12 month warranty is up... What then?

[SawMaster]

It's a disposable world now and if you get your money's worth in service before something dies then you've done well. If that doesn't happen regularly then you should re-assess your approach There are things where all you can buy is junk because all that is being made is junk Luckily that doesn't hold true for dashcams- there are good cams out there among the junk. Electronics in general can last a very long time if the design is good and the components used are suitable for the job, but that's the problem- today's designs tend to be minimal instead of robust and much is made with cheap components which will fail long before they should.

I guessed that my cheap $26 G1W clone would last 6 months and it has so I'm happy with it. Didn't know what t expect from my $79 Mobius but with a super-cap conversion 3 years on it just won't quit. Had the Mobius died in warranty I'd have returned it, but I wouldn't bother even sending an email if the G1W clone did the same My first cam was a G1W-C and it died quickly. Warranty return and in it's place came another fast-dying cam Warranty again and I got a rock-solid cam with razor-sharp vids So of course it gets burned up in an uninsured car fire; my usual kind of luck

Other than a very few cams from a very few sellers, I'd hesitate in spending over about $150 for a dashcam. Just too much for me to lose if it dies 366 days after purchase. I can get all the features I want at that level though YMMV and you may have to spend more to get what you want. And a warranty is only as good as the seller anyway so there you have it- my approach toward dashcams and warranties.

I'll close with this: There is a brand and sellers who are known for exceptional after-sales service and support, so if you're really worried about warranties and dead cams just forget the rest and buy a Street Guardian (or the original Mobius if you can live with it's older hardware). You can't go wrong with those choices

Phil

 

[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed]

pretty sure most people here have been running Viofo and SG cameras for like 2-3 years no problem.

i expect my dash cams to last maybe 3 years? at which point i will probably give them friends/family and get a more modern model? haven't really thought about it but that seems reasonable to me.

 

[Moon]

My Top 3

VicoVation.
Viofo,
Street Guardian

My entry into Dash Cams is the VicoVation MF3
If I am not happy with this Brand, I will try one of the others.
I would like the option of having a $270 Camera repaired after the 12 month warranty expires.. as a 15 month lifespan doesn't do it for me.

2 years is falling over the line - 3 years is acceptable .. and if it died, I would most likely get another updated one of the same brand.

Phil writes:

''I'd hesitate in spending over about $150 for a dashcam. Just too much for me to lose if it dies 366 days after purchase.''

Agree ... That's around AU$230 for us in Australia. (includes 'Australia Tax')
And yeah, the most sensible choice would be Jokiin's Street Guardian for the Customer Service factor alone. ... followed by VIOFO .. cause folks in here are all over 'em .. which is good.

 

[tabetha]

I found out about reasonable life expectancy through taking BOSCH to the county court, a washer dryer that lasted 2 weeks after warranty yet costs £600 is not acceptable, sadly I have been tortured with 3 BOSCH washer/dryers over the years mistakenly thinking I was buying german quality it wasn't until a repair engineer laughed and said, "no german quality here these are made in Mexico", I have nothing against Mexico but these machines were rubbish tbh, they all had repeated repairs under warranty inc one being replaced I now have a LG direct drive washer/dryer I need a washer dryer, it has 10 YEARS warranty as standard.
A machine I had in the past was "written off" by repair dude, sat in my garage for 5 years when the replacement one I was using packed up I looked at the condemned one noticed a wire off the controllers motor put back on it worked perfect for 3 years!!

 

[Module 79L]

None of my cameras died, so I can't really vote on any of the options. My 1st one, the G1W, is not dead per se, it's just out of order because I took out the mic for the G1W-H and the mount's nut broke long ago, but if I connect it to a power supply it'll still record. Video only, of course.
The AT11DA will be 2 years old in September, it has experienced some rough conditions and so far hasn't shown any signs that it's on the way out. Even the battery still lasts more than 3 minutes of recording in 1080p with the screen on (screen only goes out after 3 minutes).

Minimum warranty here is 2 years but I don't know if it's valid for items purchased outside of Portugal or only for the ones purchased locally.

 

[jokiin]

Minimum warranty here is 2 years but I don't know if it's valid for items purchased outside of Portugal or only for the ones purchased locally.

if you're part of the EU agreement then you would have 2 years on anything purchased from other EU countries, the stuff from China you bring in yourself though you're on your own with

 

[Moon]

@jokiin

If the standard warranty was 1 year .. and one brand came in with 2 years .. how do you think that would go?
I myself would be instantly drawn to that brand. What would a 3rd party warranty extension cost .. and added to the cost of the Cam. What would it be ... $15-20 bucks?

