What do you make of this? Dashcam / main stealer test drive

[DaiRees]

I'm back in Volvo corner because I'm not really sure where else to post this. It's partly a "look at my dash cam footage" and partly a "what the dealer gets up to with your car" thread.

So anyway, I can't even remember whether I told you guys that I got a dashcam a few months ago. Following advice from this 'ere public meeting place I opted for the Mini 0801. This one in fact...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00F ... ge_o07_s00

Here it is:


Since I've had it, my fellow road users have been quite well behaved, lots and lots of poor driving as always but nothing worthy of being arsed to take the card out of the camera to view the footage. So after the car went into the garage last week I thought I'd have a look to see just what happens. Well the car ticked over in the workshop for 20 mins with no-one anywhere near it, and it was also parked up for huge chunks of time. I guess if the job sheet says that the warranty job should take an hour and a half, that how long it must take? I reckon actual work couldn't have taken more than 15 mins. Then he took it for a test drive...

rsggEEW084o

I've posted that particular clip partly to demonstrate the video quality, and partly because it caused a bit of a debate in hour house.

He's up around the 40 mph mark in 30 zones a couple of times on that short test drive. The wife says that he's not driving unsafely and he probably does that little loop several times a day so is very familiar with the road, but I reckon that if you're driving someone else's car you should at least have the courtesy to obey the law! For reference when I drove down the same piece of road at what I deemed to be a safe speed after picking the car up (without even considering viewing the videos) I topped out at 29 mph.

Not on a witch hunt or anything, I've no intention of escalating this, just interested in your opinions.

[steve_earwig]

I watched that with the volume off (t'wife's friend is here, blah blah blah) so I couldn't tell if he was thrashing the nuts off of it or spinning the wheels. I wouldn't let it worry me, if he indeed isn't thrashing it or in any other way doing something that could cause damage then the only risk is his license.

I have one of those 0801s, the picture is indeed nice (although the sticky pad isn't up to much as strong sunshine made it fall off my screen and I can't find anything that's strong enough to survive the Croatian summer). I know what you mean about not bothering to remove the card, when I first got it I was pulling it out all the time ( ) but due to the wide-angle lens the action looks like it happens miles away. The micro SD cards are fiddly too, you have to press it in to release it and I'm sure it'll end up springing out somewhere where I can't find it.

They do an 0803 now, wonder if they're any improvement.

[DaiRees]

No, no thrashing at all. Other than the speeding he was very good!

I looked at the 0803 but there were some negative reviews, can't remember why now. The general consensus seemed to be that it wasn't worth paying more for.

Is yours permanently wired in? Apparently you can get a wiring kit for a few quid but I haven't bothered, it's just plugged into the lighter via an extension that also has my phone charger plugged into it.

[steve_earwig]

I wanted to wire it in but no bugger would sell me one to Croatia, so I just thought "balls to you" and it's still plugged in the fag lighter.

[rwb]

I keep thinking of getting a camera, so it's good to get a recommendation and see a nice smooth video.
However, I can't read any of the number plates, for example on the green Fiesta.

The only bits that stuck out to me were: near the start on the downhill left hand bend with the parked cars on the left, this felt too fast compared to how far ahead I could see, although could it look different in reality compared to the camera? The other bit that felt a bit fast to me was at the end past the houses and parked cars and through the zebra crossing.

[DaiRees]

It must lose something in the upload to Youtube. It's definitely clearer on the original that on the Youtube video, I've just compared the two. On the original you can read that fiestas reg for several seconds when it's near the roundabout.

[Ares]

wow,its really good quality.

[Captain Jack]

Where does it get speed information from?

[steve_earwig]

GPS

[Captain Jack]

Cool - so all it needs it a power supply when the car is running?

[steve_earwig]

Yep, it's how it knows when to turn on & off too. I think it does actually have a small battery inside but I don't think it'll last very long.

[Rolebama]

I know it's not really an excuse, but I have had occasions when a customer has complained of a noise or a vibration at a certain speed, and when on a road with a relevant speed limit roadworks or congestion make it impossible to hit relevant speed, so I have taken advantage of empty roads to get up to speed.
In terms of garages taking the mick, there was a story a few years ago of a guy who interrogated his Audi after it being in a garage. It seems that it had done 130mph at 11.30 on the Saturday night because a young lad who worked there had 'borrowed' it for the weekend. The only reason the owner looked was because it had gone in with a full tank of petrol, but was nearly empty when he got it back. He was not impressed.

[Welly]

Looks well driven to me, courteous to others and held back when it was busy ahead.

Nice quality

I'm afraid if I got one it would capture MY bad driving

[DaiRees]

I know it's not really an excuse, but I have had occasions when a customer has complained of a noise or a vibration at a certain speed, and when on a road with a relevant speed limit roadworks or congestion make it impossible to hit relevant speed, so I have taken advantage of empty roads to get up to speed.

Good point, but in this instance the noise he'd fixed was only apparent when idling, so he couldn't have used that excuse.

Looks well driven to me, courteous to others and held back when it was busy ahead.

Nice quality

I'm afraid if I got one it would capture MY bad driving

As Rich said up there somewhere , he was a bit quick through the narrow residential street towards the end, and that bit near the start where it goes downhill round the blind right hander with the parked cars on the left could have been tricky if he'd met a bus or lorry coming the other way. But like I said it's not a witch hunt, there's certainly nothing there that I haven't done myself at sometime in the past. I also still think there's a moral issue of driving a customers' car illegally.

The camera really does make you think about your own driving, a kinda "if this were to go wrong would I be able to use the footage?" question running through your brain. If you're admitting to being a bit speedy you should get one! Also I believe some insurance companies are offering discounts. Hasn't stopped me singing along with the radio (badly) though, or swearing at other road users

[DaiRees]

One of my worst road rage incidents many years back happened when I was passed by a speeding taxi, on a right hand bend under a bridge and across cross hatchings when I was already doing the speed limit. I saw red and chased the twat, sometimes doubling the speed limit, flashing lights and generally being a twat myself until he pulled over, where we had a very heated exchange which nearly came to blows. Both stupid and dangerous!

These days I would just let the twat go then share the footage on social media . Safer and more effective!