Side-mirror camera installation for 360° view system

Tags: #mirror · #head-unit · #installation · #wiring

Retrofitting a 360°/around-view camera system on the FAW Besturn X80 requires both the right head unit hardware and physical camera installation in the mirrors — most factory X80 units were never wired for it.

Hardware requirement: the head unit (GU/"магистраль") must have 4 dedicated camera video inputs. A firmware flash that merely adds a "4-camera" menu option is not sufficient if the head unit's board has no physical video inputs for them — "software isn't enough, hardware support is required" ^1234567. One owner found a firmware option for 4 cameras while flashing for CarPlay support, but another cautioned this only works if the unit actually has 4 video-in connectors on the board — otherwise the firmware option does nothing ⁶⁷⁸.

China-market trim difference: the Chinese-domestic-market FAW X80 "Sport" trim (1.8T engine, black roof, "Tesla-style" tablet head unit) reportedly came with cameras pre-installed from the factory; this trim was never imported to Russia ⁹¹⁰. Some Russian-market cars had the preparation for 360° cameras built in (a molded circle at the mirror mount point) but no cameras fitted in any actual trim — comparable to the door-panel light housing that's present but never populated with a light ¹¹¹².

Mirror disassembly and camera mounting: (1) the mirror glass/element sits on movable spring clips — pull it off first ¹³¹⁴; (2) fully disassemble the mirror housing and remove the mirror glass entirely, or the camera cable cannot be routed through ¹⁵; (3) there is a molded circle on the inner-lower side of the mirror housing marking the correct camera drill point — drill only there, and be careful not to drill through the internal cable-retaining studs ¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷.

Wiring — the hardest part: routing the camera cable through the door's wiring-loom connector is the most tedious step. Route the cable/loom from inside the car out to the door, not the other way around — the connector is narrower going that direction and passes through the larger pin housings more easily ¹⁸.

Parts sourcing: cheap camera + head-unit bundles are available on Wildberries ¹⁹.

Full kit needed: a head-unit with 4-camera hardware support + 4 cameras (front, rear, left, right) ².

Media

Mirror disassembly in progress, showing mirror element and housing separated

Photo of mirror housing interior, asked about drill marking location

Photo of mirror housing with a marked point being confirmed as the drill location

Photo showing the molded circle marking on the mirror housing for camera position

Follow-up photo confirming the molded circle drill point after Eduard's explanation

Related pages

• Aftermarket Android head unit — CANBUS wiring
• Side mirror assembly — folding motor failure
• Aftermarket tablet head unit installation
• Subwoofer installation — wiring and signal sourcing
• Side-mirror heating — availability by trim

Sources

This page is compiled from 19 community messages. Every fact carries a numbered reference to its original author and message.

Last updated: 2026-07-24