Hi

I would like to get a dash cam for my fiesta MK8, something small and discreet with good image quality, especially at night as I drive home from work at night a lot.

I don't plan to wire it in, but would like to keep it plugged in to the power source providing it doesn't stay on when I lock the car.

Thanks

Myself and others on here use Viofo A129 cams.
I originally had an A129 duo (front and rear cams at 1080 HD) and have now upgraded to A129 Pro (4k front, 1080 rear).
I haven't hardwired the cam in and just plug it into the 12v socket. 

The image quality is good but suffers in strong sunlight and like other cams, the night quality can vary. 
The cams are quite small and can fit behind the rear view mirror and the rear cam isn't too intrusive. 

I'd also recommend polarising filters for use on bright days and also the bluetooth button so that you can quickly save footage in the event of accident etc. 

Thank you, I will check them out.

These look good,  anyone know the main difference between the A119 and A129?

A119 is front only.  Can't be connected to rear.  Also no option to connect to your phone via WiFi.  And the resolution is slightly worse.

Ok so looks like I will get the A129 front and rear, just curious how easy is it to tuck the cables behind the roof felt?

Thanks

Just an update, I never dod get round to purchasing a dash cam, but plan to now, Ive would like to get the Viofo A129 pro (front & rear).

If I keep it connected to the 12v cigarette lighter near the gear stick does it stay powered when the ignition is off?

Don't want it draining power overnight!

Thanks

1 hour ago, mitch84 said:

Just an update, I never dod get round to purchasing a dash cam, but plan to now, Ive would like to get the Viofo A129 pro (front & rear).

If I keep it connected to the 12v cigarette lighter near the gear stick does it stay powered when the ignition is off?

Don't want it draining power overnight!

Thanks

If your 12v supply is only live when your ignition is on, so will your dashcam. By the way, apparently if you hard wire a dsahcam in, you're meant to inform your insurance (of the modification). If it's just a 12v 'plug in', there is no need to...

25 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

If your 12v supply is only live when your ignition is on, so will your dashcam. By the way, apparently if you hard wire a dsahcam in, you're meant to inform your insurance (of the modification). If it's just a 12v 'plug in', there is no need to...

Yeah I heard about that the other day. 

I will have to test as I have no idea if it's only live when ignition is on, plus I have 2 12v sockets, one near the gear stick and another in the central arm rest.

Im also wondering how easy it is to hide away the wires, if I plan to get the Viofo A129 pro front and rear, would I go across the roof felt or along the floor, not sure what's best?

 

 

From the Mk8 Fiesta manual:

AUXILIARY POWER POINTS



WARNING:  Do not plug optional electrical accessories into the cigar lighter socket. Incorrect use of the cigar lighter can cause damage not covered by the vehicle warranty, and can result in fire or serious injury.    WARNING:  Do not use a power point for operating a cigar lighter. Incorrect use of the power points can cause damage not covered by the vehicle warranty, and can result in fire or serious injury.

 

Do not hang any accessory from the accessory plug.

Do not use the power point over the vehicle capacity of 12 volt DC 180 watts or a fuse may blow.

Keep the power point caps closed when not in use.

Do not insert objects other than an accessory plug into the power point.

You can use the power point for up to 75 minutes after you switch the ignition off.

Note:   When you switch the ignition on, you can use the socket to power 12 volt appliances with a maximum current rating of 15 amps.

To prevent the battery from running out of charge:

• Do not use the power point longer than necessary when the vehicle is not running.
• Do not leave devices plugged in overnight or when you park your vehicle for extended periods.

7 minutes ago, mitch84 said:

Im also wondering how easy it is to hide away the wires, if I plan to get the Viofo A129 pro front and rear, would I go across the roof felt or along the floor, not sure what's best?

When I installed a DAB MagMount on the rear of my car, I found it easy to feed the wire along the sill trim. But really, it's up to you...

2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

From the Mk8 Fiesta manual:

AUXILIARY POWER POINTS



WARNING:  Do not plug optional electrical accessories into the cigar lighter socket. Incorrect use of the cigar lighter can cause damage not covered by the vehicle warranty, and can result in fire or serious injury.    WARNING:  Do not use a power point for operating a cigar lighter. Incorrect use of the power points can cause damage not covered by the vehicle warranty, and can result in fire or serious injury.

 

Do not hang any accessory from the accessory plug.

Do not use the power point over the vehicle capacity of 12 volt DC 180 watts or a fuse may blow.

Keep the power point caps closed when not in use.

Do not insert objects other than an accessory plug into the power point.

You can use the power point for up to 75 minutes after you switch the ignition off.

Note:   When you switch the ignition on, you can use the socket to power 12 volt appliances with a maximum current rating of 15 amps.

To prevent the battery from running out of charge:

• Do not use the power point longer than necessary when the vehicle is not running.
• Do not leave devices plugged in overnight or when you park your vehicle for extended periods.

Crikey Tom, you'll be scaring the bejesus out of the OP!! 🤣

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

Crikey Tom, you'll be scaring the bejesus out of the OP!! 🤣

I hope they're not intending to use the socket for anything, at all, ever! 😮 

But seriously, the important line is the one about 75 minutes with ignition off.  The socket either stays live 24/7.  Or shuts off after around 75 minutes.

