Sarlacc

Yeah, I saw there was an old thread...but I'm making a new one to specifically ask who is using them and what models?

I've been wanting to get them for our cars for awhile...especially living in LA. And of course today some nut sack tags my wife's rear bumper after they both made a single lane left turn and was trying to tell her it was her fault and she came out of her lane (in LA you can make a single left into which ever lane is open.) At first he tried to keep driving, then when he saw she was trying to take his photo he pulled over. Either way...the points of impact tell me a different story and hopefully insurance will back us that this guy is at fault.

Either way I feel like this is a situation where a dash cam could have really made the difference. And now its time to get them, no more putting off the expense.

1StGenCL

Sorry to hear this and that's odd you can turn into any lane, it would make rights on red more difficult I would l think. Not questioning you (especially since I looked it up and you're correct CA allows it) just seems weird but than again CA allows bikes to split so.

That being said, I think dash cams are the best thing I've bought for our cars and they keep me calmer on the road because I know my actions are being recorded as well. I have bought various versions of the "Wedge" cameras over the years for our cars as well as my sister and mother's with no complaints. They blend in behind the rearview, have a small screen to review footage along with check it's recording and with a hardwire kit, you have no wires visible. It seems there are different brands popping up every day so I would look for the ones with the best sensor (think Sony is the sensor people recommended when I bought mine) and get the capacitor instead of the battery, due to the heat. The only downside of my current wedge cams is they don't have wifi, which would have been handy when I witnessed an accident and gave the police my footage (I had to pull the card, grab a computer, etc). I opted to get the optional GPS and while I haven't needed it, having our speed logged seems helpful and it didn't cost much more.

Due to the Wrangler having plastic windows and no doors most of the time, I wanted something that was small and I could easily remove when leaving. I did some research and found the BlueSky B1W was one of the smallest, was cheap, and got OK reviews. The wedge has a better picture but this is so tiny due to no screen, that I just put it in my pocket when I go in places and if I forget it and someone steals it, it was only $50. If the Jeep had real windows, I would have done the wedge though.

The other thing to think about it do you want a rear camera as well? It sounds like a rear camera would have been helpful in your situation so you may want to look at the Street Guardian SG9663DC from the review list I posted. It's a lot more expensive at $300 but it may have saved you in this situation so something to think about.

Dashboardcamerareviews.com seems to stay on top of things and offers a ton of reviews. I googled the top dash cams and this quick list cam up on their site that includes two wedge cams in the top three.

Sarlacc

zeta

iTrader: (1)

^
I found the Ventrue N1 Pro Mini 1080P after visiting this guy's youtube channel a couple days ago. It may end up as my entry-level purchase after the new year. As you mention, there are so many to consider, at different price points, when deciding to go the dash cam route. Hope it helps with your research.

Stapler

I still have a g1w in my old truck, still going strong. Poor low light performance, which isn't good for Tucson as it's a very dark city.
- day
- night, one of the best lit intersections in town.
day or night you can't really see lisence plates, but I like having it. Also I don't use the truck often enough so the date is never right.

There is a papago 2 camera setup on mass drop I'm currently looking at for the xterra, but taking the 5 days it's up to think it over.

1StGenCL

Yeah, it's pretty overwhelming so I just picked the style I wanted and start researching. The reviews, to me, are overly in-depth but with your profession, you may appreciate them more than I do. My BlueSky would struggle to read plates that weren't right in front of me at night but I would assume most times, people don't run. I just want the accident caught on camera so I'm not real worried about plates but maybe I should be.

00TL-P3.2

Following.
After being on the recipient end of a road rager earlier this week (mostly he was just yelling out the window & attempted to force me into oncoming traffic), I'm thinking about getting sets for both cars as well.

Midnight Mystery

zeta

iTrader: (1)

Just a follow-up:
A buddy of mine swears by these things as an easy mounting alternative. I have not seen it in action though. It looks like it would work pretty good for those who need versatility in mounting; especially on the dash. Depending on the strength of the magnet and road condition quality, it looks reasonable for some of the lightweight smaller designed devices.

https://www.bulbhead.com/products/fa...SAAEgJh-PD_BwE

thoiboi

For a cheap alternative, I've been using Anker Roav's dash cams in all of my cars .


I'll eventually upgrade to a Blackvue/Blacksys but for the price point, the quality of the Anker is not bad at all.

Sarlacc

Which Roav do you have? The c1?

I was looking at the Rexing and the Garmin (which as good reviews and is tiny)...I do want to be able to hardwire. At least for my wife's car the idea is small and easy to overlook/conceal...because she aint gonna use it if she has to constantly attached and plug one in...set and forget is what I want.

00TL-P3.2

Agreed, hardwired is definitely the route I want to go, with being quite discrete/unobtrusive being the 2nd priority.

DTvn

I've had the 1080p Yi, Aukey DR01 and LifeChaser 4K dash cams.

