Combining DashCam and SatNav Functions

[twodogron]

I am thinking.... why don't the major DashCam manufacturers combine the two units (Dashcam and SatNav) together which seems to make perfect sense to me.......... I have only found 3 manufacturers so far ..... Aguri, Mio and Garmin.
Has anyone here had any experience of these devices or know of others..... ???
I currently run a Thinkware F770 DashCam but I'm fed up with the continuous Micro SD Card problems and messages like "SD Card error, please reformat SD Card"..(and yes.... I've tried the alternatives and highly recommended ones because I am not prepared to pay top dollar just to have a "Thinkware" labelled SD.)

 

[DT MI]

I don't have first hand experience with a combined unit - but - a SatNav unit is best positioned low on the windshield (windscreen) in easy view of the driver while a dash cam is best positioned as high as possible to capture more of the environment around the vehicle as evidence should some incident occur.

Secondarily, more and more vehicles (at least here in the States) are equipped with on-board navigation systems so a combined unit would be unnecessarily redundant.

 

[dash riposki]

The few I have seen seem to have a mediocre or worse dash cam, built into an over sized GPS navigator, for a higher price than buying each separately. (Even buying a better standalone cam)

I'd rather see dash cams get smaller.

 

[kamkar]

Garmin make a combined dashcam and NAV unit, the problem is as most NAV units it is big, and a dashcam belong up high on the windscreen, where many places you cant put a big thing like that legally.
So that model at least sort of defeat itself.

Yes too bad some brands make a simple thing as a memory card so complicated, thank god other go the other direction.

 

[twodogron]

I drive an Audi which has a "built-in" SatNav which is completely useless and it takes for ever to plug in new co-ordinates, my separate Thinkware F770 DashCam is so sensitive to Micro SD Cards it's ridiculous.......... Just thought a more up to date combined unit couldn't be any worse.... and would be much cheaper.......believe me.....

 

[kamkar]

The factory sat nav in my friends new Mercedes are also out of date, easy enough to work with but the maps are so out of date even pretty old roundabouts ASO are not there, and on our last drive we whent completely off road as we drove on a road that did not exist in the NAV system.
He will try and see if Mercedes have a update to it, or switch back to using his tablet and google maps.

Yes thinkware and black vue owners seem to often run into memory card issues, more often that all the other brands put together it seem.

 

[twodogron]

Hi kamkar1, As it's completely out of date I asked my local Audi Dealer for an update to my factory fitted SatNav (which they supplied with my new car in 2015) but was quoted over £400......... don't get me wrong, the car is good, but I wouldn't recommend Audi SatNav's to my worst enemy !!!.............that along with the crappy Thinkware MicroSD Card problem is why I'm looking for an alternative solution....

 

[EsQueue]

Hi kamkar1, As it's completely out of date I asked my local Audi Dealer for an update to my factory fitted SatNav (which they supplied with my new car in 2015) but was quoted over £400......... don't get me wrong, the car is good, but I wouldn't recommend Audi SatNav's to my worst enemy !!!.............that along with the crappy Thinkware MicroSD Card problem is why I'm looking for an alternative solution....

Keep in mind that BlackVue suffer from the same Memory Card issue and recommend that you purchase their X00% inflated price on a manufacturer labeled card. Besides the super expensive cards, how is the failure rate of the Thinkware? My BlackVue dr650GW had a date and time issue out of the box and they promised a software fix until the 650S was available then they admitted that it was a hardware issue. Eventually the GPS failed after 2 years of total use. My 650S lasted a year until the unit refused to take any SD card and restarted every few seconds rendering it worthless as all videos were corrupted. Two months later the rear camera input failed.

TLDR: stay away from BlackVue. The weather is very mild here in California, USA but the camera seems to be problematic out of the box and fail within 1-2 years.