Windscreen sunshades with dashcam?

[jyc93]

Is there anyone out there who is using windscreen sunshade with a dashcam? I'm planning to purchase a generic one and cut an opening for the dashcam so that it will not be cooking on top of the reflective material.

 

[jokiin]

Is there anyone out there who is using windscreen sunshade with a dashcam? I'm planning to purchase a generic one and cut an opening for the dashcam so that it will not be cooking on top of the reflective material.

be careful with the reflective types, they're great at reflecting all the heat back into the camera

 

[Mozzie]

I think it is just the cabin temp when the car is parked that will fry a lesser dash cam. This is how my Mini 0826 ended up:

 

[jokiin]

Cabin temps are enough but it can make things worse with those reflective shades

 

[Module 79L]

Is there anyone out there who is using windscreen sunshade with a dashcam?

I am. I use a reflective one but I put it on the outside. It's a win-win situation because not only you protect the camera from direct sunlight/radiation but you also avoid the windscreen getting hot and transferring the heat inside the car, which you can't do if you put the sunshade on the inside. I got an extra-long one and I keep it in place by securing the ends with the doors.

 

[moose26]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0761SS9M6

 

[OCD Tronic]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0761SS9M6View attachment 37321

The 100% external heat shield is a good option shown in the previous post.

We've had several customers contact us with failed dashcam products recently only to discover they have been using an internal reflective sun shade when they park.
The reflected amplified oven like condition created in the small space of the dashcam area of the windshield will destroy any electronics. (slowly/quickly)

This is a reminder that dashcam owners should not put up internal heat shields that surround their dashcam when parked. Can't have both unfortunately.

 

[StinkyCheese]

Probably not good but $100 dashcam vs $1k+ for a new dash is an easy choice for me. I also don't have a good reflective one, I'll be going back to the accordion style shortly. These fabric ones are poop. I probably exceed max operating temps quite often. Just a matter of time I guess.

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk

 

[jokiin]

the rest of the vehicle is generally well beyond its use by date by the time the dash needs replacing due to sun damage

 

[SawMaster]

the rest of the vehicle is generally well beyond its use by date by the time the dash needs replacing due to sun damage

Gosh Ric, my dash has no sun damage after being unprotected for 28 years in the hot southern US summers. Does this mean I need a new SG dashcam?

Cams like coolness and having air circulation around them. Give them that and they will be much happier- and so will you

Phil

 

[jokiin]

Gosh Ric, my dash has no sun damage after being unprotected for 28 years in the hot southern US summers.

plenty of 30+ year old cars here still with intact dashboards, BMW dashboards do seem to crack in 10 or so years, I think they're just not made for hot climates though

gets bad here in summer too

 

[StinkyCheese]

the rest of the vehicle is generally well beyond its use by date by the time the dash needs replacing due to sun damage

Unfortunately GM is known for cracking dashes and the Florida heat/sun doesn't help matters. Luckily the paint on my pickup is still in great shape, many vehicles half it's age around here driving around with sun damaged paint.

 

[jokiin]

Unfortunately GM is known for cracking dashes and the Florida heat/sun doesn't help matters. Luckily the paint on my pickup is still in great shape, many vehicles half it's age around here driving around with sun damaged paint.

unfortunately solvent based paints are no longer used on new cars and the water based paints don't hold up anywhere near as well

 

[StinkyCheese]

unfortunately solvent based paints are no longer used on new cars and the water based paints don't hold up anywhere near as well

Yeah that's what my neighbor keeps telling me. Cheap paint and vehicle manufacturers can blame the EPA for them saving money on good paint. He was a paint, body, and mechanic for 50+ years. His Jeep Willies truck is beautiful! I think he spent a few grand on the paint itself. Paint on it is immaculate.

 

[jokiin]

it's not about cost cutting, there's no money to be saved as such, (I worked in the smash repair industry previously) it's all about the environmentalists stepping in and getting solvent based paints restricted, the insurers are even on board with it here now and some insist on only water based paints being used on repairs, quality of repairs suffer, particularly if the vehicle was painted with a solvent based finish originally

I wouldn't use the water based stuff by choice, it just doesn't last, I guess with the disposable society we live in these days they don't take that into consideration

 

[country_hick]

1980's ford mustangs were vinyl covered foam had the drilled out speaker ports literally fall into the speaker cone while the rest of the dash looked good. Dodge is also well known to have its plastic dashes crack. I had a dodge ram with a badly cracked plastic dash when it was no more than 15 years old. The dashes rattling was bad enough that I took the broken dash parts out and left a gaping hole that was ugly but much quieter.

Ever since dashes went from pure painted metal to vinyl covered foam (for crash protection) and then to all plastic (for cost cutting?) car dashes have not been expected to last for 50 years or even 20 like they used to.

 

[country_hick]

the rest of the vehicle is generally well beyond its use by date by the time the dash needs replacing due to sun damage

If rust has not eaten the machine past structural integrity limits it should last forever. A simple engine rebuild, transmission rebuild, and new seats can keep a car on the road almost indefinitely if the body and frame are still structurally intact.

A man in Texas has a 1997 dodge ram 3500 with well over 1 million miles on it. He did end up rebuilding the diesel engine somewhere around 800,00 miles but mostly because he doubled the HP to tow trailers faster. I do not know why a car should be replaced instead of repaired when it is structurally sound.

I junked a 1986 chevy S-10 at around 64,000 miles because the frame was badly rotted and the cab also had rust holes. I put the entire running gear (engine, transmission, and rear axle) into a non-rusty 1985 S-10 body. Because the new engine had a computer but the 1985 had been carbureted the entire wiring harness had to be replaced from headlights to taillights. It took parts from about a dozen junk yard dogs to make one good S-10. I never did get it all one color. After painting the cab (just the cab) it took 3 days for the paint not to be sticky. I wanted to use it so my S-10 of many colors hit the road. A blue cab, yellow hood, a 2 tone grey fender, a black fender, a red bed, a grey door (not matching the fender) and a blue door (not matching the cab) made it very easy to find in a parking lot.

 

[jokiin]

unfortunately we get pushed out of older cars due to lack of parts to keep them going, moreso in cars built in the last 20 years where electronics come into it

 

[Nigel]

I wouldn't use the water based stuff by choice, it just doesn't last, I guess with the disposable society we live in these days they don't take that into consideration

I think nearly all original paint is water based these days due to regulations, and that seems to last better than some did 20 years ago, although that is probably more to do with the quality of the painting. For the top/clear coat, once the solvent (water or chemical) has evaporated you end up with the same stuff so there is no reason there would be much difference if painted properly. Of course if painting by hand, it does require a different skill to paint it since water evaporates significantly more slowly than previous solvents.

 

[country_hick]

I think nearly all original paint is water based these days due to regulations, and that seems to last better than some did 20 years ago, although that is probably more to do with the quality of the painting. For the top/clear coat, once the solvent (water or chemical) has evaporated you end up with the same stuff so there is no reason there would be much difference if painted properly. Of course if painting by hand, it does require a different skill to paint it since water evaporates significantly more slowly than previous solvents.

The difference is probably based on the worm hole size.

Although a few paints such as POR-15 chemically harden most paints lose the paints liquid through evaporation. The liquid whether solvent or water needs some kind of tunnel or worm hole to escape from the paint. These holes are microscopic. It could be that water creates bigger holes creating a weaker paint bond when water to evaporates from the paint compared to solvent and that is why water based paints do not last as long.