Sunscreen on windshield

And I'm not arguing which color out is better to keep vehicle cooler, I've already agreed multiple times that a lighter color would.

I'm just saying any color (even black) is better than nothing at all, and that I don't run silver side out because it reflects heat back towards the dashcam, while black side out absorbs it.

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So reflecting the heat and sun's rays back towards the camera will keep the camera cooler than absorbing the heat into the sunshade?

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As previously stated, the general consensus is that mixing dash cams and sun reflectors is not a wise thing to do.

Whether the camera is mounted directly in front of a silver surface reflecting heat or a black reflector absorbing heat, it's still a bad idea.

But for the third time now, do what makes you happy.
 
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So reflecting the heat and sun's rays back towards the camera will keep the camera cooler than absorbing the heat into the sunshade?

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Lets drop this already. Silver side out is what I will keep doing. Now we have cooler days here in Pa. now so no need to worry, I have much more to worry about bringing a accessory circuit to the camera and start tucking wires. Have a nice evening guys.............
 
I drive a pick-up truck with multiple cameras that I often leave running while parked using two power banks. On extremely hot and sunny days I won't run the cameras at all while parked but most of the time I do and have been doing so for years now with few if any issues.

Sometimes, if I want to run the cameras and am concerned that my midnight blue Tacoma might be getting too hot inside especially on brutal summer days, I'll crack the windows a few inches, but not so much that anyone could fit their hand or arm inside the cab. I also sometimes open or partially open the rear slider window in the back of the cab. It helps that I live in a relatively low crime area but it's not like we don't experience criminal behavior, especially with the opioid crisis these days. Nobody has ever messed with my vehicle and the cameras would capture them if did and someone would have to smash a window in broad daylight to gain entry which I believe is unlikely in my neck of the woods. I do take into consideration how long I need to leave the vehicle parked unattended. On a hot day I might leave the cameras running for a few hours but I probably wouldn't leave them running for an entire day sitting in the hot sun.

I think it is best not to use a sun reflector if you want to run dash cams in parking mode, even if you cut a hole in it. This is a topic that has come up quite a number of times on this forum and the consensus agrees with me that it's not a good idea to mix dash cams and sun reflectors as it is likely asking for trouble really.
What year Tacoma do you have ? I bought a 2019 and it has that radar equipment above the mirror. There is enough room to mount my camera on the lower part of this. It is a nice piece of smooth plastic so it should stick well there . Since I am used to this equipment already, adding the camera there should not be a distraction
 
What year Tacoma do you have ? I bought a 2019 and it has that radar equipment above the mirror. There is enough room to mount my camera on the lower part of this. It is a nice piece of smooth plastic so it should stick well there . Since I am used to this equipment already, adding the camera there should not be a distraction

Mine's an older one, a 2006/2007. The primary reason I still have it is that it was one of the years that the Tacoma experienced a recall because the frames were rotting out. For the recall they kept the truck for over a month while providing me with a series of really cool rental vehicles to drive including a 70,000 dollar fully loaded brand new Tahoe (which I didn't want to return:smuggrin:)...and a Nissan Titan. Anyway, when I got my truck back they had replaced the frame, the brake lines, the leaf springs, the ball joints and a whole bunch of other undercarriage stuff. Basically a $12,000 repair. It was like getting a brand new truck back, especially since it had relatively low miles on it and was very well maintained to begin with.

So anyway, to answer your question, because of the truck's age I don't have some of the latest advanced features such as radar or even a head unit. Then again, the vehicle was pretty loaded when I bought it, so I'm happy. I tend to keep vehicles a long time anyway, especially as a Toyota truck guy. People I don't even know keep offering to buy it from me and that tells me it's worth keeping for now.

It's funny but whenever I'm in a dealership parking lot I've developed a habit of wandering around the lot looking at the new vehicles thinking about which ones would be best for mounting dash cams in. With all the new models it seems like it's getting harder and harder.
 
It's funny but whenever I'm in a dealership parking lot I've developed a habit of wandering around the lot looking at the new vehicles thinking about which ones would be best for mounting dash cams in. With all the new models it seems like it's getting harder and harder.
a lot cars adding a bunch of electronics up top of the window these days
 
a lot cars adding a bunch of electronics up top of the window these days

As you may recall, I live in a state that requires a yearly safety inspection sticker which is required to be applied directly behind the rear view mirror. The new vehicles with all the new electronics and sensors up there on the top center of the windshield is making it a real hassle for everyone, both motorists and inspection centers. The next state over has the same thing but this year they moved the inspection sticker to the lower left corner of the windshield because of new vehicle designs and features. Hopefully, they will do that here too but the gears turn very slowly with our legislature. :(
 
Yea I am not bragging about the computer crap on the truck, just thought it would be a good place to mount the camera. I bought bare bones SR and there is still too much stuff in the cab I will never use. How ever I just finished installing a anytime front camera. It works off the steering wheel controls already installed on the truck. I bought the box off of eBay and lots of guys on the Tacoma World forum installed them. Amazon is selling them also but are always out of stock
 
Yea I am not bragging about the computer crap on the truck, just thought it would be a good place to mount the camera. I bought bare bones SR and there is still too much stuff in the cab I will never use. How ever I just finished installing a anytime front camera. It works off the steering wheel controls already installed on the truck. I bought the box off of eBay and lots of guys on the Tacoma World forum installed them. Amazon is selling them also but are always out of stock

Yeah, you've got to get creative with dash cam installations, moreso with some vehicles than others though. If you haven't yet seen the "Where did you mount your camera? sub-forum it would be worth perusing. You may find some good solutions that are the same or similar to yours.
 
