Forward recognition camera removal

First off, massive thanks to everyone here. Love my new truck, and the knowledge you guys (gals?) have dropped here has been super helpful.

After driving the truck for ~1000 miles it’s time to pull the trigger and completely remove the rear view mirror and “forward recognition camera”. I’m 6’5 and this sits squarely in my field of view. Cars to my right at intersections - especially headed downhill - are masked completely. I’ve removed the rear view mirror in every car I’ve owned/driven for exactly this reason - no problem yet.

So... anybody try this yet? I’m going to start with a soft touch, but I’ll have sawzall/grinder on deck just in case.

Whatever safety / CYA functions this massive blockage provides is far less important than seeing what is actually in front of me.

Thanks in advance.

(Plugs in grinder...)

 

Ummm....

Are you 100% sure that there are no self checks or issues with removal? If there is logic that won’t allow you truck to move or could cause it to apply the brakes because one system uses the other as a redundant failsafe you could be doing serious damage to your truck or cause it to be unsafe.

The integration of some of these systems can make them impossible to remove and still have your vehicle work correctly. Plus in an accident you may find you have no insurance for disabling safety systems. I am not sure of the law but there could also be issues there with removing or altering safety systems.

This is definitely a research twice remove once situation.

 

If you remove the camera entirely it will just trigger a fault code in the dash that wont clear. You'll have warning messages constantly and the PCS will not function. Nor adaptive cruise.

The cover simply slides forward downwards to the dash. Try taking just the cover off and seeing how if/it impedes your vision, don't touch the camera. Otherwise I would suggest a new vehicle.

 

@Bishop84 you mean I don’t get to use the grinder yet?

Thanks - will definitely try what you’re suggesting first.

No chance of a different vehicle - love this thing. Maybe just run the wire to the glovebox and just stuff it all in there?

 

@Exracer2 100% agreed. I pretty much came up with squat mining the forums - hoping someone here has taken a swing at this before me and can share some wisdom.

Current situation is dangerous - camera straight up blocks my view.

As far as I can tell the camera just boots up to capture precrash images for various entities CYA purposes (?) - it’s not actually performing a safety function. I could be wrong... that has happened before.

 

FYI, I'm also 6'5" and if you search around, there is a bracket people have made to lift the rearview up against the ceiling to fix the line of sight. At least there is for the 2nd Gen. Fixed my whole issue.

 

This is why I'm getting a 2017 You might find the most reasonable option would be to trade for one as well?

 

@ilubtimmyhos oh man I wish! I saw that thread... nothing so far for 3rd gens. Best we can do is to rotate the mirror upside down, which allows it to fold up a bit higher than it does right side up. Problem is that (1) you can’t actually see out the back in that position and (2) that massive camera thing is still in the way.

 

@Taquitoma yikes! I don’t blame you - no sense going with latest if it ain’t even the greatest. Hopefully I’ll scare up a solution... fingers crossed.

This cam mount placement feels like a graceless hack job from a design standpoint. The right solution would be mounting it flat in the lid just ahead of the crawl control knob and above mirror. That, or exterior similar to back up cam. Both would require redesign... this current situation is a half baked, slap on solution aimed at avoiding work/cost. (Deep breath...)

 

I'm 6'4" and have the same problem. However, if I think the mirror is blocking something, I simply move my head to see around it. Hope you find a solution and welcome to the forum. Also, you and I are in the 97% in height. This, along with every other vehicle made, is not designed for tall or small people, It is designed for the middle people. I don't bitch because I understand the parameters these guys have to use. I don't fit well on airplanes. Standard beds are too short. I have to duck under hanging banners at stores. I have to check the antique chair before I sit down. And I definitely test drove the Tacoma many times before buying it because I don't fit in a lot of vehicles.

 

Junk harvest complete! No sawzall/grinder required (yet)... so far nothing that a windshield replacement wouldn’t trigger. We’ll see what messages/alerts pop up tomorrow - I can always just clip it back in.


What a colossal amount of crap they piled onto this poor truck’s windshield.

I guess next step (if error messages livable) will be (gently) removing the glued-on mounting baseplate & black frit masking on the glass (if possible... we’ll see).

Fingers crossed.

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

@hiPSI totally. Nobody’s heart aches for big tall mofo’s! Taco fits surprisingly good, tho huh?

My only beef is just with the half-assed-ness of how the big cam assembly was just stuck on the windshield. Lazy design. I don’t think we’ll see this on future tacos - feels like a bandaid to get new tech to market in a hot rush. Might be a bandaid I’ll have to live with, but maybe not! We’ll see...

 

@beertimecontinuum thank you sir! Ya’ll are great

 

Looks like frit is baked on... bummer. Cam might have to go back on if the big black frit patch its mounted to can’t go away.

“The frit is a black enamel band that is literally baked into the edges of the windshield glass, accompanied by the border of black dots you are wondering about. The purpose of the frit is to provide an etched surface that allows adhesive to bond to the glass. When a manufacturer installs a new windshield, or an auto glass specialist replaces your windshield, the glass is bonded to the vehicle with the frit as the contact point between the glass and the frame.“

 

Welcome to TW! If you look in the lower right of someones post, you can quote it. It's easier for following along with a conversation.

 

@EatSleepTacos

Thx!

 

lol you're getting there. No need to tag someone, as they get a notification when you quote them, and they know what you're saying is directed at them.

 

Jesus. I’ll get there eventually... thx for the help!

 

Nailed it! So proud of you. Anyways, hopefully your project ends well.