Going by what is said around here ... only a few problems occur out of (thousands?) of Sales .. so what does the manufacturer have to lose here?

What would need to change to enable a Dash Cam Brand to offer 2 years instead of 1?

 

[jokiin]

we have updated models coming that we will be offering with 2 years manufacturers warranty

maybe also something to consider though is that our warranty is and always has been a replacement warranty, a lot of other brands (including the more expensive ones in the market) only offer a repair warranty, some of them are also incredibly slow with their warranties (could name a few well known brands that don't seem to trust their distributors to determine what is faulty and what isn't and make everything go back to Korea for assessment) which can leave customers without a camera at all for many weeks (6+ weeks is typical) at a time, not all warranties are equal that's for sure

 

[Moon]

we have updated models coming that we will be offering with 2 years manufacturers warranty

maybe also something to consider though is that our warranty is and always has been a replacement warranty, a lot of other brands (including the more expensive ones in the market) only offer a repair warranty, some of them are also incredibly slow with their warranties (could name a few well known brands that don't seem to trust their distributors to determine what is faulty and what isn't and make everything go back to Korea for assessment) which can leave customers without a camera at all for many weeks (6+ weeks is typical) at a time, not all warranties are equal that's for sure

Great to hear that 2 year warranties are coming. Kudos

It is a shame that there isn't an 'Authorised Repairer' in Australia .. preferably along the East Coast, who is Independent and trusted ... that all participating Brands can use for warranty and repairs.
It wouldn't need to be exclusive .. and could be an established electronics Gadget, Computer Sales/Repair Shop. Somewhere for Aussies to send their Cams when there is a problem.

There is a tendency of an Electronic whiz to assume that everyone has a basic knowledge of electronics, wiring, conductors, fuses, motherboards etc ... and able to arc up the Soldering Iron and .... you know where I'm going ... only there are many good folks out there that have no idea of what is going on, not up for a phone DIY Identify the problem/fix-it session, and just want someone who knows what they are doing to fix it/replace under warranty .. repair .. or suggest replacement. Having to send it over seas for assessment is ridiculous in the 21st Century.

I think Australian Dash Cam Retailers/Manufacturers should seek out a Geek sitting in his Computer Repair Shop who is a Dash Cam enthusiast ... familiar with both PC and MAC -so that folks can send their Cams to him for assessment. Brands that don't support it are at a significant disadvantage (including marketing) compared to those that do.

With all the returns that end up being a relatively simple fix ... these 'reconditioned' units can be resold at discounted prices. What happens to them .. thrown away?

Good for Customers
Good for Recycling
Good for the environment
Good for the Retailer
Good for the Manufacturer

This Brand can add 'Re-cycling' logo .. or go down the 'Eco-friendly' path .. and look towards reducing toxins in their products that may end up in landfill.

 

[Viking]

I got my first dash cam replaced 3 times in less of a year. When it come back the last time, it went strait to the draw.
It was a blessing to see it gone.

 

[Moon]

On another Forum I hang out on ... you get ... 'Which Car Insurance Company Should I Go With?'

Someone writes up a post where their Insurance Company gave them a hard time, didn't reply to emails, ripped them off blind and wouldn't pay up.
Us readers are all hanging off every word in this story ... then they say 'I won't mention which Insurance Company it is .. other than it is one of the Major ones'

We are left hanging ... Is it our Insurance Company? .. Who should we avoid like the plague?

'I got my first Dash Cam replaced 3 times ....' hmm? .... yeah, ok ...... ??

 

[jokiin]

Great to hear that 2 year warranties are coming. Kudos

It is a shame that there isn't an 'Authorised Repairer' in Australia .. preferably along the East Coast, who is Independent and trusted ... that all participating Brands can use for warranty and repairs.
It wouldn't need to be exclusive .. and could be an established electronics Gadget, Computer Sales/Repair Shop. Somewhere for Aussies to send their Cams when there is a problem.
.

without even getting into parts issues the labour costs in Australia will put a stop to that ever happening, just not feasible to do unfortunately

 

[SawMaster]

