dbldpr

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good dash camera that mounts up near the rear view mirror? One that would be easy to use and continously runs when car is turned on and has a removable storage chip. Thanks.

edbro

I considered this one:
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dash-cam/

The thing is, I don't want wires hanging down from behind my mirror. I'd love to have one mounted with a hidden power supply.

dbldpr

There would be no wires hanging for sure. The install on most can be wired up the pillar and over to the rear view mirror. Thanks for the input. I would also have it wired so that it goes on when the ignition goes on. I am more worried about the mounting. I really do not want suction cup because they fall down from heat. I will keep looking until I find the right one for me.

GregTR

I have this one: http://forum.dashcamtalk.com/threads...80p-720p.3030/

It's been working fine for 7+ months now. No issues with it. I'll post a photo of the install later.

edbro

I'm anxious to see the installed pic. That sucker looks big! I see that it also has a rear view camera so I'm guessing this takes a professional install??

GregTR

Here are the photos:



Front View




Driver View




Passenger View




Side View




Rear Camera


I did the install myself, it wasn't very difficult and on a sedan it's even easier as you don't have to fish the rear camera cable through the D pillar and into the rear door.

Mr_Nick

I have a dashcam installed up by the rear view mirror, but the power cord hangs all the way down to the cigarette port. Can you explain to me how you went about wiring it to the rear view mirror?

Thanks!

GregTR

I routed the cables at the top of the window under the roof liner then down the driver side A pillar into the dash where I got a constant 12V from the OBD-II connector and switched 12V from the light switch. I just used some wire taps to tap in.

Mr_Nick

Can't you pull housing around the overhead lamps/call buttons and tap into the leads there? If I have to run the lead all the way down to the OBD-II, why connect there?

Thanks again! Since it's a new car, the last thing I want to do is break something or somehow void the warranty.

Arrie

"...or somehow void the warranty..."


And this is exactly why you should not tap in any existing wires. I ran mine under the roof liner down the A-pillar in the glove box where I connect to the power outlet that the 2010 models have. I understand your car does not, or does it?


If not the only "warranty safe" way to do it is to run to the fuse box and use a fuse for it other than using the cigarette lighter outlets.

GregTR

There is that fear again. To each their own... There is no switched 12V in the overhead console only constant 12V and CAN-BUS signals if I remember from the last time I looked at the wiring diagram.

The OBD-II diagnostic's 12V is a single straight run to a 5A fuse (fuse 73) in the rear SAM module that is not used for anything else in the entire car so I chose to use it for my constant 12V.

For the switched 12V signal I used the switched 12V signal that goes to the light switch, it is going to a 7.5A fuse (fuse 5) in the front SAM module.

On top of the simple fact that all these wires are already fused and the switched 12V is only used for signal which means very little to no current draw the dashcam itself has its own fuses piggibacked off of these fuses. There is absolutely no problem with using any of these.

Given that most dashcams need both constant and switched 12V (if you want it to record parking events not only driving events) this is your only bet other than running your own wires all the way to the battery.

As for warranty issues, just after I installed my dashcam my car threw a check engine light. You can read about that story over here: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...y-own-car.html

211sw

I was looking for a dashcam too 3 months ago. I did some research from dashcam talk, then I finally decided to buy the Blackvue DR-500GW. It's quite slim that you can mount it behind the rear view mirror. The video quality is also very good, I would say. It doesn't have a screen, but you can access the video from your smartphone through wi-fi. You can also download the video immediately, which is the cool thing that I like. In addition, if you buy the Power Magic Pro, it will keep recording while the car isn't running. And it has a cool system that prevent it from recording when the car's battery goes below a certain level. I would highly recommend this dashcam definitely. It's not as cheap as the others, but it's worth the money.

Egonvdv

Hi

I have this one, mainly cos it's very compact: http://www.blackvue.co.kr/en/contents/sub1.asp?idx=17

it's a front AND rear camera, very easy to install. has parking mode + gps + wifi (to connect mobile phone)

on the left of the screen you can see other products. (my model has now been replaced by the 650)

if you like it, find "dreamseller" on ebay, it's an official dealer.

Dc88

I also have a Blackvue DR-550 with the front and rear cameras. It was professionally installed-the system is not cheap but it does the job very well and is very discret. The back camera is slim enough to fit under my rear window shade. Definitely worth it!

steph280

I've been using one of the earlier generation dashcam for about 3 years since our old W211. The biggest complain I had was people seeing it and asking about it. So I'm looking for a more discrete replacement, and ended up using a Mobius camera which I already had for my RC aircraft. With the right mount this thing hides completely behind the rearview mirror, it's as discrete as you can get. Plus the picture quality is excellent, on par with the GoPro3's.
http://dashcamtalk.com/mobius/

I also looked at this one which has an interesting form factor that attaches to the windshield. It basically becomes an extension of your rearview mirror cover.
http://dashcamtalk.com/b40-a118/

Both of these are some of the lower cost solution which does not have the bell and whistles of others. But at less than $70 it's perfectly suitable for its purposes. You need the image to be clear enough to read the license plates, and decent night time performance, of which both unit provides.

Installation is easier than you think. Just use a credit card or a flat screw driver to tuck the wires in the seam on top between windshield and roofliner, and comes down the A-pillar into your cigarette lighter. I also installed a 2nd camera to the rear (for those texting idiots waiting to read-end you) and run the wire into the trunk's cigarette lighter port.

marzillo

I just ordered the BlackVue DR650GW-2CH. I'll post pictures of the install when I get it.

marzillo

Are there any sensors on the back of the mirror that this may block? I'm thinking of mounting a camera in the same place but don't want to interfere with any sensors that might be there.

GregTR

Nope, no sensors. Although I did find an RFID type device on the mirror, similar to what they use on running bibs for timing chips in running races. It's basically a strip of adhesive tape which was black on the outer side, blending in with the mirror housing and it had a chip and the antenna embedded in it. I removed it from the mirror and I wonder if it was added for manufacturing, at port or at the dealer.

marzillo

I noticed the same thing on my mirror and was wondering what that was for.