Dashcam for the i3 questions and recommendations

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I sold the dash cam I had in my MINI with the car. It was a good unit [ https://tinyurl.com/34nneb5e ], but it was just a front vision. I briefly considered the BMW ACE2 front and rear unit that sells at dealers for about $600. A bit of checking on eBay found the ACE2 kit, complete with wiring harness, for $333

That was until I got an install price of almost $2000 from the only BMW dealer in Maine!
There are then threads here and on Bimmerpost ( https://tinyurl.com/35ee77a8 )saying how the ACE2 doesn't play nice with Apple CarPlay and has other problems, such as a lack of dealer after-sale support.

So what are other problems that the group here has had either with the ACE2 or other high-quality dash cams that you have used and recommend if I go with the Enay ACE2 I will have to find an installer who will be seeing his first i3 so I am guessing the risk of damage will be rather high.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I bought
https://www.amazon.com/VIOFO-STARVI...itor/dp/B0C5MVB7NX?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1
I found this on the Reddit site as the adapter for any i3 with auto dim mirror: https://dongar.tech/products/porsche-keyway1
It has the compatibility chart I have attached below.

The Dongar Amazon page does not show the i3 for what I think is the same adapter
https://www.amazon.com/Dongar-Dashcam-Adapter-Porsche-Vehicles/dp/B0C92JBWWY?ref_=ast_sto_dp
Dongar seems to be recovering from last week's storm in the southeast and has not yet replied to my email question.

Since the BMW dealer said the official BMW Cat Eye dashcam costs $600 plus tax, and they (also said they would have to order one) quoted well over $1000 total to have one installed, I have a few questions, including whether the Dongar from Amazon quoted above is the right one. And what size of their 'unique' 'industrial' MicroSD card would be a good pick?
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/...tore_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto&ref_=ast_bln
They centre on how complex the installation will be for an old fart.
I just got out of two weeks in the new Cardiac ICU building at The Maine Medical Centre with seven stents, a case of total fatigue, and a bit of tremor in my hands.

In addition, I have not done interior auto-trim work since about 1967, and I was wondering if any of the stalwarts here on the forum have done this job. If so, they might offer any tips or a warning to get to the nearest autobody shop to have the job done.

 

[Oldsparks]

I bought
https://www.amazon.com/VIOFO-STARVI...itor/dp/B0C5MVB7NX?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1
I found this on the Reddit site as the adapter for any i3 with auto dim mirror: https://dongar.tech/products/porsche-keyway1
It has the compatibility chart I have attached below.

The Dongar Amazon page does not show the i3 for what I think is the same adapter
https://www.amazon.com/Dongar-Dashcam-Adapter-Porsche-Vehicles/dp/B0C92JBWWY?ref_=ast_sto_dp
Dongar seems to be recovering from last week's storm in the southeast and has not yet replied to my email question.

Since the BMW dealer said the official BMW Cat Eye dashcam costs $600 plus tax, and they (also said they would have to order one) quoted well over $1000 total to have one installed, I have a few questions, including whether the Dongar from Amazon quoted above is the right one. And what size of their 'unique' 'industrial' MicroSD card would be a good pick?
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/...tore_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto&ref_=ast_bln
They centre on how complex the installation will be for an old fart.
I just got out of two weeks in the new Cardiac ICU building at The Maine Medical Centre with seven stents, a case of total fatigue, and a bit of tremor in my hands.

In addition, I have not done interior auto-trim work since about 1967, and I was wondering if any of the stalwarts here on the forum have done this job. If so, they might offer any tips or a warning to get to the nearest autobody shop to have the job done.

Hi I'm based in the UK, I bought a Blackvue dash cam which came with the rear camera too, I also bought a power lead which is plugged into the obd port , on the power lead it has a switch where you can choose to have cameras on 24/7 or only when you have car switched on, the idea is the cameras become recorders if the car is broken into . Blackvue have an app so you can check status etc , cost in the UK about £450.the interconnected cables are very easy to hide along the rubber edging around the door and roof trims so the cables then become invisible. Also comes with its own micro SD card and it's very simple to install.

 

[Mondomensch]

I bought
https://www.amazon.com/VIOFO-STARVI...itor/dp/B0C5MVB7NX?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1
I found this on the Reddit site as the adapter for any i3 with auto dim mirror: https://dongar.tech/products/porsche-keyway1
It has the compatibility chart I have attached below.

The Dongar Amazon page does not show the i3 for what I think is the same adapter
https://www.amazon.com/Dongar-Dashcam-Adapter-Porsche-Vehicles/dp/B0C92JBWWY?ref_=ast_sto_dp
Dongar seems to be recovering from last week's storm in the southeast and has not yet replied to my email question.

Since the BMW dealer said the official BMW Cat Eye dashcam costs $600 plus tax, and they (also said they would have to order one) quoted well over $1000 total to have one installed, I have a few questions, including whether the Dongar from Amazon quoted above is the right one. And what size of their 'unique' 'industrial' MicroSD card would be a good pick?
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/...tore_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto&ref_=ast_bln
They centre on how complex the installation will be for an old fart.
I just got out of two weeks in the new Cardiac ICU building at The Maine Medical Centre with seven stents, a case of total fatigue, and a bit of tremor in my hands.

In addition, I have not done interior auto-trim work since about 1967, and I was wondering if any of the stalwarts here on the forum have done this job. If so, they might offer any tips or a warning to get to the nearest autobody shop to have the job done.

I would definitely stay far, far away from any non-name brand memory card. Stick with reputable names like Samsung, Sandisk, etc, and sold only by Amazon itself, not third party vendors on the Amazon site. Too many fake or substandard memory cards being sold these days.

As for the type of card, get a “high endurance” model, which is designed for continuous use. Normal flash cards quickly degrade and slow down or fail when constantly called on to write data.

For example only I have attached a photo of a listing for one that seems suitable and runs about $25. Not sure what size range your camera can handle, though.

Best wishes for recovering your health and please report back on this project. I’ve been mulling the idea of a dash cam for my new to me 2020 i3.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

Thanks for the replies:
I am concerned about the installation of the VIOFO A119 MINI 2 cam that I bought.
A post on REDDIT led me to a company that sells a premade jumper that lets you use the power supplied to the auto-dimming rearview mirror to power the dashcam without the bother (or, in my case, ham-handed damage to rubber seals or snapping of plastic tabs holding covers on.)
The REDDIT post sent me to a company that makes these adapters, and I believe that this is the right one:
https://dongar.tech/products/porsche-keyway1
And I wondered if anyone here had used one of these to avoid running wiring through the windshield weatherstripping and past the A post airbag, then via the glove compartment to get to the fuse box, and then to use a fuse tap to get its power.