Dash cam?

[CarbonGTD]

I've never had a dash cam in any of my previous cars, but I'd like to fit one to my new Mk8.5.  Has anyone done this already?  Any brands/models of dash cam that anyone can recommend (or confirm to steer clear of?)  As a motor diy novice is this a job I'm better off getting a professional instal for?

[Beebopper]

I fitted a Garmin Mini2 recently to my Clubsport, over the years of car tinkering I’ve learnt a lot about fitting car electronics, so was straight forward. The most time consuming bit was working out how to run the cable and which trims come off easily. If you are competent / understand how to use a volt meter and the difference between permanent live and switched live then you should be ok. If not it wouldn’t cost a lot as fitting can be done in less than an hour. Aside from the dashcam you’ll also need some form of connectivity kit and fuse piggy back adaptors.

I quite like this dash cam, very minimalist.

[Monkeymagik]

Just be aware a mate of mine has his side window put through to steal a £75 dashcam.

[The_Doc]

Personally doesn’t outweigh the benefits of a dashcam. I had an accident a few years ago that put me in a wheelchair. Ended up my word against the guy that hit me as to what happened, so insurance went knock for knock and I got nothing. Had I had the dashcam and been able to prove what happened, I would have been able to claim against his insurance for my injury and wouldn’t still be paying out of my own pocket for physio.

[Carlosfandango]

I've never had a dash cam in any of my previous cars, but I'd like to fit one to my new Mk8.5.  Has anyone done this already?  Any brands/models of dash cam that anyone can recommend (or confirm to steer clear of?)  As a motor diy novice is this a job I'm better off getting a professional instal for?

I’ve just fitted one of these integrated ones from AliExpress, it comes with a small wiring loom that allows it to be plugged in behind the mirror, the camera is then controlled with an APP, it seems to work pretty well, it uses a micro SD card for storage and allows files to be downloaded and shared when connected to the APP, the only minor gripe is that you need to disconnect from the cars WIFI before connecting to the camera, but as you only need do this when viewing files it’s no real issue as it loop records, I chose the 1080p version, but it is also available in 2K and 4K from other sellers, these are a touch more expensive though, overall I’m happy with it.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHvPNzQ

[seanaodh]

Wow, that's a really neat solution.

I was planning on just moving over my dashcam from my MK7, but this makes for such a clean install without worrying about trims etc I'm now reconsidering.

[Ceefeesh]

Great camera, looks totally unobtrusive / oem. I have a 4k version fitted to my car. On sale on Amazon under the brand Fitcamx but they are £200 - £250. They are easy to fit via a supplied loom into the original wiring and work via a simple app If you are not put off by the price they are a neat option.

[DrivenToDistraction]

I've never had a dash cam in any of my previous cars, but I'd like to fit one to my new Mk8.5.  Has anyone done this already?  Any brands/models of dash cam that anyone can recommend (or confirm to steer clear of?)  As a motor diy novice is this a job I'm better off getting a professional instal for?

Well worth the small investment. The Garmin mini2 would get my vote too. Halfords staff will fit it for £55 (provided that you buy the dashcam from them). They did mine and took about 45 mins.

[gti-m181]

I've never had a dash cam in any of my previous cars, but I'd like to fit one to my new Mk8.5.  Has anyone done this already?  Any brands/models of dash cam that anyone can recommend (or confirm to steer clear of?)  As a motor diy novice is this a job I'm better off getting a professional instal for?

I’ve just fitted one of these integrated ones from AliExpress, it comes with a small wiring loom that allows it to be plugged in behind the mirror, the camera is then controlled with an APP, it seems to work pretty well, it uses a micro SD card for storage and allows files to be downloaded and shared when connected to the APP, the only minor gripe is that you need to disconnect from the cars WIFI before connecting to the camera, but as you only need do this when viewing files it’s no real issue as it loop records, I chose the 1080p version, but it is also available in 2K and 4K from other sellers, these are a touch more expensive though, overall I’m happy with it.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHvPNzQ

Was this easy enough to fit yourself ? does it only work when car is driving or will it pick up motion when parked up also ?

[Beebopper]

I've never had a dash cam in any of my previous cars, but I'd like to fit one to my new Mk8.5.  Has anyone done this already?  Any brands/models of dash cam that anyone can recommend (or confirm to steer clear of?)  As a motor diy novice is this a job I'm better off getting a professional instal for?

I’ve just fitted one of these integrated ones from AliExpress, it comes with a small wiring loom that allows it to be plugged in behind the mirror, the camera is then controlled with an APP, it seems to work pretty well, it uses a micro SD card for storage and allows files to be downloaded and shared when connected to the APP, the only minor gripe is that you need to disconnect from the cars WIFI before connecting to the camera, but as you only need do this when viewing files it’s no real issue as it loop records, I chose the 1080p version, but it is also available in 2K and 4K from other sellers, these are a touch more expensive though, overall I’m happy with it.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EHvPNzQ

That’s a really neat OEM looking solution, I like that 
When you say you need to disconnect from the cars wifi, is that turning off CarPlay/android auto first before being able to connect to the camera? If so this is the same on the Garmin I have too and probably all wifi connected cameras.

What baffles me is why car manufacturers don’t build something like this into cars from factory nowadays.