8 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I hope they're not intending to use the socket for anything, at all, ever! 😮 

But seriously, the important line is the one about 75 minutes with ignition off.  The socket either stays live 24/7.  Or shuts off after around 75 minutes.

I think mines the latter, although I might just disconnect it to be safe! 😆

39 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I hope they're not intending to use the socket for anything, at all, ever! 😮 

But seriously, the important line is the one about 75 minutes with ignition off.  The socket either stays live 24/7.  Or shuts off after around 75 minutes.

My crappy old MK2 Focus was supplied with a permanently 'live' 12v socket, and for the life of me I have no idea why. I have never used it for anything for fear of forgetting that I plugged something in it and forgetting. I installed a secondary 12v socket which is wired by the ignition, infinitely more useful.

3 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

... a permanently 'live' 12v socket...

One use for those sockets, is for a Solar Trickle Charger, but I've never been entirely comfortable with the concept, and they are maybe a little 'old school' now.

3 minutes ago, Rob101 said:

One use for those sockets, is for a Solar Trickle Charger, but I've never been entirely comfortable with the concept, and they are maybe a little 'old school' now.

In a previous car, I tried several 'solar' chargers. All had one thing in common - they never worked...

24 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

they never worked

Really? I used one for about 4 years... I had a Škoda that would drain the battery to a level where it was too low to start the engine, in about 60 hours, and sometimes, I my car will sit for that long. The Charger I got, worked just fine: I used the battery terminal clips, rather than the live 12V socket, mind...

2 minutes ago, Rob101 said:

Really? I used one for about 4 years... I had a Škoda that would drain the battery to a level where it was too low to start the engine, in about 60 hours, and sometimes, I my car will sit for that long. The Charger I got, worked just fine: I used the battery terminal clips, rather than the live 12V socket, mind, and it worked just fine.

I tried the (permanent) 12v socket & clips, was a Celica GT4, still had to jump the darn thing all the time...

I wired my Viofo A129 Pro rear cam through the passenger side trim right up to the boot. That way I didn't have to mess around trying to feed it through the roof liner. 
Also, as someone who has owned both a Mk7.5 ST-Line 140 and a Mk8 ST-Line X Edition MHEV 155 and uses the 12v socket near the gear stick for power, the dashcam does seem to go off after a few seconds of turning the car off. 
Never had an issue with the battery getting low, even after a week or 2 of not using the car. 

The downside to not hardwiring the cam is that it will not record once the power is off so you don't have the protection/safety of the parking feature which these cams have. 
I do have a hardwire kit for the cam but I never used it. 

Also, as a recommendation, buy the bluetooth button to go with the A129. If you have any near misses or witness any incidents, you can press the button and it will save the footage without you needing to touch the cam. 

4 hours ago, Nick Y said:

I wired my Viofo A129 Pro rear cam through the passenger side trim right up to the boot. That way I didn't have to mess around trying to feed it through the roof liner. 
Also, as someone who has owned both a Mk7.5 ST-Line 140 and a Mk8 ST-Line X Edition MHEV 155 and uses the 12v socket near the gear stick for power, the dashcam does seem to go off after a few seconds of turning the car off. 
Never had an issue with the battery getting low, even after a week or 2 of not using the car. 

The downside to not hardwiring the cam is that it will not record once the power is off so you don't have the protection/safety of the parking feature which these cams have. 
I do have a hardwire kit for the cam but I never used it. 

When you say passenger side trim what part exactly, I was planning on tucking it behind the roof felt and then down the pillar and under the passenger mat.

31 minutes ago, mitch84 said:

When you say passenger side trim what part exactly, I was planning on tucking it behind the roof felt and then down the pillar and under the passenger mat.

Tucked it under the headlining at the top of the windscreen up to the passenger side A pillar and then followed the headlining around the roof edge right through to the boot pushing the cable behind any trim (above doors, B pillar etc) using plastic trim tools. 
Once at the boot, I then pushed the cable behind the rubber seal into the headliner. 

It's easier to mount it this way (or straight through the middle of the headlining if you have the tools) rather than down the pillar, through the floor and then back up the pillar (I don't think the cable is actually long enough to do that). 

4 hours ago, Nick Y said:

Tucked it under the headlining at the top of the windscreen up to the passenger side A pillar and then followed the headlining around the roof edge right through to the boot pushing the cable behind any trim (above doors, B pillar etc) using plastic trim tools. 
Once at the boot, I then pushed the cable behind the rubber seal into the headliner. 

It's easier to mount it this way (or straight through the middle of the headlining if you have the tools) rather than down the pillar, through the floor and then back up the pillar (I don't think the cable is actually long enough to do that). 

Did you have to loosen the A pillar at all?

1 minute ago, mitch84 said:

Did you have to loosen the A pillar at all?

Nope. Just wedged open the top part of the trim with a plastic trim remover tool enough to push the cable in. 
I did the same procedure for each piece of trim throughout the car.