# Did anyone else buy the Lidl dashcam...?



## Davey P

Good old Lidl have done it again, and are selling a dashcam for £34.99 this week :yahoo: I couldn't resist picking one up, just to see what it would be like, and was wondering if anyone else on here did the same, and if so, what did you think of it?

I haven't had a chance to try mine out yet, the power cable was too short to route where I wanted it to go, so I had to order an extension, and I also ordered a 32Gb micro SD card at the same time, so hopefully they will arrive in the next day or two. I will post up a little review on here after I've had a chance to play with it properly. First impressions are good, the camera is a lot heavier than I'd expected, and feels really solidly built. The spec is quite basic compared to the Garmin dashcam I bought Ruthie for Christmas, so no fancy GPS functions for speed/location, or "safety features" like lane assist, collision avoidance, etc (they all got turned off on the Garmin anyway, because it was too annoying! :laughing2dw: ). Lidl's version is literally a simple camera that switches on when you start the car, and switches off when you turn off the ignition, which is just what I wanted. It's got a time and date stamp, and a G-sensor to stop the files being over-written after an impact, but that's about all as far as I can see. The other main difference is the Garmin costs 4 times more :whistling:

I'm taking the view that even if it's rubbish (I don't think it will be) I could still use it as a rear facing camera, and eventually get a better one for the front - Result! :tongue:

Here are a couple of pics:





More to follow when I get the cable and card sorted out, and I've had a chance to play with it properly :thumbs_up:


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## Davey P

Just thought I'd update this thread for anyone who's interested. I've fitted the dash cam properly now, using an extension cable for the power (3 quid from ebay), and I had to go into Peterborough hospital this morning, so it gave me a chance to test out the video quality. I've got to say, it is bloody brilliant, and much better than I was expecting :yahoo:

The video clips are split into 10 minute segments, and I took just under an hours worth in total, which used up 5.3Gb from the 32Gb card, so it should be good for around 6 hours filming before it starts looping the recording and overwriting the existing files. It's doing exactly what I wanted, starting recording when the ignition is on, and switching itself off when the car is stopped, nice and simple - just like me :laughing2dw: The only additional information on each clip is a date and time stamp, there are no GPS co-ordinates or any other fancy features, which is fine for me.

Video quality was perfect, apart from when looking directly at the sun, when the picture went a bit dark. I need to experiment with this, because there are various settings for brightness / white balance etc that might compensate for this. Most of the time it was fine though, and the picture was lovely and clear. In fact, I recently bought a windscreen mount for my GoPro, just to see what that would be like (as you do...), and I'd say the picture quality on my dash cam was more or less as good - Apart from the bright sunlight situation, where the GoPro automatically compensates a bit better, as you might expect. I checked the picture quality of the dash cam footage on my laptop by stopping the video, and vehicle number plates were clearly readable (something that is not always the case on cheap dash cams, from what I have read on t'internet reviews...).

The sound quality was good as well, it picked up me and Ruthie's conversation perfectly, and even things like indicators clicking and reversing sensors beeping were clear as a bell.

The only negative thing I can think of so far is the buttons on the unit are not very clear, and a bit fiddly, so if any changes to the camera settings are required it would be best done out of the car and plugged into a computer or mains adaptor. Not a problem for me though, I just want it to be a basic camera that stays in the car and records my journeys without even thinking about it, and I'd say it has already achieved that with great success. I won't be removing it from the windscreen unless my car is parked somewhere dodgy (very rare), and I won't be removing the memory card unless I need to download the footage. It is literally a set-and-forget unit, and I'm really happy with it so far.

I'll take a few pics of the installed unit and post them on here later if I get time. I've got to say, it looks like a good solid unit, and I think for 35 quid it has surely got to be a bargain.

Any comments or questions welcome, as always :thumbsup:


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## wrenny1969

Can you stick it on your ski helmet?


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## Davey P

wrenny1969 said:


> Can you stick it on your ski helmet?


