Just fitted a dash cam in my Cupra 280

[chrishale]

I was thinking of getting a Blackvue 2 channel system at some point, but for now I've fitted a B40 / A118 dash cam. I didn't bother hard wiring it because I wanted to see how reliable it was first.

It was easy to install, just stuck it to the window and ran the 12v cig lighter cable across the headliner, down inside the door seals, around the edge of the passenger foot well and down the centre console.

It looks pretty discreet from the outside and don't really notice it inside the car. I can just see the recording light blinking from above the rear view mirror.

I've taken some pictures of it installed: http://imgur.com/a/xBls6

There is a really comprehensive review with some example footage on https://dashcamtalk.com/b40-a118/

 

[AndrewJB]

Looks good I want to hard wire one

 

[chrishale]

Yeah, if I've had no problems with it in the next few months - I'll probably wire it into the fuse box. I'm pretty sure there was a thread on here, where someone had done just that. But I couldn't find it.

 

[-=Rob=-]

Like the look of that, hopefully the sticky pad holds up, where did you get it from if you don't mind me asking?

 

[chrishale]

Got it from Amazon, it was £40. They have them a bit cheaper but they're posted from China and didn't fancy waiting haha. Amazon has them to ship from UK.

 

[-=Rob=-]

Great thanks Chris, really looks nice and discreet. Hopefully all good for you.

 

[BlackFR]

Got it from Amazon, it was £40. They have them a bit cheaper but they're posted from China and didn't fancy waiting haha. Amazon has them to ship from UK.

Got a link for the one you bought? Do you think the GPS addition is worth it?

I kind of like the idea of one with a shock sensor to detected incidents when the vehicle is parked up but these seem a fair bit more?

 

[chrishale]

Got a link for the one you bought? Do you think the GPS addition is worth it?

I kind of like the idea of one with a shock sensor to detected incidents when the vehicle is parked up but these seem a fair bit more?

Here's the link to the Amazon one I bought (without GPS): http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LTMN9LK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't think the GPS is really worth it to be honest. There are more wires to hide and in most cases - having an exact GPS coordinate isn't really going to affect who's fault a crash is. There should be enough footage leading up to the incident for anyone to work out the location anyway.

This one doesn't have a specific parking mode (like the Blackvue ones), but I guess if you wired it up to a permanent live it would work just the same. You would just need something to stop it from draining your battery completely. I guess something like that would work: http://blackvueshop.co.uk/product/power-magic-pro-for-blackvue-vehicle-recording-systems/

 

[ChrisUK]

I've had my dashcam a year now - purchased after a HGV hit me & then blamed me for hitting him !!! All sorted now, but wanted a dash cam for such incidents.

I ended up paying something like £20 for one from China, which is actually really good - the only gripe though is that the SD card fills really quickly & the camera doesnt write over the previous files, you need to format it before it can record anymore.

Anyway, question from me is, does this automatically re-record over stored files if not saved off, or do you have to manually remove/format the card ?

Cheers

 

[chrishale]

I've had my dashcam a year now - purchased after a HGV hit me & then blamed me for hitting him !!! All sorted now, but wanted a dash cam for such incidents.

I ended up paying something like £20 for one from China, which is actually really good - the only gripe though is that the SD card fills really quickly & the camera doesnt write over the previous files, you need to format it before it can record anymore.

Anyway, question from me is, does this automatically re-record over stored files if not saved off, or do you have to manually remove/format the card ?

Cheers

:/ sounds nasty, I had a coach run into me in my old Ibiza and had a similar situation. Luckily there was a CCTV camera nearby and was decided in my favour.

My B40 has looped recording, it seems to work pretty well. It basically records 3 min long videos and stores each one separately on the card. If the g-sensor senses an accident, it makes a copy (or moves - not sure) in a separate folder and protects the file so it can't be over-written.

I think I need to turn down the sensitivity on mine however, I checked the folder at the weekend and there where quite a few recordings of sharp corners and hard accelerations .

