Dash Camera

[red57]

I posted this in the Austin Healey section yesterday and it was suggested I might get more response in the Pub.....

I have had several close calls in the last few years with cars pulling out in front of me or changing lanes in front of me and, even though I've never had a dash cam in any car I've owned, I am thinking it might be smart to get one for the Healey since it's so lowl & invisible to many drivers.

Also, may help me sleep better in a motel knowing there is an 'eye' on the car in the parking lot.

And, even with Hagarty agreed value insurance, it could be handy if there ever is an accident.

Wondering if anyone has any experience/ideas about this. Any brands, models, features, mounting locations, etc. that anyone can recommend?

I would like it to be as small and unobtrusive (invisible) as possible - I'm not a purist and the car is not concours, but I do like "period correct" appearance.

Here is an example of one that seems to have good reviews and good quality pictures/features, but might be pretty noticeable. Dash cam

I very much need a KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach.

Any ideas welcome. Thanks in advance.
Dave

 

[YakkoWarner]

I've have them in 2 of the 3 vehicles I currently have plates on (and want to get one for the 3rd again as well), and have first-hand experience with the fact that having one saved me many thousands. Had someone slam into the back of my smaller pickup and do almost 7 grand worth of damage. Where I live the police won't come unless there is an ambulance or fire truck dispatched, so it was just their word against mine to the insurance adjuster. They claimed I cut right in front of them and stopped suddenly, whereas reality was I had been in that lane for a good 1/4 mile and slowed down gradually to a red light. Insurance was prepared to completely deny the claim because there was no police report until I told the adjuster I had a forward facing cam running. It didn't show the actual impact because it was forward facing, but it did clearly show that I had been in the lane for that 1/4 mile or more, I had slowed down gradually for the light and then everything shook at the moment of impact. That was enough for the insurance adjuster to find in my favor and get my truck repaired.

That particular camera was very small and just attached to the glass with a suction cup - the suction cup thing broke but I belive the camera still works. I ended up getting ones that use stretch bands (claimed UV resistant, they have held up for a few years so far) and attaches over the internal mirror (having its own one-way-mirror type surface on the back which also has the display), and a lens that pokes around one side of the mirror. It also has a rear-facing camera (my truck has a topper and my other vehicle is a Suburban with the ambulance-style doors, so extra view out back when parking or reversing is helpful, probably less important in a small British 2 seater).

Its made by a company called WolfBox and while not cheap (around $130 if I recall correctly), the video quality is good even at night, it captures audio as well and has a GPS puck that can feed (and record) a direction and speed indicator on the display - could be helpful if the insurance company tries to claim you were going too fast. You can blank the display and have be just a mirror while still recording which is helpful at times because the display could be distracting in certain situations. It also can automatically turn on and record if something shakes the vehicle. There is a short-duration battery as well as getting power from the vehicle, but leaving it always powered from the vehicle can degrade the battery (that happened to one my friend Dave had).

The camera obviously won't help if someone steals the car but it could catch an image of the perpetrator in a hit and run or break-in situation (although the display lights up when it comes on which would prompt a thief to just steal or destroy the camera). It just looks like a larger-than-usual rear-view mirror but does have the power, rear camera and GPS signal wires going into it. On my Suburban and pickup I was able to just tuck the wires in along the headliner, a bit harder to do in a convertible.

 

[John Turney]

To help with a possible theft, I have a GPS location device in my Healey. Its location shows on my phone, even if it’s out of cellular coverage or even out of the country.

 

[red57]

Thanks for the ideas.... And welcome any others that come along.

Another detail to consider; I have a BT7 but run a 100 windshield and need to find the smallest camera possible and fab a mount in front of the mirror (probably using the mirror mounting screws) so the shield can be either up or down. If I mount it to the glass in the up position, it needs to be no higher than the mirror and it likely would hit the bodywork in the down position. I haven't yet come up with a way to mount a rear camera. Looks like I will have to buy one and get it in my hands to play with locations. If I find a suitable solution, I'll post pictures of my approach.