 No, that place is reserved for the mighty GoPro... :laughing2dw:

On a related note though, I think the battery life is only a few minutes anyway. The unit is designed to be used while plugged into a 12V power supply, either using the supplied cigar lighter, or hard wired into the car's fuse box on a supply that switches on and off with the ignition. It's not like a sat nav, where you can used a fully charged unit for an hour or two, it's not designed to be used like that. It can take photos as well, so presumably if you had an accident it would be possible to unplug the camera and take a few photos of the crash scene (in the unlikely event that there's no mobile phone available, obviously).

I will update this thread as and when I discover more, but so far I'm really happy with it. I forgot to mention, Lidl have included a 3 year warranty as well, so if it goes belly-up in that time I can just get my money back :biggrin:


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## richy176

@Davey P that sounds really good - wish I had bought one now :bash:


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## Karrusel

I agree with Davey, great little device for not a lot of money.

Also as Davey mentions, bright sunlight (particularly on the forward facing camera) can be an issue, but go into settings & adjust...





































One of the heir hunters purchased this for me as a gift, £35 of tinternet IIRC. They were worried about me when rent/debt collecting ?

:biggrin:


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## Davey P

As mentioned previously, I've taken a few photos of the installed dash cam, just for information. The first one shows the camera mounted on the windscreen, behind the rear view mirror (sorry, it's not a great pic, thanks to the bright sunlight behind...):



This is the view from my driving position, so you can see just a tiny part of the mounting bracket is visible, and the rest is hidden behind the mirror:



This one shows the join from the power cable to the extension cable:



I will eventually get this part tidied up by a mechanic friend of mine, with a soldered joint that can be hidden properly behind the door seal.

The last one shows the power supply, which again will be tidied up by hard-wiring it into the fuse box when my mate gets time to sort it out  :



I'm pretty pleased with it so far, the extension power cable is routed from the camera into the windscreen seal, and runs down the left pillar inside the trim panel, to the dashboard where it is joined. Then the cable runs behind the trim panel under the glove box, and is plugged into the cigar lighter socket, so the cable is only seen in a couple of places at the moment, which I'm happy with. I will probably need some sort of edge clips or cable ties to stop the wire under the glove box dropping down into the passenger foot well, because it's just tucked in at the moment. I don't think this installation took more than about 10 mins from start to finish.

Looking at the photos I think my next job better be to give the car a good clean inside :laughing2dw:


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## Malachy Treanor

Davey P said:


> As mentioned previously, I've taken a few photos of the installed dash cam, just for information. The first one shows the camera mounted on the windscreen, behind the rear view mirror (sorry, it's not a great pic, thanks to the bright sunlight behind...):
> 
> 
> 
> This is the view from my driving position, so you can see just a tiny part of the mounting bracket is visible, and the rest is hidden behind the mirror:
> 
> 
> 
> This one shows the join from the power cable to the extension cable:
> 
> 
> 
> I will eventually get this part tidied up by a mechanic friend of mine, with a soldered joint that can be hidden properly behind the door seal.
> 
> The last one shows the power supply, which again will be tidied up by hard-wiring it into the fuse box when my mate gets time to sort it out  :
> 
> 
> 
> I'm pretty pleased with it so far, the extension power cable is routed from the camera into the windscreen seal, and runs down the left pillar inside the trim panel, to the dashboard where it is joined. Then the cable runs behind the trim panel under the glove box, and is plugged into the cigar lighter socket, so the cable is only seen in a couple of places at the moment, which I'm happy with. I will probably need some sort of edge clips or cable ties to stop the wire under the glove box dropping down into the passenger foot well, because it's just tucked in at the moment. I don't think this installation took more than about 10 mins from start to finish.
> 
> Looking at the photos I think my next job better be to give the car a good clean inside :laughing2dw:


 Hi Davey P, just wanted to know where you got the extension lead for the Lidl dash cam, I looked on Ebay but couldn't find a suitable one.

Mal


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## Davey P

Malachy Treanor said:


> Hi Davey P, just wanted to know where you got the extension lead for the Lidl dash cam, I looked on Ebay but couldn't find a suitable one.


 It is eBay item number: 232057280219, direct link here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5M-5ft-Mini-USB-B-Type-5pin-Male-to-Mini-USB-Female-M-F-USB2-0-Extension-Cable/232057280219?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

In my photos, the right-angle part is from the power cable, as supplied on the dash cam, and the straight part is the ebay extension, which goes into the back of the camera. It's not ideal positioning, because the connectors are too big to hide behind that part of the trim, but to be honest I don't really notice it now anyway. Same with the power end, it's not really noticeable, and there is a 2nd power socket in front of the centre console for my sat nav, so I probably won't even bother getting my mate to hard wire the camera into the car.

