Dash Cam: Avoid the Porsche?

[tchavei]

A dashcam serves a purpose and that purpose is to record whatever happens in front (and optionally in the back) while you drive (and optionally while parked).

In that regard, I would always suggest the most high end ones. 4k is usually better than lower resolution cameras (better picture quality, sharper images, better license plate identification and so on). GPS information, speed, timestamps are a must to later on provide solid evidence if needed. If you park on the street or even while going for groceries or stay at a hotel, parking mode is invaluable specially if one day you get to the car and see a big ding or even your front bumper on the ground (yeah, happened to my neighbour).

In the above scenario, I would research and find what's best to accomplish the task. My first criteria would definitely not be "oh but it's Porsche branded" or even "but it hides so well in the mirror housing". Albeit those things might matter to some, always remember the primary goal of a dashcam is to protect you in the sense of identifying beyond doubt any external action. I would hate to check an impact video just to conclude the license plate is blurred or the event wasn't even recorded because of "convenience", "looks" or any other feature that felt more important then "recording".

My two cents.

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[Porsche-Guru]

A dashcam serves a purpose and that purpose is to record whatever happens in front (and optionally in the back) while you drive (and optionally while parked).

In that regard, I would always suggest the most high end ones. 4k is usually better than lower resolution cameras (better picture quality, sharper images, better license plate identification and so on). GPS information, speed, timestamps are a must to later on provide solid evidence if needed. If you park on the street or even while going for groceries or stay at a hotel, parking mode is invaluable specially if one day you get to the car and see a big ding or even your front bumper on the ground (yeah, happened to my neighbour).

In the above scenario, I would research and find what's best to accomplish the task. My first criteria would definitely not be "oh but it's Porsche branded" or even "but it hides so well in the mirror housing". Albeit those things might matter to some, always remember the primary goal of a dashcam is to protect you in the sense of identifying beyond doubt any external action. I would hate to check an impact video just to conclude the license plate is blurred or the event wasn't even recorded because of "convenience", "looks" or any other feature that felt more important then "recording".

My two cents.

Sound theory… and I can’t say that I disagree…

However, this is true for almost every decision…

I would research and find what's best to accomplish the task

… and none of us chose ‘another car’ (which on research may have been better suited to get from A to B) - the prime purpose of any vehicle.

We all bought (or are looking to buy Porsches)… and that decision is generally based on how it looks, personality, brand, etc….

I am not disagreeing with you… just stating that looks, brand, etc. do play a very key role in our decisions even if subconsciously.

 

[tchavei]

Sound theory… and I can’t say that I disagree…

However, this is true for almost every decision…


… and none of us chose ‘another car’ (which on research may have been better suited to get from A to B) - the prime purpose of any vehicle.

We all bought (or are looking to buy Porsches)… and that decision is generally based on how it looks, personality, brand, etc….

I am not disagreeing with you… just stating that looks, brand, etc. do play a very key role in our decisions even if subconsciously.

True but since we went passionate about the Taycan, let's be cool headed with the dashcam at least ?

That being said, I installed a A139 Pro like @Speuk and I've been happy with the quality. 12V Battery has been unaffected and the car starts every morning. I soldered a battery monitor on the fuse taps to keep an eye on things and it has been very consistent. Not sure how it will fare one day when I leave the car parked for an entire week BUT I do have a noco booster in my glove box just in case ?. Only downside I've found so far is a) you have to use one of the approved cards if you don't want to go through strange issues (I had a blacklisted card the first couple of days) and b) AED in parking mode is very unreliable. Until viofo doesn't fix it with a firmware update, time lapse in parking mode works perfectly (5fps) and saves battery.

 

[RGBArgee]

I have the Porsche Dashcam front and rear - no complaints. If it’s Audi that’s good surely.. more reliable in my experience.

 

[ct4s]

Useful post - thank you.
Looking at the Fitcamx.
Anyone bought the rear camera as well as front?
How as the cabling to the rear - were you able to do it without removing any trim?

 

[Taco]

There is some truth in the above, but I don’t think it’s quite as clear cut as some people might suggest:

Yes - for the cost (c. £900 installed) you can certainly buy other cameras which have more / better functionality.
Yes - the app is a bit awkward
Yes - accessing the data appears to be a pretty cumbersome process

But:
I don’t expect to be looking at the data on a regular basis, only in the event of an incident. For this purpose it does what I need.

It has the key functionality that I need - front and rear camera, with a parking mode.

From the driver‘s seat, the front camera is invisible and the rear camera is fairly discrete.

It turns on when I start driving the car and turns off when I stop driving, so I don’t have to remember to activate it (I guess this is the same with other dashcams, as I’ve not had one before).

Importantly, it was installed by my OPC utilising the pre-wiring, so no-one needed to remove trim pieces etc to hide cables. Any problems with my car, the OPC won’t be able to blame the dashcam installation and potentially avoid any warranty. Likewise it should ‘integrate’ with the 12V battery and thus avoid potential battery drain issues.

