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Dashcam install

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119K views 220 replies 65 participants last post by  OzzieMike  
#1 ·
Anyone else planning on adding a dashcam to your rig? I plan on getting a Blackview dual Camera system with the hardwire kit. Just wondering where everyone plans to or has mounded the cameras? Pictures would be AWESOME.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Me. I am planning on using the rear view mirror mount until I can figure out how to run a USB cable between the headliner and the windshield.

This is the one I currently have on my car and I plan to use it on the new car.


I want to use the Viofo A129 Duo and use both front and back cameras.
 
#4 ·
I went with the new Thinkware U1000 and mounted it to the left of the rear view mirror about in the middle of all those windshield dots that I don’t know what purpose they serve. It was easy enough to feed the wires under the plastic and out of the way of the drivers side eye sight camera.

I can post some picture when the sun comes back up and it a bright enough to see everything


I didn’t go with a blackview as it’s design got in the way of the radar detector mounted on the mirror stalk.
I have to admit the fit and finish on the outback is pretty good as it was a huge pain to run the cable from the rear and get it all tucked away. Just the front cable was bad enough.
 
#5 ·
I went with the new Thinkware U1000 and mounted it to the left of the rear view mirror about in the middle of all those windshield dots that I don’t know what purpose they serve. It was easy enough to feed the wires under the plastic and out of the way of the drivers side eye sight camera.

I can post some picture when the sun comes back up and it a bright enough to see everything


I didn’t go with a blackview as it’s design for in the way of the radar detector mounted on the mirror stalk.
I have to admits the fit and finish on the outback is pretty good as it was a huge pain to run the cable from the rear and get it all tucked away. Just the front cable was bad enough.
Can you post your install pictures? Does the camera interfere with Eyesight?
 
#11 ·
I've had a dashcam on my previous two Outbacks and never had an issue with EyeSight. I think I'll just reinstall the one I had on the '17 in the same spots on the windshield and liftgate. I'm thinking the right fuses might have changed? Does anyone have a copy of the service manual? Last time I made sure I gave that to the guy.
 
#18 ·
When I pulled off the fuse panel cover it had a list of what fuse was what. It was easy to identify an accessory fuse. It was more of a challenge to find an always on one. Thankfully my purchase came with a tester so I could test which ones were always on. Other than the airbag fuse which I left alone.
 
#113 ·
Here are some photos. I couldn't go any higher since then I would capture the mirror mount in
the video. I didn't want to go any more left to go higher to stay out of eye-sight way.
Is the reason for mounting to the left of the mirror mount so as to clear the auto dim sensor? If possible, mounting on the right would allow the power/video wires to run up alongside the mirror wire tunnel.

I'm basically in analysis paralysis for which system I want. I do want high quality video and a rear camera. I'd prefer no display on the unit to keep it small. The Blackvue DR900S-2CH W/ Power Magic Pro. or Thinkware. But he iPhone app reviews for both of these is horrible. I'd appreciate some real experience with the iphone apps and cloud service offerings for these two systems!
 
#19 ·
I put that in my 2016 OB earlier this year. Sorry, didn't take pics during installation. I used Blackvue's mount to put the cam in front of the rear view mirror. About half the camera is still visible below the mirror. I pushed the wires behind the overhead trim over to the drivers side; pulled off the trim piece & brought the wires down to near the fuse box. Wires from the rear cam went through one of the flexy tubes & into the top trim area, thence over to the driver side & I just pushed the wires behind the trim over to the front of the car, where they joined the main wires down to the fuse box. Blackvue provided a little trim push tool that was invaluable. There are quite a few pics available from others in this forum.
 
#23 ·
My unit was a 2 channel system. You can see the front install earlier in this thread. For the rear it is mounted slightly down from the top of the rear window to avoid being on a defrost line and slightly off center so that the lens is centered.

I removed the plastic trim on the top of the lift and on the back of the headliner. This allowed me to run the cable through the rubber connectors. Then I just ran the cable along the top trim until I got to the front and then down the trim.

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#22 ·
I have installed my front dashcam (temporarily while I get the hard wiring kit installed) here. EyeSight hasn't complained at all but the location does fall into the 'grey' area for the EyeSight cameras. Because my dashcam, the VIOFO A119 V3 can not swivel left to right (only up and down), Placing it on the outside of the EyeSight cameras cuts down the field of view of the dashcam on the opposite side of the car.

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#72 ·
I have installed my front dashcam (temporarily while I get the hard wiring kit installed) here. EyeSight hasn't complained at all but the location does fall into the 'grey' area for the EyeSight cameras. Because my dashcam, the VIOFO A119 V3 can not swivel left to right (only up and down), Placing it on the outside of the EyeSight cameras cuts down the field of view of the dashcam on the opposite side of the car.
I own 2(front & rear) of the Viofo A119 V3 dashcams w/CPL filter and they're the best value dashcams I've owned so far. My previous cheap dashcams would go blurry when I drive on a road with lots of trees or under expose the footage during sunset.


 
#25 ·
Nope. Just gently pry from one end until the plastic tabs snap out. Probably the easiest part of the install.

The hard part is running a cable through the rubber tubes. If you have to remove them be gentle as breaking the plastic tabs could cause leaks. I ended up pulling the rubber off the plastic mounts and then gently removing the plastic tabs from the car with a little flat head screwdriver. Then putting the rubber back on them before snapping them back into place.
 
#27 ·
I have been researching cameras for awhile. However, I am reading about how they all eventually fail if exposed to extreme heat in the front windshield. The ones that are like $300 may last a bit longer, but they reportedly fail too. If I pay $300 or more for a car cam, I expect that thing to last for at least 10 years.
 
