Dash cams
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Pathfinder11 (02-21-2024)
02-21-2024, 09:33 AM
#12
AudiWorld Member
How much of a draw is there on the battery when it's parked and active? I would imagine it's motion activated so its minimal?
02-21-2024, 11:17 AM
#13
Club AutoUnion
The Blackvue is a great dash cam but if you're looking for something more budget-friendly then Thinkware Q800PRO (Features 2K resolution, wide-angle lens, parking mode, GPS, and Wi-Fi connectivity.) or the VIOFO A129 Pro Duo (Provides 4K resolution, wide-angle lens, parking mode, GPS, and Wi-Fi connectivity)
02-23-2024, 12:17 AM
#14
Fitted behind the rear view mirror, used a plastic trim tool to run the power cable just under the headlining edge, and down behind the inner door seal.Then prised off the plastic end panel where there's plenty of room to feed the remaining cable inside the dash void and the obd plug down under the dash into the obd socket.
Surprised myself with how professional it looks. No hardwiring required as it takes power from the obd. It also has a flick switch so it shuts down automatically after 5 minutes rather than parking mode, which waits until the battery gets down to 12v. You just have to change a toggle option on the ap.The other tip is to write down the camera password before you fit it snugly against the rear view mirror! Took about an hour, being very careful.
Now onto the rear camera !
Surprised myself with how professional it looks. No hardwiring required as it takes power from the obd. It also has a flick switch so it shuts down automatically after 5 minutes rather than parking mode, which waits until the battery gets down to 12v. You just have to change a toggle option on the ap.The other tip is to write down the camera password before you fit it snugly against the rear view mirror! Took about an hour, being very careful.
Now onto the rear camera !
02-23-2024, 10:38 AM
#15
AudiWorld Senior Member
Longtime dash cam user here. My points of advice below:
A dash cam that does not record while parked is only giving you a small fraction of the potential benefit. In the 15 years or so that I have owned dash cams, there have been 2 separate incidents where the video recording saved me.
1. Burglary. My car was parked in my garage at home and I forgot to close the door. A burglar entered the garage and stole items from both my cars. Gave video to police and they put the guy in prison for 18 months.
2. Parked-car Hit and run. My car was parallel parked when a work van side swiped it, and did not stop. Video captured the license plate. My insurance company subrogated my claim over to the other guy. No money out of my pocket.
You want front AND rear cameras. Similar to the above point, having just 1 camera will only capture part of the action. Roll the dice whether your incident happens in front or behind the car.
So I highly suggest a camera that offers front and rear recording.
Dash cams WILL drain your car battery if the car is turned off. A dash camera should be installed with either a backup battery, or a voltage monitor that will shut off the cam when the main car battery dips too low.
Blackvue is one brand which offers cams with battery options and/or voltage monitors. There are others but Blackvue is what I have always used.
A dash cam that does not record while parked is only giving you a small fraction of the potential benefit. In the 15 years or so that I have owned dash cams, there have been 2 separate incidents where the video recording saved me.
1. Burglary. My car was parked in my garage at home and I forgot to close the door. A burglar entered the garage and stole items from both my cars. Gave video to police and they put the guy in prison for 18 months.
2. Parked-car Hit and run. My car was parallel parked when a work van side swiped it, and did not stop. Video captured the license plate. My insurance company subrogated my claim over to the other guy. No money out of my pocket.
You want front AND rear cameras. Similar to the above point, having just 1 camera will only capture part of the action. Roll the dice whether your incident happens in front or behind the car.
So I highly suggest a camera that offers front and rear recording.
Dash cams WILL drain your car battery if the car is turned off. A dash camera should be installed with either a backup battery, or a voltage monitor that will shut off the cam when the main car battery dips too low.
Blackvue is one brand which offers cams with battery options and/or voltage monitors. There are others but Blackvue is what I have always used.
02-23-2024, 12:15 PM
#16
Longtime dash cam user here. My points of advice below:
A dash cam that does not record while parked is only giving you a small fraction of the potential benefit. In the 15 years or so that I have owned dash cams, there have been 2 separate incidents where the video recording saved me.
1. Burglary. My car was parked in my garage at home and I forgot to close the door. A burglar entered the garage and stole items from both my cars. Gave video to police and they put the guy in prison for 18 months.
