Dash cams, what to get and where to get it (Q&A only)

Fine wrote: »

Have just brought a Zero Edge s3 dual camera system, 1080p front and rear.
It saves the front and rear files as 2 separate files, so I'm looking for something that will merge the two files into one movie/avi file to show the view simultaneously, is there such a thing or when I post them to groups/youtube will I just have to stick with stitching them together sequentially?

you can do it in iMovie if you have a mac

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Nothing to lose at this price - less than €15 delivered;

https://www.dealrush.ie/offer/300014/ef-mall

It will be **** and you will have lost €15

PaddyRussell wrote: »

I dont want to use my mini-usb power cable as its too chunky and I only have one cigarette lighter in the car.

Can I replace the mini-usb car charger with a mini-usb to usb and plug this into a dual usb car charger?

Will this power my dashcam? Many thanks in advance.

There's no reason why that would not work for you. I have my 0806 powered like that.

PaddyRussell wrote: »

Excellent.  Thanks.  I must get a 4m cable now!

I guess try to keep the overall length from power supply to camera as short as possible (i.e. if you could get away with 3m, it would be better than 4m), as I remember a similar topic came up way back in this thread about the power loss over USB cables when they get extended, or are over a certain length.

but having said that, USB cables are surely cheap as chips nowadays, so its probably just a case of getting one the desired length, and trying it out!

Is there any accepted method of safely passing the cables around an airbag? Its a 151 ford focus, the airbags are on the front and center door pillars

Hi All,
I currently have a Nextbase 412WG but one thing I dont like about it is the very wide angle.
This morning I witnessed an accident on the M50 southbound. When I looked at my dashcam footage later, I noticed that the distance from me to the cars in front seemed a lot further in the video than in reality.

Are there any dashcams that dont have this type of 'distortion'? Is it a feature of the wide angle ~ 140 degrees?
I guess my main concern is if somebody merges in very close in front of me and jams on for whatever reason, my dashcam footage might make it look that I should have had enough distance to stop.

FYI: For anyone interested, I asked the Hydunai dealer where i purchased a 171 Tuscon the following:

1. Can I hardwire a dashcam myself to the fuseboard without any warranty issue.
2. Do they offer this service themselves and if so how much.

There response:

Thank you for your warranty query that has been passed for my attention

Unfortunately our dealers do not carry out alterations to the original manufacture specification and the warranty will not cover any failures attributed as a result of the modification

I trust this answers your query

TBH, I'm none the wiser if it does void the warranty or not.

davo2001 wrote: »

FYI: For anyone interested, I asked the Hydunai dealer where i purchased a 171 Tuscon the following:

1. Can I hardwire a dashcam myself to the fuseboard without any warranty issue.
2. Do they offer this service themselves and if so how much.

There response:



TBH, I'm none the wiser if it does void the warranty or not.

if you tapped into the stereo wiring and there was a subsequent problem with the stereo then the warranty wouldn't cover it as you had interfered with the factory wiring...so no it doesn't void your warranty.

http://www.adverts.ie/13699119

Chevrolet Aveo 2012
48k miles
Service history
Cruise
Air con
Mint !

Dash cams have a very wide angle and though this is good to catch everything outside the windscreen, it's also a problem because they catch everything, including rearview mirror brackets and shaded areas if you mount the canm on top of the windscreen. If mounted to a side and lower than the top it's in the way of sight of driver or passenger.
So, which is the best spot to place the dash cam? Have you had to face the same problem?

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

It's really a case of whatever works for you and your car.

I mount dash cams out of sight (behind the rear view mirror), yes still don't catch any shaded areas or mirror brackets!!

So I'd guess its about finding that sweet spot on the windscreen to mount the camera.

Agree here. I've never had an issue with shaded areas or the like. Maybe my dashcam hasn't been wide angled enough, but I've never had an issue and all i've done is mount it, turn on, and twist it on it's ball socket until I get rid of anything that's in the way and have it pointing generally in the right direction. Like AndyBoBany, behind the mirror out of the way is where I mount mine with cables tucked away. So many dash cams you see will have a trailing cables straight down the windscreen - They aren't that difficult to chase around the car surrounds.

Many modern cars have a huge and massive rearview mirror bracket which also hosts the rain sensor and other things, so there could be not enough room to mount a cam behind the mirror.
The option would be to mount it on the side of the mirror, but it would be in the line of sight of driver. The passenger's side has the problem that the top part of the windscreen isn't totally reached by the windscreen wiper, so the rain on the windscreen could impair the cam's vision.
These are my experiences on a certain number of cars. None of them has ever had an easy and perfect spot for a cam.

I had the same issue when I changed cars. I ended up using 3M dual lock tape which is like velcro. It let me mount the camera flush against the side of the housing without having to leave clearance cables or to press the release button - I can just remove the whole thing mount and all.. Also let me play around with the location until I got it right