Dash cams/recorders

[BongoBongo123]

Is anyone capable of explaining the basics. A cam that sticks in the front of the windscreen I imagine. Powered by battery or ciggy lighter ? Do they record in car sound/conversations ? Any recommendations for a decent one they seem to vary in price a lot on Amazon.


Thanks

[Gasy]

Yes they record sound
Good for when someone threatens you thro the window , bad for when you get out and smack them one
We got them in work vans about £100 out of 30 half packed in in a year
I got a cheap one in bongo still working fine after 2 years ( the flat one £20 ish from ebay ) other on here have same and no reports of failure yet
Need a hd fast memory card
They record on a loop
And some store a few mins to hard drive / different memory after sensing a bump
G

[Tony x]

We have a A118C which is great. The C means it's powered by capacitors so no overheating lithium batteries.
Sound recording is turned off easily by a button on the front and the camera is hidden reasonably well. Cost was £50.
I did replace the power supply (a USB cig lighter thing) and the USB lead for better quality ones. The originals were fine but caused a little interference on the radio.
Here's a picture of the identical one we have in our car. It's an old car (Mazda 323f) so doesn't have the black on the windscreen behind the rear view mirror so this was added. We did this in the Bongo too which helps hide the camera.



A dash cam comes on and films when you turn the ignition on. They are fit and forget. Typically, it will record a video of a few minutes, store it and continue making a further video. It carries on like this for a few hours and then records over the first video it made - this is loop recording.

More expensive ones aren't always better. If you want to spend more money, you can get ones with better night time recording.

Techmoan http://www.techmoan.com/ is an excellent site for dash cam reviews. In fact, it's an excellent site full stop (.)

[Bongoplod]

This one has low light filming

http://www.ncrowd.co.uk/national-UK/515 ... New-active

And this

http://www.ncrowd.co.uk/national-UK/51630-car-dvr

N Crowd Deals are like Groupon and Wowcher............BIG discounts

Brian

[tanglefoot]

Got one for about £12'ish off internet....been working fine for a few months. As said above works by recording to fast SD card and comes on with ignition.

[Simon Jones]

Mine in my Volvo has saved me my £250 excess and an insurance claim in excess of £4000 as I was able to prove the other driver hit me. Without the evidence it would almost certainly have ended up 50/50 which would have left me out of pocket in terms of the excess and increased premiums.

[Tony x]

After a couple of months with dash cams in both our vehicles, I took one of them out for a short time as I was doing a bit of work on the vehicle. Driving it, I was surprised at how 'naked' I felt without it...how vulnerable really. Now, I wouldn't be without one.

It is best to get one with a screen so, if you are hit, you can play the recording back to the police at the scene of the accident. They will make a note of what they see and then these notes can be produced in court. This will support you with any argument that the video might be a fake.

Surprisingly, my wife witnessed an incident on the opposite carriageway with the dash cam and gave her name as a witness but was never contacted. The video showed a bike wheelying in a 30 mph zone, the car in front braking suddenly and the bike hitting the car.

One thing to remember is what you say if you do have an accident as it will all be recorded. Comments like "useless *##*# brakes" won't help any in court.
Also, watch out for the gps equipped ones. I've heard that if these show you exceeding the speed limit earlier on in your drive, even if this is not connected with the accident, it can count against you. Personally, I think gps dash cams are best avoided.

Our insurance company said that they don't yet give discounts for the dash cams but are bringing this in soon.

I do believe that, like seat belts, abs brakes and now, cup holders, it won't be long before dash cams are the norm for all vehicles

[helen&tony]

Hi
I would certainly agree that they will become an essential piece of kit. Take a look at some of the Russian videos on Youtube showing the skill of the "accident" claimers where they walk out in front of a car, get knocked over, and claim that you run them down....a lot of Eastern Europeans have watched these, and I know that they try it on in some of the richer EU countries via a lawyer over here!....The sheer craft of these people in "appearing" to be injured is incredible...they are highly skilled! The same applies to the ones that overtake and stamp on their brakes!
Cheers
Helen

[Simon Jones]

You can generally turn off the sound recording (which is pretty poor quality anyway). When I sent my footage off to the insurers I converted the file to AVI format and muted the audio.

[David Edwards]

Would not be without mine now, had it in the car about two years, cost me 8 quid on e bay...early mornings,,lol and worth it, same one on offer in some places around 50 quid and more.

[BongoBongo123]

Yes they record sound
Good for when someone threatens you thro the window , bad for when you get out and smack them one
We got them in work vans about £100 out of 30 half packed in in a year
I got a cheap one in bongo still working fine after 2 years ( the flat one £20 ish from ebay ) other on here have same and no reports of failure yet
Need a hd fast memory card
They record on a loop
And some store a few mins to hard drive / different memory after sensing a bump
G

Thanks everyone great info

Is this the "flat one" ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1080P-HD-Car- ... 210275fc48