Page 1 of 1

Hard Wiring Dashcam

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:26 pm
by bobgolden
I keep getting pulled back to the idea of fitting a dashcam but I'm still in the warranty period and don't want to make a pigs ear of my relatively immaculate car.  When I enquired last year, my local dealer wanted £300+ to supply and fit the official BMW cam but it looked too much like a point & shoot camera stuck quite visibly in the windscreen.  They'd also never fitted one before and if my previous experience of them refitting damaged (by the dealer) trim and hosing the car down with, instead of topping up, AdBlu are anything to go by, I'd sooner not be the test pilot !

Has anybody had the wiring done either at a dealer or indie that they can recommend ?

Re: Hard Wiring Dashcam

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:37 pm
by MarkG_M3CP
I fitted my own, a new Thinkware F770.

Looks really neat in the front window, power is taken from the fuse box under the driver's side (above the pedals) using piggy back fuse connectors. No wires cut, minimal invasion of trim.

the trickiest part is fitting the rear camera and feeding all the way to the back - again, not invasive but tricky to get through the tailgate rubber.

Re: Hard Wiring Dashcam

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 12:39 pm
by touring
I have had a genuine BMW unit from new on my X4, it was fitted by the supplying dealer Halliwell Jones Wilmslow, no problems and neat. Front and back fitted, it may look like a 'point & shoot' camera, but it works well, also the blue light shown by camera acts as a deterant.

I will have one fitted to my next X5

Re: Hard Wiring Dashcam

Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 5:15 pm
by mogsyman
I simply used the supplied 4m cable and went across the window, down the A pillar, underneath the glovebox back towards the central arm rest, up by the passenger seatbelt and then straight into the power supply within.

Little or no cables on sight and at no cost to me other than 15 minutes of my time.

Job jobbed  8) ;)

Re: Hard Wiring Dashcam

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 1:10 am
by MarkG_M3CP
[quote="mogsyman"]
I simply used the supplied 4m cable and went across the window, down the A pillar, underneath the glovebox back towards the central arm rest, up by the passenger seatbelt and then straight into the power supply within.

Little or no cables on sight and at no cost to me other than 15 minutes of my time.

Job jobbed  8) ;)
[/quote]

Do you get parking mode with that source - i.e. constant live?

Re: Hard Wiring Dashcam

Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 3:35 am
by mogsyman
[quote="MarkG_M50d"]
[quote="mogsyman"]
I simply used the supplied 4m cable and went across the window, down the A pillar, underneath the glovebox back towards the central arm rest, up by the passenger seatbelt and then straight into the power supply within.

Little or no cables on sight and at no cost to me other than 15 minutes of my time.

Job jobbed  8) ;)
[/quote]

Do you get parking mode with that source - i.e. constant live?
[/quote]

No, but to be honest currently that's not of any interest, the Nextbase cameras has a battery and a parking mode if I want to use it but I'm a newbie with this technology and haven't started to use that function yet.