Rear view camera - not pre-installed. Options?
 

I bought my 2014 GLK350 4Matic back in April and was surprised that id did not have a backup camera included. I found this on ebay which is supposed to be OEM. Where did the OEM rear view camera reside from the factory? Would this work? https://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-2014-2...d0dj:rk:2:pf:0

How can I tell if my vehicle is pre-wired? VIN No: WDCGG8JB4EG287246

Is it at all possible that the camera is just not turning on in the center display when engaging Reverse? That has been known to happen.

Have you looked around the license plate area in the rear for a camera lens and ruled it out?

There doesn't appear to be any camera near the rear license plate. I also have heard, for some very strange reason that many of the GLK350s did not come stock with a rear view camera. Heck my wife's 2013 Kia Optima has heated and cooled leather seats, heated steering wheel and back up camera. I think I bought the wrong brand...

But not this does not have a back up camera...but I have heard that often the wiring is in place just the camera itself was not an option pre-installed for some odd reason. I will assume the pre-wiring is not there since this is considered a luxury brand car so that would make total sense...lol

did your GLK not come with P1? I thought that P1 was standard

I am not familiar with what a P 1 is but I pulled my data card and no where is it listed that my GLK350 has a backup rear camera. I was just curious if the wiring already exists where I can just add one but I suspect that is not the case. I will try calling local dealer and ask the same question.

P1 (Aka premium package 1) is the rear view camera, heated seats, side mirrors darken at nightime, and other stuff dont remember exactly off of the top of my head. Odd that it doesnt have it. Best i can suggest is buy a rear view camera kit and have it professionally installed. OR you can call the dealer and see what they can do, maybe a retrofit installation, but i dont know what charge, if any, they'll charge

The wiring is not there. You can alternatively go to an audio and visual shop and have them add it from non-genuine parts. (MOST people go this route)

GLK really got shafted on options. 99% of American cars don't even have door lights, footwell lights, folding mirrors, door panel stitching, or right side memory seats. On European cars they have crappy semi-powered seats, but get door decoration trim? So many Canadian cars even get the door trim decoration and memory seats, but all that is bundled into the real leather package in USA.

Common Euro spec seats, folding mirrors, and door panel.
https://d2oyks6atvki0v.cloudfront.ne...069-HND_15.jpg
https://carsforsaleinspain.eu/wp-con...r-controls.png

US common driver memory panel:
http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/54923764.jpg

An OEM backup cam can be installed after purchase, I'm just unsure of the process.....my 2015 GLK 350 4matic only had the premium one package (which does NOT include a rear view camera)....but I negotiated the install as part of the purchase price. Unsure of how difficult it is to install; it seems like an easy thing to do, but my local dealership in the Washington DC Metro doesn't even have a guy on site who does it; they share an AV tech with the other MB dealers in the area, and the guy is only onsite one or two days a week. From what I can tell, there was a piece of plastic where the tailgate handle is that had to be replaced, and he had to remove a few panels on the lift gate. Unsure if he had to run new wires to the head unit., but I assume they did, as it's got the dynamic wheel turn lines.

And If you only have the Premium one package, i'd also suggest purchasing a Becker Map Pilot navigation module. It literally pops into the navigation connection unit in your glovebox, and allows you to use voice recognition to dictate address information.

I recently bought a 2015 GLK in August of 2018 and faced this same dilemma. I did a lot of research and eventually found out that in order for your GLK to get a rear view camera, you need a "module" that installs behind your screen, then you need a camera that runs from the module behind the screen, all the way through the weather stripping all the way to the back lift gate.
I got a few quotes from shops in the area. The module costs around $300-$400, and the install they quoted me was for about $800, but that seemed absolutely ridiculous.
My solution was find a place called 4x4shop in canada that has aftermarket 10.25" android screens that cost about $700, and it is ready for plug&go for back up cameras.
So i ordered the new screen (which looks great btw) and installed it myself. I ran the camera cord through the dash and to the back (this was the easy part) then popped off the tail gate panels and ran the camera to the outside. It looks like a professional job and it works amazing.
So, for about $800 and a couple hours of work (i have no experience, just dove in), I have a great huge screen with android auto and google maps, and a new back up camera.
That is pretty much your only option worth the money in 2019.

@D-rok22: I was looking at purchasing the same unit from 4x4shop as it provided tons of new options/apps, I wanted to find out though...does it retain all vehicle info/menus? Also the camera that 4x4shop offers with the unit as an addon, does it work dynamically when you turn your wheel? Thanks for the info.

The 10.25" android screen defaults to the factory "screen". So I can use the car and its command knob exactly like i did with the original screen every time I hop in the car. I'll try and post some photos later.

I purchased the add-on camera as well but didn't hook it up right away. So I went a couple weeks with the screen and no camera. Every time I put it in reverse it would go to a dark screen except it still had the dynamic grid lines on it that responded to the steering. So yes, it has the dynamic grid lines, but it is just an overlay to the picture that the camera provides.

If you're going to order it and have patience to wait, 4x4shop offers free cameras or carplay dongles around Christmas time with the purchase of a screen.