Dashcam Installation in a D2

[steamship]

As a follow-up to a request by The_Laird, I've written up a brief guide on installing a dashcam. The one I bought was from Amazon UK, but installation should be pretty much the same:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My first decision was on positioning the dashcam. (In hindsight, I would move it an inch or two lower from the top, as the extra tint at the top has an effect on nightime quality). Ideally high up to get a good view, but discreet enough, so not 'in your face' all the time. The obvious place was behind the mirror somewhere, and I basically just put it in its mount, and then played with different positions. In the end, I opted to have it right in the centre of the mirror. This way, the mirror helps to conceal it both inside and out. It also helps mask the blue flashing LED at night (you could tape over it, but then won't know if there is an issue with it). The dashcam also has a small display which remains active for about the first minute. Once I decided on its final position, I removed the adhesive cover and stuck it to the screen.

With the holder now in place, I removed the dashcam in order to install the wiring. Since I needed a power source, the obvious cable route was towards the fuse box, so I initially plugged the lead into the mount, and then gently pushed the cable up behind the headlining. The only tools I used for this were just my fingers to prise the headlining slightly and a cheap chopstick... yes, a chopstick. I needed something that I could push the wire back with, and a screwdriver was going to be too sharp, and I just happened to have some cheap chopsticks. The good thing about them was that they had a pretty broad flat point (ideal for pushing wires, without damaging them).



Next step is to repeat the process down the front of the A pillar. The lining on the A pillar is more difficult to move, so I resorted to having to push all the cable in behind it. After that, the cable was fed along the base of the A pillar and the dash, again just using the chopstick to push the cable down out of sight.



With the cable now heading out the door, it was pushed in between the dash and the pillar lining, with the tricky bit getting it turned in just before the plastic door liner, towards the fuse box.



From here, it only remained to terminate both wires. To do this, and for the final part of the cable feed, I removed the trim from below the steering wheel. For the 12v feed, I used a piggyback fuse holder into the fuse at Yellow 2 (telephone/navigation). For the ground, from memory, I secured it to a nut near the steering column.



And what it looks like from outside:



The quality of the video is excellent for the price, and when I renewed my insurance, I mentioned the dashcam, and got a £40 discount (£30 over the phone and a further £10 when I went to pay, as I had to wait 10 minutes).

For those who haven't seen them, here's a link to the videos taken from it during the annual meet in Scotland this year:

https://www.youtube.com/user/seanswilson/videos

[tintin]

Cheers Sean, very easy to follow and - importantly - looks like it can be done pretty easily. I might follow your example, having had two prangs in the last six weeks (one in the '8, one in the Coupe) - a dash cam would have been handy for both!

[Professor Peach]

Very impressed, by both the install and the image quality. Do you have any more info on the camera, as the link isn't behaving.

[tintin]

I found the same problem Prof P, but found this link to it (I think) in Sean's post on the other thread:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[steamship]

Originally Posted by Professor Peach

Very impressed, by both the install and the image quality. Do you have any more info on the camera, as the link isn't behaving.

I had originally thought of buying a BlackVue dashcam as they got very good reviews, but the price put me off. For what this is intended for, the quality is more than adequate.

Originally Posted by tintin

I found the same problem Prof P, but found this link to it (I think) in Sean's post on the other thread:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Weird, as I copied the link from the other thread

[Professor Peach]

Excellent folks, cheers.

[The_Laird]

Sean, was all the cabling provided, including a piggyback fuse holder, or did you have to source that?

[steamship]

Originally Posted by The_Laird

Sean, was all the cabling provided, including a piggyback fuse holder, or did you have to source that?

Jim, the fuse holder was the only additional item bought. £2.00 from eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADD-A-CIRC.../251650492205?

[The_Laird]

Thanks Sean, I've just ordered the same package exactly.

[beastboxes]

i also ordered two for xmas tried one the other day but found that on HD video with the internal 16gb got full up very very quickly!
so i would recommend not paying the extra for the internal memory and going down the SD card route if you want to use HD recording for extended periods

great write up though!!!