Fitting a Number-Plate Reversing Camera to a 3-Door Honda Civic Type R (FN2)

Before disturbing any trim, map the full path the camera lead must follow, from the number plate at the tailgate to the navigation head unit at the front of the car. Obtain the head-unit-specific adapter lead that feeds a video signal into the factory nav screen; this is the part that makes the camera display on the existing screen rather than a separate monitor. Because existing four- and five-door guides do not match the three-door rear layout, pay particular attention to planning the section between the tailgate and the rear speaker.

Instead of removing the centre console or dash fascia, reach the rear of the head unit from the passenger-side footwell. Release the small four-clip trim panel there - it unclips in seconds and needs no tools. Reaching up behind the unit, you can locate the video connector purely by touch, which keeps the rest of the interior intact.

Keep a printed connector-layout reference from the head-unit cable guide beside you so you know which socket you are aiming for. Reach up behind the unit and become familiar with the position of each plug by feel first, then seat the adapter connector by fingertip. Once you know where it sits, the connection goes in easily and no further dismantling is required.

From the point where the adapter lead emerges, guide the camera cable back through the car beneath the interior trim. Use a wire coat hanger as a fish wire, pushing it through behind the panels and pulling the camera cable along behind it. Along most of the run the hanger slides through the trim cavities freely, so the lead can be drawn back toward the tailgate without lifting large sections of interior.

The transition between the rear speaker and the tailgate needs care. Do not push the coat hanger straight up toward the grommet hole left by the rubber connecting pipe, because a curtain airbag runs through that zone and can be damaged. Instead, route the wire along below the airbag, bring it into the tailgate area first, and only then feed it back up to the grommet hole from a safe direction.

To get the cable through the flexible rubber hose/grommet between the body and the tailgate, wrap electrical tape over the pointed tip of the coat hanger so it will not snag or tear the rubber, and trickle a little washing-up liquid into the tube as a lubricant. The hanger - and the cable behind it - then passes through the grommet easily, completing the run into the tailgate.

Fit the camera unit to the number-plate area and connect it to the routed lead. As supplied, the camera may not tilt down far enough, which makes it hard to judge distance to a low obstruction such as a wall. To gain more downward view, trim the frame below the camera; on the square bracket clamping it into the housing, cut its bottom edge away completely. The camera can then point fully vertically down, bringing the bottom edge of the number plate into the lower part of the nav screen for accurate positioning.

The thick upper section of the camera frame can block the factory number-plate lights, leaving the plate too dimly lit to be road-legal. Cut the frame away in the two spots where it shadows the lamps, then tidy the cut edges with putty adhesive so the plate is properly illuminated again.

Paint the black camera frame to match the body colour so it blends in with the car. If the camera drops over the plate and covers a digit, have a fresh plate made with the digit-spacing template inverted - thicker margin at the top - so all the characters are shifted down and remain clear of the camera. This keeps the plate both legible and legal after the camera is fitted.