# What Are the Best BMW Dash Cam Options



## GBPackerfan1963 (May 5, 2006)

Evan Williams said:


> Whether you want to capture the beauty of driving down your favorite scenic highway or want to protect yourself in the event of an accident, having a quality dash cam is a great way to get the job done.
> 
> Over the years, drivers have been turning to dash cams for a variety of reasons. From disputing an auto accident claim, recording reckless drivers, preventing or identifying vandalism, to monitoring drivers in fleet vehicles, they’re proving to be a great asset in any vehicle on the road. If you’ve been considering installing one in your car, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sea of options you’ll have before you.
> 
> ...


Garmin 66W


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## SunFun (Apr 23, 2017)

Garmon Mini
Why; small size, small price, big features 1920x1080 resolution, WiFi and Bluetooth.


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## Jrjr (Aug 6, 2019)

70mai A800s, best for the $, but hard to find one. 70mai Pro another option. That's what I have. Excellent video quality.


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## cgknight (Jun 28, 2008)

Momento M6...Has front and rear cameras with up to 256GB MicroSD storage. Got side swiped and the other driver lied about what happened. Showed cop the video and she got cited. Her insurance covered everything. HiRes 1080 Video


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## Sabyre (May 30, 2021)

VIOFO A119 V3 2560 x 1600P. GPS Coords, speed, 256GB card, uses a capacitor vs a battery, includes unattended mode, and most importantly it checks the state of the memory card before starting to record and will let you know if the card is bad. 
I've heard stories with people thinking an event was recorded only to find out the memory card was bad and the recording never happened.
Very happy with it, bought 2. One for the car one for the truck. About 100 bucks.


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## JUKE179r (Aug 16, 2017)

I bought the VIOFO A129 (not the Pro version) Duo Dual front and rear cameras for £120 ($168). I reviewed many YouTube dash cam review videos and VIOFO had the best reviews and the best video clarity. I really like the way you can view the videos from your tablet and/or smartphone from the VIOFO app. It allows for GPS coordinates, speed, broad recording view, motion detection, G-sensor, and night vision among other options.

This camera has saved my a$$ a few times here in England with my couple of LHD American spec cars. The scammers stop abruptly in front of me then jump out saying I rear ended them and want compensation=money on the spot… until I point up to my dash cam! They scatter like roaches into their cars while covering their faces and speed off. The cops enjoy that part of the video while taking note of the scammer’s registration plate number.

I’ve got a 64GB card in mine which does me well though a 256GB card is the max it can take. I get one mount with the front camera so I bought 2 extra mounts for my wife’s X5, my Land Rover Discovery 2 (has the rear VIOFO cam installed) and our Corolla so I can swap out the camera to any vehicle.

The only downside that I have found with these VIOFO cams is they don’t allow to rotate/pivot the camera left or right in case someone comes up to your driver’s or passenger’s window. You can rely on the microphone to record the interaction though.


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## Rich54T (Jun 1, 2018)

I hate the "in your face" look of most dashcams. I prefer sleek hardly noticeable units, like the Blackvue and similarly style cams.

I currently own a Mirrorcam (attaches to the rearview camera) and unless you really look for it (and know where to look), chances are that you'll look right past it and not notice it. Mine 1080 front view and 720 rear with wifi but doesn't have Parking Mode, which would be nice.


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## desone (Apr 16, 2017)

Sabyre said:


> VIOFO A119 V3 2560 x 1600P. GPS Coords, speed, 256GB card, uses a capacitor vs a battery, includes unattended mode, and most importantly it checks the state of the memory card before starting to record and will let you know if the card is bad.
> I've heard stories with people thinking an event was recorded only to find out the memory card was bad and the recording never happened.
> Very happy with it, bought 2. One for the car one for the truck. About 100 bucks.


I have had a Viofo A119 for nearly 4 years now. Initially I had a lot of trouble with the micro sd cards. I always updated the firmware to the newest version when available. Initially it would not accept the larger (128gb) memory cards. It used to continually request that I format the card. I solved this problem by purchasing the best Sandisk card (128gb) I could buy for it. It was a white card Sandisk specially put out for dashcams. I have had no problems since I upgraded to these cards more than 6 months ago. I also purchased the small lens filter (polaroid) when I bought the dashcam. I also got the GPS model.

All in all I would recommend the Viofo with the full HD resolution good enough for my needs.


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## rick47591 (Mar 17, 2017)

I don't have a place to put a dashcam on my 21 X3M40i. My Valentine1 hangs from the mirror using the attachment I bought from Blendmount.


