Fogboundturtle

I am just curious to see if you guys have a dashcam in your vette and which model did you end up going with. I had an incident a few years ago where someone back directly into my car and lie to the insurance company and got away with it. Since that moment, I swore I would never drive a car without a dashcam. 2 years ago, someone did the same thing but since I had video footage, the insurance company believe me this time around. I want to install a new dashcam in my new vette. So I am interesting to hear your experience.

xWS6guy

I do. It's an old, cheap VanTrue and I don't remember the model. I don't mess with it much, occasionally I'll pull a cool video off of it. There are much better products available but it gets the job done. An upgrade is on the mod list, but a ways down. I would be interested to see how some are mounting and powering dashcams in their cars. As of now, mine is mounted just behind my mirror (nearer the window) where I barely see it in my vision. Wire drops down and runs next to the passenger seat and plugs into the console. Out of my way and does the job, but still a little tacky.

The primary purpose is for what you described - someone lying about what actually happened if I were to be in an accident.

chuckrbt

In the C7 I use the PDR as my dash cam. I had an inexpensive Viofo A119 that I shuttled between the C5 and the M5, but it died after sitting turned on overnight. I've looked at getting a new one and would like to get front and back coverage. I have a conflict between getting one with a battery that will be able to take pictures when the car is turned off and a capacitor unit that fares better in the heat. The latter is important to me as I intend to move to AZ where a battery can get fried sitting in the sun at a shopping mall or at the stadium. There are a lot of comparison videos on YouTube and other sites to help you figure out what functions/features you want and how much you can spend.

Vetteman Jack

Fogboundturtle

I was looking at the Thinkware F800 Pro. It has dual camera and a 20hours parking mode with an optional battery pack. It's not cheap.

Foosh

Yes, I have the OwlCam and very happy with it. Combines front and rear cameras in the same neat package.

OwlCam website

mrclean1

Lukas LK-7900 for me, hardwired and mounted behind the mirror.

eboggs_jkvl

BlackVue DR600GD-HD

I have it mounted right in the slot that the PDR would look out of but since mine is a '14, no PDR was available. Probably in the 800 or 900 series by now as I've had it for a few years. It gives GPS location on a map, speed, conversation in the car and a very good wide view of my full front of the car. You can get it with 2 cameras to cover your 6 and the front. I can look at the video via my phone using the built in WiFi from the BlackVue or I can pull the microchip out and view it on my laptop or desktop. The camera records continuously while the car is running and writes over the oldest video so it never gets full. I can get close to 48 hours of video at any one time off of the chip.


This is a view of the camera from the front of the car, my V1 is snugged up under the camera.


This is a view of the camera and my V1 from the driver's seat.


THis is a view from the passenger side seat


Close up from the front looking in through the windshield.


Elmer

franknbeans

Yeah, same here, I use the PDR. I need to upload it, but I have a video of a Semi Truck splattering a deer on the interstate right in front of me. . . It was a mess.

jimjimsC7

I plan to go with the Owl Cam also.

smajicek

yes viofo 119 and really good quality. why someone would care to have a rear cam also is beyond my thought process. In CA if you get rear ended there is only 1 guilty party, the car behind you because they should have been traveling at a distance behind you enough to safely stop without rear ending you.

pkincy

Thinkware is good but the standard is the Blackvue DR900S in either 1 ch or 2 ch. I use my PDR as a dashcam in the Z but I just put the 2 channel Blackvue in my 2018 ATS-V. And the 4k is a huge upgrade over the 720p we get in the PDR.

A very simple install. I did not install the extra battery but did put in the Power Magic Pro to enable parking mode. With it set to turn off the DashCam at 12.5 V I still get parking mode for about 24 hours when I park before the cars battery drops to the 12.5v shutoff value. With the Corvette you will get about 15-20 feet of too much cable as they package enough to do a large SUV but it is very easy to hide in the headliner.

A common mistake to avoid: Remember when you put in the fuse tap you need to find the hot side of the fuse (towards the engine in my ATS-V and orient the fuse tap so that hot side flows through the fuse. I have seen a number of installs with the tap in backwards and everything works well, but the fuse is not in the circuit to the camera as the hot side simply flows down the wire without going through the fuse.

wadenelson

I purchased and reviewed a half dozen dashcams for a magazine --- including Cobra 820, a Uniden, two no-names, and a software app for Iphone.

THEY ALL SUCK! Microscopic buttons, software crashes, failure to "roll over" once memory is full, too-sensitive G-sensor,

Suggestion: Best Buy has some Unidens for $29 right now. Maybe even cheaper after the holiday. Buy one, read the manual, set it up, and pray it works when you need it to.

TURN off the g-force sensor as a pothole or rough road will make it stop recording. Turn on auto-record. Record voice so you can SPEAK the license plate of the person who hit you. Even 1080P HD isn't enough resolution to read a license plate. I tested it by getting within 5 feet of a parked car, even on a unit with a glass lens!

Hot dashboards in the sun WILL cook the battery or capacitor used in these things to record for a few seconds after power-off or Ignition off. So Pull it down when not in use. Even so the best lithium battery inside will only last 18-24 months. So you'll be buying another one soon. (Unless you like attempting repairs on throw-away Chinese crap - it is possible to replace the battery after you order the right one from China)

Carry the manual in the car. Hell even to lock a crash file you may have to press multiple buttons in a certain order.

If you're really brave, TEST it out. Record, stop it, bring it in and hook it to your PC. Surprise! Even the Cobra failed the last time I tried it. Why? I don't know!!!

I talked directly to one mfr and said "It needs a GREEN GO button and a RED STOP button" Big. Easy to see.

They still, all, have microscopic buttons and complex menus. They're all crap. but better than nothing.

pkincy

The only cam you specifically mentioned is $54. The Blackvue DR900S-2CH is $600. The Thinkware is in the same ballpark. You have a Corvette get quality equipment for it.

Sixgun95

devnull

Matthewstorm

Avanti

No, never have... in any street vehicles.

We do in our Salt Flat racers, however. None are Vettes, though.

Mister Big

Another vote here for the Blackvue DR-900S 2-CH. No need to fiddle with microscopic buttons and the software is rock solid. And for any dash cam you install in a C7, get a polarizing filter to minimize reflections of the dash due to the steep rake of the windshield.

f1reb1rd

I have the blackvue 7000 helps with recording the back of the car