I had already done a full format of the card to FAT32 using "SDFormatter" in my Windows 10 machine, as it came preformatted in some other format (exFAT or something?). Then I held the wifi button on the dashcam to let it do its own formatting. My firmware is at 1.003. I don't know if I need to disconnect the rear camera anymore because it is becoming more apparent that my issue is the card.
I now experienced two instances of "check SD card" errors but I haven't noticed any more restarts yet. I have only driven my vehicle short distances and the problems are not consistent so I would not be surprised to hear more restart messages.
Today I contacted Blackvue about the SD card options and they suggested to read this forum post
https://www.carcamcentral.com/guide/recommended-sd-cards-avoid-sandisk-ultra-cards. I thought I had a recommended card but mine is the 300X model of the Lexar. I thought I had the 633X until I took a second look at it. I really want to rule out being an issue with the SD card so that I don't have to spend money on another card, but the error clearly says problem with the SD card. That in combination with the random restarts during normal recording I think give me no choice but to get a new card. I guess I can always put that card to use in another device.
I wanted to get a Blackvue branded card but their site only allows expedited shipping which is $26 to my location in Maryland. That plus the $49 for the 64GB card itself is a bit insane considering their card only has 1 year warranty. I found a third-party vendor that sells the Blackvue OEM cards for the same price as Blackvue but they offer free shipping. However, on their site they say the manufacturer (Blackvue) only warrants the card for 90 days, which does not even agree with what Blackvue lists on their own site (probably refurbs?). I may end up buying the 633X Lexar that is listed as the top pic on the forum post that the Blackvue rep linked. It is half the price on Amazon at this time, free shipping, and has lifetime warranty. I even saw the 128GB version with a price lower than the 64GB Blackvue!
Here is exactly what Blackvue said when I contacted them about using third-party micro SD cards:
*The main requirement (aside from the card being Class 10 or U1 ) is that the SD card must be formatted as FAT 32 [windows] or MS-DOS (FAT) [mac]. We highly recommend using BlackVue SD cards for optimal performance. The reason is that dashcams put SD cards under higher stress than most electronic products such as action cameras or DSLRs due to their constant recording. We test our cards extensively before selecting them for inclusion in our products, to make sure that their performance is good and degrades as little as possible over time. We cannot guarantee the perfect performance of cards from other manufacturers, as even cards with same specifications may vary from batch to batch. Especially the SanDisk SD cards, which show more restarting and stability issues in BlackVue dashcams.
In case, you can’t get a BlackVue SD cards then please check out following article about SD card recommendations for dashcams posted by a dashcam reviewer:
https://www.carcamcentral.com/guide/recommended-sd-cards-avoid-sandisk-ultra-cards
*Please note that we can’t guarantee best performance of any other third party SD cards than original BlackVue SD cards in the dashcams.
Sincerely
BlackVue Support Team
I will report back once I have replaced the card and tested for this restarting problem.
UPDATE: I just noticed there is a newer firmware available, but it only says it added Dutch language.
http://www.blackvue.com/downloads/#1460710341510-e242903f-5343