I have transferred my Nextbase dashcam from my Karoq in to my Elroq. However I don’t know which fuse to connect the power supply to so that it switches the dashcam on and off when I am using the car. I forgot to check when I took it out of the previous car as I had bought a new set of cables.

Any suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

Any fuse that is live with the ignition on (check your manual).

As an aside I used to use a "piggy back" in the fuse box but read that this counts as a modification to your vehicle so you should inform your insurers. 🙄

Now I just use the cigarette lighter adaption (with all the cables tucked away nice and neat).

When the ignition goes off the 12V socket goes dead after a minute or so and then my GW622 powers down.

Sadly the 12v sockets don't go off in the Elroq 'Danger of discharging the 12V vehicle battery by connected appliances!

The sockets work even when the ignition is switched off.' (copy and pasted from the manual!)

This also was the situation with my Karoq.

I've never heard of anyone telling their insurance about a hardwired dash cam.

Best bet, really, is to use a multimeter. Traditionally, you'd have either ignition live, engine live or permanent. As things are different in this case, I would use a combination of the owners manual and a multimeter - you're looking for something like the rear wiper, etc. From what I can see, F20, F25, F38 ,F39, F66 and F67 should be contenders. F28 is the only one you should not touch.

In my Octavia I used the empty Blind Spot Assist slot, as my car doesn't have it. If you have such a blank slot, use that - search a recent thread on dash cam fuse directions, by the way.

Edited 4 August, 20254 Aug by OccyVRS

Bummer.

It probably wouldn't hurt the dashcam to be permanently live (although they can generate some heat sometimes) but if you want it to power down then you should check your manual for fuses that are switched (with the ignition off/on).

Things like rear wiper, radio, electric windows etc.

As yet another aside ( I do like a good aside) you should change the settings to auto-off after a couple of minutes with Park mode enabled.

That way the unit would power down (even when permanently live) but you also have the benefit of the Parking "overwatch" function.

I have mine set up like this and if I sit in the car with the engine on the dashcam powers down after a couple of minutes but springs back to life when I start driving (must be a motion thing).

13 minutes ago, OccyVRS said:

I've never heard of anyone telling their insurance about a hardwired dash cam..

Maybe they don't but should they?

You know what insurer's are like when they try to finagle their way out of paying up .... 😉

Linky Linky Linky

1 hour ago, Sofo said:

Bummer.

It probably wouldn't hurt the dashcam to be permanently live (although they can generate some heat sometimes) but if you want it to power down then you should check your manual for fuses that are switched (with the ignition off/on).

Things like rear wiper, radio, electric windows etc.

As yet another aside ( I do like a good aside) you should change the settings to auto-off after a couple of minutes with Park mode enabled.

That way the unit would power down (even when permanently live) but you also have the benefit of the Parking "overwatch" function.

I have mine set up like this and if I sit in the car with the engine on the dashcam powers down after a couple of minutes but springs back to life when I start driving (must be a motion thing).

I'd suggest caution with leaving a dashcam on permanently - it can cause excessive battery drain by preventing control modules from entering sleep mode when vehicle is shut down.

1 hour ago, Sofo said:

Bummer.

It probably wouldn't hurt the dashcam to be permanently live (although they can generate some heat sometimes) but if you want it to power down then you should check your manual for fuses that are switched (with the ignition off/on).

Things like rear wiper, radio, electric windows etc.

As yet another aside ( I do like a good aside) you should change the settings to auto-off after a couple of minutes with Park mode enabled.

That way the unit would power down (even when permanently live) but you also have the benefit of the Parking "overwatch" function.

I have mine set up like this and if I sit in the car with the engine on the dashcam powers down after a couple of minutes but springs back to life when I start driving (must be a motion thing).

The dash cam will be perfectly fine on a permanent feed, but you'd need to set it on parking mode (accelerometer) otherwise it'll drain the battery. I personally think it's a bit of a pointless feature, unless someone backs into the front of your car. That said, while I know EVs have a 12V battery, I'm not sure if it's a separate thing, or part of the main high voltage circuit. If it is, then leaving it on permanent live won't be an issue. You can even look into the newer ones that can be checked 24/7 from your phone, etc. My girlfriend didn't drive her car for about four months, and the dash cam on parking mode didn't drain the battery - even on the crappy Fiat 500 battery. That said, I would exercise caution - however given that it's an EV, I think this is a non issue.

1 hour ago, Sofo said:

Maybe they don't but should they?

You know what insurer's are like when they try to finagle their way out of paying up .... 😉

Linky Linky Linky

I mean yes, but there comes a point where common sense has to prevail. Where does the line stop? In theory, you'd need to declare non-standard brake pads if you fit anything other than OE VW stamped items. I mean, should those that run 0W-30 instead of 0W-20 also declare this?

I'm being silly, but you get my point. Technically anything that isn't 'as factory' is a modification - be it Bosch wipers instead of Valeo, Michelins instead of Bridgestone (?) or whatever else.

12v battery drain is definitely a problem on ev’s and there are many reports of Enyaq and Elroq owners having experienced it. Low volts on 12v won’t open the contactors on the high voltage system so you’ll be stuck unless you have a jump starter pack on you.

My advice is to avoid using a permanent live.

8 minutes ago, Steve153 said:

12v battery drain is definitely a problem on ev’s and there are many reports of Enyaq and Elroq owners having experienced it. Low volts on 12v won’t open the contactors on the high voltage system so you’ll be stuck unless you have a jump starter pack on you.

My advice is to avoid using a permanent live.

If that's the case then I stick with what I first said. There is the obvious solution though - use a permanent live, and put the camera on parking mode. When you're in a car park, leave it plugged in, but when you're at home, just pull the camera off the mount. We have four cars and only three cameras, so frequently chop and change.

I remember, in my old car, I went away for the weekend and had to park on a very busy main road. I was worried about someone taking my mirror off, so I plugged the dashcam into a big 10,000mah power bank and left it on parking mode. Two days later it was still kicking, and had caught someone putting a flyer under my wipers.

19 minutes ago, OccyVRS said:

If that's the case then I stick with what I first said. There is the obvious solution though - use a permanent live, and put the camera on parking mode. When you're in a car park, leave it plugged in, but when you're at home, just pull the camera off the mount. We have four cars and only three cameras, so frequently chop and change.

I remember, in my old car, I went away for the weekend and had to park on a very busy main road. I was worried about someone taking my mirror off, so I plugged the dashcam into a big 10,000mah power bank and left it on parking mode. Two days later it was still kicking, and had caught someone putting a flyer under my wipers.

I use a battery pack for parking mode and this is hardwired to a switched live. Will be moving this over to the Elroq next weekend.