Z Automotive Front Camera Install & Review for 2018+ Jeep Wrangler JL

hey Rob here for Quadratec.com today we're going to be installing and taking a look at the front camera for the 2018 and newer Jeep Wrangler JL from Z Automotive this system seamlessly integrates a forward-facing camera into the center grille slot in your Jeep to give you an excellent viewpoint that can be activated and viewed at virtually any time any speed and in any drive mode that means it's not only going to be perfect for use in the parking lot but it's going to function as a great trail camera helping you to see any difficult obstacles that may be down low in front of your Wrangler the forward-facing camera from Z Automotive is compatible with the factory 8.4 inch Uconnect system and it will require the Tazer JL mini to activate the cargo camera mode on your touchscreen to allow you to view the source from the forward-facing camera now while the backup camera from the factory in your Jeep is a high-definition video source the forward-facing camera is going to be a high-quality standard definition 480i video source and that's simply due to the limitations of that 8.4 inch Uconnect system now the complete camera kit from Z Automotive includes everything you need for an easy plug and play style install including the camera and the housing that snap into the front grille and only require minor trimming you're also going to get the complete wire harness that runs through the engine bay and into the cab of the Wrangler as well as the video input pigtail that plugs right into the back of the factory 8.4 inch Uconnect system to complete our install the first thing we need to do is go ahead and trim a small section of the center grill slat using a pair of side cutters you can trim the cut with a razor knife feed the camera wiring into the grill but do not snap the camera into place at this time next remove the seven clips holding the top edge of the grille in place and either lean the grille forward or completely remove the grille to give you more room to work because we're installing our camera into an automatic Wrangler we can use the clutch master cylinder plug in the firewall to route our wiring remove the plug then we can drill a hole in the center of the plug and install a grommet to protect the wire harness feed the wire harness through the grommet then feed the wiring through the firewall and finally reinstall the plug route the wire harness along the outside edge of the engine compartment and behind the grille cut the included heat shrink tubing into two pieces slip one piece over the yellow RCA video connector and one over the camera power connector after making the respective connections shrink the insulation to protect the connectors from the elements now you can reinstall the grille with the factory clips do not snap the camera mount into place yet moving inside the Jeep start by removing the climate control cluster using a panel tool to help pry the panel loose disconnect the wiring and set it aside remove the two screws that hold the screen bezel in place then remove the bezel which is held in place with clips next we can remove the 8.4 inch touchscreen by removing the four screws one at each corner then disconnect the wiring connections on the back side and set the unit aside using a small flat head screwdriver pry the red locking plate off the main electrical connector turn the connector over and install the yellow video input pigtail into the connector referring to the instructions for the correct pin locations the pins should snap into place turn the connector back over and reinstall the red locking plate next remove the lower dash section it's held in place with a single screw and some clips disconnect the wiring from the back of the 12 volt accessory port and feed the camera wiring harness under the steering column to the center of the dash plug one side of the t-harness into the back of the 12v accessory port and the other side into the factory wiring harness feed the yellow RCA camera source connector up to the top dash cavity then reinstall the lower dash panel connect the yellow RCA camera source connector to the video input pigtail then reconnect the wire harness to the back of the 8.4 inch touchscreen reinstall the screen bezel and climate control cluster next we need to activate the cargo camera option using the Tazer JL mini if you don't already have a Tazer installed click the info button to watch our complete Tazer review and install video navigate through the Tazer JL menu to the radio option then to the cargo cam setting toggle the cargo cam to on then navigate to and select full reboot from the main menu you may have to allow two full sleep cycles before the cargo camera option appears on the Uconnect screen once it appears select the cargo camera option to activate the front camera the front camera may need to be aligned loosen the camera bezel then rotate the camera in the camera housing until it's correctly aligned after re-tightening the bezel firmly snap the camera housing into the front grille of your Jeep and that's all it takes to get the forward-facing camera from Z Automotive installed in your 2018 or newer Jeep Wrangler JL if you guys want to get more information or to purchase a camera for your Jeep you can click that info button head over to quadratec.com of course if you have any comments or questions about the camera how to get it installed or how to use it you can always leave those for me down in the comment section below or contact us directly at any of the options on the screen and if you haven't already and you like these videos do me a huge favor go ahead and hit that thumbs up button don't forget to hit that subscribe button as well as the notification icon so be sure to catch all of our latest videos until next time I'm Rob I'll see you guys out on the trail