As you all know the rear view is pretty limited with the top up, so inspired by darkknight I installed a rearview camera set-up.

On the way back from lunch to work I was pulled over by a cop itching to write me a ticket. After explaining that I don't have a TV tuner or DVD player he returned to his cruiser to check my liscense and called in to check what ticket to write me. He came back and informed me that the only ticket he could give was inattentive driving, and he thought that was too harsh, so he let me go with a warning and instructed me to only use it when backing up, and keep it off while driving. Lucky for me he didn't look at the front of my car since I don't have a front plate (they are required in WI & IL).

Anyways just thought I'd warn anyone thinking about doing a video mod, that any cop that stops by you at a light can see pretty easily into your car and may question your choice in I.C.E.

My camera doesn't do the image justice. Here is a shot with my daily driver behind me.

 

Keep it off while driving? So you can get a ticket for no rear-view mirror?

I'm pretty sure a video display is acceptable as long as it is performing the same function as a rear-view mirror. Then again, your state may be different.

 

Man that thing takes up a LOT of space while driving no? Isn't it sort of distracting?

 

Oh hell. I cannot see any traffic lights while stopped at an intersection without hunching my back or stretching my head over the windshield "rollbar". So how is this going to make it any worse?

A wide-angle lens and a rear-mounted camera = no blind spots from the tiny rear-view mirror.

 

Darknight's unit looks like it's factory installed therefore i doubt he would get harassed by the police whereas yours just looks like a dvd screen hanging in frt which could (did) draw attention to yourself

 

I am sure they are just responding to the TWolves player that crashed into a parked car because he was driving drunk and whacking off while watching pr0n on his screen.

 

No wonder he crashed:

One hand for the beer, the other was doing the knuckle shuffle - leaving nothing to steer the car.

 

While my screen is substantially taller than the rear view mirror, it doesn't seem to block much more view than the mirror did. I agree with rworne about having to hunch down to see traffic lights, pretty much have to do the same thing with the mirror, or in my case the screen. The screen really helps with the top up, in which case I doubt I would have been harassed, but with the nice day I had the top down and it was in plain view for the officer to question. I wasn't trying to start a debate, just wanted to warn people that the police may question any sort of screen install in an S since any of them would be within plan view of the driver.

 

no debate at all - just thought the look of your set-up would draw much more attention from the Police than John's (Darknight's) set-up

 

I've seen some "nice" installs of screens in the rear view mirror location to act as a backup display, etc but yours looks pretty bad.

If I was a cop, I'd be looking at your screen too since that is so obvious and noticeable.

The s2000 is already a low car so people can see into your car but to have a monitor that blocks 1/3 of your windshield is not too smart anyways....I used to live in Chicago and remember having anything even hanging from your rear mirror was illegal (such as a CD, pictures)


Looks tacky IMO but it's ur car....