Where did you mount the camera? Post your pictures

[c4rc4m]

I drive a Honda and the dots on mine appear to be on the inner surface. Just shows how cars are different.

The UK rules actually apply to any obstruction on the windscreen, whether that be a suction or adhesive mounted dashcam or satnav, mobile phone holder, air freshener, sticker etc.
See section 8 of the MOT Inspection Manual : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mot-inspection-manual-for-class-3-4-5-and-7-vehicles

You could probably mount something such as a Mobius at the very edge of the drivers side as I see you're allowed up to 4cm intrusion into the wiped area and there's usually a few cm at the side of the window that doesn't get wiped..

Failing that, a clip mount onto the drivers sun visor might work whilst it's in the up position, as then it's not on the screen at all.

 

[flip9]

In Australia (NSW) you can cover the top 10% of the windscreen opaque so im looking at getting an exterior vinyl sun strip or sun band as they call it.

I could tint from the inside but that means i gotta take off all the stuff thats already stuck on.

 

[TonyM]

I drive a Honda and the dots on mine appear to be on the inner surface. Just shows how cars are different.



You could probably mount something such as a Mobius at the very edge of the drivers side as I see you're allowed up to 4cm intrusion into the wiped area and there's usually a few cm at the side of the window that doesn't get wiped..

Failing that, a clip mount onto the drivers sun visor might work whilst it's in the up position, as then it's not on the screen at all.

This is where I recently put my Mobius 1 and Mobius 2 tucked in behind the rear view mirror. They don't intrude much beyond the black dot shaded area.


This is close to the view from the driver's seat:

 

[Richard Ayrton]

You may find issues with mounting the camera onto either vinyl or the dotted area. Suction mounts don't tend to stick well to the dots (I believe they probably let air under the mount), and whereas an adhesive mount will work, if you come to remove it, there's a risk of removing the dotted area as well, which could make for an expensive repair or hit when selling your car.

A suction mount onto vinyl may also be problematic as I found they don't suction well. As for an adhesive mount, the issue then may become whether the vinyl's adhesive is strong enough to carry the weight of the camera as it's that and not the mount that's holding it to the screen.

What I did with my GoPro was use black vinyl on the housing itself to matt it down and make it merge into the interior behind the smoked windscreen. The Go Pro as standard has a clear housing that stands out a mile, especially with a silver camera in it like this (stock photo from google - usually only have 1 cable!). Many dedicated dash cams have white writing or logos on the front and so could benefit from matting down to matt black:

What I did with mine was apply some black vinyl adhesive sunshade material from ebay:

I can't remember exactly how I did it, but I'm pretty sure I stretched it as best as I could, used a craft knife to make corner cuts where necessary and then used a hair dryer to stretch it tighter. Overall, I thought the result was good and it's now very discreet in the car:

PS these days the GoPro is usually my backup camera. It's only in use because I dropped and broke the lens on my Mobius.

Good point about mounting a camera on vinyl. Will think this one through!

 

[TonyM]

Update to my Mobius 1 mounting position, now using a lower profile helmet mount:

 

[Blackdog]

Mounting in vinyl might not work for everyone. At the most basic level all it has to do is have the adhesive that sticks it to the window to be strong enough to hold the weight of the cam, and these camera's weigh very little, so on that basis I don't see a problem.

However, if there is more pressure on the vinyl than just the weight (perhaps the curve in the glass causes the mount to pull away) then that could result in the vinyl coming unstuck to the window.

When I did my tests with the little black squares (just visible in one of my pictures) I stuck a cable tidy to the vinyl and after a few days to cure I tried to pull it off, to see if it would come off the vinyl, or if the vinyl would come off the glass. Neither happened. Ok, if i had pulled hard enough something would've given, but I easily pulled harder than the force of the camera on it.

As I said, time will tell, and in my opinion it gives the best "oem" look as long as there are no air bubbles.

I don't know how heat would affect it. Would a hot climate keep the adhesive from curing properly and allow it to come off easier? I'm in the UK and its been fine even though we've had some roasting hot weather recently.

It is a lot of effort to get the template right, so some people might not feel its worth it, but in my opinion it is worth doing as it really is a nice finish. If it later fails, then it would be back to the drawing board.

If mine does fail, then I will report back.

 

[country_hick]

It would be possible to cut a square hole in the vinyl the exact size of the mounting pad for the dash cam. It would require making a good template followed by precise cutting and dash cam placement. Done right you would almost have a perfect blended visual match with black adhesive next to black dots.

 

[Blackdog]

Not a bad idea but i'd need to see it done before I would be convinced. I'm not sure you would get the mounts sticky pad perfect on the screen with no air bubbles and it might stand out, but in theory it does remove the possible problem of the vinyl lifting.

 

[Feitelijk]

 

[Kip]

Finally got round to snapping some pic's of my JooVuu X mounted in the car. Just ignore that black square of dual-lock, it's from my old camera (broken + returned) and isn't used for anything now.

 

[Rajagra]

Just ignore that black square of dual-lock, it's from my old camera (broken + returned) and isn't used for anything now.

Careful now. That sort of thing can lead to confusion.

Sent from my tap-to-talk using Tapatalk

 

[DavidUK]

@Kip @TonyM - have you taken your car through an MOT test since fitting the cam? What did they say?

They look like they'd both encroach more than 4cm into the swept area of the screen?

 

[Kip]

@DavidUK Funny you should ask, my car is booked in for its MOT in the next few days. I know the owner of the garage has a dashcam fitted to their car, so I will ask prior to handing the key over if it's okay as it is, or if it needs to be removed. I don't really care either way, only the lens is visible below the mirror from my normal driving position and it in no way affects my view of anything. If they have a problem, I can easily unscrew the ball joint and what's left will be behind the mirror entirely. If they still have a problem (I doubt it) I'll make sure to take some string with me and saw the mount off, I need to re-stick it with black tape anyway. I'll report back when it's done.

