XC40 and Dashcam
 

As far as I can tell the XC40 does not have a dashcam option (why not?). What dashcams have people successfully installed?

Well, not much activity on this forum. Perhaps it will pick up later.
I am going to see a sales rep in a few days time, so I will be asking him about the dashcam question. Are there any points people would like to prime me with?

There is an option by volvo UK , dealer fitted not factory, an accessory , It was launched about 2 years ago ..

It was overly priced and bulky and is now withdrawn from sale apparently.

Head on over to the SPA platform site. The one that covers current 60 and 90 series. There you will find quite a bit of discussion about fitting dash cams in recent days. You could then bring that discussion to this section as the number of owners here builds up.

Just a thought.

Well, I now have a better understanding of XC40s and dashcams. I needed to investigate as some rather alarmist comments on the subject can be found online.

Firstly, the XC40 has a radar scanner housed in the centre top of the windscreen. The operation of this device must not be interfered with and to this end Volvo define an area of the windscreen extending below and to the sides of this scanner where absolutely nothing may be attached to the windscreen. The area in question is shown in a diagram in the XC40 users handbook, available online. As a result, it seems Volvo are unwilling to give advice to members of the public about fitment of dashcams to the XC40 (other than don't do it), presumably on the basis that some ignorant customer is bound to get it wrong.

However, and secondly, some dealers seem perfectly happy to fit a dashcam for you. This presumably would go tight in to the side of the unit but against the top of the windscreen, well out of the way of the scanner. I suspect the best type would be one of those cylindrical ones that fit close in to the glass, rather than those types that sit on a stalk, down from the fitting and well out from the glass.

I will investigate further in due course.

As suggested earlier look on the SPA part of the forum.

I have a V90 so have
all the scanners etc. I fitted a Thinkware 770 front and rear and have had no problems whatsoever. My front camera doesn't have a screen and fits just to the left of the scanner, fairly high up just within the sweep of the wipers. From the driving seat it is almost completely hidden by the rear view mirror. The rear camera is sited up high, again just within the sweep of the wiper. Hiding the wiring was a bit of a faff but worth the effort.

Thanks. Yes there is lots of dashcam discussion on the SPA forum. It is good to know that people have visited the subject before me. A lot of it is starting to get a bit old now. While that is not questioning its relevance, hopefully this forum can host some completely up-to-date (as of date of writing) and specific to the XC40, although I anticipate that some general comments will be unavoidable. I expect to contribute further.

This is a general comment that I have not seen elsewhere.

Given that I hardly ever look at the videos stored on a dashcam, the SD card does not have to be so readily accessible as to be within reach of the front seat passenger. I am also interested in a minimum size installation of the dash cam on the windscreen.

One idea that arises is to use a small camera-only unit on the windscreen with a circuit racing type of recording box located elsewhere. However, and it is a big however, such equipment seems to be expensive.

Another idea, and one that seems viable, is to use a 2-channel dashcam such as the Blackvue DR750S in the following manner. Apparently, the two cameras have the same resolution and angle of view (that would really need checking specifically). Why not swap them round and use the smaller rear camera in the front of the car, and the larger front camera with recording facility in the rear? Is there any downside to this?

I considered the option of fitting the larger camera in the rear but discounted it for several reasons 1) the larger camera 100mm(w) x 60mm(h) x 40 tapering to30mm(d) is almost totally hidden by the rear view mirror, 2) if fitted to the tailgate 2 wires,power and data would have to be run, 3) If a Blackvue is similar to a Thinkware you are prompted to re-format the memory card every 2 weeks to preserve card integrity by pressing a button for several seconds and 4) you wouldn't be able to capture events elsewhere ie those not involving an impact with your car.


Frank :regular_smile:

...Hmmm. They are certainly points for consideratioin.