Integrated Dash Cam for Passat?

[nhand42]

I've been looking at getting a dash cam. I've seen some cheapies on ebay - $35 for a 1.3MP camera with SD slot (32GB max). Unfortunately they use suction cups and cigarette chargers, so they'd look bloody awful.

Does anybody know of an integrated solution? Something that goes into the bumper, or in the headlights, or in the cabin but properly concealed? Needs to be wired all the time, no buttons to press, just there when (if) I need it.

The goal is to have a record of any road incident. Be it a crash, or a near miss, or whatever. Usually I'd ignore it, but in certain situations I'd want the video recording.

[iamthestig]

How about this sort of thing ? - No affiliation and no idea if any good !

car video recorder camera dvr rear view mirror NIGHT VIEW for Toyota Lexus +4g | eBay

[gareth_oau]

not such a bad idea.

Seen some yootoob vids where people purposely reverse into you.

Pretty difficuklt to defend your legal position without a witness or in car cam?

[Guest001]

Look at one of these

New BlackVue DR400G-HD Car Black Box Drive GPS 16GB + English Manual | eBay

Not cheap but have absolute HD pictures I have one and have fitted 2 others for friends.
Would insert pics if I knew how Pm me for them
Putting one in a bumper or anywhere down low is futile as it restricts the view You dont really what pictures of bumper bars.

Mine is powered off a spare fuse in the end of the dash on the drivers side. I also have a rear accident camera powered from same place which goes all the time and has a parking function that records if anything bumps car for up to 3 hours after turning key off
I got some fuses from Jaycar with flyleads on them to allow to hook camera up.
Wiring is run under trim around screen and cant be seen. All i can see from seat is a small length of wire above the rear vision mirror.

[nhand42]

Look at one of these

New BlackVue DR400G-HD Car Black Box Drive GPS 16GB + English Manual | eBay

Not cheap but have absolute HD pictures I have one and have fitted 2 others for friends.
Would insert pics if I knew how Pm me for them
Putting one in a bumper or anywhere down low is futile as it restricts the view You dont really what pictures of bumper bars.

Mine is powered off a spare fuse in the end of the dash on the drivers side. I also have a rear accident camera powered from same place which goes all the time and has a parking function that records if anything bumps car for up to 3 hours after turning key off
I got some fuses from Jaycar with flyleads on them to allow to hook camera up.
Wiring is run under trim around screen and cant be seen. All i can see from seat is a small length of wire above the rear vision mirror.

That looks perfect. Hidden behind the rear-view mirror? I've run the bluetooth mic up through the trim, so I'm comfortable doing that again for a dash cam.

Ed: just saw some videos on youtube and it's just what I wanted. Auto-start. Auto-stop. Parking mode. I've ordered one off the eBay guy you recommended. Thanks for the advice.

[nhand42]

Informal Review of BlackVue DR400G - Passat installation

My Blackvue DR400G turned up in record time from eBay (2 days) and installation was a doddle. Here's a quick informal review.

The quality of the hardware seems to be above average. The plastics have a good solid feel with clean burr-free edges. The bundled power adapter has a robust cable with a decent length. There are the usual assortment of cables that you may or may not use, a 16GB micro-SD with USB adapter, a software disc, and some instructions.

The optical quality of the recordings is quite good. It has a 2MP sensor which works well in both full daylight and at night. When moving from low-light to high-light conditions (e.g. driving under trees) the sensor reacts quickly to adjust the exposure. It's not BluRay quality, but it's much better than my camera-phone. There are no skipped frames that I've noticed. It does the job nicely.

The model I was sent spoke Korean but there's a sequence of upgrades/downgrades that turns it into an English firmware. It's almost not important because I've turned off all the voice feedback anyway. This can all be configured by using the BlackVue software and writing the configuration onto the 16GB micro-SD, then inserting it into the camera.

The software only works on PC but aside from that drawback (I'm a Mac user) the UI is excellent. The DR400G captures your GPS location, speed, time, date, and even G-forces in three axes. The software displays all that information in a reasonable way, with your car overlayed on Google Maps. The map updates automatically as the video plays back. The captured audio is only from within the cabin (a little pin-hole microphone) and the audio quality is a bit scratchy, but good enough. The instantaneous date, time, and speed are burnt into the recorded video in the bottom left corner.

The installation guide recommends using an ignition-activated 12V line to avoid draining the battery. The DR400G does get quite warm - not too hot to touch but getting close - so it's using a couple of watts. It takes about 20 seconds from ignition before it boots and starts recording, so most of my recordings seem to start after I've already left my driveway. The device also powers down immediately when stopping the car. There is an optional Power Magic brick that keeps it running when parked, but I can't comment as I don't have one.

