Dashboard mounted dash cam advice

[Broken Compass]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking for a while about dash cams, to be honest I am not good about hard wiring, also I am not fun of this kind of modifications. For this reason I am looking dash cam which it can be installed on dashboard.

To be honest so much options but almost all of it for windshield, from photos and videos I can understand view angle is quiet good but some of not.

My point is I just install on dashboard and cable it directly from lighter, I know cable little bit dangle around but it is ok for me. I would like to know your experiences.

 

[Samcb]

I fitted a Garmin dashcam. It has to be mounted at the top of the windscreen so that it can see vehicles in front and not just the bonnet. I tucked the wire under the moulding around the windscreen and it comes out at a 12v to usb socket on the dashboard. It is quite neat and only took a few minutes to install.

I also installed another one on the rear door and fed the cable round the door moulding and then under the moulding in the boot so I could plug it into the coffee cup socket by the rear seat.

All works well with the Garmin app.

 

[Begize]

I have a Blackvue 750 something or other. I have hard wired it (ish) using an extra trailing 12v socket hidden under the dashboard, but the camera is mounted behind the rear view mirror and the cable tucked behind the headlining and down the A pillar trim, all pretty straightforward if you have some kind of plastic tool to poke with. The "difficult" bit was getting it round the end of the dashboard and into the void above the passenger footwell.

I've also got a rear camera (it's a dual camera package) but that was hard to fit and involved a lot of removal of bits of trim and using rods to fish wires through gaps etc.

 

[Kayleigh]

I think a windscreen mounted one is better. I had both front and rear fitted for me so I know it’s done properly. No faffing around with plugging and unplugging. That’s the way I would go.

 

[Broken Compass]

I fitted a Garmin dashcam. It has to be mounted at the top of the windscreen so that it can see vehicles in front and not just the bonnet. I tucked the wire under the moulding around the windscreen and it comes out at a 12v to usb socket on the dashboard. It is quite neat and only took a few minutes to install.

I also installed another one on the rear door and fed the cable round the door moulding and then under the moulding in the boot so I could plug it into the coffee cup socket by the rear seat.

All works well with the Garmin app.
View attachment 139653View attachment 139654

Which Garmin cameras are there? is that mini on the windscreen ?

 

[Broken Compass]

I have a Blackvue 750 something or other. I have hard wired it (ish) using an extra trailing 12v socket hidden under the dashboard, but the camera is mounted behind the rear view mirror and the cable tucked behind the headlining and down the A pillar trim, all pretty straightforward if you have some kind of plastic tool to poke with. The "difficult" bit was getting it round the end of the dashboard and into the void above the passenger footwell.

I've also got a rear camera (it's a dual camera package) but that was hard to fit and involved a lot of removal of bits of trim and using rods to fish wires through gaps etc.

Thank you to all for your comments,

As I understood not much people prefer to install in on the dashboard. I also can try it too but as you said I would not do for rear camera, if it is easy as you describe I can handle it I guess, because of I am not definetely fun of removal of bits of trim and using rods to fish wires through gaps etc.

 

[Begize]

Thank you to all for your comments,

As I understood not much people prefer to install in on the dashboard. I also can try it too but as you said I would not do for rear camera, if it is easy as you describe I can handle it I guess, because of I am not definetely fun of removal of bits of trim and using rods to fish wires through gaps etc.

The front camera was pretty simple. I installed that on it's own for a few months before bothering to try the back. I wired the hidden trailing 12v socket into main fuses on the drivers side but obviously could just be plugged into on of the existing 12v sockets.

When I did the rear camera, I changed them both to be powered from the leisure battery via a thing called "power magic pro" (mounted under the passenger seat) which allows you to keep them powered all the time but will cut the power if the voltage drops too low to avoid flattening the batteries. It wasn't stupidly difficult to do, but then I am an old school computer engineer used to dismantling stuff!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Hardwire is straightforward & will look very neat. Piggy back off one of the heater fuses in the dash (then when only be live when ignition is on, so won’t drain the battery). Then it can’t be unplugged by accident when someone needs to charge their phone!

There are lots of youtube videos, once you have watched one, you will see how easy it is..should take 30mins.

Or buy one at Halfords and they will fit it for you.

Recommend nextbase, we have had a cheap one for years and paid for itself when someone drove into the back of us. Despite the forward facing camera - They also record motion on a graph - so it was able to register that we were stationary when hit, front camera showed us move forward slightly on impact. Insurers asked for a copy of the file and claim went against the other driver - no change to our renewal premium (it went down).

 

[johnyboy]

Look at the ones which attach to the rear view mirror - I much preder the simplicity and it doesn't get in the way when you are setting up to camp

 

[Samcb]

Which Garmin cameras are there? is that mini on the windscreen ?

Yes it is a Garmin mini 2. Same on the back and both can be accessed via the Garmin app without wiring them together.