I may have missed it, but didn't see any threads here talking about Toyota's Integrated Dash Cam so I thought I'd add my experience. This is a copy of a post I made over at the Toyota Nation forum. The whole thread is here:
www.toyotanation.com
I've posted in various other threads, but after buying, installing and using Toyota's Integrated Dash Cam (PN PT949-08210) for a couple of months, I thought it'd be worth creating a new thread about my experience with it for anyone thinking about buying one. Basically, DON'T!
In summary:
The day as well as nighttime video quality is well below all of the aftermarket dash cams I've used over the years and probably most of those currently available for a lot less money. The image resolution is just plain lousy. Although it claims to be HD, it's grainy and you can barely read the license plate of a vehicle directly in front of you at a stoplight let alone any chance of reading one further away in any direction in case of a hit and run, etc. The camera lens isn't polarized so in normal sunlight it reflects the dash and is constantly trying to adjust for sun/shadow white balance with the image going completely blank at times in full sun. It tends to drop frames as well. See the video example below. I thought that it might be a defective unit but after viewing other YT videos I see that it's "normal". Wish I had done more research.
I've installed multiple dash cams in all of our vehicles for more than a decade. I repurposed the first one I ever bought back in 2013, a Mobius Mini Cam, as a rearview cam in the wife's RAV4 before we traded it in on the Venza. It was working fine and the image was far superior to the Toyota cam. I've installed other brands since then, but have had very good luck with VIOFO dash cams including the VIOFO A119 and A129 that I have in a couple of other vehicles. I guess I'm spoiled. They have all of the features that the Toyota dash cam boasts and more plus the audio is great and most importantly the image resolution is excellent. They've been very dependable and continue to get better. I have 128MB SD Cards in both so the files aren't overwritten right away like the 16MB card in the Toyota dash cam.
Toyota does not sell a CPL filter for their dash cam so I ended up adding this CPL filter from one of my old VIOFOs to the Toyota dash cam and it helped tone down the dash reflections and constant white balance adjustments. It didn't really fit of course, but I was able to use electrical tape on the top and bottom edges to hold it in place. I guess I'll superglue it on one of these days. Ultimately even with the filter the Toyota dash cam is still nowhere near as good as any of the other dash cams I've used.
Initially I set it up without the sound turned on but decided that I'd like to hear the sound quality a few weeks later. Followed the directions to turn the mic on to a tee and for whatever reason the mic is inoperative in the one I bought. I called the dealership where I purchased it and they said I'd need to bring the Venza in and leave it for the day so that the techs could verify that it's not working before they'd replace it. I told them that I installed it myself and they understood but said that to "take advantage of the one-year warranty" that they'd have to test it themselves. Never mind.
Live and learn, but it's a very disappointing $300 mistake (also requires additional dedicated wiring harness - PN PT949-48210). So with even with no sound I'm going to leave it in place until it quits or I get even more frustrated with it. I guess it'll help to show who's at fault if there's an accident in the meantime. However once it quits, and I'm betting it will, I'll replace it with a VIOFO dash cam or maybe something else if there's a better option at the time. Guess I should have known better.
Toyota sells two different models of the "Integrated Dash Cam" and I have the one for the 2nd Gen Venza that looks like this:
Screen capture comparisons:
This video is an example of how poor the Toyota Integrated Dash Cam video is:
This video is with the VIOFO CPL filter attached to the Toyota Integrated Dash Cam:
Hope this helps anyone that follows!
Toyota Integrated Dash Cam - Do NOT Buy!
I've posted in various other threads, but after buying, installing and using Toyota's Integrated Dash Cam (PN PT949-08210) for a couple of months, I thought it'd be worth creating a new thread about my experience with it for anyone thinking about buying one. Basically, DON'T!
In summary:
- Very poor video quality
- Difficult to get warranty support
- Problematic with larger capacity SD cards
- No CPL filter available
- Much larger than most
- Not "integrated" with anything
- Very expensive - $300+
The day as well as nighttime video quality is well below all of the aftermarket dash cams I've used over the years and probably most of those currently available for a lot less money. The image resolution is just plain lousy. Although it claims to be HD, it's grainy and you can barely read the license plate of a vehicle directly in front of you at a stoplight let alone any chance of reading one further away in any direction in case of a hit and run, etc. The camera lens isn't polarized so in normal sunlight it reflects the dash and is constantly trying to adjust for sun/shadow white balance with the image going completely blank at times in full sun. It tends to drop frames as well. See the video example below. I thought that it might be a defective unit but after viewing other YT videos I see that it's "normal". Wish I had done more research.
I've installed multiple dash cams in all of our vehicles for more than a decade. I repurposed the first one I ever bought back in 2013, a Mobius Mini Cam, as a rearview cam in the wife's RAV4 before we traded it in on the Venza. It was working fine and the image was far superior to the Toyota cam. I've installed other brands since then, but have had very good luck with VIOFO dash cams including the VIOFO A119 and A129 that I have in a couple of other vehicles. I guess I'm spoiled. They have all of the features that the Toyota dash cam boasts and more plus the audio is great and most importantly the image resolution is excellent. They've been very dependable and continue to get better. I have 128MB SD Cards in both so the files aren't overwritten right away like the 16MB card in the Toyota dash cam.
Toyota does not sell a CPL filter for their dash cam so I ended up adding this CPL filter from one of my old VIOFOs to the Toyota dash cam and it helped tone down the dash reflections and constant white balance adjustments. It didn't really fit of course, but I was able to use electrical tape on the top and bottom edges to hold it in place. I guess I'll superglue it on one of these days. Ultimately even with the filter the Toyota dash cam is still nowhere near as good as any of the other dash cams I've used.
Initially I set it up without the sound turned on but decided that I'd like to hear the sound quality a few weeks later. Followed the directions to turn the mic on to a tee and for whatever reason the mic is inoperative in the one I bought. I called the dealership where I purchased it and they said I'd need to bring the Venza in and leave it for the day so that the techs could verify that it's not working before they'd replace it. I told them that I installed it myself and they understood but said that to "take advantage of the one-year warranty" that they'd have to test it themselves. Never mind.
Live and learn, but it's a very disappointing $300 mistake (also requires additional dedicated wiring harness - PN PT949-48210). So with even with no sound I'm going to leave it in place until it quits or I get even more frustrated with it. I guess it'll help to show who's at fault if there's an accident in the meantime. However once it quits, and I'm betting it will, I'll replace it with a VIOFO dash cam or maybe something else if there's a better option at the time. Guess I should have known better.
Toyota sells two different models of the "Integrated Dash Cam" and I have the one for the 2nd Gen Venza that looks like this:
Screen capture comparisons:
This video is an example of how poor the Toyota Integrated Dash Cam video is:
This video is with the VIOFO CPL filter attached to the Toyota Integrated Dash Cam:
Hope this helps anyone that follows!
Last edited:
DON'T!! There's a very real possibility the outgassing from the super glue will do bad things to the lens coatings.