I haven't got round to sorting out the brightness issues yet. I think it just needs turning up a bit to allow for direct bright sunlight, and I need to experiment to work out what is the best setting. Other than that, I think it's brilliant, and definitely a worthwhile little investment :thumbsup:


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## MrF-UK82

Do these dash cams reduce your car/van insurance by much?


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## Malachy Treanor

Thanks for the info Davey P


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## Davey P

MrF-UK82 said:


> Do these dash cams reduce your car/van insurance by much?


 Depends on your insurance policy, but in my case, no.



Malachy Treanor said:


> Thanks for the info Davey P


 No problemo mate :thumbsup:


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## MrF-UK82

Davey P said:


> Depends on your insurance policy, but in my case, no.
> 
> No problemo mate :thumbsup:


 I have had a couple of near misses recently, so have considered one for a little while. I think the average ago of drivers where I live is about 90... And they have absolutely no awareness of anyone else around them on the roads!


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## Davey P

MrF-UK82 said:


> I have had a couple of near misses recently, so have considered one for a little while.


 Definitely worth getting one mate, even if it's just a cheapie like mine. I'm a pretty careful driver, but there are plenty of absolute maniacs on the road, so anything you can do to gather evidence has got to be a good thing.

Just out of interest, I am currently uploading a sample video to Flickr at the moment. When it's finished I'll post it on here so people can see what the picture quality is like.


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## MrF-UK82

Davey P said:


> Definitely worth getting one mate, even if it's just a cheapie like mine. I'm a pretty careful driver, but there are plenty of absolute maniacs on the road, so anything you can do to gather evidence has got to be a good thing.
> 
> Just out of interest, I am currently uploading a sample video to Flickr at the moment. When it's finished I'll post it on here so people can see what the picture quality is like.


 That sounds good to me mate. Will look forward to seeing what the quality is like. Nice one.


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## Davey P

Here's a quick 3 minute sample from the first time I set it up and tried it out. It's not an exciting video, but should give some idea of the picture quality anyway:


__
https://flic.kr/p/30182119568

:biggrin:


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## MrF-UK82

Davey P said:


> Here's a quick 3 minute sample from the first time I set it up and tried it out. It's not an exciting video, but should give some idea of the picture quality anyway:
> 
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/30182119568
> 
> :biggrin:


 Really good quality for the price! Thanks for that vid mate.

p.s. good job you wasn't whispering sweet nothing's to your co-pilot! :rofl:


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## Davey P

MrF-UK82 said:


> Really good quality for the price! Thanks for that vid mate.
> 
> p.s. good job you wasn't whispering sweet nothing's to your co-pilot! :rofl:


 No worries mate, and it's not the sweet nothings you have to watch out for, it's the potty mouth swearing she launches into when someone else dares to make a mistake or cut her up... :laughing2dw:


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## andyclient

Looks great quality for the money , think I might have to get one for the wife , she does a few miles a day to work and back on a really busy A road and quite often encounters some bad drivers (Usually lorries that just pull out )


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## Davey P

andyclient said:


> Looks great quality for the money , think I might have to get one for the wife , she does a few miles a day to work and back on a really busy A road and quite often encounters some bad drivers (Usually lorries that just pull out )


 I don't think they are in the shops any more mate, Lidl tend to have limited stocks in their "Centre Aisles of Temptation" and it changes from week to week. Not sure if you can order from their website though? I've just looked, but can't see any way of searching for specific items.


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## andyclient

Davey P said:


> I don't think they are in the shops any more mate, Lidl tend to have limited stocks in their "Centre Aisles of Temptation" and it changes from week to week. Not sure if you can order from their website though? I've just looked, but can't see any way of searching for specific items.


