In another post, I discussed why attorneys are big fans of dash cameras. In this postal service, I will run through my installation of a Garmin Dash Cam 57.

I ordered the dash cam direct from Garmin. I chose the Dash Cam 57 with a screen. I felt this one offered the all-time combination of video quality, viewing angle and toll.

I too ordered the parking mode cable and so I could hardwire the photographic camera into the car instead of using the cigarette lighter adapter that came with the camera. In that location is besides an OBD-2 port ability supply bachelor, but I use my OBD-Two port for other things. I recall the parking manner cablevision provides the cleanest looking install as well.

Hither are links to these two items:

Garmin Dash Cam 57

Garmin Parking Mode Cable

Other stuff y'all volition need:

  • Multimeter. Mine died, then I ordered this 1 from Amazon.
  • Fuse Tap variety pack. I ordered this gear up from Amazon.
  • Wire stripper similar this.
  • Soldering atomic number 26 and solder like this.
  • Heat shrink wrap like this.
  • Automotive trim tools. I already had these from Amazon.

Dash Cam Installation Steps

Place the camera.

I placed the camera onto the windshield starting time. Top Tip: Turn the camera on when you are figuring out where to place information technology. It has a battery within so it will run without being plugged in. One time it is on, you can move it effectually the windshield to notice a infinite where information technology is out of the way and still has a clear view frontward. I found that where I initially wanted to mount the photographic camera, the arm attaching the rear view mirror to the windshield obstructed part of the view.

Garmin 57 dash cam installed on windshield
I initially placed the camera in a higher place the rearview mirror, but the wide angle view of the camera lens defenseless the arm for the rearview mirror. The photographic camera's view is unobstructed below the mirror.

The camera attaches with a magnet to a little disc that sticks to the windshield. The camera is and then very easy to remove from the vehicle. I had to pop the little disc off the windshield once to relocate it. The sticky was acceptable for a second application.

Locate fuses and prep the parking mode cable.

Here's where all that gear you assembled comes in. You volition need to use the multimeter to figure out where to adhere the wires of the parking fashion cable.

Yellowish wire: This is the battery wire, or constant power wire. This wire needs to have power when the ignition is off. I used my multimeter to check various fuse slots until I located one that had power when the key was out of the ignition. The multimeter volition show almost 12V of power when you find a practiced spot.

Red wire: This is the accompaniment ability wire. It will show no power when the ignition is off, and 12V when the ignition is on.

Black wire: This is the grounding wire. I stuck the red wire from my multimeter into a fuse slot I knew had power, and and so poked around with the black wire from my multimeter until I constitute a commodities that was grounded. Loosen the bolt you locate braze the footing wire (afterwards you lot have soldered the red and yellow wires to the fuse taps).

One time you know what fuse slots yous will utilise, and thereby what size fuse tap y'all need, you can solder the fuse taps to your wires. I cutting off the bluish ends of the fuse taps and stripped back some wire. I think those blueish ends are supposed to be crimped, but that wasn't working for me. I slid a heat shrink tube over the red and yellow wires. So I soldered the fuse taps to the wires. And so I slid the estrus shrink tubes over the soldered joint, and heated them up to shrink them on.

Road the power cablevision.

You basically stuff the power cable into the gap between the headliner and the windshield and the A-Pillar and windshield to conceal it.

Plug the power cablevision into the photographic camera. Route the cable up towards the headliner and beginning tucking. If it is a tight fit, you can use the plastic trim tools to slightly pry the headliner abroad just enough to clasp the power cable in.

Top Tip: I plant it helpful to make a little loop in the cable and then stuff the loop into the gap. The footling loop provides a little slack. Inevitably, as you are hiding the cablevision, it gets tight and starts to pull out at some other spot. The little loop provides a niggling actress slack to keep the cable from pulling out.

using an automotive trim tool to hide the power cable for the dash cam

Go along downwards along the A-pillar. I plant this to be a much tighter fit than forth the headliner. When I got to the base of the A-pillar, I was able to stuff the cable between the base of the A-pillar and the nuance. The fusebox on my automobile is located on the left side of the nuance.

Plug in the fuse taps and button things up.

Put fuses in the fuse taps, and plug the fuse taps into the fuse slots you identified previously. At this signal you can attach the ground wire to the commodities you previously identified.

One time everything was connected, I rolled up the wires into a not bad loop, and blimp them into a gap above the fuses. Then I put the fuse box cover back in place. All done!

Setup the photographic camera.

I found the camera to accept a pretty intuitive interface. There are few options and then it does not take long to explore them. I will talk more about the features of the camera in another post where I review the functionality of the photographic camera. Then far though, the user interface is far superior to the last photographic camera I got on Amazon.

Garmin'due south Installation Instructions

The installation instructions that came with the parking mode cable are awful. The instructions consist of a single foursquare of paper with a link to a website for instruction. That in itself would non be bad, but the link is cleaved. When I searched Garmin'due south website for instructions, the instructions I found simply told me to hire a professional person for the installation. Wow.