Dash Cam Installation
Proof, front and rear
Most dash cams are sold to be plugged into a cigarette lighter and left dangling. Hardwired properly, front and rear, with parking mode, they keep watching while the car sits on your drive.
Full description- Front and rear recording
- Parking mode, so it watches while you are indoors
- Hardwired with no cables trailing across the dash
- Footage that insurers will actually accept
- Fitted at your home or work
- No subcontractors, ever
- Hardwired, no trailing cables
What a dash cam actually does
Most dash cams are sold to be plugged into the cigarette lighter, stuck to the windscreen and forgotten, with a cable dangling across the dash until it annoys somebody enough to be pulled out. Fitted like that it records when you remember to turn it on, which is rarely the day you need it.
Hardwired is a different proposition. The camera takes a permanent supply, the cable disappears behind the trim, and there is nothing to unplug or knock loose. Front and rear cameras record continuously in a loop, and anything that looks like an impact is locked so the loop cannot write over it later.
Parking mode is the part people underestimate. With a permanent supply the camera can keep watching while the car sits on your drive or in a car park, and wake when something happens near it. That is what catches the driver who reverses into you and keeps going. Done properly it includes a voltage cut off, so the camera stops drawing power well before the battery gets too low to start the car.
How it works
- 01
Wired into the car properly
Hardwired to a switched supply and tucked behind the trim, so there is nothing hanging off your windscreen and nothing to unplug.
- 02
It records while you drive
Front and rear, looping continuously, saving anything that looks like an incident so it does not get written over.
- 03
It keeps watching when parked
Parking mode wakes the camera when something happens near the car, which is what catches the person who reverses into you and drives off.
What this stops
- Arguments about who was at fault
- Hit and runs on your driveway
- Crash for cash attempts
- Damage in car parks with no witnesses
What it will not stop
- The theft itself, a camera records rather than prevents
- Someone determined, who will take the car regardless
Is a dash cam right for you?
Worth it for
Anybody who drives a lot, parks where they cannot see the car, or has ever been in an argument about who was at fault. Footage settles it in a way a statement does not.
Probably not for
Anybody expecting it to prevent anything. A dash cam records what happened; it does not stop it happening. If prevention is what you are after, that is an alarm or an immobiliser.
Not sure which side of that you fall on? Tell us the make, model and year and what you are actually worried about, and we will tell you straight, including when the cheaper option is the right answer.
Ask us about your carProfessionally installed by Securacar
A dash cam is only as good as the install
The box is the same wherever you buy it. What changes is where it ends up in the car and how cleanly it is wired in, and that is the part a thief actually has to beat. It is most of what you are paying us for, so it is worth saying plainly.
On the Dash Cam Installation: a tidy dash cam is one you forget is there. That means the cable runs behind the trim rather than round the windscreen, and hardwiring into a suitable circuit so parking mode works without flattening the battery.
Fitted where you are
At your home or your workplace, across the North West. You hand the keys over at the start and get on with your day.
Hidden properly
The first thing a thief does is look for the unit. Where it goes is decided on your car, on the day, not copied from a diagram.
Shown how it works
Before we leave, you use it yourself with us stood there. Nobody drives off unsure which button does what.
TASSA approved
We are TASSA approved installers, which is a check on the people doing the work rather than on the box. It is the accreditation that exists precisely because a good system fitted badly is not a good system.
We are here afterwards
Questions a week later, or a year later, get answered. You are dealing with the person who fitted it, not a call centre.
Booking it
What happens if you go ahead
Four steps, no showroom visit and no deposit taken over the internet. Most people are booked in within a couple of minutes of picking up the phone.
- 01
Tell us the car
Make, model and year, by phone, WhatsApp or the form below. We confirm the Dash Cams is right for your vehicle before anything is booked, and we will say so if it is not.
- 02
We price it for your car
No two vehicles are the same job, so you get a price for yours rather than a figure off a list. It is the price you pay, and nothing is booked until you are happy with it.
- 03
We come to you
At your home or your workplace, at a time that suits you, anywhere across the North West. You hand the keys over at the start and get on with your day.
- 04
You use it before we leave
We set it up with you, then watch you use it yourself. Nobody drives away unsure which button does what, and we are still here a year later if you have a question.
