Who here runs a dash cam?

[vmax]

Baz
No problem.
Glad it was an easy fix.

[Baz]

Thanks, Doug! Good call, sir!

Here's another from today.....I love this dash cam!

[Rick Lee]

My cheapo Blueskysea died after about two weeks of always turning off and rebooting. I formatted the card, as some sites suggested, but I think it was the capacitor. I removed it and it wasn't bulging. But when the display showed the battery bars, when I unplugged it, it went from full to zero in about three seconds and then died. Looking for another now, as you really feel naked without one after you've run one for a while.

[recycled sixtie]

I am running the Thinkware dash cam f50 in my NC Miata. Ran well for a while and now it is intermittent. Am thinking it is the power outlet because when I plug it in our suv it works fine. I have formatted it and there is no change. I will try it again in the suv and if it runs fine there then I should check out the power outlet on the Miata.

There are no blown fuses on the Miata(the accessory outlet fuse is intact) so I am starting to think it is intermittent power to that outlet.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

I am running the Thinkware dash cam f50 in my NC Miata. Ran well for a while and now it is intermittent. Am thinking it is the power outlet because when I plug it in our suv it works fine. I have formatted it and there is no change. I will try it again in the suv and if it runs fine there then I should check out the power outlet on the Miata.

There are no blown fuses on the Miata(the accessory outlet fuse is intact) so I am starting to think it is intermittent power to that outlet.

I don't think so. Intermittent power is a very common problem with these dash cams, and there's no other area of any car I've had that had intermittent power issues. It gets pretty hot in AZ, so those batteries and caps take more of a beating in one summer than they do in other parts of the world. I'd bet it's firmware, battery or capacitor.

[JavaBrewer]

No dash cams in our family. Drive sanely and responsibly, goes far.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

OP, no dash cams in our family. Drive sanely and responsibly goes far.

And I do that. No harm in having video proof of it when others run afoul.

[Joe Bob]

Even the Gamin dash cam suffers from heat. Take it into the house when not driving. Keep it with your keys.

I set up a direct fused circuit hooked direct to the battery. I don't leave home w/o it.....

[Baz]

Mine is still working GREAT!

I hardly ever take it out of it's mount.

Yesterday I did though just to make sure it's still working and here's one of the 3 min. clips it recorded from Friday.

Hopefully it will never be necessary to use in context of an accident but nice to know it's there to back up how good of a driver I am!

[Rick Lee]

Ok, got my new Viofo G1W-S. I can't find any mention of this in the manual or Youtube demos. But the display turns off after about one minute of being powered up. The blue LED remains flashing slowly, which makes me think it's recording the whole time. Just wonder if this one turns the display off while recording. I can't find anything in the cam's menu to change this.

[Eric Coffey]

Are you sure it's not a knock-off? With anything of this nature, there are tons of fakes out there (and even fakes of fakes). Looks like the fake ones typically record in .AVI and the genuine ones use .MOV.
You might want to check some recorded footage to verify the format.

[craigster59]

My display turns off after a minute or two, still records while "docked". My unit is hardwired to my power seat controls so records 24/7 unless I detach it from the dock.

[Rick Lee]

Just asked on the forum for this model and was quickly told that's normal and how they work, that they're always recording, as long as the blue LED is flashing. No mention of that in the manual, but ok.

[craigster59]

The Viofo has great clarity and haven't had any problems with mine. Not sure but maybe the display is more for playback? The manual leaves a lot to be desired as far as info goes.

[froggert]

I have a different model from Viofo, the 119. Screen on time setting is called something like "screensaver" in the setup menu.

[Racerbvd]

I use my phone, have a windshield mount.

[CA_WhaleTail]

Its time to get a dashcam...too many cell phones and distracted drivers.

What models do you wise consumers currently recommend?

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by CA_WhaleTail

Its time to get a dashcam...too many cell phones and distracted drivers.

What models do you wise consumers currently recommend?

I can't recommend any models sold in the US but make sure you get one with a good internal battery.

If you go cheap the internal battery will soon fail and the clock etc will zero every time you power it up. That means all of the stored videos will be out of time/date sequence so you may not be able to find the video you're looking for.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by CA_WhaleTail

Its time to get a dashcam...too many cell phones and distracted drivers.

What models do you wise consumers currently recommend?

I have a Thinkware F50. I am not sure if it is running right. It is a few months before the warranty is up so I have time to get it sorted. I paid $100 canadian so it is a relatively cheap model. It has a tiny SD chip for memory and it is removed from the unit and inserted into a plastic sleeve and then that is inserted into the SD slot of your laptop to play back what is recorded.

Actually the quality of recording is good. If I had to do over again I would go to Consumer Reports and see which are the most reliable ones.

[Paul K]

Those of you using a Garmin dashcam, which one do you have? Pros/cons?

I had a $20 WalMart special, but it just died. Time to upgrade- I’m thinking used Garmin, as I like their GPS units.