 

[DavidUK]

But surely re-fitting it would make the car unroadworthy 365 days a year? Same as if I fitted 4 bald tyres after an MOT pass.

In an accident, the very device which is there to save you could work against you as the other side, or your own insurers, say it makes the car illegal.

There's a point... How many have advised their insurance company of this "modification", i.e. fitting a dash cam. They may well agree, but what if you then fit it to your car in a position which would cause it to fail an MOT? Back to the bald tyres scenario...

Plus... your MOT tester will have to complete an Advisory Notice if you turn up with it fitted and then it's removed at the testing station. So you know it's illegal but still re-fit it.

 

[Kip]

Having a small dashcam slightly visible from the drivers seat is not quite in the same league as fitting four bald tyres. Plus, an MOT only proves your vehicle is safe and legal at that moment it is tested. Once out of the garage, a bulb could blow, and now your car is unroadworthy. Plod is not going to accuse the MOT tester of missing a bulb, nor will they accuse them of missing a dashcam that was reinstalled post-MOT which may or may not be seen as an obstruction of view. People do this all the time with air fresheners and fluffy dice, how many actually get prosecuted for it, I wonder?

On modifications... Some insurers will argue that if you fit a different brand of tyre, you now have a modified vehicle, which we all know is a great and deadly sin for which you must be punished. Dashcams are like satnavs, they are accessories, even when stuck with adhesive mounts rather than suction cups, they are always accessories and any insurance company who believes otherwise will not get my business. Tyres, wipers, bulbs, etc, are all consumables and providing everything fitted is legal, insurance companies need to learn to shut their cake holes and stop crying "modified" at anything they don't like.

Technology is changing faster than the legal people can keep up with, some good ol' common sense is all that's really needed.

 

[TonyM]

@Kip @TonyM - have you taken your car through an MOT test since fitting the cam? What did they say?

They look like they'd both encroach more than 4cm into the swept area of the screen?

I've had the M1 installed on the passenger side of the rear view mirror for the last three years of MOTs without any issue. On the first occasion I played back the video later to watch what happened - ended up with a recording of the tester sat in my car having a private phone call with the police . I deleted the file straight away.

I've not had an MOT since installing the camera on the driver's side. From where I sit I can only see half of the camera sticking out beyond the mirror, so it's barely noticeable.

See this extract from the government guidelines for MOT testers:
Whilst sitting in the driver's seat and, referring to the diagram on the previous page, examine the driver's view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen.
Reasons for rejection:
1. In Zone ‘A’:
a. damage not contained within a 10mm diameter circle, or
b. a windscreen sticker or other obstruction encroaching more than 10mm
c. a combination of minor damage areas which seriously restricts the driver’s view
In the remainder of the swept area:
d. damage not contained within a 40mm diameter circle, or
e. a windscreen sticker or other obstruction encroaching more than 40mm

 

[Kip]

Just to update, I took the car in for its MOT today. Spoke to one of the guys about my camera before giving them the key, he came out, mumbled something about obscuring the view, had a look, said it would be fine. I told him I'd leave it unplugged (at the cig. socket end so there wouldn't be any loose wire by the mirror) so they needn't worry about privacy, etc and that was that. Car passed with camera mounted as above in my photos.

I did some Google'ing and I'd like to share something I learned, the special notice 2-2014 that was published in March 2014 , it states:

"Item 3: View to the Front
To clear up some confusion when considering ‘view to the front’, from receipt of this special notice you should consider the following before failing for damage or obstruction within the swept area of the windscreen.
From the driver’s seat, check the view of the road through the swept area of the windscreen. Only fail the vehicle if there is damage or an obstruction -
 in zone A, greater than a 10mm diameter circle and which materially affects the driver’s view of the road.
 in the remainder of the swept area, greater than a 40mm diameter circle and which materially affects the driver’s view of the road.

Note: Where any damage or obstruction does not impair the driver’s view of the road, the vehicle should pass. If it only affects the driver’s view of the sky or the bonnet then this is not to be considered a reason for rejection. This is a general assessment of driver’s view – you are not required to speculate on the effects on tall or short drivers. Any manufacturer’s original design characteristics are to be accepted."

Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ata/file/288417/mot-special-notice-2-2014.pdf

Since my camera is high enough up, it only blocks out a tiny amount of the sky and nothing of the road, so, even if it is bigger than a 40mm circle, it has no effect on roadworthyness.

 

[SawMaster]

@ Kip

Thanks for the report and letting folks know what to refer to if they have problem with their MOT. You have undoubtedly saved someone somewhere from grief- well done!

Phil

 

[Module 79L]

LOL, last year I took the car in for the annual inspection with the G1W-H on the left side of the RVM, right in front of the inspector's eyes, this year with the AT11DA in the same place, but hanging a little lower due to the camera's shape, and they didn't even asked what that was on both occasions!

 

[Tonymm]

My wife just bought a Subaru Crosstrek with the EyeSight system. Nice car....BUT....
...Because of the EyeSight system which has one camera on the left of the rear mirror and another camera on its right, I cannot mount the dashcam behind or near the rear mirror :-( I have mounted the dashcam now on the right side of the windscreen so that it does not block the use of the two EyeSight cameras.

And now I just figured out that the right windscreen wiper on the Subaru Crosstrek do not clean up to the top on the right side so that when it is raining the dashcam is not delivering clear pictures of course!

Now I will most probably be obliged to put the dashcam somewhere else. And as I don't want to have it in the front of me (of my wife driving) I will have to place it on the dashboard.

Is it ok or is it a no-go?

What do you think?