Hey thanks for that link, I will check it out for sure
 
Hey thanks for that link, I will check it out for sure

It's an almost six year old thread so there's lots & lots to go through. Maybe start with the most recent posts and work backwards because there's a better chance you'll find something more like your brand new Tacoma. I have to admit I haven't checked out that thread recently.
 
this year they moved the inspection sticker to the lower left corner of the windshield because of new vehicle designs and features. Hopefully, they will do that here too but the gears turn very slowly with our legislature
We moved ours onto the internet, I haven't had any stickers on my windscreen for years. Nice to be able to see through glass, that is sort of the point of glass!

Also means that you can't have a fake sticker, and the ANPR cameras in the police cars can spot an untested car from 1/4 mile away.
 
We moved ours onto the internet, I haven't had any stickers on my windscreen for years. Nice to be able to see through glass, that is sort of the point of glass!

Also means that you can't have a fake sticker, and the ANPR cameras in the police cars can spot an untested car from 1/4 mile away.

You can't have fake stickers here either as they are holographic and color coded. The police like them because they can spot them from a long way off and need no high technology to employ.

As for ANPR cameras, some municipalities do use them to locate certain criminals they are looking for but beyond that we prefer not to live in a full time surveillance/police state like the UK. ;)
 
You can't have fake stickers here either as they are holographic and color coded. The police like them because they can spot them from a long way off and need no high technology to employ.
we don't have stickers anymore either, the problem we did have when we had stickers wasn't fakes as such but rather people using stickers from some other vehicle to make it look like their vehicle was registered
 
we don't have stickers anymore either, the problem we did have when we had stickers wasn't fakes as such but rather people using stickers from some other vehicle to make it look like their vehicle was registered

We have separate (small) registration stickers that go on the plates each year or two. The inspection stickers here are designed so they can't easily be transferred to a different vehicle without ruining them. They are fairly complex and "high tech" as stickers go and "built" of more than one part including the hologram which is visible from quite a distance. We have a fairly harsh climate here periodically with ice storms, power outages and other hazards. I think the "low tech" aspect of using actual stickers means they will always function visually for the cops even when power or the internet is down as happens periodically around here. Just had a power outage the other day when some really intense thunderstorms and wind blew through the area.
 
We have separate (small) registration stickers that go on the plates each year or two. The inspection stickers here are designed so they can't easily be transferred to a different vehicle without ruining them. They are fairly complex and "high tech" as stickers go and "built" of more than one part including the hologram which is visible from quite a distance. We have a fairly harsh climate here periodically with ice storms, power outages and other hazards. I think the "low tech" aspect of using actual stickers means they will always function visually for the cops even when power or the internet is down as happens periodically around here. Just had a power outage the other day when some really intense thunderstorms and wind blew through the area.
yeah ours weren't easily removed either, the problem came from ones that had never been fitted, motorbikes, trailers, caravans etc used to have the same sticker that was inside a holder, people would steal the holder and then use the sticker on another vehicle, low tech crime
 
yeah ours weren't easily removed either, the problem came from ones that had never been fitted, motorbikes, trailers, caravans etc used to have the same sticker that was inside a holder, people would steal the holder and then use the sticker on another vehicle, low tech crime

Here in my state the whole inspection process is highly regulated and nobody would be able to get away with that kind of thing now. That's because the vehicle inspection "industry" around here was at one time like the wild west.

Way back when I was in college I drove an old beater four cylinder European Ford that would never be able to pass inspection. The tires were shot, the muffler had a big rusty hole in it and the lower ball joints were going. Oh, and I seem to recall that the shocks weren't too great either. When I mentioned my worries about getting my car to pass inspection to my elderly neighbor Alice she said, "Well then, it sounds like you need to go on down and visit Earl down at Fletcher's Garage". So I rolled into Fletcher's the next day and cut my engine so as to kill the loud noises coming from my muffler. This big friendly rotund guy in overalls with a three day beard comes waddling out of the garage and says "Well hello, what can I do for ya?" I told him I was there for an inspection. So he walks over to my car and kicks the front tire and says, "How's she runnin'? "Real good", I replied with a goofy smile. Then he said, "OK, I'll be right back". And he came back out of his filthy little office off to the side of the garage bays and slapped a new sticker on the glass. I paid him the fee, thanked him profusely and I was on my way. Turned out the sticker was actually real but he apparently was the guy you would go see when you know you're not gonna' pass the inspection. And he wasn't the only one doing this.

And then, sometime after that, I heard that the only kind of safety inspection Earl ever did on any vehicle regardless of the shape it was in was the "kick your front tire test", and he had apparently gotten busted for making up fake stickers too. (This was way before computers.) Fake inspection stickers were a cottage industry around here at one time.

So, now we have fancy holographic stickers and very strict regulations along with detailed reporting requirments for state licensed inspection mechanics.
 
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Unless there are bad people stealing/breaking it, put the sunscreen on the outside. Problem solved, all heat will be reflected in the atmosphere and the car + camera will be much better.
 
Unless there are bad people stealing/breaking it, put the sunscreen on the outside. Problem solved, all heat will be reflected in the atmosphere and the car + camera will be much better.

Interesting idea, but it would need some method to secure it so that it doesn't blow away in the wind. Neodymium magnets perhaps?
 
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