2. Parked-car Hit and run. My car was parallel parked when a work van side swiped it, and did not stop. Video captured the license plate. My insurance company subrogated my claim over to the other guy. No money out of my pocket.
You want front AND rear cameras. Similar to the above point, having just 1 camera will only capture part of the action. Roll the dice whether your incident happens in front or behind the car.
So I highly suggest a camera that offers front and rear recording.
Dash cams WILL drain your car battery if the car is turned off. A dash camera should be installed with either a backup battery, or a voltage monitor that will shut off the cam when the main car battery dips too low.
Blackvue is one brand which offers cams with battery options and/or voltage monitors. There are others but Blackvue is what I have always used.
A dash cam that does not record while parked is only giving you a small fraction of the potential benefit. In the 15 years or so that I have owned dash cams, there have been 2 separate incidents where the video recording saved me.
1. Burglary. My car was parked in my garage at home and I forgot to close the door. A burglar entered the garage and stole items from both my cars. Gave video to police and they put the guy in prison for 18 months.
2. Parked-car Hit and run. My car was parallel parked when a work van side swiped it, and did not stop. Video captured the license plate. My insurance company subrogated my claim over to the other guy. No money out of my pocket.
You want front AND rear cameras. Similar to the above point, having just 1 camera will only capture part of the action. Roll the dice whether your incident happens in front or behind the car.
So I highly suggest a camera that offers front and rear recording.
Dash cams WILL drain your car battery if the car is turned off. A dash camera should be installed with either a backup battery, or a voltage monitor that will shut off the cam when the main car battery dips too low.
Blackvue is one brand which offers cams with battery options and/or voltage monitors. There are others but Blackvue is what I have always used.
i had two instances so far
1. Car was parked in a plaza and the car beside me decided to sideswipe my rear door when backing out of its spot. It was dark at night and they paused after the first impact before proceeding, so the "10 seconds before and after impact" didn't capture any license plates. I also doubt it would have got the plates given the environment conditions. Maybe if it was a Tesla it could have recorded with its side camera and sentry mode.
2. I was hit when stopped at stop sign from behind at low speed and the guy decided to take off. It had a uber sticker on the front windshield. I had dashcam recording with the drivers face, license plate, and the whole impact, and the subsequent taking off from the scene. The police asked me to file a motor vehicle collision report(so it went onto Carfax), then 2 months later they said they tried to call the driver but no one picked up so there's nothing they can do(WTF?) Uber said they can't release driver information without police warrant, Insurance company said they can't open a case with only license plate and would need the other driver's insurance company information. So I was SOL
02-24-2024, 07:20 AM
#17
AudiWorld Senior Member
Your camera does not record all the time and save the video? That seems very unhelpful.
My Blackvue cams record non-stop and will overwrite old video when storage space runs out. It also tags videos with incident reports like motion sensor, shock sensor, G Force, Tilt sensor, etc....
A tagged video is not erased until you review and delete it.
My Blackvue cams record non-stop and will overwrite old video when storage space runs out. It also tags videos with incident reports like motion sensor, shock sensor, G Force, Tilt sensor, etc....
A tagged video is not erased until you review and delete it.
02-27-2024, 08:47 AM
#18
Ran the cable as recommended - from interior mirror across, down the A pillar, under the sill covers on the carpet side, up next to the rear seat, up to the headlining and stuck on the rear window next to the high level brake light, out of sight.
03-04-2024, 06:41 AM
#19
Just an FYI for wiring - when you're running the wires behind panels, make sure you're not crossing an airbag and impeding its detonation area. Pretty sure they're in the A pillar and roof, perhaps elsewhere.
03-04-2024, 07:33 PM
#20
AudiWorld Member
2. I was hit when stopped at stop sign from behind at low speed and the guy decided to take off. It had a uber sticker on the front windshield. I had dashcam recording with the drivers face, license plate, and the whole impact, and the subsequent taking off from the scene. The police asked me to file a motor vehicle collision report(so it went onto Carfax), then 2 months later they said they tried to call the driver but no one picked up so there's nothing they can do(WTF?) Uber said they can't release driver information without police warrant, Insurance company said they can't open a case with only license plate and would need the other driver's insurance company information. So I was SOL