The Yi was great. I loved the real time viewing from my phone, the app allowed you to view all the clips and download them straight to your phone pretty quickly but it just can't handle heat. Lasted 3 weeks in the NC summer heat. Aukey DR01 is pretty popular, it does its job without the bells and whistles. No app, small screen but its super discreet and reliable. I want one that records both front and rear but i've been pretty content with the Aukey so far. The DR02 goes for sale for $45 pretty often iirc

Midnight Mystery

Get a rear facing dash cam so we can see your reaction!

csmeance

Viofio A119S V2, pretty good quality and has been helpful to me and other folks! Got them for around $90 and have one front and rear so it's independent. Memory cards on black friday sale for $40 bux for the 128GB

SamDoe1

Same. I have the Anker C1 dashcam in both cars and it works great. Still thankful I haven't had to use it but glad it's there.

CLpower

good thread, interested in hearing what's being used. I had a guy run me off the road in a bit of road rage in a rental....really wish the rental had a camera as the guy completely denied fault when it came down to it (there's a lot more to the story that's not worth typing out, lol)

thoiboi

A1, C1, C1 Pro's

thoiboi

i think it'd be worth typing out


for us anyway

CLpower

I'm sandwiched in between two cars at a stop light. Light turns green, minivan in front of me doesn't move, he's trying to wave me around. I can't get around as i'm too close to him, so I honk back (all while the guy behind me was honking at me). FInally the car in front of me starts going, when the truck behind me goes to my left and then intentionally slams into the side of my car. He gets out in a fit of rage, throws a bottle at my car and starts banging on my window. When I go to get out he gets in his truck and takes off. The minivan in front of me gets out. He comes to my car as I go to get out of it and starts telling me the story. Apparently he's transporting kid in trucks deceased father body to the airport and they are in a hurry to get him on a plane to fly the body back to israel. By now, the white truck is long gone. I tell the minivan guy "look, right now i've got a hit and run situation, it'd be best for you to get ahold of white truck guy and give me his info so I can handle this through insurance. Otherwise i'm calling the police and right now they'll arrest him". I'm way to sympathetic to the situation with the deceased dad. The truck kid calls me, sends me his insurance info and his driver license. Apologizes, and I assume all is good. I drop off the car to silvercar (the car had 12 miles on it when I got it ) and they handle it all.

Needless to say, when it comes time for us to both talk to insurance companies, he denies any fault and they call it a no fault accident. Shows what I get for being a good person. On occasion I send the guy a text telling him he's a piece of shit and that his deceased father must be proud.

DTvn

Yeah fuck that i've heard too many stories similar to that to not get the issue resolved on the spot. Police can also be useless so it's best to have some type of evidence. With how cheap entry-level dashcams are these days i'm surprised more people in the U.S don't have one.

My cousin was hit by a teenage girl that ran a redlight and she ended up hitting the traffic light causing it to go out. Even with 2 witnesses (the car behind and next to my cousin) saying that the girl ran a red light the police ended up just putting in the report that it was nobodys fault because the traffic light was out.

wackjum

I have 5 Aukey DR02 cams and 1 A119 across my cars.

I have not had any camera problems with any of them. More important is the memory card. Be sure to get memory cards specifically for security camera/continuous recording. Also get a hardwire kit. Something like this:


The camera will stay out of the way and automatically turns on and off with the ignition, assuming you wire it correctly.

1StGenCL

Damn Scott, that's insane.I wish I could say I wouldn't have done the same thing you did because in the back of your mind I'm sure you were thinking this could end poorly but I know my dumb ass would have done the same thing.

Midnight Mystery

You're a good person.

#Karma

thoiboi

Wow what a story


In this age of cameras and phones, it definitely helps to have things recorded.. I'm sorry you had to go through that..


Might I take this opportunity to recommend that everyone have a credit card with PrimaryRental Car Insurance coverage like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve. You decline the rental car coverage and if anything happens, you just need to file a claim with CC and they'll handle everything. This is different from other credit cards that offer Secondary coverage, the primary being your OWN personal insurance.

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

I have a Thinkware F750 hardwired into both my cars. I got the front and rear cameras. Very happy with it

Luckily, when it captured my Camry's accident last year, the other driver admitted fault and got a ticket on site. I showed the cop the dash cam video for completion purposes, but he was already set on giving him a ticket. I also have the stories of capturing people running red lights and some other random offenses like that.

By far the most interesting story happened about two years ago. About two years ago, I was making a grocery run on a Saturday evening. Right after crossing a light, I saw some cars lined up and stopped in the left lane, with the car up front having it's hazard lights on. I noticed that said vehicle had just come to a stop right before I crossed the traffic light. I thought nothing of it and simply went around the lineup and went about my way. When I passed the vehicle, I didn't notice anything unusual, but then again, it was about 8PM in April. So it was dark, and the area wasn't well lit.

On my way back from the grocery store, I drove by the same intersection and saw the same vehicle in the same spot, along with about 15 police cars and some fire trucks, all with their lights on. I saw one of the police vehicles that was parked inside a lot and decided to pull over. After inquiring, the officer informed me that the vehicle had struck a 7 year old boy, who they had taken to the hospital. At the time, they couldn't locate the parents. I told him that I suspected I had driven by shortly after the impact and had a dash cam running at the time. I showed him the video and I was asked to turn over the footage to the police. That's my interesting story with my dash cam!

