This installation photo blog will show how we hardwire-installed a Thinkware U1000 4K 2-Channel dash cam into a 2019 Audi Q7. If you’re considering installing a dash cam, we recommend the BlackboxMyCar Essential Install Kit.
The BlackboxMyCar Essential Install Kit comes with a circuit tester, trim remover tool, and other handy tools to make the project more manageable.
Before installing a dash cam in any car, check how far the wiper goes because if you mount the dash cam above the wiper’s reach, it will not have a clear vision. You want to make sure you are mounting the dash cam in a spot so you can always get a clear windscreen in front of it. This also applies to the rear dash cam if wipers are on your back windshield.
Next, clean the windshield from the inside of the car just to ensure the camera sticks properly and to clean off any marks or smears that might affect the video quality of your footage. Once that’s done, you can connect the power cable.
For this installation, the customer requested a hardwire installation to unlock the dash cam's parking mode recording capabilities. If you don't need parking mode capabilities, you can opt for a more straightforward installation using the 12V power cable and your vehicle's cigarette power socket.
We are hardwiring the Thinkware U1000 to the vehicle’s fuse box, located in the driver’s side footwell.
*Got a right-hand drive Audi? You will find the fuse box in the front passenger’s footwell.
Thinkware's hardwire kit is a 3-wire cable, one for each: constant power, ignition-based, and ground. This allows the dash cam to detect when the ignition has been turned so it can switch to parking surveillance mode for impact and motion detection. Use the circuit testing in the Essential Install Kit to help you find the suitable fuse slots to use.
Guide the power cable along the headliner and down the A-pillar on the driver’s side. If the fuse box is located on the passenger side of your vehicle, then you will route it along the headliner and A-pillar on the passenger’s side to the fuse box.
It’s pretty straightforward; all you need to do is use the included prying tool to pry the headliner gently so there’s a gap just enough for the cable.
You don’t want to simply tuck the cable into the pillar because there’s an airbag inside the pillar and you don’t want to obstruct it - so that in the event of an accident, the airbag will deploy and will not pull on the dash cam cables and cause further damage.
Carefully remove the Airbag tab on your A-pillar. You might see a Torx screw underneath. Simply loosen the screw enough so that you get enough room to guide the cable above the airbag.
Don’t run the cable just under the rubber seal because it will create a little gap and the door will not be sealed properly - you will get wind noise and, worse cases, water can access the car. You need to guide the cable under the trim, and for that, you will need to remove the B pillar covers and/or use the pry tool to carefully tuck the cable underneath the panel covers.
Unlike in most sedans, mounting the rear camera in a vehicle with a rear liftgate does require a few extra steps and the best way to run the cable is to go through the hoses between the chassis and liftgate. If there is any trim on the liftgate, it's best to remove them to hide the rear camera cable under it.
Typically, there are 1 or 2 hoses that connect to the liftgate and it's best to give them a squeeze to check which one has more wiggle room before attempting to run the wire.
Tips and tricks? You can use a long zip tie, a coat hanger, or any variation of a long wire to guide the front-to-rear cable through the headliner and the rear hatch grommet, before connecting to the rear camera.
And there you have it, a Thinkware U1000 2-Channel dash cam installed in a 2019 Audi Q7.
From the outside, looking in from the front of the vehicle, the U1000 blends in really well with the car.
The U1000 rear camera is also very sleek and compact, small enough not to interfere with your visibility out the rear of the vehicle. And from the outside, looking in, it’s virtually invisible.
You can get other accessories for the Thinkware U1000, including the optional Radar module. We have recently installed the Thinkware U1000 + Radar module in another vehicle and you can check out installation photos and notes in our blog.
If you want to utilize Thinkware's parking surveillance mode but do not want to fiddle with hardwire kits or the vehicle's fuse panel, we strongly recommend the OBD Power Cable - it is an easy-to-use solution that allows you to use the OBD port in your vehicle as a power source for parking recording.
Voted Best Dash Cam of the Year, the Thinkware U1000 4K 2-Channel is a front and rear dashcam system that offers clear 4K video quality with super night vision 2.0 for clear video day and night. Built-in GPS tracking so you can take advantage of the safety camera alert, speed camera alert, and other driver assistance features, as well as the Thinkware Cloud features that help you locate the vehicle's current location in real-time.
The U1000 2-Channel dashcam comes with a Thinkware hardwiring kit, a CPL filter, and a microSD memory card. We recommend applying the CPL filter onto the front camera lens and inserting the microSD card into the front camera before mounting it onto the windshield.
If you only need the front-facing camera, Thinkware has a U1000 4K 1-Channel option. However, the 1-channel option does not come with hardwiring cable nor CPL filter. If you need these accessories, you will need to purchase them separately, and when it's time to add in a rear-facing camera, you can always purchase the optional rear cam separately as well.
Planning on installing a dash cam in your car? Check out our Step-by-Step Dash Cam Installation Guide and our selection of handy installation tools and accessories. And if you ever need a hand, just call us; our dash cam specialists are available to help!
