12 month warranty is up... What then?

[Moon]

All good when having problems when the Camera is still under warranty ... lots of help going around in here ... but what happens when the Warranty time has expired .. and your Dash Cam stops working .. what then??

1. Where do you take it to get Fixed?
2. Is there any place available to repair it?
3. Do you just put it in a drawer?
4. Do you throw it away and go without?
5. Do you buy another one to simply replace it?

Ok .. Your 12 montH WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED - IS YOUR DASH CAM STILL WORKING?

* Are You still happy with it?

* If you had your time again - would you buy the same one?

* Do You feel that You got Your Money's Worth?

* Had any problems?

* Would you buy the same Brand again?


*Please include Make and Model

 

[Zardoz66]

I would say by that time there will be something newer and or better and depending on the issue cost less to just replace it.

 

[Moon]

Do you think that if you spend, say $270 for a Cam ... and it lasts 15 months .. then you have got your value out of it ... so paying out for a new one every 15 months is a reasonable expectation?

If you have a front and a rear - that's $540 per 15 months. It may last longer, of course?

From watching Videos from a couple of years back ... the Quality has improved significantly.
Maybe updating to a better Cam after this time is the way to go?

12 month warranty - anything longer than that is a bonus?

 

[tabetha]

I have 5 nextbase cams, not a single one has lasted a year without constant repeated and numerous problems, that's why I went thinkware, I must be honest though nextbase are excellent with warranty repairs FOC even well out of warranty, it is just a pity the various factories that make their cams can't get the product right to start with, when going right they are actually very good and good vfm.
I think the problem with repairs is, is it cost effective they are mostly not that expensive new.

 

[2000rpm]

I have 5 nextbase cams, not a single one has lasted a year without constant repeated and numerous problems.

I've had some Nextbase cams and they've also been short-lived but relatively expensive to buy. One lasted only a couple of months.
I've just given away two Transcend DP100 cams which are probably three years old, have never missed a beat and still appear to have a good internal battery that will run for some minutes without external power.
I also have a Mio 528 & 538 that are similar age to the Transcends I just gave away and the Mios still seem to be fully functional too.

I have a two-year-old Panorama II S that still works perfectly. Also an 18-month old JooVuu X that's spent most of its life mounted in full sun on the dash top which gets really hot and it still works fine. An 18-month old Street Guardian SGZC12RC still working perfectly.

 

[throrope]

The best day with my first dashcam was when I tossed it in the can. That one cost as much as the next three.

The next cam I accidentally selected the model with no GPS. It had a proprietary usb connection on the base and often lost connection at the mount. The 170 degree angle was also too wide for my liking. I tried to use it on the rear window, but the antenna is integrated into the window and it interfered with reception. after jury rigging the power cord to correct connection issue, that one is relegated for rental car use.

The next two are Shadow Tec GT680W's. After about three years the first one's battery failed and in the process killed the SD card due to corrupted files. Thanks to youtube, ebay and amazon, I got new batteries, how to replace and new SD cards. For kicks I did the other one. So for about thirty bucks I'm good for the next three years on these. This wonderful solution avoided the dreaded exercise of selecting another, installation and acclimating to a new platform.

The next two are Shadow Tec GT880S. One bricked a year ago over a hot holiday weekend in the sun. That one was on a company car for I job I since lost so no big deal. The other is in daily service for the last year and a half on the wife's car. Since it plugs into the OBDII, these were hands down the easiest install. If they offered them with capacitors, I'd have bought two more instead of messing with the above batteries.

The only time these served me was last November when I caused a fender bender and left the car running so the dashcam recorded participants casually walking about surveying the damage with no indication of physical limitation. Never needed the footage, but it was there just the same and worth the total cost of all the above.

So I commented to my buddy who's son is a new driver, "Your neighbor's benz and your SUV driven by your son are in the middle of the intersection, what color was the light?" At about $100 bucks for a decent dashcam, that's a cheap and easy question to answer even if you need to buy one every year.

Each vehicle has a dedicated hardwired unit for set and forget use. I really should check operation more often though.

Just for giggles, I checked the latest and greatest Shadow2s wifi camera. Appears this $120 unit via wifi can link to a smart phone for display and download, and hard wires to the OBDII. Looks like I may be looking forward to the next failure.

 

[Kip]

I feel like I haven't posted here in aaaaaggges...

1. Where do you take it to get Fixed?
Usually you can't, depends what part is broke. If the CPU is fried then chances are it's not even possible to fix. A battery or capacitor failure on the other hand, now that you can do yourself without much fuss.

