Tell me why you love your dash cam?

[Schwachs]

Hey there... Just got my Model S two weeks ago - after having driving my Toyota Highlander Hybrid for over 12 years and 164k+ miles... Let's just say as a tech nerd - I was pretty excited about all the new technology offered - especially in comparison to a car/suv that felt outdated when I bought it (no bluetooth, nav updates w/ 250$ dvds, etc. etc.)

Now I feel like I'm on the cutting edge and loving it... but I'm contemplating getting some more tech in w/ a dash cam but I have some questions...

Do you like yours just for the security it offers in cash of accident, horrible drivers, liability protection, etc? Is there more? Not that that's not enough but I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else.

I spec'd out a decent setup and a pretty well recommended installer for the DR750S-2CH from Blackvue and it looks like the top of the line plus professional install is going to run near $1000 so I'd like to get some more views about the pros (and cons) of dropping $ on this setup.

Any thoughts you'd like to share would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

-- Schwachs

ps: i know Elon has been talking about offering this as an update since last August's tweet so any thoughts along those lines would be great as well!

 

[TaoJones]

Having 2 Blackvue camera systems for 360ish-degree coverage plus cloud access is the best we can do unless and until Tesla ever does deliver something as good or better.

Holding my breath I am not (Yoda voice). Although at some point to be competitive, they're going to have to do something between the upcoming interior refresh and the 2020 FSD target. So that's the timeframe within which I'd expect a built-in feature. Recent comments regarding "coming soon" from the Amsterdam conference notwithstanding.

Meanwhile, you've pretty much covered the whys: Proof, theft followup, general peace of mind. As well, it doesn't take much driving in SoCal and in particular in Los Angeles County to gain a full appreciation for some of the worst driving this side of, well, here.

So there's something to be said for comedic value. Just absolutely brain-dead stuff every single week, week in and week out.

Oh - and you can assemble footage for the never-ending AP discussion and for family vacation albums. I've got some video of Banff, the Florida Keys, the Canyonlands of Arizona/Nevada/Utah, and Yellowstone that is, dare I say, pretty darned spiffy. Not bad from a couple of dashcams.

 

[JPP]

Old story...and not mine, so maybe search here for Vern's posting from 2013. Early Model S owner (physician like me) driving in an upscale Silicon Valley neighborhood on the way home from dinner in his relatively new S. Wife in passenger seat--other couple in back. Gets to a Stop sign in a residential neighborhood, stops his S, then proceeds into the intersection at which time a 16 year old with his new BMW M5 speeds through the stop sign to the left and essentially t-bone's the left front of the S. Kid's M5 rolls several times, but kid is OK. Airbag deployment in S--major mess of front end. All passengers OK. Kid claims that Vern ran the stop sign, kid claims he was not speeding, and that accident was not his fault. Vern had a Blackvue dash cam. Dash cam shows that Vern came to a full stop. If you analyze the video, and count distance the M5 travels per frame of video, and the frame rate, the math proves that the kid was doing like 50+ MPH in a residential 25 MPH zone. Kid very lucky to not go to court/jail. Kids parents very happy to pay Vern. I heard the story and saw the video, and immediately went out and installed a front and rear dual cam Blackvue. Same in my wife's 2015 S70D. Cheap insurance especially if you are a high value target. Do it. You are driving a $100k car.

 

[BigD0g]

I'm holding off on the 750s for the 900s that's suppose to drop this quarter, if you haven't already bitten the bullet, i'd wait for the new 4k cam to get released at the very least it will make the 750 cheaper, and more resolution is always better, though we have no idea of that pricing for the resolution yet.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

I put in the DR750 and within a week, some idiot cut behind me while parking and did a small dent that cost $6,000 to repair. I have not downloaded any frames since that event - it just sits there being observant and comforting. Bought as group buy {$400 or less}. Installed it myself at friends car port. Cost a few band-aids and a beer - not $1,000 [you need to find a new installer]

 

[powerfactor]

The thought of my car being parked at a shopping centre without the dash cam running gives me the heebie jeebies. I've had 2 hit and run incidents recorded by it so far.
It also makes for excellent submissions to dash cam video sharing pages on facebook.

 

[Schwachs]

I put in the DR750 and within a week, some idiot cut behind me while parking and did a small dent that cost $6,000 to repair. I have not downloaded any frames since that event - it just sits there being observant and comforting. Bought as group buy {$400 or less}. Installed it myself at friends car port. Cost a few band-aids and a beer - not $1,000 [you need to find a new installer]

It's actually 900$ that he quoted and it did seem on the steep side though the installer has been very well rated on these and other forums saying top notch work while a bit pricey. I thought about venturing w/ some lower cost installer and will prob price that out as well and also maybe see if they can come down in price a bit. How many hours did it take you to install it yourself?

Thanks!

 

[Schwachs]

I'm holding off on the 750s for the 900s that's suppose to drop this quarter, if you haven't already bitten the bullet, i'd wait for the new 4k cam to get released at the very least it will make the 750 cheaper, and more resolution is always better, though we have no idea of that pricing for the resolution yet.

Oh this is super helpful! Thank you... I will keep my eyes open for this one and maybe delay it a little... Thanks again.

