Garmin - Dash Cam 46

I put a Garmin Dash Cam 20 in my car at the beginning of 2015. Still working good as new now 10 years later. Helped my parents install the same model (I think) in their cars around 2016 and both are still working. When I got a second car, the Garmin Dash Cam 46 seemed to be the closest similar model. Its been going fine since Fall of 2019 (though it thinks everything is a crash and fills SD cards fast). Both live adhesive-glued to the windshields. Until later 2020, both of mine were out in the sun and cold all the time, now the older car sits in a garage when parked but the newer one is out in the sun and cold. I have been happy with both, though I've been thinking about some kind of upgrade to add rear cameras...but I need to find a way to run power from the front to the rear because I sometimes drive in locations that require I switch them off and need to accomplish that from the driver's seat.

I have an old DC46 and like it. The quality is good enough for most things. Frankly the biggest problem i have with it is I got the suction cup mount and it doesn't work. Maybe it's the Colorado sun weakening the rubber, but I needed to go back to the adhesive magnet, which was unfortunate when I changed cars and needed to buy another magnet.

My garmin mini (dc45) lasted me upwards of 7-8 years. I’m on my replacement now (dc46) working on year 3 I think…. 45 was always on, recording 24/7. 46 was in storage for about 2.5 months and then another month later. (Car in shop, car totaled & being replaced). It only records when the car engine is on or if it detects something in parking mode. Edit: it stays in the car always. Temps in my area range from -5* to 110*F.

I got the garmin drive dashcam. I actually have two- one in the front windshield and a mini one in the rear, because a majority of car accidents are getting rear ended which a front windshield cam will miss. I like the garmin ones because the app integrates the two cameras to show a single video with both front and rear views. Plus it has a parking mode so if someone hits your car when it’s in a parking lot, you can see who it was.

The only thing you’d be missing is if someone hits you in the front while you’re parked. The rear cam won’t see it. Yes both are hardwired, but I haven’t had an issue with battery drain. Yes both do have to be hardwired so there is a one time expense there. I had to take it to an alarm/radio shop to get it wired up. Honestly a good idea regardless because if you try to do it yourself, unless you remove the A pillar, the wire will be in front of the airbag which could cause issues if you’re in an accident.

Yes $230 for 1080p single channel only is rather expensive. I can't even find a equivalent Viofo since the current ones are 1440p minimum. Garmin have a lithium ion battery to provide up to 30 minutes of extra recording when power is out, while most others use a super-capacitor to only close video file safely when power is out. Lithium ion battery are known to not last long in high heat, but I haven't seen Garmin having battery bulging issue. Garmin have their own software with a unique feature that let you sync multiple Garmin cams. Other brands just modify Novatek base software stack, all their apps have similar look and features. Garmin also have lots of accessory options although somewhat expensive, like you can use a suction cup mount instead of sticker mount.

I know 2 guys with them that have been really happy. They are still selling units. There are a lot of action cameras but I went down the rabbit hole and two issues hit most, battery life (I wanted at min 4 hours) and dashcam mode that was useful. I ended up getting the Garmin front (recently) and rear (over 2 years ago) and have been really happy. For me integration to make it easy and on every ride is key. I move them between bikes in 30 seconds too this way.