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June 23, 2017

Mazda MX-5 Miata 2 Channel BlackVue Dash Cam Install

Our customer Lew shared some pictures of his dash cam setup in his brand new ND Mazda MX-5. He has the BlackVue DR650S-2CH dash cam paired with the multi safer that is hardwired for parking mode. Having a camera record while the car is parked is important for these small sports cars due to the low front end. Taller cars like trucks and SUVs often back up into these small cars as the nose of the MX-5 can’t be seen in their rear view mirror.

ND Mazda MX-5 2 Channel Dash Cam Install

Rear Camera on a Convertible?

Because Lew has the 2 channel version of the BlackVue DR650, he also has a rear facing video feed. It’s always tricky finding a spot for the rear camera in a convertible as the window is small and low down, making it hard to read license plates from behind. It can still be useful for proving fault in an accident and catching potential vandals who may damage the soft top. The camera on this car was mounted on the wind deflector. As the wind blocker is in a fixed spot, it does not matter whether the top is up or down.

Installation Tips

  • Our customer removed as many panels as possible to gain easy access for running the wires. You can see where the factory wires are run and run the new ones alongside.
  • Once panels were removed, it was easy to find room to store the excess cable. Most 2 channel dash cams come with more than 20 feet of cable for the rear camera so there will be a lot of excess in a small car like this.
  • The ND Generation MX-5 uses low-profile add-a-fuses. The fuse box is in the driver's side foot well.
  • Adhesive mounting clips were used to keep the wires neat when running up the wind blocker
  • A Cellink Battery B might be recommended for these vehicles as they tend to have smaller batteries that can't keep the camera running for too long

Installation Pictures

ND MX-5 Miata BlackboxMyCar

A picture of Lew's car (note camera not installed)

A Pillar dash cam wire

With the A-pillar trim removed it's easy to see where you can run the wire

Hardwire kit multi safer Miata

Here's the multi safer installed next to the MX-5's fuse box and the two low-profile add-a-fuses

Door sill dash cam mx5

By removing the door sill trim, there's a clear pathway towards the rear wind blocker

Dash cam cable mx5 mazda

Just behind the driver's seat, there's an opening underneath a trim panel with a lot of room for the excess cable

Rear dash cam Mazda Miata

With some adhesive mounting clips the camera wire can be run neatly

Sample Screenshots

Here's what you can expect with the rear camera mounted in the position shown by Lew.

Convertible rear camera

Rear dash cam convertible

Other Resources

Here are some other links that might be helpful if you're looking to install a dash cam in a convertible:

Check out the BlackVue DR650S-2CH here!
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