E-Class (W212) 2010 - 2016: E 350, E 550

Dash Cam wanted

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Old 05-05-2015, 12:50 PM
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2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
Dash Cam wanted

I am looking to get a dash cam installed near the rear view mirror. I need something that is simple to use where it records from movement outside if possible or can start recording once engine is on. It has to have a chip I can pull out and play and then reload. It does not have to be hooked up to the screen in the car. It needs to be direct wired with the wires hidden. I am not real good on computers so it has to be easy to use. I am looking for suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks ahead of time.
Old 05-06-2015, 10:10 AM
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I've got a blackvue, which is nice because discrete.

it has a front & rear cam

I've got the 550 which is now replaced by the 650:

http://www.blackvue.com/en/contents/sub1.asp?idx=26

if u only want a front cam go for the 600

or even simpler (and smaller) the 3500

and get the power magic to hardwire it & to protect you battery.

I know there are cheaper solutions, but few of them are small.

also check:

https://dashcamtalk.com/

https://forum.dashcamtalk.com/

good luck!
Old 05-06-2015, 10:35 AM
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2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
Thank you for the help I will look into each of these and let you know what I will do. Thanks again
Old 05-06-2015, 06:08 PM
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the dash cam looks pretty cool. OP, please post pics if you install.
Old 05-06-2015, 08:47 PM
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I will
Old 05-11-2015, 05:55 AM
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in the meantime here are some picies of mine, including how I routed the cables (see the red arrows).

as I have a front & rear camera a cable goes both from the left & right side of the car to the rear.

as u can see the front camera is bigger & has a better camera. still, the rear does a good enough job.
Attached Thumbnails Dash Cam wanted-img_4619.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_4620.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_4621.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_4622.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_4624.jpg  

Dash Cam wanted-img_4637.jpg  

Last edited by Egonvdv; 05-11-2015 at 08:41 AM.
Old 05-11-2015, 06:00 AM
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Rear cam
Attached Thumbnails Dash Cam wanted-img_4638.jpg  
Old 05-11-2015, 06:38 AM
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Old 05-11-2015, 08:35 AM
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I was thinking about these for both personal and company vehicles, great links, thanks.
Old 05-11-2015, 08:47 AM
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Whatever camera brand you might buy, hardwire it with powermagic pro (or sim) see attached.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf
Power-Magic-Pro-Manual.pdf (4.97 MB, 324 views)
Old 10-01-2015, 11:58 AM
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Just in case anyone digs up this thread:

I honestly can no longer "promote" Blackvue.

I've had 3 different BV camera and all of them had
overheating problems (when in parking mode).

I thought it would be fixed with their newer models,
but they just can't seem to get it right.

My latest (the 550 2ch) also:

- often gives the "check sd card" message,
- rear cam image sometimes is comletey green,
- time/date often incorrect,
- now & then it seems like the camera is recording (all relevant leds are on) but in fact is in a frozen state,
- and last but not least: the capacitor died after only a year.

Most of the above problems are common with all blackvue models (inlc the latest 650).

The only good thing about them is that they are pretty small & discreet
with a nice design.

But if anyone's interested... i'm selling mine! :-)

Last edited by Egonvdv; 10-01-2015 at 12:00 PM.
Old 10-01-2015, 12:15 PM
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2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
I had a compustar camera installed in the front and back. I am completely satisfied with the system. It records front and rear both video and audio. and records for 6 hrs in park mode then shuts off and starts up if car has an incident.
Old 10-01-2015, 12:25 PM
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cool, that's all you want & need from a cam.. hassle free!
Old 10-01-2015, 12:26 PM
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I just got myself a Thinkware F750 and will be installing them over the weekend. Will chime in and share my experience. Anyone of you mind to share how difficult will the install be?
Old 10-01-2015, 12:35 PM
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Ha funny, that's exactly what i'm gonna buy!

hesitated between that one & koonlung k1s;

the koonlung is much more discrete as it has remote (thus small) lenses,
but it too has quite some bugs which can lead to recording failing.