Dash Cams: worth knowing
The detail, if you want it
Why does hardwiring matter?+
A camera on a cigarette lighter plug records when you remember to turn it on, dangles a cable across the dash, and comes unplugged the first time somebody needs the socket. Hardwired, it takes a permanent supply, the cable runs behind the trim, and there is nothing to unplug. It also unlocks parking mode, which needs power when the ignition is off.
Will parking mode flatten my battery?+
Not if it is fitted properly. We wire in a voltage cut off, so the camera stops drawing power well before the battery drops too low to start the car. That component is exactly what separates a proper installation from a kit fitted in a hurry, and it is the single most common thing we are asked to correct.
Do memory cards need replacing?+
Yes, and almost nobody is told this at the point of sale. A dash cam writes to its card constantly, and cards wear out, usually quietly and without warning. Use one intended for continuous recording rather than a spare from a phone, and check the footage every few months so you find out on your own terms rather than after an incident.
Will an insurer actually accept the footage?+
Generally yes, and they are increasingly used to receiving it. What matters is that the footage exists, has not been overwritten, and shows what you say it shows: date, time and registration plates legible. That is a function of camera position and resolution, which is decided at installation rather than afterwards.
Is it legal to record other people?+
Recording on a public road for your own use is generally accepted in the UK, and both insurers and the police will take dash cam footage. It gets more complicated when you publish it online, or record audio of passengers who have not been told. Worth a moment's thought before anything goes on social media.
Dash Cams questions
Do I need a dash cam if I already have an alarm?+
They do completely different jobs. An alarm protects the car. A dash cam protects you from a dispute afterwards, which is the far more likely event for most drivers.
Will parking mode flatten my battery?+
Hardwired properly, no. We fit a voltage cut off so the camera stops drawing power before the battery gets low enough to stop the car starting. That is the difference between a proper install and a cigarette lighter plug.
Can I add a dash cam to an alarm install?+
Yes, and it usually makes sense to do both in one visit rather than paying for us to come out twice.
What happens to the footage?+
It records in a loop and writes over the oldest footage once the card is full. Anything that looks like an impact is locked so the loop cannot overwrite it, and you pull that off the card or the app when you need it. Nothing is sent to us and nothing goes to a cloud unless you set that up yourself.
Do memory cards need replacing?+
Yes, and this is the bit nobody mentions when they sell you the camera. A card in a dash cam is written to constantly and will eventually wear out, usually quietly. Use a card intended for this rather than a spare from a phone, and check the footage every few months so you find out on your terms.
Is it legal to record other people?+
Recording on a public road for your own use is generally accepted in the UK, and insurers and the police will take dash cam footage. Where it gets more complicated is publishing it or recording audio of passengers, so it is worth a moment thought before anything goes online.
Front only, or front and rear?+
Front and rear if the budget allows. A large share of the disputes people actually have are being hit from behind, or somebody reversing into the car while it is parked, and a front camera sees none of it.
Will the dash cam work on my vehicle?+
Most vehicles from the last fifteen years or so, but it does depend on the make, model and year. Send us those three things before you commit to anything and we will confirm it, or tell you plainly that the dash cam is not the right answer for your car.
How long does the fitting take?+
It depends on the vehicle and where things have to be hidden, and we would rather give you an honest figure for your car than a headline one that suits us. We will tell you when we quote, and we will tell you if it turns out to be a longer job than expected rather than rushing it.
Will it affect my manufacturer warranty?+
What we fit is designed to sit alongside your vehicle's own electronics and we do not cut into anything we should not. Manufacturers word their warranties differently though, so it is worth a quick check with your dealer first. We are happy to talk it through before you decide.
Can I use the vehicle normally afterwards?+
Yes. The dash cam is meant to disappear into how you already use the car. If living with it is going to change anything day to day, we will tell you exactly what before you book, not after we have left.
Ask about Dash Cams
Tell us what you drive and where you are, and we will come back to you the same day where we can.
Thanks, that is with us
We will ring you back shortly. If it is urgent, give us a call and we will pick up.
Also worth a look
- Pandora Car AlarmsAn alarm that talks to your phone
- Autowatch Ghost III ImmobiliserA secret code that starts your car
- Thatcham Approved TrackersIf it ever goes, this is how it comes back
Fitted across Liverpool, Manchester, Wirral, Cheshire, Warrington, Chester, St Helens, Widnes, Wigan, Bolton, Preston. Call 07841 331441 or message us on WhatsApp.