I wanted to share this with my old AMG brothers, since I had a pretty bad experience with this company, and wouldn't want any of you to fall into the same hole I did. I bought a Blackvue Dash-cam for the M3, since the past two years, some idiot runs into my car, and I get blamed for it from the insurance.

I bought the DR400G-HD 1080p from Blackvue, pictured below




REVIEW

Asthetics 8/10
The device looks more slick online than in person. It's not OVERSIZED but it does look a little out of proportion. Construction looks cleaner than the GoPro. Everything was pretty well thoughtout. You can use the software to select the "LED" light that lights up, red/green/blue/amber/etc. you name it. The product looks pretty 'finished' but I have to say, it's not 100%

Recording and Storage6/10
Majority of the points come from the actual recording footage. Its 1080p 30fps, the sound is great, but it has a slight fish-eye on the sides. Night time recording is not bad, but not the greatest. The videos are definitely clear. Mine is a 16GB up to 32GB with a Micro SD Card. However, I've gotten this machine for a month or so, and this thing crashed on me about 5 times. I've gotten issues with "Cannot read SD Card" and when I went to check the footage, it actually DIDNT RECORD. I don't know whats wrong with it, but I've contacted Blackvue customer service (see rant below)

[U2B]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW8Cs5ss9ko[/U2B]


Customer Service2/10
The guy seems really nice before you pay, and maybe right after you pay. But once you get the device, you're pretty much on your own. I had an error with the MicroSD card, and customer service at Blackvue USA said he will send out a new one right away. 1-2 weeks go by, nothing. I actually ended up purchasing a new one myself. Blackvue said they will send another out asap, and I still haven't received. I've emailed them with questions regarding the "recording" problem, where my files go missing. I drove for 2-days, about 5-6 hours total, which no way would it fill up the SD card, but when I got home, there was only 1 video of the last 3 mins of driving, till I got home. Till today, no response.

My friend had recently ordered a D500GW-HD from them, after my intial "good" review from them. It took about 2 weeks till he received it. They state that they have everything in stock, and will ship in 24 hours. However, they emailed my friend AFTER he paid, and told him that it was back ordered. He emailed Blackvue for a 'price quote and availability' with a different email. They had stated that the device is in stock and ready to ship as soon as payment is cleared. So there you go. Crooks.

Overall3/10 I would honestly go and stick with the GoPro. It's known for a reason. They also have great customer service. The blacvue is a little cool device, but the customer service is horrible. It' doesn't matter how good your product is, but if you don't have the customer service to back it up, it's just garbage.

I've also came upon the ION Air Pro Camera today, the device seems pretty legit. I would give that a shot.

 

Dang. Thanks for the review. I've wanted one, but wasn't sure. The idea that you checked the footage to get an error message is insane. I would never trust it after that happened. Let me know how the ION is please.

 

Thanks for the review Advans, I’ve been contemplating one for and this sealed the deal on the GoPro. The biggest selling point to me is/was parking mode…oh well. Do you guys just turn on the GoPro every time you start the car, have it hardwired, or use the iPhone app, any idea to power it for a parking mode?

 

You would need it to be hardwired, unless there is a built in battery.