#28 ·
10 years is a big reach regardless of high heat or not. But for high heat you want to make sure the camera uses capacitors and not batteries. Since batteries don’t take to high heat very well.


 
#31 · (Edited)
I wonder if painting the body of the camera with either silver/mirrored paint or white paint would cut down on how much heat it absorbs at the front windshield? I can only imagine a black body absorbing a lot of direct sunlight/heat.

Also, if you buy a brand that has been around for a while, when you replace the cam in 3-5 years I wonder if you can just find one with the same connector types so you can just swap in the replacement without having to rewire everything?
 
#43 ·
I wonder if painting the body of the camera with either silver/mirrored paint or white paint would cut down on how much heat it absorbs at the front windshield? I can only imagine a black body absorbing a lot of direct sunlight/heat.

Also, if you buy a brand that has been around for a while, when you replace the cam in 3-5 years I wonder if you can just find one with the same connector types so you can just swap in the replacement without having to rewire everything?
Consider making a simple reflective cover that can be quickly placed over the camera when the A/C is not running. I have made reflectors with the use of spray adhesive, cardboard and aluminum foil. I have seen reflective thin thermal bags or those cheap thermal blankets that could be cut for this purpose

**I have a Casio solar charged watch capacitor watch that has lasted close to 15 years. One summer I attached it to the steering wheel cross bar for a full+ summer; it sit outside 24/7.. It received lots of direct sunlight and got hot enough to render the LCD display not functional. This watch is still running and receives the atomic clock every night.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Circling back to the original post, I have installed a magnetic mount that would allow me to quickly remove/install a dash cam when I exit/enter the car. I would store the camera in the center console when parking the car, in order to avoid the extra high heat at the windshield when the car is parked. I see several dedicated dash cams that would allow this setup. I am not interested in filming when the car is parked. This could work for someone with similar needs. I have not bought a dash cam yet because I know I don’t want to go through the trouble of removing the dash cam every time I park in the sun.

But I have tested my mount with cell phones, and it works. I have been experimenting with dash cam software on my iPhone. Unfortunately, there are still road blocks there, but that discussion is for another thread.
 
#33 ·
I've always left my dash cam on the windshield. I have the G1W I bought in 2014 that still works great. It was the battery version to boot. It later through the Midwest Summers and Winters between -30F and 110F temperatures.
 
#35 ·
I have dashcams in each vehicle that live in the Arizona heat and yes they are capacitor versions. Overall had good luck with them, but one of them occasionally will over heat in the dead of summer if parked out for long day without any shade. The dashboard shades doesn't cover it and i think it sitting between the glass and shade screen only gets it a little more toasty.. Turn the A/C on and in a few minutes everything is fine. They have proven their worth when my wife got clipped by a hit & run driver and I was able to get the footage for the sheriff deputy with clear shot of the plate, within 2 hours he made contact, cited the driver and she... had outstanding warrants too! :)
 
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#58 · (Edited)
When I first started looking at a 2020, I hoped the thing might offer a built in dashcam, since it's got digital video cameras front and rear. Is there something stopping Subaru from offering that?
Cost, higher sticker price, more warranty repairs, etc.

Meanwhile, a dash cam would not sell more cars. It would probably sell fewer cars. A dash cam would be more problematic than the 2018 head unit.
 
#65 ·
I’ve installed four of these in my cars:
There are certainly cameras with better resolution & features, but for the cost/stealth/ease to wire this type of camera has performed great for me. It also has one of the smallest form factors of any camera, and features are easily modified via Mac or Windows software.
 
#69 ·
How cool would it be for car makers to put power ports up above the mirror or the top of the back window? So they don't have to do the dash camera or radar detector or gps but maybe a usb port is up there to power it.

Anyone find any "wireless" cams where the front and rear wifi to each other and all you have to do is some how power it??
 
#70 · (Edited)
Running a hidden power cord is not difficult. I am speaking from experience. I would rather NOT be forced to pay for that hidden cord in the sticker price. It becomes a warranty issue, which further increases the price Subaru must charge. Nothing is free.

I don’t have much interest in the front and rear cameras communicating wirelessly. They are performing separate tasks. Sure it would be nice to control the rear camera from up front, but Wifi/Bluetooth communication would be just another camera feature that will fail. I just want my cameras to record events flawlessly, which alone is a challenge the industry has not fully tackled.
 
#71 ·
So I had the dash cam installed, now that I have had the windshield replaced - though after my road trip, I have to take it BACK to Subaru because the glass guys got some sort of glue in a few spots on the paint. I am NOT happy about such a sloppy job.
I did a lot of research on cams and I went with a pricier model because it seems to really hold up well.
I got the Blackvue DR900S-2CH W/ Power Magic Pro. Front and rear cameras. Its pretty top of the line, and comes with a hefty price as well, but rates as one of the best.
The power magic pro allows it to manage the battery power draw when in parking mode.
I had a local car audio shop Ive been talking to install it. I was very impressed with the 2 guys and they did a great job. I watched for a big as the installer tore apart the car, and was glad I had hired someone to do it. I dont have the time or patience or the tools to figure out how all those trim pieces come off from the rear of the car to the front. They made it look easy. I should have taken pics of this but didnt think of it and left to let them do their work in peace. The job took 3 installing both cams, and the Magic Pro box near the hood release lever, tying it into the main power.
I got it installed right behind the rear view mirror, down slightly so when I am driving, I cant even see it, so it doesn't block any part of my view.
I also set up the AT&T hot spot in the car (currently on the free trial) so I can use the parking mode with the cloud feature and try that out.
Im just not going to worry about the eyesight and positioning. I honestly have been turning most of it off now anyway.

Gonna give a plug for Frank and Howie at FS Audio in San Gabriel, a very clean and organized shop. They were fantastic.

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