Mazda CX-5 Forums

Technical Section => Accessories => Topic started by: BigAl on April 29, 2015, 02:18:54 pm

Title: Dash Cams
Post by: BigAl on April 29, 2015, 02:18:54 pm
Has anyone here fitted a dashcam recently? Would be interested in recommendations for models based on how well they work, how easy to install, etc. Particularly on how they mount as I have a bit of a thing about anything obscuring parts of the windscreen (why anyone would stick a sat-nav in the middle of their windscreen completely baffles me).

Alan
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: johnnyoro on April 29, 2015, 07:54:55 pm
  This is a mini 0801 , I use it with a 32gb mini sd card and that gives about 5 hrs recording. The quality of the playback is very good easy to read registrations 1080 full hd .
   Easy to install there is enough cable to go back to the power socket in the boot. I tucked the cable up behind the headlining then into the pillar Trim joint along the door seals across the b post trim rear door seal rear window trim then down the hatch seal . I think it looks quite neat!!
      The gps part is in the mounting socket and the camera just slots in so you an take out and connect to your computer if you need to download or just take out the card and plug that in to the computer.

(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/willpower128/Forum%20Photo%20fixing/image1_zpsvuqr1k8i.jpg)


This one is taken from the back seat
(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/willpower128/Forum%20Photo%20fixing/image4_zpsmpqisy69.jpg)
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Willpower on April 29, 2015, 10:27:54 pm
johnnyoro

Could you please explain what we are seeing in images 2 & 3. 

From my perspective the images are identical and are not actually showing a lot apart from the junction of the A pillar and the Headlining.

If this is an error please let me know so that I may rectify this for you.

Could I also ask that you read the following     http://mazdacx5forums.co.uk/index.php?topic=64.0

Thanks
Willpower
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: johnnyoro on April 30, 2015, 06:09:07 pm
 I posted these just to show the route of the cable and the joints in the trim where the cable is hidden
     The cable runs from the camera to the power socket in the boot and is only visible for about 6 inches in the boot where it plugs in . I will try and get some better photos in better light and post them.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: johnnyoro on April 30, 2015, 06:17:19 pm
Willpower sorry about the 2nd and 3rd images the third one was meant to be the shot of the trim above the rear door.  I will try and sort the file types thanks.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Gmsal on May 18, 2015, 02:33:42 pm
I've just recently fitted a DrivePro 200 dash cam. It's had very good reviews http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/85715/transcend-drivepro-200
Paid £82.69 off Amazon. Very easy to fit and hide the wiring.
It came with 4m of cable which I have run to the cigar lighter in the arm rest.

(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j124/willpower128/Forum%20Photo%20fixing/download_zpsykyv8gss.png)
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: xtrailman on October 21, 2015, 07:26:52 pm
I bought one this year around April 2015.
I was going to spend about £80, but after reading reviews on Amazon it appeared that paying more didn't get reliability, so in the end I bought a cheap one for under £40 and bought a card to fit it 32gb.

I'm more than happy with it and its had good expert reviews on utube.

I've fitted it onto the back of the screen cameras plastic cover onto a metal plate I superglued on, cable is hidden under the headlining and under the A pillar seal, on my present car I use the power socket, but on the next one I'm going to tap off from the fuse box via a power socket, so I can still use the supplied plug and lead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo76bkytA3o&list=PLFB79814F24001328&index=4

My version.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monkon-Newest-Camera-Novatek-AR0330/dp/B00S8Z5KFE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1445452119&sr=1-1&keywords=Monkon+2.7%22+G1WH+Car+Dash+DVR+Camera+Video+Recorder+Full+HD+1080P
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: xtrailman on November 17, 2015, 06:35:25 pm
Aldi are selling a dash cam this Thursday.
I'm going to buy one so I have one upfront and one to the rear.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thur-19-nov/product-detail/ps/p/1080p-dashboard-camera/?pk_campaign=uk_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2015-11-16_16-46
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Caldean on November 17, 2015, 07:29:09 pm
Now that's more like it ! Looks like a good deal. Thanks for the heads up. It'll come in handy for my trip to the States next year too...
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: rmvf on November 17, 2015, 07:42:03 pm
Ive been thinking about getting a dash cam for ages, does anyone know what the score is reference your insurance? ie lowering premiums by any chance and will footage be used by insurance companies to prove fault if required.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: xtrailman on November 17, 2015, 08:15:53 pm
According to Direct line on line chat a dash cam has to be declared, something I haven't done, and I've had it fitted since April.

