Dashcam Install Numpty

[Crazy diamond]

After a frustrating few days I thought it would be cathartic to share my tribulations.

I recently purchased a Garmin 55 Plus dashcam ( great deal with Halfords and a superb camera which is hardly visible) which worked fine via the aux power socket. However, to enable parking mode I needed to do a proper install via fuse box. As a one time electronics engineer,and with reference to Nuclear Nick’s excellent install guide, I was confident that It would be an quick and easy install and I would rather DIY then let anyone else my near my Macan.

The install was easy, 12v permanent lead to a suitable fuse ( via a piggy back fuse holder) and similar to a 12v supply switched by the ignition. A convenient stud near the fuse box provided an earth ( tested with a voltmeter). Plugged in dashcam.....nothing Checked on fuses that 12v supply was AOK ... several more hours...nothing. Ok removed install and tested by using a stand alone battery, AOK so deduced that it must be the earth connection I was using. Wasted several more hours trying to get a good earth....ran a jumper cable to main jumpstart terminal ( under bonnet) ....must work now ......nooooh. Nothing .

This was now blowing my little mind checked everything, all connections etc. Hours/ days passed...resorted to a second pair of eyes...my wife. Whilst she is an accountant she has a very good brain and a logical mind so I talked her through what I was doing and showed her the kit working on a stand alone battery and then not working on the Macan. I then showed her that that the supply was there when she said” but that is showing only 11.45v” .........
Argghhhh of course, the supply from the Macan, which had been garaged for a few days, was lower than the cutoff voltage on the garmin power supply lead. As the voltage was too low (below the switch point of about 11.55 volts as I subsequently discovered) the dashcam would not power up making me suspect the connections .

After that confession I feel better now and my wife will live off the smarty points for weeks


Surprised that the voltage drop on the Macan is so much after a few days in the garage.

Bye the bye the Garmin 55 Plus with polarising filter 1440 video and voice control etc is a great dashcam

[Paul]

“smarty pants points”......

[Nuclear Nick]

Oops! My wife and I often joke about how she asks the 'daft' questions.......but frequently I have to admit that it's not her questions that are daft!

But the voltage drop is a strange one. I've done a dash cam installation in the 911 too and am rather surprised how quickly the standing voltage drops to 11.6v. I've used a Blackvue system this time and the lowest cutoff setting available is 12v, which is rather frustrating as it means the camera is powered off by the battery protector fairly soon after the car has been standing.

[Ferdie]

I would like a look at your system sometime Nick - I have though several times about fitting one

[Sidscott]

Just be mindful of the fact that installing a dash cam this way using a piggy back fuse will invalidate the warranty if you have any issues that can be attributed to the installation. I appreciate that this is unlikely but as the OP is saying, it is surprising how much battery drain these cameras can cause even though there is a built in safety cut off.
I wanted to do the same but had this confirmed by my OPC when I checked before going ahead and also Porsche UK customer services who said that it would even prevent me extending the warranty going forward.
As a compromise I plug the camera into the centre armrest usb and use a good quality phone charging bank, connected in series, to power the camera whilst parked as I wanted parking mode protection. Works very well.

[Nuclear Nick]

Just be mindful of the fact that installing a dash cam this way using a piggy back fuse will invalidate the warranty if you have any issues that can be attributed to the installation. I appreciate that this is unlikely but as the OP is saying, it is surprising how much battery drain these cameras can cause even though there is a built in safety cut off.
I wanted to do the same but had this confirmed by my OPC when I checked before going ahead and also Porsche UK customer services who said that it would even prevent me extending the warranty going forward.
As a compromise I plug the camera into the centre armrest usb and use a good quality phone charging bank, connected in series, to power the camera whilst parked as I wanted parking mode protection. Works very well.

Don't think the OP was saying there's a large drain on the battery. My camera consumes around 360 mA (4.32W) so this isn't going to drop the battery voltage very quickly. The car seems to do that by itself with all the ancillaries that remain powered up, even when parked and locked up.

My cameras can be removed in minutes if necessary without leaving a trace but anyway, I think even Porsche would have trouble pinning warranty issues on a camera installation unless, as you say, it can be directly attributed to the installation. But if Porsche were to offer dash cams maybe we wouldn't be having this debate and they could have yet another means of fleecing the customer.

[Crazy diamond]

Just be mindful of the fact that installing a dash cam this way using a piggy back fuse will invalidate the warranty if you have any issues that can be attributed to the installation. I appreciate that this is unlikely but as the OP is saying, it is surprising how much battery drain these cameras can cause even though there is a built in safety cut off.
I wanted to do the same but had this confirmed by my OPC when I checked before going ahead and also Porsche UK customer services who said that it would even prevent me extending the warranty going forward.
As a compromise I plug the camera into the centre armrest usb and use a good quality phone charging bank, connected in series, to power the camera whilst parked as I wanted parking mode protection. Works very well.

Don't think the OP was saying there's a large drain on the battery. My camera consumes around 360 mA (4.32W) so this isn't going to drop the battery voltage very quickly. The car seems to do that by itself with all the ancillaries that remain powered up, even when parked and locked up.

My cameras can be removed in minutes if necessary without leaving a trace but anyway, I think even Porsche would have trouble pinning warranty issues on a camera installation unless, as you say, it can be directly attributed to the installation. But if Porsche were to offer dash cams maybe we wouldn't be having this debate and they could have yet another means of fleecing the customer.

Agreed. If my transfer box fails then I would like to see how a 350mA drain from a dashcam correctly fitted, fused and via a battery protector could invalidate a warranty? If Porsche would offer a dashcam or indeed fit one then I would have some sympathy. Having had a parked car hit when one month old I feel a dashcam and the warranty risk etc is more than justified. As Nick states, it only takes 10 mins to remove the whole installation if you are that bothered. The battery drain was noted prior to fitting the dashcam so perhaps the problem is more in the factory fitted alarm and other units which run when ignition is off?

[happy days]

Whilst she is an accountant she has a very good brain and a logical mind

Thin ice my friend, thin ice...