Let’s talk Dash Cams

[Big-Foot]

A couple things to kick this off..
I’m a senior (retired engineer / technologist) and I've been made aware of a disturbing trend.
A friend of mine in Dallas actually experienced this - He was involved in a fender bender that was not his fault (he in the right lane and the other guy coming out of a parking lot - turning right and directly into his RF wheel.). The twenty something claimed “it was Grandpa’s fault as he swerved into his path and had sped up”. This was not true as verified by an eye witness that actually stuck around.
The cop said that many accidents between seniors and youngers are being automatically blamed on the elder driver by the younger one!
The officer also said that if the Senior’s have a Dash Cam, and make that known, the “blame Grandpa” remarks are generally retracted.
So - it’s really incumbent on all of us, young or old, to bring our own witness with us.
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While I currently have dash cams in my daily drivers, I‘m on the hunt for something better - 4k with GPS is a must have.
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I’ve looked at the Wolfbox units and while not terribly expensive, I’d like to see and hear real life reviews from the community here and other forums - please respond with your reviews or links.
Pic is of the dash cam I currently have in the Maverick.

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[Big-Foot]

Wouldn’t it be nice if Ford would give us the option of using the 360 cameras in some of our trucks as Dash Cams?
A friend’s Tesla does this..

 

[F150 2.7 TT user]

My Tremor is still in shipping so unsure just what I will need, or use. I do have a mirror cam setup in the F150, vert close to the Wolfbox 9000. Front cam rear view cam and interior cam. The mirror acts as a display as well as a rear-view mirror. Kind of handy and does a very good job!

 

[SafetyGuy]

Good day, @Big-Foot

Your story and reasoning of young dip-sh☆☆☆....using age of other drivers as a get out of jail free card excuse, screw the truth, is believable. Old people can be douche-bags as well, just for the record... trust no one!

So, commiserating completed, here is what I have and like very much.

As well, I added a pic of how I plug it in, through my OBD port. Yes, I have an extra one just in case.

Perfect for me, simple and effective with no messing around with splicing, fuses etc. And easily removed or even moved, if needed.

I also recommend that on top of your cam wishes, add another....a 2nd rear (dual) camera!

Indispensable if you get rear-ended.

I have 2 Rove camera vehicles, my camper van only needs a fwd cam but my Mav has a forward and a rear facing cam in the rear window. If you look closely, at the first Pic, you can see where I found my preferred back cam location.

Good luck, and ask all your questions now to find what camera and system works best for you.

Andy

 

[bill dalton]

My budget restricted me to a Terunsoul, However, so far I'm quite pleased with it. It's the 4k+4k 2 channel with parking monitor.

 

[Pointyears]

I had a co-worker who got in an accident that was wholly the other party's fault. When the trooper responded, the guilty spun a tale taller than Paul Bunyan. The co-worker just sat there and listened to her dig herself a deeper and deeper hole. After she got done lying, the trooper asked the co-worker, "Do you have anything to add?" "Yes...I have it all on dashcam." The liar literally turned white and not only did she get the at-fault tickets, she got slapped with an obstruction misdemeanor.
I wouldn't not have one these days.

 

[MattTX]

I've heard good things about Wolfbox cameras but don't have any experience with them. I have the Viofo A129 Duo which is an older mid-range model that for the price works great. You can get it new for about $175 but you can find them refurbished for $120, which is what I went with. It's not the best you can get but for the price (and even double the price of the refurbished option) I don't think there's anything better.

Here are a couple of good videos from reputable channels testing various dashcams. There really is a difference between the cheapest, mid-priced, and expensive options and even some of the mid-priced and above options aren't great at everything. A lot of them also claim to have certain features like HDR but often even if they have those features (which some outright don't) they fall short on actually being any good.

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If all you care about is having a maybe not good but adequate recording of what's happening, most any of them are probably ok for that. But if you want to be able to see things clearly across various conditions and have a higher level of reliability, you'll want to skip the cheapest options.

 

[Tom in Delaware]

I have installed front and rear cameras in my cars and my kid's cars for years. The older drivers (60 or so plus is old to some folks) and young drivers (teens) are often targets of wrongdoers attempting the use the age of driver without fault to convince the police of their responsibility. I have used Vantrue cams and have been generally pleased with them. By the way, I use a local auto stereo store to do my installs. Reasonable price and they stand behind their work. I also appreciate that they will install the brand I want if I bring it to them rather than insisting I buy the brands they stock.

 

[notaz3]

We have Garmin cameras in all our vehicles.

My son was sideswiped when 17. The lady kept trying to blame him until I showed the officer the video.

My mom had a teenager turn into her side. There was a bunch of finger pointing until the insurance company received her video.

I was t-boned at an 4 way stop intersection by a 16-year-old at 2 a.m. one morning. She drove away but came back while the officers were taking the report. Her insurance kept trying to deny her fault until my insurance received the video.

My family now all use dash cams.

 

[dochawk]

The officer also said that if the Senior’s have a Dash Cam, and make that known, the “blame Grandpa” remarks are generally retracted.

I had to handle a final personal injury case in spite of being retired.

The punk who hit him not only immediately lied about what happened, but had a cousin following himk who backed it up.

Aside from the sheer improbability of his story, I immediately informed the adjuster that I needed the black box preserved until it could be read.

It probably would have been interesting to listen to the come to Jesus talk that would have followed, but the next day the adjuster accepted liability and was pleading for a release of the car!

 

[mepot101]

Viofo always gets good reviews. I have the A119, front only. The deal around here is people walking out from the side of the road, then claim you swerved into them. The camera tells all!

 

[MattTX]

Viofo always gets good reviews. I have the A119, front only. The deal around here is people walking out from the side of the road, then claim you swerved into them. The camera tells all!

My first dashcam was a Rexing and it was decent but the Viofo is definitely better (and about the same price). I've also heard good things about Vantrue, they were my second choice after Viofo though really it mostly came down to being able to get all the features I wanted in the Viofo for less than other brands.

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