Anyone fix a chipped rear camera lens?

[Mdwilmoth]

I have 2 new annoying black specs on my screen when the backup camera is on. (2022 JLU) It looks like I have a couple chips in the rear lens. A google search came up with it happening when putting the spare tire on. (I have stock XR 35's and I'm getting weaker with age).
Has anyone come up with a fix for this? Other than replacing the $150 plus camera. I'm thinking either windshield crack repair goo. Or a contact lens! I'm an optometrist. So if I measure the curve of the glass I can order a rigid contact to go over the lens with chips. The lens would have to be "glued" on somehow. The glue will fill in the chips, and I will have a nice surface again.
Your thoughts, or fixes for this.

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[BDinTX]

I'd be surprised if the original lens could be repaired, kudos for thinking outside the box though. Have you considered a salvage yard?

 

[Mdwilmoth]

I'd be surprised if the original lens could be repaired, kudos for thinking outside the box though. Have you considered a salvage yard?

I don't have a problem paying for it. I was hoping I could just unscrew the lens and replace the lens. It doesn't bother me $150 worth.

 

[BDinTX]

oh gotcha, ya I'd be surprised if it was intended to be serviceable. Curious if you could do it though.

 

[jludave]

Has anyone come up with a fix for this? Other than replacing the $150 plus camera. I'm thinking either windshield crack repair goo. Or a contact lens! I'm an optometrist. So if I measure the curve of the glass I can order a rigid contact to go over the lens with chips. The lens would have to be "glued" on somehow. The glue will fill in the chips, and I will have a nice surface again.

Replace the camera. Windshield repair will not cure clear and you'll never have the camera image look OEM. And, unless you remove the cracked/chipped lens, gluing another lens over it will yield the same result as the glue will not cure clear enough.

 

[Some Random Guy]

From my experience it’s a full assembly. You would need to dismount the tire carrier to replace it.

 

[The Fixer]

Has anyone had any luck with polishing scratches out of a camera lens? I just did this to mine last weekend, but it's not chipped, just scratched.

 

[Mdwilmoth]

I was at a body shop today for a different car. Talking to the shop owner about the camera. He said window chip filler won’t be the same color. He wanted to try and polish it. He is going to paint it with clear coat Monday or Wednesday. He basically wants to try a bunch of stuff for free, so he knows for future cars.

 

[jludave]

He wanted to try and polish it. He is going to paint it with clear coat Monday or Wednesday. He basically wants to try a bunch of stuff for free, so he knows for future cars.

He'd be wasting his time and yours (at least he's not charging you).

Nothing will fix the lens other than replacing it. Polishing won't remove chips. And, even clearcoat doesn't cure clear enough to maintain the clarity of the original lens.

 

[bthomp]

Has anyone had any luck with polishing scratches out of a camera lens? I just did this to mine last weekend, but it's not chipped, just scratched.

How did you polish the lens? Just found out that mine was scratched today,,,, just had the tires rotated and the lens got scratched... should have done it myself I guess.

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

You could get a used one on Ebay for around $50... of around $43 on Aliexpress

You could try removing it.. standing it vertically and applying a drop of Low Viscosity Crazy Glue and letting gravity conform to shape... It is worth a try if you are already planning on replacing the camera anyway... just for fun !!

 

[Gossamer]

Hmm, never thought about this while doing 5 tire rotation. I'm thinking, a piece of painters tape over the lens to protect the lens before it gets damaged?

 

[TwelveGaugeSage]

I don't have mine here to look at it, so this may or may not be a stupid question, but is it literally the lens that is exposed and getting chipped, or is it a glass cover OVER the lens that is getting chipped? If it is just a cover, you should be able to pry it off and the camera will be unprotected but should work fine. I had a cell phone that the glass cover got cracked on. I removed the cover and the camera worked great the rest of the phones life.

 

[Mdwilmoth]

Painting the lens with clear coat did not do anything. I haven’t tried anything else. No time. It doesn’t bother me anymore.

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