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Here is an informative thread on dashcams on E46F. I have also been considering getting one since my move to Toronto and having to deal with nutcase drivers around me on a daily basis.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1067906
anandoc
2004 330i auto | ZPP, ZCW | Schwarz 2 (668) | schwarz (N6SW)
aFe Stage-1 Pro DRY S intake | Morimoto FX-R 3.0 retrofit | ///M3 Seats (power, heat, bolster adj.) | ///M3 Strut Brace | ///M3 SMG Steering Wheel retrofit | OEM Alarm retrofit | GROM USB | Khoalty angel eyes
I'll probably use the homelink connector on mine
Lawrence
"But Mama....That's where the fun is!"
BMW CCA #192742
San Diego & Sin City Chapter
NRA Lifetime Member
STABLE
'90 M3 AWII - Garage Queen (The Crown Jewel)
'20 X5 M Sport Tourquis Blue - #3 Son Ride
'23 X5 M Sport Sapphire Black - #1 Son Ride
'23 X5 M Sport Mineral White - Daughter & Grand Kids Ride
'24 X4 M40i Brooklyn Grey - SO's New Ride
'05 330i ZHP Mystic Blue Metallic 6 spd - My Ride
'03 Nissan Frontier XE Crew Cab - Hauler & Down Range vehicle
You want a dash cam that doesn't have a Li-Ion battery on board inside the unit. Heat will cause destruction under a greenhouse and could cause the battery to ignite. My friend has one in his E46 coupe that it's design is moulded/slanted against his windshield next to his rearview mirror. He used a little bit of black vinyl trim to blend into the auto wiper masking so it looks OEM from the outside and thieves would have to look really hard to see it's a dash cam. Having something sticking out there in plain view is just another reason for someone to smash and grab.
If you want parking mode on your dash cam make sure you find one that can be stealth when recording as well as having a high quality voltage regular so the sensing/recording shuts down when the vehicle's battery voltage gets below a certain threshold.
--Trevor--
Vancouver, BC
I ran a hero3 for 6months with BT it was easy to turn on and off. Recording was also simple with the BT. Obviously it's not designed for this, but it was laying around and functioned for what I needed. Changing cards and batteries was cumbersome.
I'm now shopping for a more purposed cam, and can finally hardwire my V1 since the windshield replacement.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Using Tapatalk
Finally getting around to replying to this thread. I saw this about 2 weeks ago, but work and life got in the way.
I'm on my second dashcam. Here are my thoughts with each. I'll add to this as I am able.
-First one was a Garmin Dash Cam 20.
I really like the quality of this unit. Never failed, never locked up on me. The image quality was good but the frames per second could have been better. I chose to plug and unplug this unit as I never got around to tapped the fuse panel.
I still have this unit, but moved it into my wife's Tiggy.
-Pros:
Really good at adjusting to the light.
Good picture quality at night
G-sensor wasn't too sensitive - it captured if you hit a pot hole really hard.
GPS enabled - GPS coordinates stamped on video
Speed also stamped and recorded
Great lens angle with wide view
Overwrites old video files if not locked
-Cons:
The unit is HUGE with the suction cup mount
Very viable through the front window (not ideal for car shows)
The suction cup mount would often falls off the window during temperature changes.
Li-ion battery was toast after 6 months
Speed stamp recorded
Pricey at $250
Video footage uploaded to youtube
Footage at sunrise
https://youtu.be/nFzQms7VdJ4
Footage at daytime
https://youtu.be/G10_JrPB80A
Next up is one my buddy recommended to me. I haven't decided if I like it or not yet. I've had it installed for about 3 days.
This one is an A-118C made by Auto-Vox
This is a capacitor based camera with no battery. This allows the unit to be a bit smaller, and should be less prone to heat failure.
Pros:
Small foot print on the window
Very discrete
Video is very clear on normal conditions
No Speed recording
$75 shipped through amazon prime (mafia link!)
Overwrites old video files if not locked
Cons:
The camera seems to have a hard time adjusting to the sun glare
G sensor is way too sensitive (had to turn it off)
No GPS
No Speed recording
Fish eye type 170* lens gives a strange view
Video footage:
https://youtu.be/4rSsbxxzRQQ
Patrick ///04 330i ZHP///BMWCCA#465139///Jim Conforti Shark Injector///H&R Touring Cup Kit///Gruppe M Intake
08 E70 X5 (sold) 86 Porsche 944 NA (sold) 99 540i TiAg (sold) 98 328i hellrot (sold) 96 318iC black (sold)
Thanks! I have been researching dashcams and the A118-C looks perfect to me.
anandoc
2004 330i auto | ZPP, ZCW | Schwarz 2 (668) | schwarz (N6SW)
aFe Stage-1 Pro DRY S intake | Morimoto FX-R 3.0 retrofit | ///M3 Seats (power, heat, bolster adj.) | ///M3 Strut Brace | ///M3 SMG Steering Wheel retrofit | OEM Alarm retrofit | GROM USB | Khoalty angel eyes