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I have this dashcam in my DD or a similar one (a VIOFO in my Prius). Perhaps this is more of an issue in a hybrid car but I have found multiple times that if I accidentally turn the car on/off quickly and interrupt the dashcam during its boot cycle, it will corrupt its firmware; this often happens if I parallel park, decide i need to adjust my position, so I turn the car on/off again to quickly move things.Along with my basic liability insurance, I'm covered with front and rear dashcams.
I have a good hardwired USB hub for my dashcams. A good Samsung SDHC solved what few problems there were. I just start the car and go. The front cam is pretty much invisible in front of the rearview mirror. Many new cars have stuff there. The rear cam isn't very visible. It looks sort of like a center brake light when parked. Few people are going know it doesn't belong a TBird with a spoiler.I have this dashcam in my DD or a similar one (a VIOFO in my Prius). Perhaps this is more of an issue in a hybrid car but I have found multiple times that if I accidentally turn the car on/off quickly and interrupt the dashcam during its boot cycle, it will corrupt its firmware; this often happens if I parallel park, decide i need to adjust my position, so I turn the car on/off again to quickly move things.
When booting, the new corrupted cam will make the necessary tones like it's booting correctly but when you take a peak on the screen, you'll see that it's goofy looking and it's definitely not recording.
I checked one time and this happened 2-3 weeks ago (from the timestamp on the file) before I caught it. The fix is easy (you just drop a new firmware file onto the SD card) but kind of annoying.
My recommendation is don't just trust the cameras are doing what they supposed to do: check up on them every few weeks just to be safe.
-g
PS. I live in SF -- one of the capitols of smash and grab b/c our BS DA doesn't prosecute petty criminals. I have mine mounted just in front of the mirror and while i was worried at first, I haven't had any issues (knock on wood). I suspect that they just dont bother with such a worthless item. When you pass some of their fences on the street (like in the mission hawking their wares), I haven't seen ANY dashcams on their rugs.
it has to be 100% stock exterior..
Good to know. I will be touching base with my agent (also in NC) again in June to discuss my own coverage.To elaborate, when I talked to my agent regarding "declared value" or "agreed value" policies, he said North Carolina was a "non-compliant" state, or something along those lines. This was at least 5 years ago, so my memory on the exact terms he used is a little fuzzy.
He said that them having pictures, and a description will help your case, but that number is not guaranteed.
Al
Dash cams are on my to get list. Which models do you have?I wish the cameras were more obvious. The rear cam is somewhat visible to tailgaters. They often back way off once they figure out what it is. For some reason, younger drivers spot the cam at a much higher rate than older drivers. I am more concerned with the hit-and-run than the smash-and-grab. It takes seconds to remove the cams.
In the TBird I have VIOFO A119S. The GPS logger is a separate module that mounts to the window and the camera mounts to the GPS module. The rear cam is the same except it doesn't have the GPS.Good to know. I will be touching base with my agent (also in NC) again in June to discuss my own coverage.
Dash cams are on my to get list. Which models do you have?
I have the VIOFO A119S + GPS module as well. It's a pretty decent cam EXCEPT the annoyance of having to reflash the firmware every so often.In the TBird I have VIOFO A119S. The GPS logger is a separate module that mounts to the window and the camera mounts to the GPS module. The rear cam is the same except it doesn't have the GPS.
My other car has a Mini 803 similar to this. It has worked very well for about 5 years now.
My family made fun of me when I got the dashcam. They thought it was ridiculous and unnecessary. A few weeks ago a family member was the driver in a fatal pedestrian accident. They believe the pedestrian was at fault. The police are still investigating...
I would hope that the pedestrian was at fault. Either way a dashcam would prove or disprove the case.In the TBird I have VIOFO A119S. The GPS logger is a separate module that mounts to the window and the camera mounts to the GPS module. The rear cam is the same except it doesn't have the GPS.
My other car has a Mini 803 similar to this. It has worked very well for about 5 years now.
My family made fun of me when I got the dashcam. They thought it was ridiculous and unnecessary. A few weeks ago a family member was the driver in a fatal pedestrian accident. They believe the pedestrian was at fault. The police are still investigating...
The pedestrian most likely was at fault and that's why my relative has not been charged. But the vehicle is still impounded for investigation.I would hope that the pedestrian was at fault. Either way a dashcam would prove or disprove the case.
I was in a near-accident in Mass. about two years ago where a vehicle pulled in front of a semi that I was in the lane next to. The semi swerved into my lane to avoid the ******* who pulled in front of him forcing me across the centerline. Fortunately for me there was no oncoming traffic at that moment. I really wish I had that on camera. That ******* nearly got themselves AND me killed, they should have gone to jail.
If you have it powered by a cigar lighter adapter, that might be the problem. Depending on the cars wiring it might not have power momentarily when the keyswitch moves between start and run. My old Mini 803 is wired in such a way and the capacitor has worked well for years. Occasionally if it's been extremely cold and the car has not run for days the cam will freeze, it just needs to be unplugged a few minutes.I have the VIOFO A119S + GPS module as well. It's a pretty decent cam EXCEPT the annoyance of having to reflash the firmware every so often.
It'd be nice if it had a small battery pack in addition to the capaciters that power it.