Reddit reviews UDI F198 Car Dash DVR With Night Vision, Microphone Built In, 2.5" Rotatable and Foldable TFT LCD Screen display

I bought this one the day after a semi deliberately tried to run me off the road because I didn't get out of the passing lane fast enough. It's cheap and flimsy but it works just as advertised. It's lasted 6 months so far but we'll see if it makes it through a Tucson summer.

I spend 3-4 hours a day driving around the city for my job. Air fresheners would be super helpful and pleasant. So would more tunes. Something that would be cool for rare events and insurance reasons is this dash cam, but I feel like I'd think it's really cool for a bit but wouldn't use it all the time. Lol.
Thanks Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike!
:-)

Here is the dash cam that I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YHVNWO/ref=oh_o04_s00_i00_details

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I own the same one that I purchased from amazon for about 1/2 the price... they maybe different in some ways but mine has been good for about a year now.

I've never heard of them being standard. Perhaps high end vehicles have an option, but a majority are third party installed by the owner. And when I say installed, I mean they plug the things into the cigarette lighter and suction cup them to the windscreen. Company cars probably have them yes, most likely for the purpose of insurance as well as being sure their employees aren't doing anything reckless.

EDIT: they're not some advanced super expensive stupid hard to get thing. Have a look: http://www.amazon.com/SainSpeed-Microphone-Rotatable-Foldable-display/dp/B004YHVNWO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333434626&sr=8-1

I ended up buying one like this off some amazon reseller:

Amazon.com: SainSpeed F198 Car Dash DVR With Night Vision, Microphone Built In, 2.5" Rotatable and Foldable TFT LCD Screen display

I had a 16GB SD card lying around from an old camera, so I think in total I ended up paying about 35 bucks for it with shipping. With a record time of about 4-6 hours, overall it's not too shabby for the price. Picture isn't HD like advertised, but with the angle of the lense (120 degrees), you wouldn't be able to read license plates anyway.

I love it but it does have its quirks. I've noticed that even keeping it fully charged, it tends to freak out about once every 10 days and the timestamp resets to January 1, 2010. The one thing I really like about it is the fact that it automatically turns itself on and off as power is applied from the 12v jack. Saves me from messing with it every time I get in and out of the car.

Here's the one I have. I was looking for something inexpensive, and from what I found, all the inexpensive ones have very bad reviews. But if you want something that is reliable, according to reviews, you will have to spend well over $150. I bought this one about a year ago, and it's been functioning just fine. The price has dropped $10 since I dropped it. It's not the best camera, and you won't be able to see a license plate unless you are within 2 car lengths, but if you were in an accident, you would easily be able to see what happened. For the price, I'm happy with it. Although, I think it will be luck of the draw as to whether or not you get a unit that actually lasts, which is the biggest gripe in the reviews.

EDIT: Also, I thought about using my phone as a dash cam. It would actually be better, but the problem was that I'm very forgetful, and knew that I would rarely remember to do it. And that's the reason I got this one. It starts recording as soon as you turn the car on, and turns off shortly after(It has a battery in it).