all about dash cams

July 2, 2022 9:28 AM

I have been looking for a dash cam for my car. In researching the various models, I had a question.

My car, 2021 Mazda CX5, has both front, rear, and side cameras. It dawned on me that the technology exists for manufacturers to install dash cams at the factory as an option. Given their growing popularity, any idea why they haven't started doing that yet?

Also, any opinions as to what to look for in a dash, and maybe rear, cameras?

posted by jtexman1 to Technology (7 answers total)

Hi;
Here are some tips;

https://carcamcentral.com/guide/dash-cam-issues-solutions
posted by LOOKING at 9:45 AM on July 2, 2022

Tesla does this.
posted by mbrubeck at 10:10 AM on July 2, 2022

BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Subaru all offer it on some models, though the capabilities are sometimes limited compared to an aftermarket camera.
posted by box at 10:22 AM on July 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

The /r/Dashcam subreddit has a wealth of information about dashcams. Some things to consider are the range of temperatures where you normally park your car, which SD card to get, and whether you want it to be hardwired (so you don't have to plug it into a power outlet inside the car). I have a Vantrue OnDash S1, which is okay; if I were going to do it again, I'd probably go with a BlackVue. I had mine installed at a shop that does high-end customizations, stereos, etc., which was expensive but totally worth it. They did an amazing job of hiding the cables, even to the rear camera.
posted by neushoorn at 10:26 AM on July 2, 2022

I don't think you see it overwhelmingly offered in the US yet because people are weird about that stuff.

I'm not sure I can tell you the model, but after a couple false starts we ended up with this front and back camera, plus rearview mirror display because our van has no windows. It's only been a few weeks, so I can't speak to the longevity.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:52 AM on July 2, 2022

I doubt this is very useful to the original poster, but might help someone else who is contemplating a cheapo dash cam.

tl;dr: you get what you pay for.

Based on SixtyfiveFord on YouTube, I decided to experiment with what now appears to be a discontinued Akaso model that has front and rear cameras and plugs into the dash hole of my ancient horse-drawn Subaru.

Pros:

• Moderately cheap (under $200)
• Front cam/mirror/display unit straps onto existing rear-view mirror with big rubber bands that will presumably eventually UV out but haven't yet.
• Records video and audio just fine without me having to do anything. Start car and it is on. Bottom line: if something happens in front of me, I will have evidence.
• Has worked for 6+ months so far.

Cons:

• Surprisingly not that annoying to have a thing strapped to mirror, but certainly not a seamless, elegant experience.
• Occupies dash hole unless/until I solder it in to power permanently. Has a battery so I can unplug it for a long while, but overall not an ideal set-up.
• Cables stick out of it and have to be routed, hidden, etc. as best as possible.
• Would be good to have a rear-facing video record if I was rear ended, but the rear camera looks like a nightmare to route the cable in my particular car, so I haven't installed it yet. I don't really care about the backup cam function, although my aging neck is starting to differ.
• Supposedly has voice activation commands but they don't work. Sometimes it randomly wakes up and says "OK" and turns on the display, and you have to turn the display back off. This could be dangerous so is probably its worst con.

Me, I'd probably get a better one professionally installed if I had a nicer car at some future date, or better yet hope a new (electric!) car I might someday buy would come with one. This was a fairly cheap experiment that does at least possibly give me (or some other hapless driver) some hard evidence in case it's needed it though.
posted by kiblinger at 11:21 AM on July 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have the Garmin Dash Cam 57. It is a wretched device. It complains about wear on brand-new, definitely good SD cards. Sometimes it randomly proposes formatting the card, just for funsies I guess, with no way to say no except to ignore it for long enough. Its collision and lane departure warnings routinely ignore stuff they shouldn't, and repeatedly complain about stuff that they should not. The app that comes with it to download videos barely works, and the camera can only run for about 5 seconds unless it's connected to power, and despite using a USB power connector, the power supply is somehow proprietary, and the camera can tell the difference and complains - all of that means to use the app to download a video, you have to sit in your car with your car on for the time that it takes to download.

Sorry for the rant, but I spent 4 hours on the road today before seeing this post, much of which was spent in contemplation of how much I hate this device. Do not purchase it.
posted by jordemort at 9:42 PM on July 2, 2022 [1 favorite]