TJ Dallas

Your new SL has a built-in dash cam in the MBUX system. You have to "unlock" it and download it using your MercedesMe account. It costs $200, but it's well worth it and it's for the lifetime of the vehicle. I used the computer and my MercedesMe login to purchase it as I'm not sure you can do it through the app. The next time I started up my SL, it was there in the apps. You'll need a USB C to record the video, and a loop is recommended. I'm using a 1TB memory stick inserted into a USB slot in the center console. Attached is a picture of the Apps screen showing the dash cam. I'll also try to upload a quick video so you can see the quality, but the file may be too large, even in a short two or three second video. The quality looks good to me but I don't know how it compares to an after market dash cam. Note that I tried to do the same thing in my 2021 AMG GLS63 but the MBUX is an earlier version and there is no dash cam available, at least right now.


Dashcam on the Apps screen after you've purchased it.

Greggds

THANKS! BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT FOR THE LONGEST. APPRECIATE YOUR INFO!

FlyingBear

I paid for the dashcam and really like it. I had the same feature on a past Corvette and the built-in invisible look is nicer than a camera hanging off the windshield.

A tip: I use a small 256GB USB-C stick to hold the dashcam recordings and another one to hold the music ripped from my CDs. When first installing the sticks I had to tell the dashcam which stick to record to, and that procedure has to be checked and redone if you ever remove either of the sticks and subsequently plug it back into the car. If you don’t check, the dashcam may end up writing to your music stick.

DESAL

Gentleman, would like your comments. Just ordered a GLC300 with a 21U Dashcam as part of the package. My current dashcam is attached to my window & starts automatically when the car is started. It will record even if the car is turned off and hit for some reason.

I know that the dash has to be activated via the app. & video isn't saved internally but on a stick. My question would be once activated do you need to reactivate with each restart of the car? Your short video looks pretty good. After using for a while do you still like the quality? Can you review the video within the car or do you have use the stick on a PC? Thanks

FlyingBear

You can set the built-in dashcam to begin recording on every ignition/engine start. I'm happy with the video quality; it's on par with the Rove and Nexbase dashcams I have in other cars. You can review recent files on the SL's main screen, or review all of them by plugging your USB-C stick into a Mac/PC.

There's another built-in feature of the car that records photos around the car if it senses a collision. That's separate from the dashcam.

DESAL

Thanks for the info. Not sure if my GLC has the collision feature. I'll have to check with the dealer.

BACnMercedes

Is this a feature of the newer MBUX?

FlyingBear

I’m not sure that I understand your question. I have the dashcam feature on my 2022 SL63. It came installed with the feature but it wasn’t activated. I paid $200 via the Mercedes Me website to permanently unlock and activate the feature. I believe that all 2022+ SLs have the required hardware from the factory.

BACnMercedes

Yeah that was confusing. I think the new SL has a newer MBUX system than my 21 GLE but I was curious to know if the ability to have the camera start automatically at each ignition start up was something for that system. The camera in mine will not automatically activate and you have to wait about 3-4 minutes after the initial start up before you can even start the camera. But I can start it with the hand gesture though.

drgek

Does anyone know if there is a maximum capacity USB-C stick the car will recognize? It will NOT recognize a 1TB stick formatted in FAT 32, although it will recognize a 32 GB stick formatted identically.

FlyingBear

FAT32 likely works up to 256B storage media size. Try formatting in exFAT or, if that doesn’t work, try NTFS.

drgek

Thanks. exFAT didn’t work. I’ll try NTFS.

BLAM

Does the dashcam video display speed?

drgek

Yes, the recorded videos display time, speed, and GPS coordinates

BLAM

Thxs, but no bueno.

wem

It looks like I will be installing my Garmin mini cam 2 which does not record speed. Too bad the built in cam can’t be configured to leave speed out of the recording.

Huncowboy

2 questions:

1. Does it matter if the stick is a 3.0 or 3.1 USB standard?
2. What is the USB in the glove compartment for? I was trying to insert a non USB C drive and I could not get it in. It just would not go in. I gave up after 10 minutes.

Thanks!

khiroshima

MUCH appreciated on this, I was planning on re-installing my Blackvue and I'm really excited about an OEM unit!!! A little more detail:
-Log into your Mercedes Me Connect account
-Mercedes Me Connect Store
-Additional digital extras
-Add to basket

I navigated away from this once and it took me a while to figure out how to get back-- Cheers, KH

FlyingBear

A dashcam is a two-edged sword. If someone else does something stupid and/or causes an accident, the dashcam can greatly simplify discussions with police and insurance companies. If you caused the accident, the dashcam recording may make life harder for you. Deleting a recording that shows that you were in the wrong could land you in hot legal water.

If your dashcam doesn't record your speed an attorney or prosecutor could subpoena the recording and an expert could make an accurate assessment of your speed.based on the footage. Google Maps street view and its measurement tools make this quite easy. And, again, deleting the footage could get you into trouble.

I drive always with a dashcam, because if someone else causes an accident, US societal decency is in decline and I suspect that quite a few people would immediately say that I caused it. The peace of mind I get from dashcam recordings for me, outweighs having to respect speed limits.

FlyingBear

There are two USB-C ports (the small elongated oval ones) on the right under the central sliding cover. You COULD use a regular rectangular USB stick with an adaptor or adaptor cable, but it may end up interfering with the cover's movement and/or create a wiring mess. If you search on Amazon for "256GB USB-C thumb drive" one of the search hits is for a Samsung drive that's tiny and fits perfectly. If you choose to have a second drive for music, you have to be careful to ensure that the built-in dashcam is recording to the non-music drive. You set it by stopping the dashcam recording, going to the dashcam app settings and choosing the non-music drive. If you ever remove either drive and replace it, you may have to perform that setting again.

A 256GB thumb drive records about 30 hours of driving before it starts to delete the oldest footage.

khiroshima

Thank you for the recommendation, will go to Amazon now - I too am a dashcam believer. I always say, if it's my fault, it's my fault . . . The camera is for when it isn't