Bet you didn’t know your car might have this little trick for cleaning your backup camera.
Backup cameras are notoriously annoying to clean. It’s not that they’re hard to clean (just take a rag or paper towel or napkin and give it a quick wipe), but that they’re inconvenient. When you wipe off snow and ice from your car, you’re probably going to forget to de-ice the backup camera window—it’s so small and out of the way that it’s easy to miss.
And if it gets dirty, you probably don’t notice until you need to use the camera. And there’s no easy way of cleaning it while you’re in the car like you can wipe your windshield with the push of a button.
Turns out, there actually is a way and your car may have had this feature all along.
In a viral video, car expert Dom Giovanni (@car_connoisseur) shared that some cars can spray the backup camera with water. Here’s how:
- Put the car in reverse.
- Push the wiper stop out instead of in.
- Enjoy your clean new camera.
But there are two issues with this trick. The first is that spraying the camera down with water may be helpful in a pinch or if it’s got some muck on it, but water may not actually be the best way to get it cleaned. That’s because the camera is so small that water droplets can significantly impede the view through the camera.
In fact, there are plenty of forum discussions and articles of people trying to figure out how to waterproof their backup camera so water doesn’t stick, like when it rains.
The other issue is that the hidden feature may not exist on other cars. It’s definitely a feature on the Volkswagen Tiguan, but we couldn’t confirm what other cars have this feature. A few commenters tried it out with no luck. There are DIY solutions for those who really want a rear camera spray.
@car_connoisseur Hidden feature you most likely have!!! #car #cars #carsoftiktok #funfact #lifehack #fyp @VW ♬ Chill Day – LAKEY INSPIRED
The video has over 1,000 comments, and plenty are skeptical.
“My Mazda laughed at me,” a commenter wrote.
“I have a 22 Corolla cross. It didn’t clean my camera but it did clean my back windshield,” a person shared.
“Not on my 2019 honda civic,” another updated.
“Not me wiping my backup camera every time I walk up behind my car…” a person said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Giovanni for comment via Instagram direct message.
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