 

[BigD0g]

Oh this is super helpful! Thank you... I will keep my eyes open for this one and maybe delay it a little... Thanks again.

Sure thing, this is all I'm aware of so far:
Blackvue DR900S 4K Dashcam Officially Announced - Vortex Radar

I'll bet there will be a group by here for it as well, i'd be shocked if there wasn't.

 

[seclinton]

Please look through my posts. Saved me $24k as with the video, the putz behind me was 100% at fault.

 

[Boourns]

See @Az_Rael 's post in the 3 forum.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

It's actually 900$ that he quoted and it did seem on the steep side though the installer has been very well rated on these and other forums saying top notch work while a bit pricey. I thought about venturing w/ some lower cost installer and will prob price that out as well and also maybe see if they can come down in price a bit. How many hours did it take you to install it yourself?

Thanks!

I took out the rear panels in 10 minutes. Fished the wire along the passenger roof channel- and should have used a fishing tape, This took 45 minutes to do a 5 minute job. Total elapsed time - about 2 hours, including some quality visiting time with a friend that helped. A good installer should be able to do the job in under an hour. A neophyte with simple tools took two hours.
Mounting the camera- simple. Swapping from a 750 to a 900 should be as easy as changing batteries in a flashlight.

This forum has some links to some excellent videos on how to do the install. [maybe it was on the Model 3 forum- Group buy] .
Watch the video, then you can understand what your installer will face. $900 and hour is ...he better kiss you after!!!

 

[Schwachs]

Ok, thank you so much!

 

[reddy]

My dashcam captured my car getting keyed, leading to an arrest, and restitution to me and my insurance company.

 

[oktane]

Yes and I like to replay my awesome driving moments.

 

[Apropos]

I'm happy to read about cases where a dashcam was used to prove someone was at fault or deliberately keyed a car. My car was parked near work and was involved in a hit and run. I wonder if a dashcam would have been able to prove who did it since I believe the car came along-side and clipped the corner of my front bumper. For parked cars, are dashcams running continuously, or do they go to sleep until the car is being driven? I can see when driving and a car gets rear-ended, a dashcam would easily prove fault. If someone keys a parked car, how would the dash cam capture them (unless they walk in front of the car)? I'll probably end up installing one soon...

 

[demundus]

Hey there... Just got my Model S two weeks ago - after having driving my Toyota Highlander Hybrid for over 12 years and 164k+ miles... Let's just say as a tech nerd - I was pretty excited about all the new technology offered - especially in comparison to a car/suv that felt outdated when I bought it (no bluetooth, nav updates w/ 250$ dvds, etc. etc.)

Now I feel like I'm on the cutting edge and loving it... but I'm contemplating getting some more tech in w/ a dash cam but I have some questions...

Do you like yours just for the security it offers in cash of accident, horrible drivers, liability protection, etc? Is there more? Not that that's not enough but I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else.

I spec'd out a decent setup and a pretty well recommended installer for the DR750S-2CH from Blackvue and it looks like the top of the line plus professional install is going to run near $1000 so I'd like to get some more views about the pros (and cons) of dropping $ on this setup.

Any thoughts you'd like to share would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

-- Schwachs

ps: i know Elon has been talking about offering this as an update since last August's tweet so any thoughts along those lines would be great as well!

Because it saved my @$$ when i was hit in the parking lot by an idiot. Cost my insurance company 23K and USAA was pushing back hard on us for whose fault it was...

 

[tranzndance]

I'm happy to read about cases where a dashcam was used to prove someone was at fault or deliberately keyed a car. My car was parked near work and was involved in a hit and run. I wonder if a dashcam would have been able to prove who did it since I believe the car came along-side and clipped the corner of my front bumper. For parked cars, are dashcams running continuously, or do they go to sleep until the car is being driven? I can see when driving and a car gets rear-ended, a dashcam would easily prove fault. If someone keys a parked car, how would the dash cam capture them (unless they walk in front of the car)? I'll probably end up installing one soon...

It's possible to have the camera set to record all the time. To ensure capture of footage, four cameras are better than two which are better than one. I think with inattentive drivers it's worth having a rear camera in addition to the front one for rear end accidents.

 

[Buster1]

My dashcam captured my car getting keyed, leading to an arrest, and restitution to me and my insurance company.

Reddy, can you explain how that worked? I guess that is my biggest concern with a dash cam and capturing some criminal act(s). At least here in Vegas, our police force doesn't have the time or the interest to deal with small scale mischief. Even if a license plate is visible on the offending car, or the face of the perp who keyed you...our local LEO just shrugs and apologizes.

How do you deal with a minor criminal event after the fact if law enforcement is essentially ambivalent?

 

[demundus]

Reddy, can you explain how that worked? I guess that is my biggest concern with a dash cam and capturing some criminal act(s). At least here in Vegas, our police force doesn't have the time or the interest to deal with small scale mischief. Even if a license plate is visible on the offending car, or the face of the perp who keyed you...our local LEO just shrugs and apologizes.

How do you deal with a minor criminal event after the fact if law enforcement is essentially ambivalent?

How can law enforcement be ambivalent to their own penal code? Say you want to press charges for vandalism etc;