So I will have to phone my insurance to inform them.
I believe the RAC and Swift cover, do offer a discount, the later 10%, personally I wouldn't take the discount as I couldn't guarantee at the time of an incident the cam was either fitted or working.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Southern Teuchter on June 14, 2016, 03:16:41 pm
I'm considering getting a pair of dash cams (front and rear view).  There seems to be a plethora of makes and models out there.  Ideally I'd also like them to have movement sensors so that they record activity when the car is parked.  The only problem with that seems to be that the accessory/lighter sockets are only powered when the engine is on so I guess built-in batteries are a must...

Anyone had any experiences they can share - good, bad, or indifferent?  Any particular recommendations?  Thanks in advance!
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: BigAl on June 14, 2016, 04:24:49 pm
I went for Blackvue DR650gw-2ch in the end http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/blackvue-dr650gw-2ch.html (http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/blackvue-dr650gw-2ch.html) , which is a front and rear setup. Also got the power magic unit to go with it which switches power directly from the battery when needed. It monitors the state and can be programmed to switch off if battery drain is detected. Not the cheapest of units but I've found it very good, this supplier has a huge range. In parking mode it basically records everything but then deletes files with no activity on. Which means that if something happens you get the lead up to the event rather than just the aftermath.

One of the reasons for selecting that one is it's very compact and will fit below the screen centre panel without interfering too much with visibility - it's partly hidden behind the mirror. Fitting one to the right of the console is too obstructive, fitting one to the left means it's not within the wiper sweep unless you mount it low and obscure visibility again.

The link is for the place I bought it from. I highly recommend this supplier as their technical knowledge and support is excellent. They do offer installation as well, but I fitted mine with no difficulty. I'm just about to order 4 more for the rest of our company vehicles.

Alan

Alan
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Anchorman on June 14, 2016, 05:01:02 pm
Beware, this forum does not auto save and after writing quite a lengthy post on my experience of running front and rear dashcams, it's decided to lose it. Once bitten.........
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Willpower on June 14, 2016, 06:09:54 pm
Beware, this forum does not auto save and after writing quite a lengthy post on my experience of running front and rear dashcams, it's decided to lose it. Once bitten.........

Sorry to hear that, but the Forum didn't decide to "lose it" for you.  You must have accidentally deleted it yourself somehow, or possibly your internet connection blipped. You could of course have tried to find a cached copy on your computer. Your operating system might have saved a copy in your internet history.  Having just done a bit of research, there is very little evidence of any public internet forums that actually do have Autosave.
 
However, a salutary warning, that when making a lengthy posting it might be better to do it in a text editor such as Word and then copy & paste onto the forum.   
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Anchorman on June 15, 2016, 07:48:13 pm
Beware, this forum does not auto save and after writing quite a lengthy post on my experience of running front and rear dashcams, it's decided to lose it. Once bitten.........

Sorry to hear that, but the Forum didn't decide to "lose it" for you.  You must have accidentally deleted it yourself somehow, or possibly your internet connection blipped. You could of course have tried to find a cached copy on your computer. Your operating system might have saved a copy in your internet history.  Having just done a bit of research, there is very little evidence of any public internet forums that actually do have Autosave.
 
However, a salutary warning, that when making a lengthy posting it might be better to do it in a text editor such as Word and then copy & paste onto the forum.   

Yes of course, I'm working on an iPad as I can't use my desktop so I'm sure it (the iPad) refreshed the page or something similar. I used the wrong term by suggesting the forum refreshed. It's a risk when alternating between this forum and photobucket. It would be better to copy it out of Word or similar program but it makes adding the tags for the photo links more difficult.  Sorry for giving the wrong impression.

Rather than try and add photos which I might when I can sit at my computer, I'll just document a couple of important points that were lost as above.