Did you get it with the rear cam and hardwire cable?
Old 10-01-2015, 12:39 PM
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Yeah, I got the rear cam along with the hardwire cable. Are you planning to get the power magic pro installed as well?
Old 10-01-2015, 12:47 PM
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i have the power magic with my Blackvue but you should NOT use
it with the thinkware, because it has a similar system already built in.

This is all u need:
http://thinkware.com/Products/AccessoryView/Hard_cable1

From the manual:

Device auto-off timer :
Sets the timer for the dash cam to automatically shut down in parking mode
to prevent fromdraining the vehicle battery

Device auto-off voltage :
Sets the voltage level for the dash cam to automatically shut down if the
dash cam detects voltage level lower than configured value for more than
5 minutes in order to prevent fromdraining the vehicle battery
Old 10-01-2015, 08:22 PM
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Originally Posted by dbldpr
I had a compustar camera installed in the front and back. I am completely satisfied with the system. It records front and rear both video and audio. and records for 6 hrs in park mode then shuts off and starts up if car has an incident.

would you mind sharing some pics? would like to see how clean they installed it. cheers!
Old 10-01-2015, 10:40 PM
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2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
I also had a GPS installed on the camera those are the wires you see above it. Hopefully the pictures get posted if not I will try something else
Old 10-01-2015, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by beejAMG
would you mind sharing some pics? would like to see how clean they installed it. cheers!
if this does not work I will Have to wait until I get my grandson to tell me what I am doing wrong. I tried 4 times to insert and it does not work
Attached Thumbnails Dash Cam wanted-img_1258.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_1259.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_1264.jpg   Dash Cam wanted-img_1265.jpg  
Old 10-01-2015, 11:01 PM
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Originally Posted by dbldpr
if this does not work I will Have to wait until I get my grandson to tell me what I am doing wrong. I tried 4 times to insert and it does not work

thanks for the pics! that looks really good! does it have motion sensor when parked? does it start recording as soon as you start the engine?
Old 10-01-2015, 11:23 PM
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2014 E350 also restored: 1969 Camaro convertible SS 1957 Chevy Belair 2dr hardtop
Starts recording as soon as car door trunk or hood is opened. It records for 6 hours in park mode both front and rear. If someone hits the car or opens the door it records for another 6 hours. something has to be done to the car for it to record after the initial turn off. The chip has a lot of room and once it is full it records over or you can clear it.
Old 10-02-2015, 03:30 AM
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When you say it record for 6 hours, you mean continuously or does it only record when it detects motion?
Old 10-02-2015, 03:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Egonvdv
Just in case anyone digs up this thread:

I honestly can no longer "promote" Blackvue.

I've had 3 different BV camera and all of them had
overheating problems (when in parking mode).

I thought it would be fixed with their newer models,
but they just can't seem to get it right.

My latest (the 550 2ch) also:

- often gives the "check sd card" message,
- rear cam image sometimes is comletey green,
- time/date often incorrect,
- now & then it seems like the camera is recording (all relevant leds are on) but in fact is in a frozen state,
- and last but not least: the capacitor died after only a year.

Most of the above problems are common with all blackvue models (inlc the latest 650).

The only good thing about them is that they are pretty small & discreet
with a nice design.

But if anyone's interested... i'm selling mine! :-)
I've been using my blackvue dr500 front camera only for over 2 years now and I think it's one of the slickest things I have in my car. It's only hooked up to ignition so camera only turns on when I turn the key, so I haven't been experiencing any heating issues in parking mode like you were. I'm only more worried about other drivers on the road when I'm on the road. My video was never true HD to begin with but it's still looking like a solid 720p to me after 2 years. Sorry yours didn't work out too well for you.

Bonus pic for anyone who wants to see how discreet they are from less than 10ft away.
Dash Cam wanted-img_20140504_101928_718_zpsbec84c9d.jpg
Dash Cam wanted-img_20140425_150026_166_zpsa8037f94.jpg
Old 10-02-2015, 04:00 AM
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glad to hear you are happy with it.
I do agree that the design is very discreet, which is also my top priority for a camera.
however it's just too expensive considering the quality and especially if you do not use parking mode.
IMO in this case you might as well install a mini 0806.
maybe i'm a bit negative now, but i'm seriously pissed off :-)


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