Dash Cam recomandations

[TrinityJay]

On 16/08/2020 at 18:43, TrinityJay said:

I've recently got a DR900S but am yet to hardwire, just plugging in to the cigarette socket when driving for now. Is there any trick to popping the headliner down? I have the sunroof and am worried I might break something should I just start prying. A-pillar cover seems easy enough.

 

I will answer my own question  and provide some info for reference (hello Googlers from the future!)

 

Getting the headliner down ended up not being necessary, I was able to carefully tuck the rear cable up there just by lifting the edge up from under the rubber seals. Made very sure it was tucked back up behind the curtain airbags, where I feel like it will stay but may review after a week or two of ****ty Victorian roads.

 

The A pillar cover wasn't too bad once I worked out it has to be pulled parallel to the windscreen rather than towards the seat.

 

The B pillar cover I didn't remove, headliner edge came out from behind it with ease after some minor jimmying and was later popped back under it just as easily.

 

The C pillar cover (note: car is a hatch) was a very tight fit against the headliner so I ended up removing it. I think I could've threaded the cable through with enough patience and jimmying, but I wanted to be sure I wasn't fouling on the airbag there. It ended up being a good idea because I discovered that the pocket of space behind the cover serves as an excellent place to hide the loop of excess cable  Getting the cover back on was a minor headache but I got there in the end.

 

I mounted the rear cam on the bottom of the center taillight shroud to achieve about the best view possible, as evidenced by this absolute muppet who has no idea what a safe following distance is-

 

Remember that you need to leave a bit of slack in the cable at the hatch so that it can be opened without ripping everything out. Easiest way to get the right length is to mount the rear camera first, then run the cable to it with the hatch up.

[ScoutCJB]

I brought an Apeman Dash Cam from Amazon and it should arrive today, currently £39.99 - i had an older version of this previously which i thought was great for the money but somehow when i changed cars I misplaced it.

 

 

Edited 4 September, 2020 by ScoutCJB

[albertz10]

Nextbase 522......keeps over heating....

[TheWanderer]

1 hour ago, albertz10 said:

Nextbase 522......keeps over heating....

 

Maybe just your unit, return it under warranty if possible. 

 

I want the 622GW as it has what3words built into it.

[EnterName]

On 02/09/2020 at 23:33, GlitchGolder said:

I have never owned a dash cam so this my seem like an ignorant question but where does having GPS on one come in handy? Is it if the car should get stolen? I'm considering getting one but want to make sure I get one with what's important. 

It's a double-edged sword: GPS data can be used in your defence, but if the GPS data shows you were speeding, it could be a positive liability.

 

[GlitchGolder]

16 minutes ago, EnterName said:

It's a double-edged sword: GPS data can be used in your defence, but if the GPS data shows you were speeding, it could be a positive liability.

 

Of course, there is always two sides to any coin. I suppose the pros outweigh the cons of having GPS though? 

[EnterName]

1 hour ago, GlitchGolder said:

Of course, there is always two sides to any coin. I suppose the pros outweigh the cons of having GPS though? 

I dunno.

I bought the GPS add-on for my Dashcam, and I think it was a waste of money. The cameras are more than you need to verify your account, IMO.

I'm also unsure of how the law regards Dashcam GPS recorded speed.

It's a personal choice, I guess.

[PetrolDave]

2 hours ago, EnterName said:

I'm also unsure of how the law regards Dashcam GPS recorded speed.

Devon & Cornwall Police are using dash cam footage sent in to them to prosecute (successfully) cases of dangerous driving by other drivers.

 

See Operation Snap

[JD52]

4 minutes ago, PetrolDave said:

Devon & Cornwall Police are using dash cam footage sent in to them to prosecute (successfully) cases of dangerous driving by other drivers.

 

See Operation Snap

You are right, many forces are using dashcam footage to prosecute dangerous driving but beware. If your speed is recorded and shows over the limit, you can be prosecuted for speeding.

[TheWanderer]

46 minutes ago, JD52 said:

You are right, many forces are using dashcam footage to prosecute dangerous driving but beware. If your speed is recorded and shows over the limit, you can be prosecuted for speeding.

 

It's a odd thing, it's like a flight or train data recorder, it'll be your saviour and save you if you're right, but try wriggling and BSing your way out, it will be your executioner. 

 

The problem being is that (from what I have been told) most insurance companies want (or insist) that the speed is displayed on the footage at all times in case of any incident. 

[TheWanderer]

Meanwhile I got a new toy...

 

 

 

Got a Sandisk 128gb high performance U3 card from Amazon for £19 to go with it, not paying the rip off price that Nextbase want for their own cards of lower capacity. 