In operation it's set-and-forget. It turns on automatically when I start the car. Turns off automatically when I stop the car. It records everything in a 5-hour loop with a new file generated every 1-minute. The video files are MP4 format which is nice - they work on Linux, MacOS and Windows without any special software - with the date, time and speed burnt into the video. There are two other files created every minute - one for the GPS coords and another for the 3-axis G meter - but you'll need the BlackVue software to use those.

Installation on the Passat is easy.

Remove the left-hand A-pillar trim by popping up the Airbag clip; lever it from the long flat side against the door, it swings upwards into the windshield then comes out. There's a Torx screw inside that needs to be removed. You'll need a long-shafted Torx screwdriver as there is plastic trim in the way. The A-pillar then pops out sideways to release two black clips and then pulls upwards away from the dash. Avoid damaging the rubber air-vent in the trim by pulling the trim slowly upwards and towards the roof.

Remove the D-shaped panel of plastic to the left of the glovebox. This pops out easily by inserting a small flat screwdriver into the rather obvious slot, and gently levering the panel.

Now lower the left-hand visor and pop the small light from the roof. Use your fingernail on the left-side and it pops down then slides out from the right-side. This gives you a convenient hole that you can use to run a snake towards the A-pillar.

Now to the overhead centre console. Pop down the plastic piece holding the in-car microphone by moving around it with your fingernails. The piece will pop-out first from the side facing the back of the car. It is hinged on the side facing the windshield. This exposes two Torx screws that once removed allowing you to drop the whole plastic assembly containing the overhead lights. There are wire clips which can be removed and you can then put the plastic pieces somewhere safe.

Now pop the sunglasses holder. Between the sunglasses cage and the overhead trim you can wedge your fingernails then slip in a small spludger (I used a plastic knife) to find two gray clips. Push them back gently and the whole sunglasses cage falls free. There are some delicate looking ribbon cables attached to the cage so be careful. With the sunglasses cage removed there are two Torx screws exposed. Remove them. Now the only thing holding up the overhead console are two grey clips halfway down each side of the plastic, which you gently push outwards to release.

With all this removed you have a clear path from the glove-box to just behind the rear-view mirror. You can snake the 12V cable up that path, poke it through the trim behind the rear-view mirror, then run it down the side of the black plastic that holds the mirror. With a dab of hot-glue the black wire sticks onto the black plastic and fades into invisibility. Mount the DR400G on the windshield with the 12VDC plug facing towards the driver seat (otherwise it will be upside down). The recommended location for the DR400G is behind the mirror. From the driver's seat you can't even see it.

Tape the 12V wire in place with fuzzy tape (to stop rattling) and reassemble all the trims and pieces. The whole exercise took me about 30 minutes. Plug the 12V adapter into the 12V socket in your glove-box (best place for 12V sockets IMO) and that's all the wiring done. There are no additional wires or antennas to install. Whole thing is invisible within the cabin for the driver and backseat passengers, and only just barely visible for the front-seat passenger. The camera is very obvious from outside the car though.

[JustCruisn]

Nice review.
Can the speed readout be disabled ? There are times I would not want the speed being part of the video.

[brimway]

I had one of these but had to return it as it sent my RNS510 crazy. Mine is a retrofit so the GPS antenna is mounted inside the dash, above the radio close to the lower edge of the screen.

The RNS could not locate any satellite so I guess the camera interfered with the antenna somehow, Anyway, I returned it and after sending them video of the RNS GPS display, they refunded with no problem.

Bought one of these instead $300 full HD

GOTRACK GPS Vehicle Tracking Australia: Web based GPS Tracking My View Incar DVR Dash Camera

[nhand42]

Nice review.
Can the speed readout be disabled ? There are times I would not want the speed being part of the video.

Yes, there is an option to turn the speed "Display Off" and another to turn the date/time "Display Off".

[Guest001]

[QUOTE=nhand42;800543]My Blackvue DR400G turned up in record time from eBay (2 days) and installation was a doddle. Here's a quick informal review.

The quality of the hardware seems to be above average. The plastics have a good solid feel with clean burr-free edges. The bundled power adapter has a robust cable with a decent length. There are the usual assortment of cables that you may or may not use, a 16GB micro-SD with USB adapter, a software disc, and some instructions.

The optical quality of the recordings is quite good. It has a 2MP sensor which works well in both full daylight and at night. When moving from low-light to high-light conditions (e.g. driving under trees) the sensor reacts quickly to adjust the exposure. It's not BluRay quality, but it's much better than my camera-phone. There are no skipped frames that I've noticed. It does the job nicely.

The model I was sent spoke Korean but there's a sequence of upgrades/downgrades that turns it into an English firmware. It's almost not important because I've turned off all the voice feedback anyway. This can all be configured by using the BlackVue software and writing the configuration onto the 16GB micro-SD, then inserting it into the camera.