2. Is there any place available to repair it?
None that I'm aware of. Maybe a mobile phone repair shop type place?

3. Do you just put it in a drawer?
For a while I would, just in case it could be fixed. Otherwise, off to local electronics recycling it goes.

4. Do you throw it away and go without?
Go without a dashcam? Are you crazy?

5. Do you buy another one to simply replace it?
Of course, might be a different camera but got to have something.

Ok .. Your 12 montH WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED - IS YOUR DASH CAM STILL WORKING?
Yes, it is.

* Are You still happy with it?
Had my JooVuu X over a year now, I wouldn't say I was totally happy with it, but, it's doing alright.

* If you had your time again - would you buy the same one?
Nope. Too many issues, support has gone downhill. I'd buy Viofo next time I think.

* Do You feel that You got Your Money's Worth?
I like my electronics to last a few years at least. So no, just over a single years service I would not be impressed with. 3 years and I'd be content with that. My last laptop lasted 7 years and I still have a working 13 year old desktop (3.2Ghz Pentium 4 FTW).

* Had any problems?
Power supply is cheap and nasty, causes radio interference, is on the large side and has an LED so bright you could probably see it from the moon. Firmware is often buggy. Firmware update process is often buggy. Official app is buggy. Odd noises (only in the footage) for the first few minutes of runtime, seems worse in colder weather. WiFi is temperamental just for changing settings, never mind attempting to playback video over it. Can't change settings over USB like a certain other popular matchbox style camera. So yeah, just a few problems...

* Would you buy the same Brand again?
Not likely, but, never say never.

*Please include Make and Model
JooVuu X

And for the sake of balance, I'd like to add that despite the problems, it has mostly been a reliable camera when in use in the car. Video quality is also pretty good at least to me. I like that the official app is now open source and that the official firmware can be unofficially tweaked with AFT. Form factor is good, a lot of mounting options are available too. It is also nigh unbrickable in that the company supply two versions of each firmware release and detailed instructions on how to unbrick it.

 

[Zardoz66]

Do you think that if you spend, say $270 for a Cam ... and it lasts 15 months .. then you have got your value out of it ... so paying out for a new one every 15 months is a reasonable expectation?

If you have a front and a rear - that's $540 per 15 months. It may last longer, of course?

From watching Videos from a couple of years back ... the Quality has improved significantly.
Maybe updating to a better Cam after this time is the way to go?

12 month warranty - anything longer than that is a bonus?

IMO if a manufacture gives you a 1 year warranty then they expect it to last for at least that long, anytime over that is unexpected. the questions do i feel that its worth it. most like not, but thats the way it is and what you agree to buy into.

You also have to take in consideration repair cost of an out of warranty unit. what are they going to charge you for it? Most like what they will do is just send you a referb unit for the repair and charge you some flat cost. but what is fair cost $125 for that $270 cam, is it worth it ?

Lets also take in consideration on getting a new unit. if a year later gets you a better cam with more capability and features would you get it? or just spend the money fixing what you got?

end the end, it all about value. and what you think is better from your prospective.

 

[jokiin]

IMO if a manufacture gives you a 1 year warranty then they expect it to last for at least that long, anytime over that is unexpected. the questions do i feel that its worth it. most like not, but thats the way it is and what you agree to buy into.

we've replaced cameras that are well out of warranty, 12 months is the standard but we look at things on a case by case basis, I think there's a reasonable expectation that things should last longer than that and if something is a component failure that is unreasonable we still cover it

 

[Moon]

Personally, I think a 12 month warranty is inadequate ... and suggests to me that the manufacturer isn't confident about their product and is only offering the bare minimum.
In the case of Dash Cams ... I think it should be at least 2 years .. with 3 being offered as an 'extended warranty'

I wonder how long it will take for a Manufacturer to prove that they have Faith in the Quality of their product - and give 2 years?

 

[jokiin]

Personally, I think a 12 month warranty is inadequate ...

be thankful you're not in the USA where certain retailers are only offering 90 day warranties

 

[Moon]

In the era of taking the cheapest quote, cost cutting, saving a $ wherever possible and hiring the cheapest labour ... I wouldn't want to be an Astronaut heading for Mars.

 

[snailtrail]

Personally, I think a 12 month warranty is inadequate ... and suggests to me that the manufacturer isn't confident about their product and is only offering the bare minimum.
In the case of Dash Cams ... I think it should be at least 2 years .. with 3 being offered as an 'extended warranty'

I wonder how long it will take for a Manufacturer to prove that they have Faith in the Quality of their product - and give 2 years?

