I'm looking to get a dash cam for my mini after it got vandalized in the parking lot at work today. (Epoxy glue doesn't just accidentally fall all over a car, especially when you work in a call center where nobody has a need to be carrying around glue of any sort in the first place.)

Features I care about are things like being able to work off its own battery supply for a long period of time, have a good picture quality such that violators can be identified, and preferably with night-vision. I'm not looking for a camera that is super stealthy as maybe one that is a little more overt about it being there might hopefully deter the next potential vandal to move along.

 

I'm sorry to hear that someone decided to deface your baby :( They need to brush up on their Pulp Fiction knowledge...don't **** with another man's (or woman's) vehicle.

I did a little research while looking for dashcams myself and decided on the Vantrue R2. Picture quality is very good in both day and night and it's super easy to set up and leave there all the time. I don't use it, but it has a parking mode that gets activated with any sort of motion. Of course, the caveat is that the vandal has to be approaching the car from the front in order to trigger the motion sensor. I just have the dashcam wired to the cigarette lighter charger, but there are many people who have hardwired their dashcam into a fuse that is always on, so that they can utilize the dashcam while the car is off.



This is a pic of my car with the dashcam, it's pretty clearly visible from the front.

https://www.amazon.com/Vantrue-R2-Ca.../dp/B01CODX8ZY

 

Defacing is an understatement. I had to put paper towels under the wiper blades as they're all covered in glue also.


I have a question about that - isn't that a bit of a drain on the car battery? Oh I probably should have mentioned, I have a 2016 Cooper S (Gen 3) so no cigarette lighter charger, just USB - but I do see that camera you mentioned has USB as an option. *nods*

 

There is a factory system also. That records when there is an impact also automatically. 66212289726 front or Front & Rear 66212289725

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-things-2.html

 

Yeah I can imagine it does drain the battery, I have no idea if it is significant enough to possibly come back with a dead battery though. The dashcam I have came with the cigarette lighter charger, you don't have to have it already I'm sure there is a cigarette lighter plug in the F56s, there's no way MINI would get rid of something like that.

 

No. Seriously. There's literally no lighter plug or if there is, they've hidden it away with a cover or something to the extent such that I've been too busy having party mode with the MINI and my iPhone to the extent that I've never noticed it.

 

I recently got the Cobra CDR895D. It has a front and rear camera and records both feeds. It has a parking mode also.

I have it hard wired and haven't noticed any issues yet.

 

I have an R56 so I am not sure about 3rd gen and never noticed in the loaners I got. So you don't have this panel above the usb/aux jack?

 

I called the dealer. It's there, but that area is recessed in a lot more on the 2016 model such that it's not as obvious there's even an extra port above the usb and auxiliary ports.