What may not be getting understood well enough here is that electronics repair today is neither cheap nor easy unless you're into that kind of work or hobby already. And even then, today's tiny SMD components and multi-legged chips cannot be easily replaced with a cheap soldering iron like electronics once could be done. Plus the compact size makes taking measurements for diagnostics a real bugger and with the digital processing going on, diagnostics are a complex world- it takes more than a DMM to do more than the most basic diagnostics now. You'll find that the few shops which still do electronics repairs have a base fee of around $75 or more which will go higher if it takes more than a hour of bench time to repair. They will also require that base fee be paid up-front even if you or them decide the unit is not worth repairing For that kind of money it's simply smarter to toss the dead out-of-warranty item and buy yourself another one. Even most factories take that approach now; they will replace the while board rather than trying to figure out what exactly went bad then replace that one component True repairs are mostly limited to easy fixes only like retouching an obviously bad solder joint or replacing an auxiliary component such as a LCD screen or sensor module. If you've got the parts (another problem) such things aren't hard to DIY.

If these were high-dollar items, repairs would be feasible. They are not that expensive so you're simply not going to get that no matter how badly you want it.

Phil

 

[Module 79L]

If the standard warranty was 1 year .. and one brand came in with 2 years .. how do you think that would go?

That's why Aldi's tools and gadgets are so popular. Not only for their lower price and/or quality but also because they all come with a 3-year warranty.

 

[Module 79L]

You'll find that the few shops which still do electronics repairs have a base fee of around $75 or more which will go higher if it takes more than a hour of bench time to repair. They will also require that base fee be paid up-front even if you or them decide the unit is not worth repairing

We have some of those over here too but usually they charge a fee to assess the cost of repair and only when it's worth repairing. If the customer wants to go ahead with it they deduct that fee from the final cost, if not at least the time they spent on the item gets paid. Some people don't agree with that policy but I think it's only fair they charge for their time even if they end up not repairing it.
The shop that does my electronics repairs it's still an old school repair shop that believes more in putting personal treatment and trust towards their customers and they're still thriving, despite this "replace, not repair" age we're living in.

 

[DT MI]

...You'll find that the few shops which still do electronics repairs have a base fee of around $75 or more which will go higher if it takes more than a hour of bench time to repair. They will also require that base fee be paid up-front even if you or them decide the unit is not worth repairing...

So true. The one shop around me that I would trust (deals almost exclusively with computers, TVs, entertainment systems, etc.) has a $90 'walk in the door' charge. That may be the total price depending on what they find wrong.

It amazes me when people get upset about having to pay when nothing gets fixed because it's economically unrepairable - somehow they fail to see the shop is spending money on salary and test equipment to perform the diagnostics and expect those services for free.

 

[Moon]

I bought a 2nd hand Coffee machine for $50 off eBay and it wasn't working... sat in the cupboard for ages. Had been tossing up whether to throw it out and accept the $50 loss, or take it to a repairer to get fixed. Decided to take the risk on a repair. Charged me $60 for the new pump + $100 for an hours labour = $160.

Said pump was the problem. Took it home and it was still blocked and didn't work. I wasn't happy and had told him when dropping it off that I didn't want to spend over $200 for the fix.

Apparently the repairer thought it was the pump and changed it ... nope. Shop said ... if he spends another hour on it going through the hoses ... I have to charge you another $100... with no guarantee it will be fixed .. I know you don't want to spend more than $200 ... and you have spent $160 already.

Walked out with tail between my legs. It was a risk I took ... and lost. Not happy ... but had to cop it on the chin. Instead of losing $50 .... I ended up losing $210.
Wrong call ... shoulda chucked it. Not a happy ending, that one. Oh well. Win some .. blah blah blah.

 

[Module 79L]

Your problem started here:

I bought a 2nd hand Coffee machine for $50 off eBay

 

[Module 79L]

Charged me $60 for the new pump + $100 for an hours labour = $160.

Said pump was the problem. Took it home and it was still blocked and didn't work.

Apparently the repairer thought it was the pump and changed it ... nope.

Man, that's quite an incompetent repair shop, I tell you! That or they were trying to scam you by replacing something that wasn't broken to keep you coming back and keep spending money until they fix what they already knew was broken since day 1.

Over here, repair shops have to warrant any new parts they use in the repair. If the part they replaced wasn't the cause of the malfunction, then they have an obligation to find the REAL cause (not what they "think" was the cause) and repair it without charging any extra labour. If they refuse to do it you can ask for the complaints book and if they don't have it (they should, because it's mandatory) or refuse to give it to you, you can call the Police.

 

[Moon]

How long did your Cam last? Post it up top. Thanks