Quite a few (if not all) seem to have the looped recording feature now. If you're in the market for a new one: https://dashcamtalk.com/ is a good resource for looking at features and problems existing users have with them. They have good in depth reviews on most makes/models.

 

[Subc]

Best thing you could buy, should be fitted as standard to all cars. As their are a lot of "Experts" out their going to try and feck you up ,If you make a claim.

 

[rootbeer]

It was easy to install, just stuck it to the window and ran the 12v cig lighter cable across the headliner, down inside the door seals, around the edge of the passenger foot well and down the centre console.

Its a good cam. Picked one up myself after looking at Dashcam. Was going to get the G1W but didn't like the lower profile - this one is great small and decent picture. Agreed it looks good and I like your install. Can I ask how did you manage to hide the cable inside the frame from the headliner to door seal.

 

[chrishale]

Its a good cam. Picked one up myself after looking at Dashcam. Was going to get the G1W but didn't like the lower profile - this one is great small and decent picture. Agreed it looks good and I like your install. Can I ask how did you manage to hide the cable inside the frame from the headliner to door seal.

Cheers, I just gently pulled back the A Pillar trim using my car key and tucked it under. The headlining is pretty soft, so I was able to push it under the plastic A Pillar trim, without removing it. I might regret it when it comes to removing it, but we'll see haha.

 

[rootbeer]

Cheers mate. I will give it a go.

Rather than go under glovebox up to cig lighter, went from passenger door under the passenger seat. Neat little bar to tie wrap under there and also cable already. Will look to hard wire in the future but never done anything like that so will do some research first. Found some bit on eBay to piggy back into the fuse box.

 

[-=Rob=-]

Chris, do you get spare adhesive pads in case the unit needs to be moved, maybe in the event of a windscreen replacement?

 

[chrishale]

Cheers mate. I will give it a go.

Rather than go under glovebox up to cig lighter, went from passenger door under the passenger seat. Neat little bar to tie wrap under there and also cable already. Will look to hard wire in the future but never done anything like that so will do some research first. Found some bit on eBay to piggy back into the fuse box.

Cool, if you find any guides on how to do it - please let us know

 

[chrishale]

Chris, do you get spare adhesive pads in case the unit needs to be moved, maybe in the event of a windscreen replacement?

Unfortunately not, just got the one. It comes with a bit of string for removing the sticky pad, but I doubt that means it's reusable.

I imagine somewhere would sell the 3M adhesive in rolls, and you could cut a bit to size.

 

[-=Rob=-]

Unfortunately not, just got the one. It comes with a bit of string for removing the sticky pad, but I doubt that means it's reusable.



I imagine somewhere would sell the 3M adhesive in rolls, and you could cut a bit to size.

Ok cool thanks Chris, good point about getting spare adhesive, that would work...

 

[BlackFR]

Guys, I haven't got my car or cam yet so would one of you do me a couple of favours?

1. Confirm the USB connector on the B40 camera is a mini type B not a micro type B?

2. Measure the distance from where the camera sits, across the screen and down the A pillar to the fuse box so that I can buy a suitable length USB cable for when I hard wire the camera in?

I've got a fuse tap and a 15W 12V to two USB sockets hard wire switch mode PSU on the way to complete my install. Ill happily generate a pictorial guide when the car and camera both arrive if anyone is interested.

 

[chrishale]

Guys, I haven't got my car or cam yet so would one of you do me a couple of favours?

1. Confirm the USB connector on the B40 camera is a mini type B not a micro type B?

2. Measure the distance from where the camera sits, across the screen and down the A pillar to the fuse box so that I can buy a suitable length USB cable for when I hard wire the camera in?

I've got a fuse tap and a 15W 12V to two USB sockets hard wire switch mode PSU on the way to complete my install. Ill happily generate a pictorial guide when the car and camera both arrive if anyone is interested.

Just double checked and it's a mini USB.

Distance between the camera and fuse box, via the a pillar is about 170cm. Obviously, probably best to get a bit longer, I'm not sure how easy it would be to get it behind the glove box and through the a pillar.

Hope that helps!