The software only works on PC but aside from that drawback (I'm a Mac user) the UI is excellent. The DR400G captures your GPS location, speed, time, date, and even G-forces in three axes. The software displays all that information in a reasonable way, with your car overlayed on Google Maps. The map updates automatically as the video plays back. The captured audio is only from within the cabin (a little pin-hole microphone) and the audio quality is a bit scratchy, but good enough. The instantaneous date, time, and speed are burnt into the recorded video in the bottom left corner.

The installation guide recommends using an ignition-activated 12V line to avoid draining the battery. The DR400G does get quite warm - not too hot to touch but getting close - so it's using a couple of watts. It takes about 20 seconds from ignition before it boots and starts recording, so most of my recordings seem to start after I've already left my driveway. The device also powers down immediately when stopping the car. There is an optional Power Magic brick that keeps it running when parked, but I can't comment as I don't have one.


That sounded like a lot of work

Heres what I did And I also have a power magic.
Ran the wires up from drivers side fusebox via the gap between Dash and A pillar moulding ran it up to top of windscreen behind front of A pillar moulding and tucked it back into the headlining along to the centre box. It then slid in the edge of the Auto wiper module and all I can see from my seat is about 50mm of wire.
I fitted two fuses into the two spare slots in the fuse panel. Used a Ciggy socket from that and there is a screw above fuse panel for the earths
I bought two from Jaycar that have flyleads on the back of one side and covered the pin not needed with heatshrink superglued on.
Used one aux on fuse and an always on one for the park function. Ther power magic box fits in beside the fuse panel and the ciggy socket sits above it
Works perfectly and dont have any wires down to ciggy lighter.

The camera is attached to the windscreen with 3M twinlock so it can be removed and used in another vehicle.
I have an extra power cable to do this.
Also have a Blackvue DR 350 in the rear window for tailgaters and was a bit of a mission to get the wires through to that via the covers on the door sills and into the rear guard.
Had to use a wire to get the wiring up to the top near the tailgate and have mounted that camera on the moulding inside the tailgate so that it isnt on the glass but can see out fine.
Have also installed a similar pair in a Territory for a neighbour and that was a mission as had to put the rear camera on the tailgate glass and get the wire through the rubber grommet between car and tailgate.

Took all of a Sunday to do that one. LOL

All of the cameras have Korean language in them

Updates of Firmware here http://eng.pittasoft.com/bbs/board.p...oad01&wr_id=58

SD Card formatter here http://eng.pittasoft.com/bbs/board.p...oad01&wr_id=52



Have some pics but dont know how to post them Can email them if anyone is interested

[vk]

Thanks for the reviews guys.
Does anyone know of a cheaper alternative, perhaps same brand and quality without all the flashy gps and speed functions?

[Guest001]

you could buy a DR 350 from here Is slightly lower resolution There is a movie of it on the site I have bought 4 of either the DR400 or the DR 350
These guys are great to deal with but are using a slightly slower way of postage which now takes a week instead of 3-4 days.

However the cameras are a lot cheaper than when I bought mine

★BlackVue DR350 4GB Vehicle Car Black-Box Drive Recorder English Software Manual | eBay

[ian]

you could buy a DR 350 from here Is slightly lower resolution There is a movie of it on the site I have bought 4 of either the DR400 or the DR 350
These guys are great to deal with but are using a slightly slower way of postage which now takes a week instead of 3-4 days.

However the cameras are a lot cheaper than when I bought mine

★BlackVue DR350 4GB Vehicle Car Black-Box Drive Recorder English Software Manual | eBay

I bought one and hoping it shouldn't take more than a week to arrive ,i was disappointed with Paypal and there charges, the camers is advertised in Australian dollar at $118. 23 but after paying with Paypal it ended up $123.50 ,i dont think the fees should be that much .

[ian]

I installed the DR350 today wasn't that hard i wired it directly to the fuse box ,using a in line fuse and a mini spade male terminal,
there are 2 live ignition points at the top l/h side i just wired a mini spade and pushed it into the live side of where the fuse would of been then ran that through an in line fuse ,i then used a female lighter socket and plugged the blackvue straight in to it, earth was tucked in behind the screw of the fuse box ,
i had to upgrade the unit to English and new firmware ,now i can understand it and plugged it into a monitor to make sure it was working OK. i bought a 16 GB sd card and formated it

[Psyk]

Really interested in one of these and looking at the BlackVue and the RoadHawk which seem to get the majority of reviews. There's also some good reviews from TechMoan who also reviews some cheaper alternatives like the SmartCam.

Anyone have any pic's of their installation? I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to the installation...

Would be interested in the fuse box installation into a Passat CC as well.

Anyone up for a group buy?