[Tagman]

I recently fitted a 120° dash-cam to the inside of my GLA, it's a Next Base 402G Professional, it's a higher spec model that also offers static recording when you're away from your car via infa-red sensor, G-sensor/GPS for speed, role and positioning should the worst ever happen, plus the usual cam things...

The GLA has a perfect fitting spot just behind the interior mirror, most cameras can fit here (I tried a few out first before buying mine to be sure it fitted okay). The power cable slips up to the passenger sunvisor and clips behind it neatly (with some 1€ clips). Then the cable runs along to the door frame rubber, where it fits underneath and then runs all the way down to the inner foot panel. After that you push it behind the lower panels so it's out of sight before it resurfaces at the ashtray lighter to be plugged in. You can wire it into your system, but I like to keep my system mobile.

The view is pretty good, the GLA bonnet is barely visible plus the window pillars give a nice clear wide view for the camera. If you are thinking about a dash-cam then you shouldn't have any problems with fitting one to the GLA as it's windscreen is perfect for a basic systems up to the more expensive wide lense models... you can see the screen grab from the film how wide it is (there's actually more on the right side but my screen cut it off)...

 

[AMGz]

i'm guessing there are a lot of crazy drivers where you're located?
capture anything interesting as yet?

 

[Truthiness]

Yea, what's the most interesting thing you have recorded so far? Do drivers in Belgium generally abide by all the rules?

 

[Tagman]

It's not that the Belgians are crazy drivers, with NATO and the EU being based here you get every nationality on the roads. The worst are the French drivers from Paris as they don't stop at lights, don't keep to the speed limit, and generally park where ever they want... so we tend to give them a wide berth...

The best so far was when one car drove the wrong way down a one-way street at speed towards me... a 'game of chicken', but as I had no where to pull over I just had to sit and wait for the bang... but luckily the other driver thought better of it and stopped... he beeped his horn and shouted at me to get out of his way, waved his arms about... so I just pointed to the camera, and said I'd forward the film to the Police on his behalf... as if by magic he goes very quiet, reverses back up the street before turning and driving away... It was at this point that I realised that I hadn't plugged the camera into the power socket so it wasn't recording...

Lesson learned I now always check the camera is powered up, once I get a few good films I shall share them so that you can see the 'crazies' on the road...

 

[AMGz]

ah that sucks
it definitely helps to have your own camera system then

it's also why i like living out somewhere that isn't as dense, don't have to deal with those kinds.

 

[mihaelb]

I recently fitted a 120° dash-cam to the inside of my GLA, it's a Next Base 402G Professional, it's a higher spec model that also offers static recording when you're away from your car via infa-red sensor, G-sensor/GPS for speed, role and positioning should the worst ever happen, plus the usual cam things...

The GLA has a perfect fitting spot just behind the interior mirror, most cameras can fit here (I tried a few out first before buying mine to be sure it fitted okay). The power cable slips up to the passenger sunvisor and clips behind it neatly (with some 1€ clips). Then the cable runs along to the door frame rubber, where it fits underneath and then runs all the way down to the inner foot panel. After that you push it behind the lower panels so it's out of sight before it resurfaces at the ashtray lighter to be plugged in. You can wire it into your system, but I like to keep my system mobile.

The view is pretty good, the GLA bonnet is barely visible plus the window pillars give a nice clear wide view for the camera. If you are thinking about a dash-cam then you shouldn't have any problems with fitting one to the GLA as it's windscreen is perfect for a basic systems up to the more expensive wide lense models... you can see the screen grab from the film how wide it is (there's actually more on the right side but my screen cut it off)...

Hi there

Can you show how the mounting/cabling looks like in your car?

I don't have a GLA yet (still waiting for it to arrive in Canada before deciding on my next car), but in my B class, I used a Spiderpodium to have the camera grab onto the back of my rearview mirror, as there was no good way to mount my camera to the windshield in a way that it doesn't in the way somehow (either for driver or passenger).
Other than a bit of the Spiderpodium's 'fingertips' going over the edge of the mirror, and the power cable for the camera, you don't even see the camera unless bending down. Because of the mirror's angle, you see more of the right side than the left, but because it's a wide-angle camera, it still shows part enough of the left.

Don't have a picture of my setup, but attached is a picture of a Spiderpodium. It's basically got 8 'fingers' that bend and hold on pretty strongly. So I used 4 to hold the camera, and 4 to hold onto the mirror and mirror's stalk.

 

[A.T.L.]

Hi there

Can you show how the mounting/cabling looks like in your car?

I don't have a GLA yet (still waiting for it to arrive in Canada before deciding on my next car), but in my B class, I used a Spiderpodium to have the camera grab onto the back of my rearview mirror, as there was no good way to mount my camera to the windshield in a way that it doesn't in the way somehow (either for driver or passenger).
Other than a bit of the Spiderpodium's 'fingertips' going over the edge of the mirror, and the power cable for the camera, you don't even see the camera unless bending down. Because of the mirror's angle, you see more of the right side than the left, but because it's a wide-angle camera, it still shows part enough of the left.

Don't have a picture of my setup, but attached is a picture of a Spiderpodium. It's basically got 8 'fingers' that bend and hold on pretty strongly. So I used 4 to hold the camera, and 4 to hold onto the mirror and mirror's stalk.

I have that spider mount as well, it's awesome, they can be had for cheap too.

I mainly use it on my office desk for my phone but of course it can be used for just about anything.

 

[sincity]

Tagman: Pic of it mounted?

 

[Tagman]

@sincity, sorry been off the grid for a few days with too much work... will post some pics later today...

 

[Sweet Tooth]

I would assume that you would just use a sticky mount and put it on your dashboard. The spider mount looks a bit ugly to me.

I've been thinking of getting a dashcamera too. SO much stuff you could potentially end up recording. Just for the novelty, I want it.

 

[sincity]

I run dashcams on both my cars mainly for a self-defense measure against people lying in car accidents.

 

[Tagman]

Dash-cam mounting...

A = suction pad on windscreen, been fitted for nearly 2 months and never fallen off yet... plus it's not that visible from outside until you're close up...
B = camera sits behind the interior mirror, I don't need to see the screen once it's set up as it just records as you go along, so I've set the screen to shut off after 2 minutes to save on burn out...
C = the power cable runs up to the vanity mirror...
D = two cable ties round the cable slip under the vanity mirror fixings in the ceiling, easy and no fuss to fit... then the cable runs across to the inner door rubber where it neatly fits underneath...
E = the cable runs all the way down the door rubber (out of sight), then round under the base of the dashboard behind the panels before going behind the centre console... it pops out just above the cigarette lighter where it plugs in for power... you can also wire it into your system if you want to avoid the plug in power...

Note: I fitted this in 20 minutes without having to remove any panels. It's secure and mainly out of sight, if you wanted to you can also remove some panels as well to make it fit even better but I'm keeping my system mobile for now...

 

[Tagman]

@ sincity... it's the same here in Belgium, I've had a couple of run-ins with drivers who have claimed that I was the one in the wrong (mainly taxi drivers jumping lanes)... you end up going 50/50 even though it's not your fault unless you have witnesses... now we have cameras in both our cars just to protect ourselves...

But also here in Belgium it is illegal to post dash-cam film on the web as you break the rules about personal privacy (even if they are driving like a [email protected]&é)... and they're also considering making them illegal, so my only guess is because they don't want films of the local politico's breaking the rules of the road popping up on the web...

 

[AMGz]

I run dashcams on both my cars mainly for a self-defense measure against people lying in car accidents.

Yup, it always helps to have another set of eyes, especially eyes that can give the best description ever. A small investment that can save you big time.