Car battery problems - is the dashcam draining it?

foxy-stoat

https://blackvue.eu/product/blackvue-power-magic-pro/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgafj5rLs3QIVBrDtCh3-cwHQEAQYAyABEgK_O_D_BwE

I have a Power Magic on mine - it auto cuts the power to the dash cam if it senses the volts on the battery drop below a certain level.

It could be the battery getting weak though if the temperature has dropped recently.

ripplyuk

foxy-stoat wrote: »

https://blackvue.eu/product/blackvue-power-magic-pro/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgafj5rLs3QIVBrDtCh3-cwHQEAQYAyABEgK_O_D_BwE

I have a Power Magic on mine - it auto cuts the power to the dash cam if it senses the volts on the battery drop below a certain level.

Do I need that? Nextbase said it has it ‘built-in’ and auto cuts the power.

ripplyuk

wgl2014 wrote: »

How long has the dash cam been fitted for?

If it's been in a while wouldn't it have drained the battery before now.....

It was fitted at the end of March this year. The reason I think it might be the problem is because it has never worked the way it’s supposed to with turning on/off but I’ll get the car battery checked and maybe a new one anyway. I have had some health problems this year and the car has sat for longer periods than usual without being driven so it might just need replaced. Thanks for the tip about Halfords. The dashcam was bought from them too so I might say to them that it might be faulty.

oldagetraveller

foxy-stoat wrote: »

https://blackvue.eu/product/blackvue-power-magic-pro/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgafj5rLs3QIVBrDtCh3-cwHQEAQYAyABEgK_O_D_BwE

I have a Power Magic on mine - it auto cuts the power to the dash cam if it senses the volts on the battery drop below a certain level.

It could be the battery getting weak though if the temperature has dropped recently.

That is a fairly cheap solution whichI considered. I have front and rear cameras. My battery is 5 years old now and showing signs of that age!
I suspect that, or something similar, is what the o.p. needs in their car.
However, because powering from the car battery is not ideal for parking mode I decided to purchase and install a separate Cellink rechargeable battery pack (lithium polymer) under the front pasenger seat. NOT cheap! Very effective though. Charges at 7 amps when hardwired into a switched 12v at the fuse box and with the engine running. Lasts for hours in parking mode and oviously doesn't drain the car battery.

foxy-stoat

ripplyuk wrote: »

Do I need that? Nextbase said it has it ‘built-in’ and auto cuts the power.

Clearly it doesnt work if the dash cam isnt shutting off and draining your battery - assuming it is the reason why it happened.

agrinnall

ripplyuk wrote: »

I have it in the house now and it still won’t turn off! It just keeps turning itself back on every time and then warning that the battery is low.

Sounds like it's faulty to me, when I take mine off the mount it turns itself off after about 10 seconds. The only doubt I might have is if you have the setting turned on for it to record if the car is parked but suffers a shock of some sort, I don't use that myself so I'm not sure if that might be waking the camera up.

UncleZen

ripplyuk wrote: »

I have it in the house now and it still won’t turn off! It just keeps turning itself back on every time and then warning that the battery is low.

Thats caused by parking mode. If you switch on parking mode, any little jog on the vehicle will cause the cam to switch on and record the culprit thats just driven into your car. So, if you take the cam off the mount and take it indoors the same thing will happen. Unless you leave it really still OR the internal battery runs out (30 mins on the 512gw).

ripplyuk

UncleZen wrote: »

Thats caused by parking mode. If you switch on parking mode, any little jog on the vehicle will cause the cam to switch on and record the culprit thats just driven into your car. So, if you take the cam off the mount and take it indoors the same thing will happen. Unless you leave it really still OR the internal battery runs out (30 mins on the 512gw).

It’s not in parking mode. I’ve checked twice. It turns itself on again even when it’s just sitting on the table. I think it must be faulty.

agrinnall

ripplyuk wrote: »

It’s not in parking mode. I’ve checked twice. It turns itself on again even when it’s just sitting on the table. I think it must be faulty.

I'd agree. How old is it? Taking it back to where you bought it from is probably the best option, but in some circumstances if there is a warranty from NextBase that might be an alternative.

UncleZen

In that case, I'd agree with you. Contact Nextbase, they're always helpful.