Hi,

I have been lurking around these perfumes for a while now doing some reading. One thing I have not come across on the forums is Dash Cams. I have also been doing some research. I came across a website called BlackboxMyCar.com, the guy is from Vancouver and has a newer model 5 series BMW. He also has a C400 installation video. Its really short but says that its easy. I was just wondering has anyone done any research regarding this tech, and has anyone tried it.

 

That's cool - looks straight forward. That guy is pretty good; I've seen a few of his reviews and videos before.

I've had a Blackvue in my previous car and was keen to do the same in the Merc, so this will definitely help. Thanks for posting that.

 

I bought a FineVu dashcam from them about a year ago. The video he posted for the wiring installation for my car was accurate. Had it all hooked up in 20 minutes.

 

https://dashcamtalk.com/

http://www.kmph.ca/

 

Thanks for that. It's a good first primer. I'll be checking out some of his other videos.

I plan to install a dash cam when we get our W205. I have a cheap one in my Jeep. I got T-boned in the Jeep a couple of months after putting the camera in. I was glad to have video evidence that I was not at fault. (The other driver ran a stop sign.)

I highly recommend installing one in your car(s).

 

For those of you in the Toronto/GTA area I found another guy that seems pretty good after reading other reviews. I have made an appointment with Lock Down Security for the 10th. I may be able to post a video of the install. Can't wait.

 

I'd avoid these guys like the plague. Check my review on yelp for what they did to me.

 

If you're looking for reviews of dash cams, TechMoan has a large number, and they're pretty good:

http://www.techmoan.com/guide-to-dashcams/

 

Read the review... You didn't state what they did to you... And yelp has flagged your review

 

Lol seems like they've managed to get my review removed altogether by moving and creating a new company profile page on Yelp. In a nutshell, they had me buy a couple grand worth of the wrong hardware, made me wait 2 months to do the install then didn't return my calls etc. when the time came to do it. I couldn't return the hardware and ended up managing to trade it in for the right stuff at a different place, but at wholesale prices. You may have a different experience but my review was honest and I would caution you.

Edit: I've copied and pasted my original review on their new page.

 

Hi Guys, I have the new C250 here in AU and I am wanting to install a dash cam. Just watching that video and just wondering something. Did he connect the power by a bare wire into an existing fuse holder?

 

I think he simply unplugged a fuse then wrapped the wire around the metal portion of the fuse and plugged it back in. That's how it's done in his tutorial for my car. The power wire has an inline fuse so it's not a problem.

 

I used this

 

^.. that's a fuse tap or blade fuse splice. They're OK if you have a spare slot to work with, or plenty of headroom in the case. The main thing I don't like with either of those examples is that the wire is running over the rim of the fuse box. If you have a tight fitting fuse lid (which most are), you'll run the risk of damaging the insulation on that wire. Better to drill a small hole in the box and feed your wire through that.

 

A spare fuse location is not required..that's the point of this device..it's actually a fuse tap..you can see the fuse it replaced is plugged into it and there is plenty of room as you can also see the cover mounting holes..the photo was taken prior to the final insulating of the wires fed through the fuse holder chassis

 

I know.. that this is the point of the tap. Had several installs in the past though where adjacent space wasn't sufficient to swing the fuse that 90 degrees .. that's all. Works for most - just not always.

 

Thanks guys, very helpful. I will look at a fuse tap.

The people who have dash cams, do you have a battery backup or anything to keep the camera running whilst park?

One of the reasons I am going a camera, is I have been side swiped in car parks twice in one year in my last car. Dont want to repeat that again.

 

That's why I wired it to constant power..if I need to turn off for an extended period I just unplug it at the camera..since it uses so little power I've never had an issue

 

Check out the power magic pro from blackvue. It's specifically made for that purpose but you can find plenty of similar voltage or timer cutouts on eBay as well.

 

^..not recommended...do some research

 

Can you share some details?

 

I have no personal experience with these but 2 acquaintances purchased and they both failed and could not get satisfaction from manufacturer nor retailer..I think it was an overheating issue..also when they did work the backup time was minimal..ergo do some research

 

Yeah, the earlier Blackvue had some known issues regarding overheating, but that was more the camera. I can't recall the PowerMagic module having similar issues. Overall, and for many years, they consistently rate amongst the top dash cams out there, so that can't be by accident.

The issue with warranty was that there were a stack of on-line vendors selling cheap imports of the cameras and Pittasoft tried to protect their reseller network by avoiding some direct claims against grey market goods. Lots of vendors do this, so there's nothing all that unique on that front. If you bought from a reputable shop you were probably OK and at the very least would be protected by local consumer laws; but eBay sales from overseas can be a different matter.

I've been lucky with my previous car which has a DR400G (which was the model most prone to overheat). I've only contacted their support a couple of times to diagnose an issue with incorrect time stamping on GPS. I must say they were very good to respond straight away and very helpful. Had my camera running for almost 5 years now and the only thing I've had to do was replace the on-board LiPo battery. They do get VERY hot though - park on a hot Australian day in the sun and you can't even touch the camera. Often amazed me actually how it manages to survive in those conditions!

