You're right about the exposure, but angled down more the camera tends to pick up reflections from the dash. I'll be experimenting with various angles and hopefully find a good compromise. Might even try adding something to block the reflections.

pab wrote:

using a take-off socket which you plug in to the fusebox and which provides you with a fused supply. (This saves wiring actually in to the fusebox.) Just connect a socket to the supply, tuck away all the wiring, and there you are. Finding an earthing point can be the hardest part, but there are a few bolts you can use if you have the right tools to loosen them.

Can you elaborate a bit more - piccies (?) on how to do this for a non-tecky? * GONE. GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* GONE.2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Rocket ship. 33mpg.
* Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

When I originally did this a few months ago it was for a satnav, and I basically just followed instructions from other posts on here. Thus, I didn't bother to take photos or keep detailed notes, sorry. I can describe what I did, though, and point you to other sources of information.

This thread is a good place to start:
http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic7797.html
There's lots of useful information, including which fuses you may be able to use.

The basic idea is as follows. There is a fusebox in the passenger footwell in which there are some unused fuses which are switched with the ignition. These provide an ideal source for a supply, as the fusebox is right where you need it. In principle you simply get a cigarette lighter socket and connect it to the fusebox supply. Simple! And in practice it is pretty simple so long as you're careful.

First job is to remove the glovebox. The damper can be disconnected by using a lever you'll find along the rear top edge of the glovebox itself. Then press in the rubber stops at each side and ease the glovebox forwards to disengage it from the tracks the rubber stops run in. Then pull it forward and the bottom and it should just pop out. It's easier than I've made it sound, and fairly obvious when you're actually looking at it.

You should now be able to see the fusebox, so remove its cover. Fortunately we don't have to go to the trouble of wiring 'properly' into the fusebox - we can use a special fuse tap which just plugs in. I got one from eBay - I think from this supplier, but I'm not sure:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Add-A-Circuit-Fu...0735820543
This just plugs in to an existing socket in the fuse box - and doesn't even stop you using the original circuit too if you want. I don't recall which fuse I actually used, but there's guidance in the thread referenced above. Note, by the way, that there are two sizes of these holders - you want the mini.

Next you need a lighter socket. I used one intended for motorcycle use, as it had plenty of cable length to play with, allowing me to locate it where I liked. I'm not sure if this is exactly the same one, but it was something like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-12V-Power-Ou...0907432889

The read lead connects to your new fusebox take-off, and the black lead needs to be earthed to a suitable point on the car. There are a few bolts around if you have the correct tool to unfasten them, or you could tap in to an existing earth for the audio system or similar. (N.B. Cut off the supplied connectors as necessary.)

Then just fasten the socket somewhere appropriate and out of the way using zip ties or similar, and job done. (Apart from putting the glovebox back in, which can be a bit fiddly!)

If in doubt it would only be a 20-minute job for an auto electrician, and most of that would be getting the glovebox out and working out which are the spare fuses!

Thank you. Very kind  * GONE. GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* GONE.2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Rocket ship. 33mpg.
* Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

The road hawk kit has a good reputation, so you should be OK with that. A bit more than I wanted to spend, though.

Meanwhile, I'm having a bit of a problem with reflections from the top of the dash due to the angle of the windscreen. Anyone found an answer to this?

The problem isn't light directly on the camera, it's light on the dash reflecting in the screen and being picked up by the camera. So fortunately a visor wouldn't help. (Fortunately because they look awful! )

Some kind of lens hood may be the best option, but whether I can make one which looks reasonable is another matter!

Did you never watch 'Blue Peter' and what could be done with a toilet roll inner

Indeed, but I also remember that the results always looked a right mess.

But my thoughts are turning to some matt black card and a Stanley knife!

Lid off a pop bottle, spray it black

Pab
You'll have to stop playing back the video once you have the camera setup.
Mine does the same with the vents reflecting in the windscreen and occasionally you get to see a faint outline of the dash mounted speaker surround.
Once I had the camera setup correctly I stopped taking the card out to play back the video. Once a month I'll format the SD card and check on the video quality then put it back and forget it's there for another month.

Yes, you're right. It's just that it would be good to be able to save 'special' clips (over the passes in the lakes, or whatever) without them being spoiled by reflections. And the lens hood idea isn't going to work - the angle of the screen is too steep, the hood would have to be huge. Guess I'll just live with it!

Deuteronomiser wrote:

... 'polarising filter' ...

Good idea! I'll look in to that. Thanks.

As for insurers, as far as I'm concerned a camera isn't a modification to the car, just something stuck on the screen, like a satnav. So I won't be mentioning it. But don't take that as advice, just information

I also would not mention it to the insurance company about the camera, its getting silly now, they say you are supposed to mention that you have Winter Tyres fitted, why, if you have a new vehicle from the factory with nice shiney Continentals fitted, do you after 30k tell them that you've just replaced them with some cheap Chinese £60 a corner tyres, no. Do you when you've just replaced the Front Pads with some Eicher ones from Eurocarparts instead of the Genuine LR ones do you tell the insurance company............................ They make enough out of you, are they really going to through out a claim because you had a Camera or TomTom stuck on the screen, or Winter Tyres when you were hit by someone in the snow,

Unlikely to get a discount for having something fitted. More likely to get hit with a higher premium for NOT having it fitted.  garioch43

2009 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE - Santorini Black/Black Leather
2002 MGF 1.8i - British Racing Green/Cream Leather with loads of walnut and chrome bits

When it comes to 'blame' the insurance companies don't seem to care. Maybe they think that some in some cases things will work for them, and in some against, so why bother.

Even when you send them 'proof' they don't seem to take any notice. A couple of years ago (when I still had the Forester) an old boy in a Ssanyong Rexton decided to make a U-turn as I was driving past where he was parked. He claimed that he was already manoeuvring when I came along 'at speed' and went in to the side of him! I provided my insurers with photographs of my car showing the impact point just ahead of the rear wheel, photographs of his car showing the damage to his front bumper, and various garage reports and invoices showing repairs to the rear of my car only. Given all that you'd think 'his' insurers would simply have settled the case, but no. Worse, as far as I can tell the evidence was never even presented to his insurers by mine!

So, we ended up (a year later!) in court, where a judge had to do the insurers' jobs for them! And even then it nearly went wrong, because my insurers had taken the high-res colour photographs I'd presented them with and turned them into black-and-white photocopies which were all but useless - the damage was almost completely lost in a sea of black toner! Fortunately I'd seen fit to take a set of originals in with me.

The whole insurance 'industry' needs a huge kick up the ****!


Specifically on car cameras, there's also the point that the camera can work both ways - it can show 'you' to have been at fault rather than 'him'. Naturally if that were obviously the case the camera would unfortunately have been out of action at the time of the accident But it's not always so clear cut - if, say, your camera has GPS and shows that you were exceeding the speed limit then you will almost certainly get a share of the blame even if the cause was clearly shown to be someone else's mistake! I think, overall, that I'm happy that I went for a camera without GPS.