatively simple and cheap way to upgrade it, even this cheapskate would do it!

 

[fotomoto]

I have 5% on all my back windows so getting blinded is not an issue.

The poster was meaning the electronic MIRROR is what will be blinding the driver in that circumstance. The day/night lever still works as intended tho’.

I installed a couple of these on older cars (mounted to the OEM mirror) and they work well but due to my particular eye sight and glasses I sometimes have issues with quickly focusing on the mirror image. Other than that, they also work very well with blind spot monitoring as the rear portion of the vehicle in the blind spot of the side mirror is still viewable in the rear mirror (with a wide(r) angle camera lens). By the time any image of said vehicle is no longer shown in the rear electronic mirror, the vehicle is along side and thus no longer in a blind spot.

Another plus is many of these come with a built-in front camera too and the mirror electronics records both cameras.

 

[Naughtysauce]

Keep us updated on the backup cam issue. My Clarity has the worst backup camera of any car I have driven. If there was a relatively simple and cheap way to upgrade it, even this cheapskate would do it!

Yes I agree it is terrible, considering how cheap these camera's are, it still surprises me why these companies use such low resolution cameras. The furthest I'll go is test fitting the accord backup cam to see if it works, but I'm leaning towards the after market as it makes more sense financially.