Has Anyone Installed a Dash Cam?

Got it and firmware installed. Next up is a hardwire kit and a 2nd mount for my other truck.

Anyone have links to how to take down headliner so i can run wires?

 

One modification I've done, which I haven't posted yet (but will), is adding an air horn (which I can turn off) to my Prime. I've added air horns to my last four cars now, and I wouldn't be without one. I don't get the loudest air horn available, but it is still quite loud. It's great for getting the attention of distracted drivers.

Right after I bought my Prius, before I got my air horn, I was waiting in a dedicated left turn lane for the left turn signal at a busy intersection with a long light. When the light changed, the first guy in line turned left. The second guy, who was the guy in front of me, didn't move. I gave him a beep, nothing. Two beeps, nothing. Then I laid on the horn until the light changed and he never moved. He never looked up from his phone. The honking of the wimpy OEM horn was just some far-off sound that was part of the world he was ignoring. That almost certainly wouldn't have happened with the air horn.

In the next day or two, I'll record some video outside the car honking just the OEM horn and then the OEM with the air horn and post it to modifications. With all of the distracted drivers, I think an air horn has become a necessity.

 

Just curious, is air horn legal to be used in sedan?

 

The question who would be around with a dB meter to measure it. Here’s the law:
Cal Veh code section 27000.
(a) A motor vehicle, when operated upon a highway, shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than 200 feet, but a horn shall not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound and a motor vehicle shall not be equipped with an aftermarket horn that emits a sound greater than 110 dB(A). An authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with, and use in conjunction with the siren on that vehicle, an air horn that emits sounds that do not comply with the requirements of this section.

Would probably have to rely on manufacturer’s data.

 

I have a hidden switch turns it on and off. When it's off, it's just the regular horn. So I'm not at all worried about that.

I'm guessing that law was written years ago when cars were much less insulated against sound, when most car radios didn't get as loud as today's car stereos, and when there weren't cell phones and all of these devices that people get completely lost in. And there also weren't Bluetooth headsets.

When I sound that air horn, it is as a safety warning. It needs to be heard. I don't care about the law regarding maximum volume. I have no idea what the decibel rating on it is, but it's certainly one of the least-loud air horns.

 

Actually, the law was revised in 2010.

 

And what revisions were made?

 

I just read the law. As I suspected, it was written in 1959. It has many other provisions relating to commercial vehicles (especially garbage trucks) and specifies thinks like video displays for them. I am willing to bet that whatever changes have been made have been in regards to those provisions, and that the language about horns has not changed in many, many years (if ever). Besides, with the police ignoring those ridiculously loud exhaust pipes motorcyclists put on their bikes (that make noise the entire time they are riding), I'm not giving a second thought to having an air horn.

 

well I want a locomotive train horn in my mud truck.. will do it someday and yes I agree.. our horns are wimpy.. and need a good boosted horn!!!!!


well I mounted the rear cam on the flat back glass on the hatch and video is very clear on a nice clear day; however, it rain/snowed on my way to work and the rear cam was worthless. will need to remove it and figure how to not trash the double sided tape to move it up to where the rear wiper is... this way I can have a clean video!!!!!


on the front.. my windshield has an arc to it. I put the camera behind but to the left of the rearview mirror as my ez-pass is on the right.. and the camera is slightly angled to the right now as the windshield is arced... the mount only allows for one way adjusting and wished it was a ball style to be totally adjustable. Gotta look at that as well and still gotta get into the headliner.

the videos are very clear...

I had a few issues on my drive to work.
1. videos were fine up until 5:30 am when I was wawa getting air in my tire as I have a slow leak. Unit rebooted on me twice.. just randomly.. I'm going to have to flash the firmware back to the correct x500d to rule out the x550d firmware as the culprit... to see if the unit is heating up and just rebooting..

with that rebooting..
2. the video files are no longer any good. They don't play, wont open, etc... all others prior are fine.

 

I want a horn that sounds like the Chicago Blackhawks goal horn. That would get anybody's attention.

It's pretty easy to find the .mp3. How to get a horn installed to play it (or a horn that has a similar sound) is beyond me.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I'm not sure, but I still remember the episode of I Love Lucy in which Lucy got a call for Ricky that included the message that they could make the horn on the new car he was considering play Babalú. I think it was when they got the news that they were going to Hollywood for Ricky to star in a movie.

 

My installer said he's installed everything from the horns that belong on semi trucks to those boxes on emergency vehicles that make the extremely loud buzzing sounds (cops use them when the sirens and flashing lights somehow aren't enough to get people to get out of their way). I have to admit that there are times I would like something like that, but I know their sounds and volume would be so unexpected that they might cause an accident.

I saw a documentary about armored cars a few years ago. The company that did the conversions said that they had done cars for other countries (not legal here) in which they installed pepper spray nozzles and one that could shoot out flames from underneath the car, all around the car, to repel attackers. Imagine having that the next time some guy tries to clean your windshield with Windex and a piece of newspaper.

 

I dream of targeted EMPs to stop those lovely "boom cars" dead in their noisy tracks. And there are always those times when a few well-aimed lasers or missiles would hit the spot.


Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

There was a brief, shining moment in Birmingham when I was growing up. For a while, the local cops would pull over anyone with blaring music and tear the paper out of their speakers (usually subwoofers) right there on the spot.

 

I recall the shooting flames being for certain very wealthy people in South Africa, during a rash of kidnappings.

 

Why go only 1/2 way? Ship's horn is the way to go . . .

 

Wow hah..


So it kept rebooting on way home. I cant flash it back to 500 firmware. Last resort is that im going to use its memory card vs my 64gb.

 

Well, found my issue and didn't have to flash back. As a matter of fact I CANT GET IT TO FLASH BACK!!! so if I had to send it back... it would go with the 550 firmware.. hah.

anyway.. I bought the 32gb kit and I already have a 64gb micro card. Well not sure the difference but the 64gb micro was my issue. I put the 32gb micro sd that came with kit (also says thinkware on it) in and viola.. no reboots all the way to work. well 32gb... will see how many videos I can get before it starts overwriting.

my goal is to put it in my truck when I take it out as well so I have to buy the hardwire kit and windshield mount for truck but will only use 1 camera - hence will get more video record time vs the 2 cameras.

hopefully ill be able to put up some videos on youtube later. Right now I just have a.m. driving and believe it or not, no a-holes flying, multiple lane changes, etc... I bet my ride home will be eventful though...

 

The Blackhawks Scored! (not the song at the end, just the horn)

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

well been using the camera and it doesn't do much. Since I ran the wires like a mess, I finally got around to running the rear cam wire. Couldn't believe how easy it was. My neighbor has installed amps and stereo's in newer cars to which I was scared to do. He showed me how the prius plastic just pops off down on the floor boards and we ran the camera wire easily.
next up is to get the hardwire kit and wire that up next.

I just realized that Amazon price for the Thinkware X500D went up from $199 to $289!!!! and they are scarce to which there are newer models out. Well I need to get one for the wifes jeep and all of these are $300+ just great...