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## Old Grouch (Jul 5, 2020)

Rove Stealth 4K Pro, which has fantastic video and every feature you could want, including gps and wifi to your phone, along with their rear cam and hardwire power cord set for parking mode if your plug in power port goes off with the car. Only thing it's missing is voice activation, but honestly, you can't just reach up an hit a button to lock the video? I currently own four of their cams. Watch some Youtube crash vids and watch for the names of the cams showing at the bottom of many vids to see the video quality. You'll see that Rove vids are among the best. Oh, and you do want a cam with gps so that you can prove that you weren't speeding (you don't speed, do you?😜) in the event that you are involved in a crash.


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## desone (Apr 16, 2017)

rick47591 said:


> I don't have a place to put a dashcam on my 21 X3M40i. My Valentine1 hangs from the mirror using the attachment I bought from Blendmount.


The VIOFO is quite small. I mount mine in my X3 E83 at the bottom of my windscreen in the centre about two inches from the dash. Radar detectors are illegal in all states in Australia. .


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## AMarsh1959 (Apr 20, 2020)

I have a Viofo A129Plus in my Subaru. The video quality is very good. I intend to pick up another one for the BMW.


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## kenkobra (May 24, 2021)

I just stuck with the preinstalled dashcam in my 2021 430i. I was going to install the NextBase 522GW I had my old 530i but decided it wasn't worth it.


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## edspilot (Jan 23, 2007)

I use the Blackview DR750-2CH. One camera points front and another is in the rear window pointing out the back. Have used it for 2+ years without a problem. I can view on my smartphone live or in playback later.


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## Sabyre (May 30, 2021)

desone said:


> I have had a Viofo A119 for nearly 4 years now. Initially I had a lot of trouble with the micro sd cards. I always updated the firmware to the newest version when available. Initially it would not accept the larger (128gb) memory cards. It used to continually request that I format the card. I solved this problem by purchasing the best Sandisk card (128gb) I could buy for it. It was a white card Sandisk specially put out for dashcams. I have had no problems since I upgraded to these cards more than 6 months ago. I also purchased the small lens filter (polaroid) when I bought the dashcam. I also got the GPS model.
> 
> All in all I would recommend the Viofo with the full HD resolution good enough for my needs.


With most anything tech, cost sets the quality (in most cases). In terms of storage there are some things that need to be evaluated prior to commitment. This statement goes for all storage media. However, for the purposes of SD cards and for the intent of storing (recording) video; there are certain statistics that must be understood.

First of the classes of specs are typically disclosed on the card(s) themselves. Things to consider are....
1. The class of card - SD, SDHC, SDXC, SDUC, etc. This outlines storage limitations. 
2. Speed Class - 2, 4, 6, 10... These are write speeds, which is important based on the CAM and the settings applied. A cam set up to record HD 1920x1080 @ 30fps with H.264 compression can expect 190KB per frame or 5.7MB per second. If the storage device can't write that fast, then problems will ensue. 
3. Newly added, application performance class. .... is a recently added standard for SD cards which doesn’t just define sequential reading speeds but also calls for a minimum IOPS for reading and writing. 
4. Video Speed Classes... Designated with a "V" - 6 though 90 as I understand it. With the number representing writes per second in MB. 

Here is what I use in my Viafo cams: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FCR3316/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Note, this link is not an affiliate link, I make nothing from it. 
Note, also... the markings on the card. U3, A2, V30, etc.... these are important and what I was discussing above.

Please also note, that this is a consumer grade SD card, meaning it, like your personal desktop or printer is intended to be disposable. If you need something with logevity, I would reccomend purchasing an appropriate SD from https://mouser.com .... again, not an affiliate or sponsor, but remember, for the most part you get what you pay for. So for longevity storage expect to pay at least 10X what you would expect.

The nice thing about the Viafo cams is they will indicate if the storage has a problem upon each boot. So you could get away with the consumer based storage (perhaps purchase x2, to have on hand) and be notified when the SD has gone to crap.

Thanks BIMMERFEST for acknowledging my contribution. It was very much appreciated and smile inducing.


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## rick47591 (Mar 17, 2017)

desone said:


> The VIOFO is quite small. I mount mine in my X3 E83 at the bottom of my windscreen in the centre about two inches from the dash. Radar detectors are illegal in all states in Australia. .


Blendmount sells devices to install on mirrors for not only radar detectors but also for Dash cams, Action Cams, and Performance Mounts. Once installed, you can quickly remove or detach the device in seconds and reinstall in seconds too.


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## drmckenn (Apr 16, 2017)

Thinkware U1000 installed in my 535i and 435 convertible.
Both have an extra battery pack to allow for several days of recording while parked in airport garages.


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## JUKE179r (Aug 16, 2017)

drmckenn said:


> Both have an extra battery pack to allow for several days of recording while parked in airport garages.


Good idea.


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