When adding a front camera, you need to run the wire down the front A pillar. It is attached to the window frame with a fixing that is intended to be sacrificial and snipped off but by pulling the trim back, it is possible to use small tools or picks to release it from the window frame. It is then assembled and pushed back as one.  The main point to make is that the power wire must not be tucked under the door seal but tie wrapped above the curtain airbag so that trim needs to come off.

Putting the supply cables into the accessory plugs is the best solution as the cameras power down with the key out. Take care that in a lot of cases, the voltage is dropped from 12v to 5v inside the plug and snipping the plug in order to hardwire the camera will almost certainly destroy it. 

When running the feed to the rear camera, I made a mistake by running it through the right side gaiter but that also holds the wire to the DAB/radio antennas and it completely messes up the radio reception. I will modify mine to simply run a 12v twin core feed from the plug in the boot, right round the bottom, up the left side and in through the left side gaiter, well away from those antennas. I will just add an accessory plug inside the boot and plug the camera in to it inside the back door cavity.

Finally, if that back door seal is pulled back, it is sealed with a non setting white mastic that makes a proper stringy mess. Keep that in mind and remove the parcel shelf and have some decorating sheets around because it doesn't easily clean off.

Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Southern Teuchter on June 27, 2016, 04:11:44 pm
The main point to make is that the power wire must not be tucked under the door seal but tie wrapped above the curtain airbag so that trim needs to come off.

There is a gap under the door seal between the metal frame and the trim - is it not sufficient to push the wire into that gap (so that it doesn't trap/obstruct the cream trim)?  I'm somewhat worried that removing the A pillar trim might damage it.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: BigAl on June 27, 2016, 06:17:14 pm
That's how I did mine, pulled the door seal off the A pillar, working the cable into the gap of about 3-4mm, until i got to the bottom threshold plate. That just pulls off then you can get the cable under that and run it forward into the footwell under the side matting.

Alan
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: xtrailman on June 27, 2016, 06:22:14 pm
I did the same.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Southern Teuchter on June 27, 2016, 08:58:58 pm
Then great minds think alike Gentlemen!  (Or fools seldom differ - either or ;) )
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Anchorman on September 13, 2018, 07:55:15 am
Just read this. It’s not what you do at the bottom but what you do at the top that matters. You should not cross the airbag to get the wire to the camera. It’s a recipe for disaster if that airbag deploys.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Jonno21 on September 22, 2018, 07:52:08 pm
Just bought a Nextbase 612GW for my new CX5 for when I collect it in mid October. I'm thinking of installing it myself using either the front accessory socket or the one in the console which houses the USB ports etc. I know Anchorman has concerns with the A pillar airbag. What if the cable was fed along the headlining and down the A pillar trim tucked into the gap between the trim and the windscreen which should avoid the air bag?
I'm loathe to let Halfords loose on this for fitting as they sold me a used 612GW at a new price. The tell tale was that the security sticker had been restuck with tape and a registration number had already been entered into the dashcam. Also, there was a scribbled note on the inside of the box that the firmware had been updated 16/08/2018. And...there was no protective film on the lense and screen...And there was no first time start up when switched on. I obviously got it exchanged for a new one. Muppets! How did they think they would get away with that!
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Anchorman on September 22, 2018, 10:33:05 pm
If you pull the door seal off just where the trim is, you can then detach the trim enough to feed the wire in. You might hide it without but I’m not sure how much room there is to feed the connector through.  Alternatively, have a ride over and watch me do it while you have a brew.

Incidentally, I used a piggy back fuse holder behind the fuse box panel in the footwell.  I think I might have another you can have. You would need a 12v socket then you can maintain your sockets in the car for other use.
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Jonno21 on September 23, 2018, 10:31:37 am
Thanks Anchorman. I WILL take you up on your offer so it will be after 23 October after having it detailed. It will be a CX5 fest around your place.  :) Obviously I will contact you privately relating to when exactly and where. :)
Title: Re: Dash Cams
Post by: Anchorman on September 23, 2018, 07:55:51 pm
Thanks Anchorman. I WILL take you up on your offer so it will be after 23 October after having it detailed. It will be a CX5 fest around your place.  :) Obviously I will contact you privately relating to when exactly and where. :)

Look forward to it.