Having an isolator is a good idea regardless I think. These are very low current draw devices (I think under 1A) so unless you drive very little, there's a chance the camera will never turn off if you have it hardwired into 12V direct. In my current vehicle I have dual battery install and just did same as you - wired into 12v (on the spare bat though) and I just put a dash mounted switch in so I could easily turn it on/off as needed. I actually prefer that - but I think on single battery vehicles though it's nice to know that your main power source is isolated from excessive current draw as much as possible. I also like the fact that the module has a timer. I think it's safe to say that after 4-6 hours you don't really care about filming in most cases (in parking mode), so why keep the camera under stress.

Anyway, I've been very happy with the brand and actually just bought the DR600 and the PowerMagic this time (to go into the Benz). I'll write up a review on install and performance once I have the car and everything is installed. Fingers crossed it lives up to the same performance level as the old model.


BTW.. "twinblack", unless you get a multi-channel system, you won't really be protected from the side swiping issue. I've had one instance where someone whacked into the side of the car pretty good - since the camera was only pointing out front, I was only able to see the event on the G-sensor track and see him pull out side-on .. no chance to prove that he was the car that did it, nor get the plate. Nothing more frustrating than seeing someone do damage to you car and driving off . Don't get me wrong - love the dash cams and wouldn't be without one now, but they don't let you catch things like that .. unfortunately.

 

I have three of the ITB-100HD units which have been flawless..I've also had DR400's in the past that have failed..
The ITB-100HD is a fine reliable device for what it is..I purchased from Apple-ct for a very good price a couple of years ago and see they don't sell them any longer..maybe they we black market..dunno..but what is disappointing is the sw is windows only..no mac and the language is Korean or other..still fine for what I need..I know there are firmware updates and bitrate updates but I'm okay lest it bricks or something else fails..
The newer 2 channel devices like the DR550 are appealing and I'll likely go that route this summer..having a front and rear camera and wifi is a draw even though the bitrate is somewhat less than what I have now..

 

Blackvue DR650GW-2CH - Power Magic Pro and pry tool


After seeing the video and others from Blackboxmycar I decided to order it from them on Dec 31, the last day of the free 1 day shipping. The package arrived on Friday January 2nd in the afternoon via Purolator so that was very quick.
Everything was included as the offer stated. Blackvue DR650GW-2CH + Power Magic Pro manual, cables, and a long orange plastic double sided pry bar type tool with the company name on it. (that was a nice surprize and useful)
Like the video shows its fairly easy to hide the wires in the W205 (surprisingly).
It took me just over an hour in the snow/rain outdoors to install both the front and rear cameras. I put the software on my iPhone 5, Blackberry Z10 and Dell Windows 8.1 Tablet.
The device has a fairly loud English female voice once you do the setup.
The Video cable to the rear camera can fit an SUV so there is lots of extra, so I just tucked it into the rear corner panel until there was just the right length to the camera.
Due to the rain/snow wet day, I did have a few problems getting the double sided tape to stick firmly, but just making sure the area was dry and holding for 30seconds did the trick. The rear camera is very light so I think I am good. The front has some weight to it so I hope it holds up. I have taken the camera out of the holder and back on a few times without incident so I hope its good for now.
I ran out of daylight so I hooked it up to the rear 12volt outlet for now. Will try to use the Power Magic Pro with the fuse panel in the front passenger wheel well to get it to stay on after the car turns off. (Parking Record Mode).
The Power Magic pro has 6 dip switches that are defaulted to 12 volts and 6 hours recording time after the car is turned off. You can set for different voltages and 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 120 hours and infinity record times.
It has built in Wi-Fi so I use it on my iPhone5 to stream in real time. It can be set to toggle between front and rear and is only viewable in landscape mode. The app allows you to set all the LED on/off along with record quality front and rear and sensitivity in all modes.
The video quality is quite good for such a small camera and the Micro SD card can be removed to play on your laptop or home computer.
The model I ordered was 16GB but it come with up to 64GB so you can record up to 14 hours looped video both front and rear in HD with sound.
The saved files are defaulted to 1min lengths but you can change that in the app settings, I am using 2min clips.
The desktop software really brings the images to life with GPS mapping (standard or satellite views) vehicle speed and the ability to show front/rear as a pip or main screen along with date and time stamp.
The rear cam is hooked up near the top but just below the window defroster markings, I could not get it to stick to that material.
It is an option for those who would like to use this as a back up camera. Its better than nothing but will take some getting used to.
I don't have any complaints about the company I ordered this from and they even emailed me that they will do an online follow up in a few days to see how I like it.


I hope that in the future MB and others will make the 360 Camera a built in Dash Cam, that would be a great option to this generation of cars.


This is a fairly inexpensive modification so if you are in the market for a Dash Cam I highly recommend both the vendor and the make.