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Are any of you guys running dash cams that will trigger with motion when parked? Looking for something discrete that will not only record when driving... but also come on if someone is near the vehicle when it's parked...

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Was just thinking about this so figured I'd post. Probably not many replies to be had on a Friday but I didn't want to forget

Does anyone make a good wireless camera? And by that I mean a 2-camera system that talks to each other wirelessly? So the front cam can be hard-wired, but the rear cam is wireless. Been looking at two camera systems and really don't feel like running a wire through the headliner if I don't have to.

PortlandRL

I have a BlackVue DR750S-2CH that I originally installed in my Elantra and have since transferred to the 3. It's been unflinchingly reliable unlike the no-name Chinese dash cam that came before it and the smartphone interface is excellent. I'd never imagine driving without a camera in my car now and am considering upgrading to the DR900S which has 4K video ability.

Pros:
- Excellent image quality front and rear
- Great smartphone app makes viewing and saving videos a breeze. No need to remove the MicoSD card.
- Comes with customizable parking mode (you can adjust impact and motion sensitivity)
- Occasional firmware updates from BlackVue
- The provided mounting adhesive is VERY strong. Many people complain about other dash cams falling off the windshield in warm weather but when I took it out of the Elantra to install it in the Mazda, I was afraid I was going to break the mount before the adhesive gave up.

Cons:
- A little on the expensive side (but worth every penny in my book)
- Seems to lose image focus slightly when cold (below freezing) but it comes back once it warms up
- Only works well with BlackVue designed MicroSD cards....I strongly suggest the 64 or 128 GB card if you run a front and rear camera.
- Installing the rear camera can be a bit of a chore but is worth it, IMO...so many idiots texting these days.

Here it is installed in my Elantra...I don't have a photo of it in the 3 handy.

by https://www.flickr.com/photos/75234459@N00/, on Flickr

by https://www.flickr.com/photos/75234459@N00/, on Flickr

NBP04TL4ME

Subscribed - been toying with this for quite a while.

DTvn

Damn that blackvue seems perfect but it's so pricey especially for only being 1080p. I want to upgrade to front and rear and might sacrifice the phone app and snag the since I have the DR01 and its been great so far. Was checking out the Vantrue N2 but it would have to be mounted too low for the rear camera to be useful and i'd prefer it to be more hidden.

nfnsquared

Bought the Ojo Cam Pro years ago and it's been flawless in the TL, but it's now fairly ancient technology. Bought the Vantrue N2 Pro a couple of months ago for my truck and have no complaints. Both are hardwired.

wackjum

I personally would not trust a wireless dash cam. It's quite a lot of data being transferred constantly.

PortlandRL

Agreed. Running wires to the rear is really only a pain on an SUV, van or wagon because you have to run the power cord through one of those flexible rubber tubes that connects the hatch to the body. Installing it on the Elantra was so much easier as I just ran it along the weather stripping, pulled the interior C pillar trim off, jammed the excess wire into there and called it a day.

CCColtsicehockey

These are great cameras. I have the previous 650-2ch in my V. The install for the rear was definitely a pain but was worth it for sure. I second the fact they they do not like other SD cards for some reason. Mine just continuously reboots using a Sandisk card. My manager has a 750 and says he has a 128gb Samsung card so going to try that since I have been running the 16gb card that comes with it for the last 4 months now since figuring out the SD card was cause for my constant reboot loops that sometimes occured. Problem is 16gb with 2 cameras is only like 4hrs of video.

So far I have had 2 uses for mine but wasn't for idiot drivers. The first was when I had a hug rock kicked up that smashed my windshield. I had proof for insurance to get the window repaired but it wasn't ever needed. Second was just two weeks ago when a large tree branch at work broke of a tree and fell next to my car. It leaned up against the car a little bit. Thankfully I didn't have any damange. The rear video though would have been great evidence to give my work had I needed to have their insurance cover damages.

As of right now I only have one in my daily driver but I do want to get at least a front one in all cars.

thoiboi

I consider Blackvue the Rolls-Royce of Dashcams.. they're definitely significantly pricier than their no-name counterparts.. @sockr1 did recommend "Blacksys" which looked to be a little more affordable option to the Blackvue. I hate that they 'force' you to use their own SD cards though.. that's very Apple-esque of 'em because their SD cards are significantly more expensive than others.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Good point...

And good to know. I've been leaning toward the Blackvue systems so your post had great info as well

EvilVirus

iTrader: (8)

I have the same dash cam like you. Overall great quality and no issues so far. Wish I manage to had install it on my TL before the accident though would have shown clear as day who was at fault. So for those who are still lingering about whether or not to get a dash cam; get one.

csmeance

Had to deal with this today, guy in the red pickup ran into the back of the MDX, A119 was very helpful in showing I had a green light: