How is the Toyota dash cam? Or any other good dash cam recommendations?

I ordered these and waiting for delivery.

https://www.thedashcamstore.com/custom-metal-mounting-bracket-for-adhesive-dashcam-lenses/

 

I have had very good success with a Nextbase 522 GW.

 

I don't think those would work for me, but thinking of giving one of these a try. They mount behind the rubber seal around the rear door.

https://www.thedashcamstore.com/custom-folded-bracket-for-secondary-dashcam-lenses/

 

I’ve been happy (so far) with the Garmin mini, and the dongar power adapter. Almost completely hidden behind my rear view mirror, no visible wires, and works well with voice commands. Only thing I wish is that the wifi downloaded recording for the 60s incident clips were as good quality as taking them off the card directly via a computer.

 

Dash cams are not perfect, as this video points out. But they can still be very useful. I originally bought my Blackvue 900S about 4 years ago after someone clipped my driver mirror while coming across the center line. They stopped, I stopped, but it was their word against mine as far as fault. If I had video, there would have been no question as to fault. This is just one example. Also, I'm able to read license plates in many, but not all, situations.

 

What is involved and how dificult is it to get the wire for the rear cam from front mirror area to the rear.

 

Installed the Garmin mini with a Dongar adapter. Tucked the adapter in the headliner and hid the wire for a super clean install.

 

I don't have a 4Runner video but I bet it would be similar to this where I install on this Hyundai Palisade. Please go to 7:07 on the timeline to watch the rear cam wiring part.

https://youtu.be/lntEmRQXAnM?t=427

 

My 4R came with the Toyota one. It (and the app) are not nearly as user friendly as Garmin Mini that I had in my Taco, which is now in my son's Outback. YMMV

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V7pN7R3GHVg

Link to an old video from Colorado showing footage from my Wrangler and the Viofo dash camera. It works just as well at night. Great for the price.

please note “Big Bird” cloud to the left.

 

I recently installed the Garmin and love it. I mounted mine under the mirror. I didn't want to mount it to the right and risk cutting off any view of stuff happening on my left.

 

Have a 2nd to mount on the T4R.

 

Any truth to the notion that if someone sees your dashcam, they may be inclined to steal your dashcam? Do people roam around looking for this stuff?

 

I use a Viofo A129 Pro Duo. The only reason I would do the Toyota Dash Cam is if it came on the car from the port and was covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty. In your case, I would just look for something nice aftermarket. The Ring Dash Cam and Nexar One look promising if you pay the monthly subscription fee.

 

How about the OEM Toyota Dash Cam. Out of curiosity for those interested.

 

Post #41 above. Mine came with the Toyota one and the app just kind sucks. Honestly I'm note sure about video quality. Garmin app is much better and the Garmin Mini is a lot cheaper and very easy to install.

 

Southern California to white courtesy phone.

 

Hey thanks, I thought it might be a bit mor complicated than that

 

Some of the dash cams can get quite pricey, so it could be a reason for a break in. But for the one that I have, Garmin Mini, it’s more conspicuous, looks less like an add-on as it has no back screen, and you may not notice it or it may appear stock.

 

Please note the "butthole puckering" between my buttcheeks.

 

it's really not bad. i'm a questionably qualified mechanic at times so i'm sure you could do it. we have a front/rear setup and the separately purchased rear extension cable is 30ft (i think) and it was more than plenty. from rear to front; run the cable under the rear headliner, down the C-pillar trim, under the lower door opening trim for both doors and then up the driver's footwell kick panel trim into the fuse panel. all that's required is a little plastic trim tool to push the cable up under the edge of the trim - you don't need to remove anything entirely.

i run a Rexing V1P 3rd Gen 1080 capacitor setup with a front/rear cam in the 4Runner and a front only SpyTec A118C in my other car. to cut to the chase, we've needed our cams 3 times now to show evidence of 2 minor accidents we've been involved in, and 1 we've been a witness to. they are invaluable, cheap insurance IMO - people are more greedy, litigious, and irresponsible as ever and i'm not getting caught unprepared. all of our insurance claims have been resolved extremely fast thanks to the video evidence since its basically indisputable - no unreliable witnesses, no he-said-she-said. none of mine have GPS, shake-awake, or anything super fancy, just decent resolution and capacitor power (versus battery) to keep them reliable in our crazy summer heat. i plumb mine into the fuse slot for power mirrors or some other minor power source that keys on and off with the engine so we don't drain the battery.

