Is this fixable or should I buy new?

[DrMM]

So, I am a complete dash cam newbie. I got a pretty basic Aukey dash cam as a present a few years ago. I set it up, put in a SanDisc SD Card, plugged it into a USB port and did nothing else over the last few years. I took out the SD card tonight because I was rear-ended a few days ago, and realized that not only was the accident file corrupted, about 25% of all the files on the card were corrupted. I tried a few different repairs (including Stellar Repair) and none of them worked. (Fortunately it doesn't sound like the other driver is arguing, but if they were, I would like some form of insurance).

So now I'm trying to figure out if I should just buy a new dash cam, or if a new SD Card would be enough. I'm not sure if this is because I just ignored the dash cam for quite a while or if it's a problem inherent to dash cams, SD cards, or Aukey's in particular.

Any advice would be helpful, thanks.

 

[DT MI]

One of the more common failures with dash cams is their owners not periodically checking the recordings to insure they're OK before they're needed. This is not a lecture, just an acknowledgement that it happens quite often, unfortunately you learned this lesson the hard way - fortunately for you it sounds like the other driver isn't going to be a problem.

As to your specific problem the first thing I would look at would be the SD card itself to insure it's working properly. There are a couple of tools a number of members here use:

SD formatter from the SD Card Assn. - https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/

H2Testw - https://h2testw.en.lo4d.com/windows

Do a low level format using the formatter then check the card using h2testw. If an error occurs with either the format or verification the problem was most likely card related and it should be replaced. Since you've been using the same card for a 'few years' it may be a matter of it dying of old age, and all cards have a finite life span. Given it's age I'd be prone to replacing it regardless.

If you do get a new card do the same low-level format and test before putting it into service. It's not unheard of for the rare card to have issues right out of the package.

Do not buy a new card from eBay or any of the on-line overseas comparable platforms - they are the largest sources of counterfeit cards there is. Stick with brand name cards from either local brick and mortar stores or Amazon if it's 'sold by' and 'fulfilled by' Amazon.

Should the card be good after formatting and testing put it back in the camera and drive for a few days - checking the videos regularly. It the problems recur I'd start thinking about replacing the camera and card.

 

[DAP]

If you wish to continue using a cheap dash cam, it is best to get more than one, and check them regularly. having more than one dash cam doubles the probability that at least one is working when you need it to be working.

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum.

No matter what the maker say, no camera are truly set and forget, there have been so many cases over the years that believing this would be naive.
So the 15 minutes or so it take to look over a 256 GB card every few months are well spent.

I always focus on first and last file in drive sessions + how ever many short stops in between, i just play a few seconds of each file i inspect, just to make sure they are not corrupted, but also that the locations are reasonable.
So for instance if you have a drive session from 2 weeks ago, but it start at your gas station and not where you live, there is something going on that for sure warrant further investigation.
If you are the same creature of habit i am, using a dashcam you will soon find you drive the same routes / streets over and over, so what i see in the first / last files in my sessions are always: Where i live - Where i shop - My favorite gas station - My favorite car wash - My mothers place - My friends place - One of my favorite pizza joints - And too rare my sisters place as she do not invite her nice big brother to dinner as often as she should.
No job as i an retired, but otherwise that would of course be on the short list of destinations.

so if the clip i inspect first and foremost are not in a know location, but maybe some ways down the street i still recognize, then there is something wrong, or as you have experienced the files cant even play ( i use pot player as the #1 software player on my PC )

In a good dashcam ( dont have to be one of the high rollers ) the memory card are almost always the weak link, it is what you should look at first if you have problems, test with software's mentioned above ( if you have a PC or MAC that is )
#2 if you have used a creative way of powering the system, this can be a build in USB ports, or some multi port charger you might have, then try the provided power source too.

It is rare i have experienced corrupted files from one of my own cameras, or for that matter heard about it in here, i think this issue are mainly a issue for cheaper models, but any camera can do it for sure..

Testing your memory card will also tell if it is fake, you be surprised how many fake a 16 GB card to be a much larger card, and it will appear fine on the PC but it will of course never be able to store the much larger fake storage capacity, so test software might say " only able to test 16 GB out of 128 GB "

O and then in my testing of the memory card, after the regular files i do some random files from where ever, in that case just so they can launch and play, no telling where it is or remembering that as it might be weeks ago, at least with the memory cards i use + the level i drive which are not much even in the none corona days.

Buying a cheap dashcam and even mid ranged ones too, can often mean there will be next to no support or updated firmware's to fix flaws, and the same go for the support where at best you will have to send your dead camera to some garage store in China.
If possible you should buy local to have local warranty standards, even if this make things a few dollars more expensive.

 

[DrMM]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am learning a lot about dash cams and SD Cards that I never knew. I'm pretty sure the issue is first with the card, so I bought two new SanDisc ProEndurance ones, which will hopefully be higher quality than the cheap one I shoved in there initially. I had no idea that letting the cam rewrite old files automatically as it runs out of space causes damage to the card. I think this means I'm going to need to replace my indoor home camera card as well since I've never checked it ...

If that doesn't work, once my budget recovers from the new oled tv I just spent a fortune on, I'll look into a higher quality camera (and perhaps a rearview one as well). I'll make sure to check for advice on here. If it does work, I'll just check it more often so hopefully this doesn't happen again. It's a good lesson for me. I thought I'd done some research before installing it but apparently it wasn't nearly enough.

 

[DT MI]

...I had no idea that letting the cam rewrite old files automatically as it runs out of space causes damage to the card....

The cam overwriting older files isn't causing 'damage'. It's just a matter that all flash memory due to it's nature has a limited number of write cycles before it wears out and essentially dies of old age. Dash cams and surveillance cameras because of their usage are very write intensive and will reach this limit well before a card in the average phone or camera.