Totally agree - really poor offerings from manufacturers/retailers.
This is what makes picking a camera very difficult - either spend over $250 and expect it to last a decent time (most times it wont) or buy a decent cheapie for $120 and expect to throw it out at around the 15 months mark.

Spending $400 seems like a waste of time - no longer camera life is expected and insurance excess is $500. Looking at it from only a money point of view even if you are involved in an accident and wrongfully deemed to have caused the accident you are out of pocket the same amount as insurance excess as one of the more expansive cameras.

My track record:
1 - $180: ITB-100 - lasted 3 years, replaced motherboard for $40 - very happy
2 - $200: ITB-100 - lasted 3.5 years, same fault as camera one, seems too old to get parts for now
3 - $400: Lukas LK-7950 - Went through 3 cameras in 8 months! Ending up getting money refunded

I'd happily spend $400 for a full featured duo lens camera, locally supported that lasted 3 years - I think that's all dashcams are worth.

 

[throrope]

In the era of taking the cheapest quote, cost cutting, saving a $ wherever possible and hiring the cheapest labour ... I wouldn't want to be an Astronaut heading for Mars.

How's that Armageddon quote go? "You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good, doesn't it?"

 

[kamkar]

The only reason i have a fairly high turnover in dashcams are due to my testing, i really dont like this buy and then throw away a little later.
So my TV are 7 years old my computer screen are like 12 years old and of the old CRT type, and i do like to upgrade that one cuz it is very power hungry compared to a 24" LCD and i feel it have done all the good it can by now.

I just woke up to a MMS from my nice saying she have gotten a dog, and though its noon i have only slept 3 hours and really wanted to sleep 1 - 2 more hours, but now that's out of the question as i fear that new little dog will be like any other dog in that part of the family, and that's basically just a accessory.
And i am wondering if she ever heard of puppy training, and how about teaching the dog to be home alone, cuz it will be that as both my nice and her boyfriend are working.
And who is going to take care of the dog when they go on holiday,,,,,,,,, o wait that's probably the uncle without the word no in his vocabulary.

 

[Moon]

My Mazda 3 is 2004. My Crt TV is 2003. Denon Receiver/amp is 2002. My MAC Computer is 2008

I like well built Quality that lasts ... and don't mind paying extra for it.

Paying out $270 for a Camera that has 1 year warranty and no Authorised Repairer available, doesn't sit comfortably with me.
Do I feel lucky ... err ... ? I'll get 2 ... that way, if one claps out .... I've got a backup, at least for the front. I can survive with that.

 

[Zardoz66]

it's because we are all looking for the cheapest price. and offering little warranties even 90 days, is a cost savings. Sony has done that on items for years.

 

[Moon]

Yeah ... I'd be happy to pay a bit extra for a decent warranty ... or 'extended warranty' an option.

Service has been sacrificed for cheaper prices. Self-serve Fuel/Gas Stations was the start over here in Oz, going back 35-40 years.

Stores still offer 'Extended Warranties' ... only many see those as simply extra profit for the Retailers ... and don't recommend getting it. I got one for my Motorola Phone and Garmin GPS ... only never needed it. Only an extra $10-20 ea for peace of mind ... so no probs there.

If buying a 65" OLED TV @ say AU$5-6,000 .... a problem out of warranty is a major headache.
Wild guess ... an extra AU$800 for additional 2-3 years Warranty/Insurance that you may not need?
Larfin if you use it ... Nightmare if you haven't got it.

 

[tabetha]

I'm sure I've seen thinkware advertised some where with 2 years warranty, I have a Kenwood car stereo from 1994, it is temperamental so can't be used which is a pity as car stereos these days are crap, I still use kenwood, and it's uk repairers Fullers who used to be business partners with Sir Allen Sugar(AMSTRAD), but now owns the whole industrial estate, sadly parts no longer made for my older stuff.
I hope and anticipate getting way more than the warranty period from my cam/s, under uk law they also must have a reasonable life, NOT to be confused with warranty period.

 

[jokiin]

I hope and anticipate getting way more than the warranty period from my cam/s, under uk law they also must have a reasonable life, NOT to be confused with warranty period.

we have the same rules here, based on reasonable expectation rather than a fixed time although the fixed time offered is mandatory, the challenge for a lot of purchasers here is they buy brands online that have no local presence so are challenged to find anyone to chase for support