Edited 5 September, 2020 by TheWanderer

[JD52]

3 minutes ago, TheWanderer said:

 

It's a odd thing, it's like a flight or train data recorder, it'll be your saviour and save you if you're right, but try wriggling and BSing your way out, it will be your executioner. 

 

The problem being is that (from what I have been told) most insurance companies want (or insist) that the speed is displayed on the footage at all times in case of any incident. 

Yeah, I suppose it's balancing the number of times you speed against the number of numpties driving out there.

 

My understanding is that the authorities can take dashcam footage if they think it's helpful in an accident.

 

Personally, I prefer to take a chance with the odd bout of speeding against the near misses.

[TheWanderer]

38 minutes ago, JD52 said:

Yeah, I suppose it's balancing the number of times you speed against the number of numpties driving out there.

 

My understanding is that the authorities can take dashcam footage if they think it's helpful in an accident.

 

Personally, I prefer to take a chance with the odd bout of speeding against the near misses.

 

Yeah I agree with that sentiment. The problem I have is two fold.

 

1. I'm used to driving at odd times when no one's about, this has been even more evident than usual thanks to Covid, where roads have been empty even at when "normals" would be about and it's too easy to forget about the limit.

 

2. Now they're starting to get back behind the wheel, they've forgotten just about everything and fail to realise that others are about and do stupid things like forget red lights, illegal turns etc.

 

They're also driving like Miss Daisy, which is driving those of us who haven't been affected by lock down and been driving throughout mad by trundling along at silly low speeds like 20 or 30 in 40+ area's like dual carriageways or the A3! 😡😡😡

 

What I'm finding really really annoying is I bought a Nextbase 612GW and hardwire kit a while ago and put it somewhere safe and it's so safe I can't find it anywhere! 😠😖

Edited 5 September, 2020 by TheWanderer

[TheWanderer]

I suppose I did get a result in one way, in that I used a work benefits scheme (Xclusives) and got 10% off the camera and hardwiring kit.

 

Got a voucher for the full price, however I only paid £242, so in essence I got the hardwiring kit for nothing and a few off the camera too. It beat the cashback websites by a mile.

 

I only got it from the black and orange  motoring store because if it goes wrong it's easy to take it back to the store. 

 

Now just got to find a place who can fit it for me.

Edited 5 September, 2020 by TheWanderer

[EnterName]

16 hours ago, TheWanderer said:

What I'm finding really really annoying is I bought a Nextbase 612GW and hardwire kit a while ago and put it somewhere safe and it's so safe I can't find it anywhere! 😠😖

I'm in a similar position with a Philips dashcam and even an old Blueseasky G1W. I don't want to hard mount my Aukey just now, so I'm going to use a dashcam with a sucker mount to the windscreen.

[darrenw]

19 hours ago, JD52 said:

You are right, many forces are using dashcam footage to prosecute dangerous driving but beware. If your speed is recorded and shows over the limit, you can be prosecuted for speeding.

 

Not sure about that.

In court...

Defence "Can the prosecution please explain how you determine my client was exceeding the limit?"
Prosecution "By the GPS on their dashcam".
D "Is that a calibrated and approved detection method, validated by the Home Office and ACPO?"

P "Errrrr"

Magistrate "Case dismissed".

OK, dangerous/careless driving is a different matter, but I cannot find any legal precedent for the UK for speeding, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.

IANAL so speed at your own risk.

[Kenai]

I'd be amazed if people were being prosecuted from displayed GPS speed unless it's absolutely ludicrous and markers in the video can corroborate it. 

 

It's so slow to refresh on many cams as to be completely worthless anyway. Seen plenty on YouTube compilations where the camera car has emergency stopped but the GPS speed is still showing 20mph 5 or 6 seconds later. 

[TheWanderer]

Quick question. 

 

Fuses 29/51 on a petrol 245 RS, does they do anything as they're for Adblue and are they switched by the ignition? 

 

I seem to recall that other one's to use are 47 (rear wiper) and ????, I'm thinking of having a go at doing the job myself. 

[TrinityJay]

1 hour ago, TheWanderer said:

I'm thinking of having a go at doing the job myself. 

 

 

The foolproof way is to grab a multimeter and test fuses to see when they're being powered. If you only want it on when driving then find a fuse that is live when the car is running but is otherwise dead (traditional keyed ignition cars generally have OFF, ACC & ON states, not sure about push button ignitions). If you're not running off an external battery ie- Cellink then use a 5A fuse, that will be plenty.