Unidentified part in CX-5 fuse box

[zeemeijer]

Hi all, I was looking in my fusebox after my garage hardwired my dashcam. I noticed a component I didn’t see before and I would like to know what it is for. Someone recognizes the part on the picture?

 

[RedBaron]

I'm guessing it's a power adapter for the Dashcam.

 

[stickerbush]

Looks like a 12v lighter socket under all the tape.

 

[zeemeijer]

Looks like a 12v lighter socket under all the tape.

What would be the purpose of that?

 

[markfm]

The dashcam probably came wired with a cigarette lighter (aka accessory power) plug.

Instead of a neater, smaller, connection, cut off the lighter plug and change to an inline connector, they wired in a lighter socket to the fuse box, then taped the whole mess together.

 

[stickerbush]

What would be the purpose of that?

To plug in the power cord for the dash cam. Another approach would have been to cut off the lighter connector from the dash cam power cord and then wire that cord directly to 12v in the Mazda.

 

[zeemeijer]

It might be the connector of a cellink battery pack. Will get in touch with them to check

 

[Conrad 16.5]

If that's the work your garage did, it's totally halfassed.

 

[stickerbush]

If that's the work your garage did, it's totally halfassed.

I don't see anything wrong with this work. It's possible that the 12v plug on the dash cam cable contained electronics, such as a voltage converter or noise filter. The 12V socket solution may be the cleanest and most reliable approach.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

I don't see anything wrong with this work. It's possible that the 12v plug on the dash cam cable contained electronics, such as a voltage converter or noise filter. The 12V socket solution may be the cleanest and most reliable approach.

Then again, it could be totally halfassed as I said. Someone saving time and not doing the job 'right'.

 

[sm1ke]

Then again, it could be totally halfassed as I said. Someone saving time and not doing the job 'right'.

I agree. Acceptable from a DIY standpoint, or a friend helping with the install, or even a "shade-tree", under-the-table kind of job. From a professional outfit, I would expect a much cleaner, more OEM looking installation. Functionally it'll work just fine, but it's bulky when it doesn't need to be, and doesn't look OEM (leading to the creation of this thread).

It does appear to be the simplest solution. Just looks a bit questionable.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

If it was me paying a professional to do a job, it should look like a professional did the job.

 

[jbsx]

They coulda at least used one of these.

 

[stickerbush]

They coulda at least used one of these.

It appears to me that is what they did use.

 

[jbsx]

Oh. You may be right. Just looks awkward with wires at 90 degrees.
I had thought they just attached/soldered wires to the device plug.

 

[stickerbush]

Oh. You may be right. Just looks awkward with wires at 90 degrees.
I had thought they just attached/soldered wires to the device plug.

The 90 degree connector is the cable to the dash cam.