as a quick example of being useful beyond your own immediate needs; my wife was an immediate witness and first on the scene to a 3 car accident a few weeks ago. her cam captured a likely distracted vehicle cross into her lane, hit the car in front of her, and spin that car into another. all vehicles were totaled. the only other witness ran. we later found out from the officer working the scene that the culprit initially claimed no fault and our video footage was valuable evidence to turn over that claim. the other drivers were quite hurt and we got a call from a law office shortly after that needed our footage as well....one of the innocent drivers needed to press charges to assist with their recovery. its possible without our footage they would be left without such a resolution and/or could be buried in the legal process trying to get what they need without that concrete video evidence.

front cam placement is right behind the rearview, so the screen isn't distracting. you literally don't notice the camera at all from the driver's seat.


and the rear setup. i cut a bit of scrap .030 aluminum sheet for the mounting plate and used an x-acto to cut out a little of the headliner for the power line to pass through. no, the image isn't IMAX clarity but its plenty fine to capture decent detail within reasonable distance.


and finally, here's a link to a good read from a person who posted an example of getting their butt saved by dashcam evidence with video footage posted to go with the story. people can really be scumbags.

 

I never had a rear dashcam in any of my cars. Hopefully if that clip I ordered works for my 4Runner will add a separate dashcam for rear.

Just wanted to share one incident why its good to have a rear dashcam if possible.

One time I got rear ended at a traffic light. My front cam had proof that I was stopped at red light and not rolling back. I took pics from my phone all around my vehicle and the vehicle hit me. I called police and filled out the report and got a copy. After I claimed the repairs from party at fault insurance they said another vehicle hit the vehicle hit me so they would deny my claim. Lucky the police report never had details about another vehicle or there was no damage to the rear of the vehicle who hit me. With the evidence of police report + the pics I took I did not have any problem getting my car fixed. ​

 

This is the one i have on both SUVs . Parking mode turned off to save battery. easy install.

 

This happened to me just today. Fortunately it was just a close call. Dashcam footage from my new to me '22 T4R.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pln7in0qu9ttvja/near_headon.mp4?dl=0

 

man, my wife and I spend about 2 months a year on the OR Coast and it's frustrating how frequently people (seems like outtatowners and locals) do these fly-by passes through illegal zones especially with log trucks because why not maximize the damage, right?

Also, for my 2014 Limited, I just bought this duo "VIOFO A119 V3" & "Dongar Technologies Dashcam Power Adapter (Economy 7-pin)". Bought the camera during a flash-deal for $79, so ~$100 all-in for a native-powered dashcam setup. I chose the Viofo because of the Linus Tech Tips video.

 

Can you tell me where you connected your dashcam to constant power? I was looking for a BAT+ on the fuse panel by the driver's column, but did not find it.

 

I went to my headunit’s wiring harness since I have an aftermarket headunit.

 

Hey folks, does anyone see a problem with tapping into the "P/SEAT R/L" (power seat) fuse to provide a constant power source for a dash cam?

 

For my parking mode I got a wire directly from the battery. Installed a low current fuse, a switch on dash & low voltage cutoff unit.

I think wires, fuse, switch is not a big thing to buy at a parts store. Here's the low voltage cutoff unit I bought from Amazon.

https://amzn.to/3lJ8Ci6

Edit-
Let me share the switch as one might use OEM style switch that is not rated for direct current on and off.
This is the switch I have. I drill a hole on one of the blanks to install this.

https://amzn.to/3lQudoH

 

I use this switch for parking mode:
https://www.thedashcamstore.com/blackvue-power-magic-pro-battery-discharge-prevention-module/

Allows cutoff based on time or voltage. I had it installed on my last truck, just need the constant power from battery and the ACC which is already identified. I'm hoping to NOT have to go through the firewall just to get constant 12V from the battery. Since the power seats work when the car is off, that seems a likely place to tap in.