Has anyone fitted, or had professionally fitted (by say Halfordās), a forward facing dashcam top their MX5?
If so which dashcam would they recommend?
I have one on mine - itās a sucker that sticks to the windscreen so can take off when I park up - donāt want to give the thiefās an easy steal or have my soft top damaged in the process. The lead runs in to the cigerette lighter socket and obviously can be detached as well.
I bought mine from Tesco for about Ā£30 they have others as do halfords etc - the one you choose is up to you really - you need to research what & why you want.
One word of warning - any obstructions on the windscreen that the wipers sweep arc is in is illegal, so may be best going for one of the ones that fit on to the rear view mirror - think thatās an RAC one - I position mine on the windscreen behind the rear view mirror so that it doesnāt block my view of the road & keeps me legal.
I have a Nextbase 512G from Halfords. As a club member you can get 10% off if you download the coupon, also Halfords operate a price promise so I was only charged Amazon price.
The 512 G picture quality is excellent and it has a polarising filter to prevent reflections and over exposure.
They wired it in for Ā£10.
You can get dash cams for Ā£25 but if you want to rely on it for evidence then you want the best, is my thought. Ā£139 + wiring kit Ā£45 less discount etc.
I have a NextBase too on my ND.Ā I wired it myself, it was easy as the wiring easily slides between the windscreen and the frame and I ran it down the side of the passenger area and under the carpet to the āsecretā 9v supply.
I bought a Roadhawk HD for both my cars and have found it works well, not perhaps the most subtle of cams but Iāve no complaints of itsā performance.
However, in retrospect I would have now preferred to have had a Blackvue twin set up so that I also had a rear facing cam.
On our recent holiday through Italy the other drivers would frequently come right up to your rear bumper at speeds up to 90mph on the SS and Autostradas, and only backed off when my wife held the camera up and started to video their antics.
Iāve already chosen my rear cam but have to wait until payday to get it fitted.
Thanks to all those members who have replied so far.
An important point made about keeping the windscreen wipe area free of any obstruction, thanks.
I have a softop and I should have stated that in my first message - glad to see that a dashcam can be fitted to a softop.
In my ND I have 2 āDriveproā camera fitted, one attached to the windscreen behind the mirror facing forward, the other mounted on a home-made bracket fitted to the mesh wind blocker between the seats facing the rear. Ā Both are wired (wires tucked behind trim and under mats) via a splitter to the āsecretā power socket in the passenger foot well. Ā The only thing that would be more effective at keeping tailgaters at bay would be a tail gunner!
As of half an hour ago, Iāve bought a Ā£9.95 dashcam on a well known auction site. Smallest, and most unobtrusive
I could find, seems to get reasonable reviews. Just needed something cheap, that does the job.
Ā
Ā
Ā£9.95? Try it in bright sunshine and poor light or darkness and if you canāt read approaching number plates off the memory card on a phone or computer itās probably useless.
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Well, as itās my pride and joy I fitted one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01H6J915C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Great picture with GPS, G shock and bluetooth remote button if I want a snap shot.
I also fitted one of these which works great and draws very little power:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N4V9EP6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Takes about 20 minutes to set up and then fit and forget. I have a detailed map of every trip taken in the MX5. As my garage is a little way from my home itās peace of mind.
John
Thank you for your advice.
The device is approximately the equivalent of the cheapest of the Nextbase models, but without the huge mark-up in price available at every Halfords.
At almost exactly this time last Tuesday, a Piaggio Zip 50 scooter, ridden by a 17 year old, launched itself straight across the front of me. The scooter went down, and
the lad was very lucky that I was going quite slowly.
The device would, I think, meet the needs of that moment. The depth of my pockets do not extend to covering every eventuality.
Exactly the same happened to me pre-camera with a small child (I stopped dead fortunately) and later with a cyclist although again I stopped dead and he escaped.
Youāre right, any dashcam is better than none!
Iāve also got a Go-Pro that I had intended for back facing - they have great attachment choices. Only problem with it is trying to read what the screen says when setting it up - no I donāt need glasses it really small writing - honest
Good idea from cropduster, what make/type of Battery is it?
Just a minor point, regardless of which dashcam you go for - if youāre planning on using it during a track day, it will need to be āmechanically fixedā to the car, and not just reliant on the vacuum sucker.
Steve
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At my age it would be foolish of me to attempt track driving. I might one day attend as a spectator.
If you download the GoPro app you can control everything from your phone wirelessly. Makes life much easierā¦
1. Donāt buy one from Halfrauds! They generally put their name on the same things you can buy yourself for much less and they charge a fortune for doing so.
2. Tell your insurer when you have bought one, as some insurers consider dashcams as safety features and reduce premiums.
Short answer - Buy a G1W-C
- Go to eBay and search for āG1Wā in the āDashcamsā section. Buy the cheapest unbranded version you can find and donāt be scared to order one from China as the all come from China anyway.
0r follow the links under Techmoan Youtube video review. Buy one elsewhere and youāll pay double the price for the same thing with a badge on it
G1W (variants C/H/W/etc) - This is probably the most widely rebadged camera in the history of dashcams. Costs about Ā£25-90 and does exactly the same thing as anything youāll find at Halfrauds, only probably better and costs less.
Review- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3tIi4yg8Go
Longer answer
Look here for reviews and trusted links to where to buy from. https://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan
Hereās Techmoanās intro to Dashcams. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YKlaJL8If4
I have two dash cams.
Roadhawk HD - Which has GPS (you can review your journey by plugging it into your PC and following it on googlemaps) as well as everything else. https://www.roadhawk.co.uk/roadhawk-hd-dash-cam
(Iāve just sold my MX5 which this was suction-fitted to and if you are interested, iāll be posting this for sale very soon on the forum. PM me if you need exact spec details). The G1W came out after I had bought this, so I never changed it.
Mobius (with capacitor instead of battery to prevent heating issues)- About the size of a matchbox, no screen but does a really great and stealthy job.
http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/mobius-action-camera-dash-cam-version.html
Hope this helps.
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http://www.d-teg.com/eng/Smarty-BX1500.php have a look at this camera if anyone is interested Iāll get a quote from work I have fitted to the wifeās car (freebie from work)
Pm me if you are interested Ƭll get a price quote tomorrow and let you know