 Ah thats a shame , will no doubt have them again in the future , she will have to be extra careful till then


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## Roger the Dodger

andyclient said:


> Ah thats a shame , will no doubt have them again in the future , she will have to be extra careful till then


 That's one of the advantages of Lidl (and Aldi)...you can almost guarantee they'll have them back in shortly. They seem to offer different things in different countries on a rota basis. Last month in Spain they were offering a colour changing shower head, two weeks later, they were on sale here...you just have to wait for our turn to come round again. :yes:


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## Roger

Whilst walking through the local car park, I am amused by the number of dashcams that are fitted outside the arc of the windscreen wipers...

You have to wonder...

Roger


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## Davey P

Roger said:


> Whilst walking through the local car park, I am amused by the number of dashcams that are fitted outside the arc of the windscreen wipers...


 You should read this mate:

https://www.roadhawk.co.uk/articles/product-placement-is-your-dash-cam-breaking-the-law


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## Roger

Davey P said:


> You should read this mate:
> 
> https://www.roadhawk.co.uk/articles/product-placement-is-your-dash-cam-breaking-the-law


 40mm into Zone B should be enough to get the lens into clear view

Outside the arc in wet weather is next to useless IMHO

Roger


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## Davey P

Mine is positioned like this, because I'm a good law-abiding boy:

*"Alternatively, mounting the camera between the rear-view mirror and windscreen places it completely out of the driver's view, so it meets all of the legal requirements."*

:tongue:


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## Roger

Davey P said:


> Mine is positioned like this, because I'm a good law-abiding boy:
> 
> *"Alternatively, mounting the camera between the rear-view mirror and windscreen places it completely out of the driver's view, so it meets all of the legal requirements."*
> 
> :tongue:


 I would not doubt that for one minute but....is it within the arc of the wipers? If not what happens when it rains?

Roger


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## richy176

Davey P said:


> You should read this mate:
> 
> https://www.roadhawk.co.uk/articles/product-placement-is-your-dash-cam-breaking-the-law


 I found this bit slightly odd - "Apart from positioning, the other crucial law governing dash cams is those with an LED screen. The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 state that the screens on cameras must not be displaying footage at any time while the vehicle is in motion. If the screen is on and the driver can see it, this is classed as a serious offence. The reasoning is the same as why you can't use a mobile phone while driving - it is a major distraction."

I would have thought that a satnav would be more of a distraction and yet these are built into many vehicles. The screen on a dashcam is just showing what you are seeing out of the windscreen.


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## Davey P

Roger said:


> I would not doubt that for one minute but....is it within the arc of the wipers? If not what happens when it rains?


 It is within the arc of the wipers, but the whole camera is hidden behind the rear view mirror, so it's not visible from the driver's seat and therefore fully legal. I should add, I didn't know any of the rules from that link when I fitted mine, I just put it in the most logical place I could think of. I wanted to simply set it and forget it, and I have achieved that aim :tongue:


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## DJH584

I suggest that people look up and read this piece of legislation to which roadhawk refer particularly reg 109 - link supplied http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/109/made

Given the legislation was made before dash cams came into common usege, i would suggest that this is a marketing ploy by roadhawk. 
Bear in mind that I drive buses and coaches and we have dashcams fitted to our vehicles and yes, I can see the led screen on the dashcam. DVSA do not have a problem with this as, after all, drivers are looking through the windscreen at the road ahead just as the dashcam is doing.
That particular piece of legislation was designed to make illegal, systems fitted to a vehicle in such a way that a driver could watch a TV program or a video whilst they were driving a vehicle.
This was taken one stage further by DVSA in relation to buses and coaches that, where CCTV was fitted, a driver should not be able to see the CCTV monitor whist driving except when the vehicle was stationary.
I.E. You have to take your eye off the road in order ot check the monitor.
And if you look at that regulation further, one will find that sat navs are exempt.


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## Davey P

Just a quick update to this one, I changed the camera settings to increase the brightness, and now the picture is much better. I checked the footage after a drive today, the weather was overcast enough to use headlights, so a pretty dull day. The clips were clear enough to read number plates easily, and see all of the surrounding details perfectly, so I am chuffed with that. Also, I repositioned the camera slightly further to the left, so it's now completely hidden by the mirror - Result!


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## Roger the Dodger

I must look out for these next time round...they look good.


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## Nadine2020

Hi will this record overnight when the cars not in use x


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