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Mon 5 Feb 2018 16:56

any - rear dashcam - gordonbennet

My commutes are often accompanied by the inevitable half wits jammed inches from the back of the car, only a matter of time till one of them fails to stop.

I have just fitted a new Yi fairly basic dashcam to the back window, handily my car has a rear power outlet so that bit was simple, i've fed the wire along inside the trim and inside the tailgate door trim up to the top NS corner which is swept by the rear wiper, loosely cable tying to the existing flexible bellows at the hinge point which houses other wires and the rear washer pipes, i could have delved further and threaded it inside the ducting but considerably more dismantling was in order, cable was ideal length for this.

Just waiting for the micro SD card to arrive now, the camera unit is recommended by the Techmoan chap as a basic, i wasn't going to go to the expense of a Transcend camera for the rear.

I'm not sure yet if the camera will retain date/time stamp sufficiently during its off periods, time will tell, so at the moment i have disabled said date/time stamp on the assumption no stamp is better than the wrong one, do you think the time stamp is important or would you chaps leave it off too? it will be a pita to keep having to reset the time every time i leave the car for more than 48 hours, this is a problem with some Transcends too (having no battery as such, one of our two loses the time in about 36 hours) but the Transcends are fortunately easy peasy to reprogram the time.

Edited by gordonbennet on 05/02/2018 at 17:05

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Mon 5 Feb 2018 17:05

any - rear daschcam - badbusdriver

Not really sure how much difference it would make in the event of a claim.

Surely as long as the details of the vehicle involved (registration, make, model) are clearly shown, what the date/time says shouldn't have any bearing?, unless the same vehicle has collided with you on more than one occasion.

But if the details are not clear, and the vehicle then did a runner, then they could potentially get away with it regardless of any date/time stamp.

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Mon 5 Feb 2018 17:13

any - rear daschcam - gordonbennet

Yes, i'm hoping the camera will be good enough to 'see' number plates through the glare of following headlights, only checking the footage next weekend will tell, if it isn't good enough it can jolly well go back to Amazon (who it must be said are good for customer service in our experience) and i will upgrade to a later Transcend for the front and shift the existing one to the rear.

My query about the time stamp, and yes i accept that clear footage even without a stamp should satisfy most insurance offices (its usually untruths from one side which cause the issues anyway), but i'm sure i read somewhere that camera footage without a time stamp is not admissable in court, in the event an accident dispute ended up there, probably overthinking this mind.

Hit and runs are the biggest worry.

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Mon 5 Feb 2018 21:53

any - rear daschcam - Smileyman

I'm not sure about the admissability in court, however I do favour not having a time stamp on the recording ... apart from anything else the device will need to be adjusted twice a year to cope with GMT/BST changes

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Tue 6 Feb 2018 12:45

any - rear daschcam - Gibbo_Wirral

So long as your front facing dashcam records you leaving adequate space to the car in front, and slow, measured braking. If anyone runs into you that should be enough evidence to prove you didn't slam on at the last minute.

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Tue 6 Feb 2018 13:10

any - rear daschcam - alan1302

apart from anything else the device will need to be adjusted twice a year to cope with GMT/BST changes

Most modern electronics will change themselves so no need to update it yourself.

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Tue 6 Feb 2018 22:10

any - rear daschcam - Smileyman

apart from anything else the device will need to be adjusted twice a year to cope with GMT/BST changes

Most modern electronics will change themselves so no need to update it yourself.

well the clock in my dashcam does not, nor the clock on my 17 plate SEAT Toledo ... both are very modern systems

however the clock on my previous car, a Nissan Primera did change with the seasons and also when crossing going to France!

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Wed 7 Feb 2018 12:32

any - rear daschcam - Gibbo_Wirral

apart from anything else the device will need to be adjusted twice a year to cope with GMT/BST changes

Most modern electronics will change themselves so no need to update it yourself.

Usually devices that have internet access so they know which weekend the clocks change.

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Wed 7 Feb 2018 20:25

any - rear daschcam - gordonbennet

Smileyman, fair point about not having any date stamp at all, i'm unsure, what do others feel about this?

Gibbo, yes thats true the front camera should confirm the reason for any rear end shunt.

Alan, the only clocks we have that change for summer time are radio linked, even our super modern digital tachographs don't do this, and the one in my new lorry is supposed to be downloadable by a passing DVSA enforcement officer without having to stop the vehicle.

Haven't had a chance to check the recording quality of the new camera yet.

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Wed 7 Feb 2018 21:01

any - rear daschcam - Smileyman

I was referring to a time stamp, having a date stamp is fine.

Similar I reccomend not to have a speed stamp either, just uncessary!

As for internet connectivity, unless the dashcam has wifi and is linked to a mobile telephone or hotspot then I don't see how this would be achievable ...

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Wed 7 Feb 2018 21:28

any - rear daschcam - gordonbennet

I was referring to a time stamp, having a date stamp is fine.

Similar I reccomend not to have a speed stamp either, just uncessary!

ahem, yes cameras chosen without GPS capability :-)

i don't think on mine you could have a date stamp without the time, but same problem, the diode loses power after some 30 hours and the machine defaults to 2013, the new one i haven't tried setting time yet.

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Thu 8 Feb 2018 19:52

any - rear daschcam - gordonbennet

Righto, just viewed the footage, and it's not bad at all, number plates clearly visible in daylight, whether the vehicle behind has headlights on or not up to about 25 yards, night time not so easy but if the emergency recording is triggered by shock, ie just after i shut the tailgate door, the following footage seems better clarity, hopefully the same will apply if someone shunts me up the back.

I'll set the date/time stamp and if i get a tailgater in the dark it will be interesting to see if i can make the number out, date stamp will make it easier for sorting out clips so i shall endeavor to keep it set right.

No complaints from a £40 camera.

By the way, you probably won't be surprised to know i was never offered any male modelling roles, seeing yourself on camera at 4.30am is not exactly ego boosting ..:-)

Edited by gordonbennet on 08/02/2018 at 20:04

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