giovane

Hi all,

I posted this thread also on the Detailing & Automotive care section of the forum, so if this is not the right place please remove.

My previous car (Audi) had the 360 view cameras and over time the front camera got micro scratches and rock chips that impaired the vision.

I want to avoid the same fate on my new C300 so I've been searching for a solution.
I don't understand why MB makes the backup camera retractable instead of the front one, since the backup camera is not exposed as harshly to rocks and sand but this is a discussion for another day.

Some on the internet suggest to cut to measure a clear film but it doesn't convince me mainly because of it blurring the image, but also I'm skeptical how much a thin piece of film can really protect the lens.

My stupid idea:
I would like trying to place a rigid eye contact lens on the front, however I don't know what kind of liquid to use in order to make enough capillary tension to stick contact lens to the camera itself, and still making it easily replaceable.
I like the idea of a contact lens since its curvature matches the dome glass of the camera.

Do you think it could be feasible?

superswiss

A quick Google search found this: https://ukkocamera.com/products/ukko...mera-protector. There might be other similar protectors. If you drive in an environment that's prone do damaging the front camera then perhaps a good idea. The camera is small, so the chance of it being hit is quite small, but if your front gets sandblasted constantly then I could see the issue. What about your paint and headlights, though? Do you have PPF to protect the larger areas of the front?

As for why the backup camera is retractable, the low pressure zone behind a car draws in water, dirt and debris that covers up the camera lens on grimey days. The backup camera on my Audi was effectively useless when it rained and after until I cleaned it.

giovane

Yes I saw it but that product is indeed a film, and the few reviews I read are not good. One could cut a piece of xpel film and place on the camera but as I explained on my first post I don't think it's the best solution.
I do a lot of highway drive and rock chips are inevitable.
No, I don't have the ppf on the bumper but it's the camera I'm concerned with.

superswiss

Well anything you put there you'd have to secure with some kind of adhesive or it will just fly off. A contact lens held there with some fluid won't work. The fluid will dry up and the wind force will just blow it off. I'm just kinda puzzled that you are ok with rock chips on your entire front, but the tiny camera is what you worry about.

giovane

Simply the clear bra is not the topic of this thread.
Replacing a camera it might be hundreds if not thousands. I have a quite neutral color (selenite gray) and touch up paint works just fine for me.

superswiss

Fair enough. Replacing cracked headlights is not cheap, either, but you pick your own battles. Just understand that anything you put in front will act as some kind of a film and cause distortion and glare. Don't know if you personally wear contact lenses, but as somebody who does, they rely on a constant supply of tear fluid surrounding them to stay on the eye and provide clear vision and their curve is fitted to the wearer's unique shape of their eyeballs so they sit flush. Any gap will cause distortion due to optical refraction as the light travels through materials with different density. Contact lenses are filled with the same density fluid as the human eyeball so that the light doesn't get refracted. Even so, contact lenses cause distortion and at night they cause glare, however, our human brains adjust to it and compensate, and after a while one sees normal with them. A camera doesn't have this ability w/o secondary image processing to compensate for any additional distortion coming from a secondary layer in front of it.

giovane

Fact is that small rock chips on the bumper don't bother me much, since I can touch them up, but a bad image on the 360 camera does bother me quite more. I had a chip right in the middle of the lens and Audi wanted an insanely amount of money to replace the front camera.

superswiss

Understood. Your choice is between getting a bad image all the time from whatever you put in front or taking a chance and hoping nothing will hit it. Also, just so you know, but your comprehensive coverage generally covers damage from airborne objects. They don't cover respray of bumpers for normal rash, but damage to headlights, windshields and pretty sure cameras fall under comprehensive, because all those are safety related. Major damage to body panels from airborne objects is also covered under comprehensive. Comprehensive claims also don't increase your premium. Damage from stationary objects falls under collision and affect your premium. It's recommended to have a low deductible for comprehensive so your out of pocket expenses are limited in such cases. A low comprehensive deductible doesn't move the needle much on the insurance premium. I have $100 deductible, so these out of my control events only cost me $100 max.

giovane

Does it have to be a bad image? I'm just asking, trying to find a solution.

superswiss

Yes, physics is against you. Read up on optical refraction. The light will get distorted passing through different density materials as I explained above. Unless there's an OE solution with corresponding camera calibration you will get a bad image.

W205C43PFL

Forum member superswiss answered the backup camera part and yes from my experience it easily gets dirty if it isn't covered so I am glad MB has the rear cam covered. As for the front cam why it wasn't covered retractable might have to do with cost, I think if I remembered correctly, on the W222 S-Class, that front camera is retractable.https://www.incarpassion.com/wp-cont...-4-750x350.jpg

W205C43PFL

I wonder if in the case the protector or film doesn't work, you could somehow retrofit a retractable camera? I don't know, that will definitely require programming and calibration

giovane

I ordered a piece of xpel and wait to see how it works and how much it degrades the image.
1,400 miles on my odo and I already have one micro chip on the camera . Good thing it's on the side of the lens, so it doesn't compromise the view.

giovane

So I found the part number for the front camera on the 2023 C Class is A0009055912 (and apparently the side cameras on the mirrors share the same part number)
You can find it on ebay for less than $150, I guess there's not much to discuss at this point :-)

W205C43PFL

The thing is parts is only one thing, you would need to calibrate it and that will be annoying without Xentry I think.

wildta

Maybe this would work:

https://m.aliexpress.us/item/3256804418331722.html

nevermind, the camera is curved so the above wouldn't work.