Dashcam - any recommendations?

[Laughton]

I feel I really should get around to fitting or having fitted a dashcam to my older car but a quick look at Amazon leads to choice overload.

Ideally I'd like one that films/records both front and back in good quality video, that overwrites after a sensible time (maybe a couple of days or so), that works well during day or night and that's super simple (hopefully fit and forget).

Does anyone have any recommendations to narrow down my search (both for ones that are great or ones to avoid)?

Thanks in anticipation.

[pje16]

I am on this BMW forum
sse if either these threads helps
https://www.babybmw.net/threads/best-in ... st-1359569

https://www.babybmw.net/threads/dashcam ... st-1164795

[bungeejumper]

You can spend as much as you like, but I'm pretty happy with my Nextbase, which I've had for four years now. From memory, it was a 322GW, although I gather that the range has grown quite a lot in recent years. The 622GW has 4K resolution, which would presumably be clearer/better?

Mine sits behind the rear view mirror so it doesn't distract me at the wheel. I think they all have bluetooth so that you can connect them to your mobile phone. Some set-ups will give you a rear view as well as forward. You pays your money, and....

BJ

[Sobraon]

I very much prefer my vehicles to look 'stock' as our US cousins would describe them.

I have fitted 'integrated' dash cams to my BMW and my wife's Land Rover from AliExpress (other Chinese tech sales platforms are available).

The 'integrated' type replaces the rear view mirror cover and apart from an LED on the cover the interior is unchanged. Communication is either by popping out the SD card or on the ones I have the camera sets up a local WLAN in the car so that you can communicate with the camera via a phone app. I fitted them myself but my local auto electrician quoted £60 to fit.

(Although this is not the one I fitted if you go to AliExpress ( not Google) and search for "New! 4K Plug and play Car DVR Camera Dash Cam For Land Rover Discovery Sport Range Rover Evoque Jaguar E F PACE XE XF XJ XJL XE" this is the type I have fitted).

[MonsterMork]

Those of a nervous disposition or of delicate ears may wish to disable any dash-cams prior to their MoT. Particularly if I am the tester!

MM (effin' and blindin' at car owners since 1843)

[quelquod]

Those of a nervous disposition or of delicate ears may wish to disable any dash-cams prior to their MoT. Particularly if I am the tester!

MM (effin' and blindin' at car owners since 1843)

On any of my recent visits to the dealer the car has been returned with the dashcam unplugged. I assumed that they didn’t want their workshop activities recorded - didn’t think about the sound aspects. (Shame they unplug it, I’d love to know how they take so long to change the oil!)

[AF62]

Ideally I'd like one that films/records both front and back in good quality video, that overwrites after a sensible time (maybe a couple of days or so), that works well during day or night and that's super simple (hopefully fit and forget)

If you want front and back recording there are two options - a camera on the rear windscreen of the car or a camera which attaches to the front windscreen but has a rear facing camera.

The rear windscreen camera will give a better picture, but then installing the cables to the back of the car is a pain, and if your car’s radio antenna is at the rear of the car or in the rear windscreen it can interfere with the DAB reception. So really it is a compromise.

As for quality, most are fine these days and not the ‘filmed with a potato’ quality they used to be, so unless you are going bargain basement that isn’t an issue. And realistically most of the time all you will need it for is ‘they actually did this, and not that which they said they did’ sort of evidence.

All will simply re-record over the card, so the size of the card is the determine factor in how much time is recorded, but usually you will know pretty soon whether you need the recording and can simply remove the card - some offer various methods of protecting recordings, but a simple ‘take it out’ is pretty foolproof.

Some offer to record if the car is parked - but how well those work is debatable.

Personally a cheapish Nextbase would be what I would be looking at.

Anyway some reviews from last year here - https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-g ... -dash-cams

[pje16]

Anyway some reviews from last year here - https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-g ... -dash-cams

From the first picture you'd get nicked, for obstructing the windscreen

[AF62]

Anyway some reviews from last year here - https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-g ... -dash-cams

From the first picture you'd get nicked, for obstructing the windscreen

Not judging from what people have stuck on their screen round here - frankly having an iPad stuck to the windscreen directly in front of the driver seems fine!

[pje16]

apart from the chnace of getting nicked
I couldn't drive with all that c**p on the screen