For me therefore, the Porsche dashcam was a low risk, albeit expensive option.

I have no doubt that other (better) cameras are available and, in the vast majority of cases, the potential downsides I highlighted above won’t be an issue.

This statement is correct

 

[Macan Chap]

Just to change the subject, anyone know how to remove the front/rear dash cameras?

OPC want an arm and a leg to do so!!!

Thanks

 

[BigBob]

I have never had a dashcam on a car.
I hadn’t thought about getting any I have seen but could cope with this.
Now I need to decide if I want one after 55 years driving and never feeling the need…

Exactly this (apart from he 55 years driving i hasten to add!). I've been umming and rrrring about getting one fitted. I nearly pulled the trigger on the blackvue a while ago, but got side tracked and never did it. I'm back thinking about it again, as i've read a few things that the new insurance scam is from scooter riders (often deliveroo/uber eats etc apparently) deliberately driving into you head-on (nipping out of an alley way or from behind a truck or whatever) and an 'independent' witness appearing with a phone recording or a statement about who was at fault. It would be good to get that sort of thing on you're own camera, especially as the police are aware of it.

One of my concerns, living in London is there is always some scum bag mooching around looking for something to steal. I assume people also break into cars to steal dash cams as well as anything else? The fitcam may well get around that issue given the integration.

My other dilemma with the a dash cam is it is very useful in a collision. But i do wonder whether it can be a double edged sword given most seem to also record speed, location etc. Or can you disable those sort of big brother features?

 

[f1eng]

I bought a Fitcam a while ago but haven’t got round to fitting it yet

 

[SteveDC]

Hello! Just picked up my new ST 4S and it’s everything I hoped it would be, just amazing. Mostly thanks to this forum and my hundreds of hours of reading threads on how best to spec, what I needed/didn’t need etc. So thanks all, will post pics on the separate thread when I regain some energy.
Meanwhile: dash cams. I’ve tried to read as many threads on here as possible but none seem to answer exactly what I want to know - if I’ve missed something then point me in the right direction!
I had the prewiring put in for the Porsche dash cam but would have to be booked in for an install in a few weeks and so it got me searching on here for alternatives. Then I spotted a few people saying to avoid the Porsche cam. Does anyone know the reason for this?
I’m happy to research alternatives but don’t particularly want to be running wires around my brand new car and taking bits apart; does anyone reading use one of the “plug in” cams rather than hardwired?
If I don’t go with Porsche dash cam then is the wiring they’ve already done any good for hardwiring other brands?
Again apologies if any of this has been answered. Brain is fried after hours of ridiculous dead-end insurance quotes and also trying to get my head around the fact that you have to carry a tracker fob around with you as well as your keys but not WITH your keys because it invalidates your insurance… apparently… not sure how that works if someone nicks my bag with both things in it!

I had a Viofo cam professionally installed front and back, including a dead switch so that the parking monitoring function does not eat into the 12 volt battery. You’d never know the wires are there, and the cams are small. My use case is that the car sits for several days at a time between uses. Do a YouTube search for dash cam reviews. There are plenty. There is one report on here that a dealer would not work on the car, because of the presence of non-Porsche equipment being installed, but that seems to be the only one. I’d say a dash cam is a necessity, given the car’s value and the signal it gives that you have deep pockets (or a good bank?).

P.S. Congratulations on your new car!

 

[SteveDC]

One question I have not seen answered on any of the threads:

Has anyone had the experience of their dealer denying a warranty issue due to a hardwired aftermarket dashcam?

Yes. Do a search. Had to do with wiring for back cam or signal interference, I think. I recently took my 4S in it got service after the cam install with no issues from dealer.

 

[BigBob]

I bought a Fitcam a while ago but haven’t got round to fitting it yet

Did you install it yet? I'm very much a removing trim noob and terrified i will break something !

 

[f1eng]

Did you install it yet? I'm very much a removing trim noob and terrified i will break something !

Sorry but no. I look at the box sometimes and tell myself I should get on with it but since retirement and not being busy I am a procrastination master.

 

[tchavei]

For those with dashcams installed, pro tip: keep your car washed and make sure front and back shields are clean. Not only it helps recording stuff properly, it spares you embarrassments when you actually want to help and provide footage.

Long story short: we had some Sahara dust raining down last week and I've been procrastinating to wash the car (until there's no chance of rain again).

Today, while lunching out, the car parked next to me, backed out while another car at a crossing on the same street, tried to turn left without looking forwards and hit the car in the back. My dashcam caught it. Obviously the fault is from the car next to me (leaving a parking) but when I checked the footage, I was embarrassed how filthy the video is. Back window looks like it wasn't washed for years ?

You can still see the accident but... You know...

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