Dash Cams

[Cavill]

Hello Everyone.

I would like some help and/or advice on dashcams.

What would you consider has "the best bang for your buck"?

If you do have one in your Mark VI is it mounted on your rear vision mirror and does it affect the rain sensors?

Thanks for your help.

[ian]

I have a Blackvue 400hd G it has GPS position speed time very handy if I ever get pulled over for speeding and I know I wasn't .Its also handy if your ever involved in an accident especially if it wasn't your fault Its a bit expensive $260 ,you can get them for $60 if you just want to record , and there's no interference to wipers ,that would only happen if you placed it in front of the rain sensor

[brad]

I have a Shadow GT680. It was about $130 with a 32Mb memory card.
Shadow GT680W Full HD 1080P Car Dash Camcorder Black No logo [GT680W No Logo] - $82.99

It works well and has good quality video which isn't bad at night either.

I have it mounted on the windscreen behind the LHS of the mirror. There's no attachment to the mirror & no interaction with the rain sensor (why would there be?).

I hard wired a couple of 12v sockets into a switched power source tucked under the dashboard and have the dashcam & GPS plugged into it so they both start/stop automatically.

I suggest you search for a guy called tecmoan on youtube. He does a really good "generic dashcam features & what they do" and he also does individual roadtests with day & night footage.

The other unit I'd consider is the Mini 0803 or 0801

[JustCruisn]

Smartphone mounted on windscreen holder works for me!
Video autostart and stop in background while using phone for music nav etc.

[MGV]

What are peoples main reason for wanting one in the first place? Just curious is all. Seems like some even like to let us know how many they have in their signature line...

[Guest001]

What are peoples main reason for wanting one in the first place? Just curious is all. Seems like some even like to let us know how many they have in their signature line...

Well I am one of them and in QLD where people are like limpets on your back bumper it pays to have some evidence if they hit you.

There are also those who are color blind and/or cant read stop signs.

Helps with insurance if you are not at fault and the other driver argues the point.

I even took mine to USA and Canada this year just in case.

Also takes quite good video for holiday viewing.

To save me rewriting please read my sig for the ones I have.

More and more are using them so must be some advantage.

I would like to stress I do NOT post anything from them on Youtube. My business is just that, my business.

To answer the OP cheap is cheap You get what you pay for and if you need to read plates you really need a full HD 1080p model. If I freeze frame on playback I can generally read plates quite well.

Remember when buying one it is illegal to have a screen on one visible to the driver when moving.

After all its what you are looking at anyway.

Here is a pic of the Passat with my DR400 in it.

[Guest001]

I have a Shadow GT680. It was about $130 with a 32Mb memory card.
Shadow GT680W Full HD 1080P Car Dash Camcorder Black No logo [GT680W No Logo] - $82.99

It works well and has good quality video which isn't bad at night either.

I have it mounted on the windscreen behind the LHS of the mirror. There's no attachment to the mirror & no interaction with the rain sensor (why would there be?).

I hard wired a couple of 12v sockets into a switched power source tucked under the dashboard and have the dashcam & GPS plugged into it so they both start/stop automatically.

I suggest you search for a guy called tecmoan on youtube. He does a really good "generic dashcam features & what they do" and he also does individual roadtests with day & night footage

The other unit I'd consider is the Mini 0803 or 0801

I would just say that some of the installations on Youtube including Techmoan are so rough I wouldnt let them near my car.

Stuffing wires down the side of fuses is not the way to go An addafuse or a fuse with a wire already soldered on which are available from Jaycar in Aus is a safe and tidy way to install one.

I have installed 6 in various models of cars including both my VW's

Either of these are the way to go

[brad]

What are peoples main reason for wanting one in the first place? Just curious is all. Seems like some even like to let us know how many they have in their signature line...

I drive 45km each way in peak hour on the M5 every week day. I see multiple crashes, acts of road rage or simply incompetent driving where video footage might come in handy if the police were involved. eg: A guy doing 80kph in the fast lane of a 4 lane 110kph zone who brake checked me down to 45kph because he wanted to determine what speed all the cars behind him were doing.

[brad]

I would just say that some of the installations on Youtube including Techmoan are so rough I wouldnt let them near my car.

Stuffing wires down the side of fuses is not the way to go An addafuse or a fuse with a wire already soldered on which are available from Jaycar in Aus is a safe and tidy way to install one.

I have installed 6 in various models of cars including both my VW's

The installations aren't why I directed him there. If you want to see actual day/night footage of the cameras then they are worth having a look.

[Guest001]

The installations aren't why I directed him there. If you want to see actual day/night footage of the cameras then they are worth having a look.

Agreed but was just giving a heads up that not all of whats there is good.

[Cavill]

I have a Blackvue 400hd G it has GPS position speed time very handy if I ever get pulled over for speeding and I know I wasn't .Its also handy if your ever involved in an accident especially if it wasn't your fault Its a bit expensive $260 ,you can get them for $60 if you just want to record , and there's no interference to wipers ,that would only happen if you placed it in front of the rain sensor

Thank you

[Cavill]

I have a Shadow GT680. It was about $130 with a 32Mb memory card.
Shadow GT680W Full HD 1080P Car Dash Camcorder Black No logo [GT680W No Logo] - $82.99

It works well and has good quality video which isn't bad at night either.

I have it mounted on the windscreen behind the LHS of the mirror. There's no attachment to the mirror & no interaction with the rain sensor (why would there be?).

I hard wired a couple of 12v sockets into a switched power source tucked under the dashboard and have the dashcam & GPS plugged into it so they both start/stop automatically.

I suggest you search for a guy called tecmoan on youtube. He does a really good "generic dashcam features & what they do" and he also does individual roadtests with day & night footage.

The other unit I'd consider is the Mini 0803 or 0801

Thanks Brad - I thought I would ask here as tecmoan rubbished the one that I had my eyes on.

[Cavill]

What are peoples main reason for wanting one in the first place? Just curious is all. Seems like some even like to let us know how many they have in their signature line...

I want one cause on the 30th of November a Merc chucked a u turn in front of me; right across double White lines and side swiped me. I was fortunate in that the woman accepted liability. I would have been out of pocket and would have lost my no claim bonus if she had just taken off or refused to accept that it was her fault.

Plus, with the road rage mania in Sydney it will help get a prosecution or even identify my killer

[Jakeys]

Yep I have one, DR400 as well with the PowerMagic Pro kit so it records while the car is off as well, when there is motion. Has speed, GPS, recording is good enough to catch plates night or day, records sound too (not really useful feature but hey) dunno what else to say really other than it has been through two extremely hot summers and is still flawless - most cheapies do not survive summer.

Install is also completely stealth, cable runs up into roof lining with the mirror and down pillar, is hidden perfectly behind the mirror. I have never needed it but it only needs to cover me for a single insurance incident and it has paid for itself as my excess is more than the value of the camera. They are useless for getting you out of speeding fines though, unless you can somehow use the footage to prove another car was captured or something - police will not care at all what your camera's speed readout says if it is not in line with their speed equipment. I know of someone who has one who got out of a fine when a cop said he saw him run an orange when he could have stopped, but he used the footage to prove when he went through he did not have sufficient time to stop and the fine was waived.

[Transporter]

...also check for how long the cam records after you've locked your car. The PowerMagic box will only power the cam until the battery voltage drops to preset level.