We’ve all seen the videos of crazy people jumping out in front of a car so they can claim damages for their “injuries” or the people who hit your car and try to drive off. Too often people are getting away with these crimes due to the lack of evidence surrounding any given case. Whether it’s a case of fraud or a genuine collision having a dash cam, could be the difference between your insurance having to pay out on your behalf or having solid video evidence that this incident was not your fault after all. We’ve written another blog on trying to pick which dash camera to buy, which can be read here: This week's blog is about the installation of the camera in your car.
Installing a dash cam couldn't be easier these days whether you want to hard wire the camera to the main power supply or simply plug it into your cigarette lighter, it only takes a few minutes to get yourself up and running. We will take you through the installation of your dash cam using your cigarette lighter first.
The positioning of your dash camera is an important decision to make before you even think about installing it. For obvious reasons it really shouldn’t obscure your view of the road ahead. Along with this, it's best not to have the camera in your peripheral vision as some dash cams have a small screen on the back which can potentially distract you while driving.
The best position is usually right behind the rear view mirror. This location gives a full view of the road without obstructing the view of the driver. Once you are happy with the positioning you can then move on to fitting the camera.
Cigarette Input
First things first, get the power cable and input it into the car's cigarette lighter first. Once this is securely in place you can now move onto the task of putting in the dash cam. The best placement is usually behind the rearview mirror, this gives the clearest view without blocking your line of sight. Make sure not to put the suction cup over the black spot on the windscreen, everywhere is else is a suitable place to use. If you plan on using the dash cam day in and day out, its best to hide the cables as best as possible. You can make good use of the roof liner to hide the cable, bringing it down the passenger side of the car. You can use cable housings to create a cleaner finish, these are great if you don’t want to hard wire the dash camera to the car battery.
Pro’s
Con’s
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Your car must have the appropriate voltage otherwise you can blow some car fuses!
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The cable is visible if you don’t take time to hide the cables in a more discreet manner. Also, you cannot use the cigarette lighter if you have the dash cameras plugged in, this can be quite annoying if you are looking to charge your phone.
Hardwiring Dash Cam:
For the cleanest installation of your dash camera, you should consider hardwiring it to your vehicle. The cables can bother some people, so the best thing to do is to read up on hard wiring or get a mechanic to install the camera for you. It’s a pretty quick installation usually taking 20-30 minutes. Similar to the first process, run the cable along the roof liner for a discreet installation. You then must find the fuse box where you can connect the power supply directly to the car. This is usually located under the glove box. After locating the appropriate fuse you can then begin to attach the power supply to the dash cam. In some cases, you are given an adapter which can be used if you wish to hardwire the camera rather than using the cigarette lighter. After this is in place you can then go about connecting the earth cable to the body of the car, this can be done by putting the cable in direct contact with any metal screw or bolt. After doing so, you can now attempt to turn on the car, hopefully getting the dash cam to turn on as well.
Pro’s of hardwiring:
Cons of hardwiring:
OBD Dash Cam Power Cable
The third option is an OBD power cable which is a BlackVue product. On new cars, they have an input which allows garages to run a diagnostic on the vehicle. This input can also be used to power devices such as a dash cam. The On-board diagnostics(OBD) is useful power input as it doesn’t waste your car battery, it's also rarely ever used so it’s the perfect alternative if you don’t want to hardwire your dashcam to your car. If this is something you’d be interested in you can buy the cable here: OBD Cable
With the level of insurance fraud on the rise, drivers need to protect themselves from other road users, who are looking to make money at their expense. Whether you are looking for a dash camera for yourself or buying it as a gift, contact us and we’ll let you know which is the best dash cam for you, simply send us an email at info@micksgarage.com and our team will help you to get picking the right car accessories. We will help you and we'll make sure that you're getting the best price every time!
Until next time,
MicksGarage.com the Car Parts Experts.
