Respectfully you are really overthinking this. Toyota/Lexus in their own "genuine" dash cams sources the power in the same exact fashion, with no additional programming or coding required. The only way I can see the warranty being voided is if you royally mess up the installation (which tbh you have to be trying to mess it up for that to happen) or you have an issue with the PCS camera. But if that were the case you just put the old housing on and call it a day. My car has been to the dealer 5 times now with the FitCam and never one had an issue nor has it even been mentioned to me. Often times people don't even realize its a dash cam because of the OEM look. Regardless in Canada you have resources such as CAMVAP to defend you if there were a warranty dispute of any sort between you and Toyota.

 

Thanks for sharing the info about CAMVAP. I may look into that if there will be any issue and I don’t know if they can do anything in this case.

Are you sure the genuine dash cam takes power from adaptive cruise control sensor? Did you ask them? I thought it goes to the fuse box. Anyhow, the genuine dash cam sits near the front cover area, but I don’t know if the wires go into the front cover. LSFT does a video on that in his YouTube channel.

F.Y.I. I asked dealership about FitCamX. They recommended not to go with it due to it’s replacement of the front cover and diversion of power in the cover. I guess they don’t want customer fiddling with the original parts. They did not recommend the genuine Lexus dash cam to me as the price is high and suggest to go with other brands that route wire to fuse box or usb power socket.

 

You made me go back and check the instructions on TIS lol. So I am slightly mistaken. Depending on the vehicle there are 2 ways that the genuine US cameras source power. The main one and the most common way is that it has a Y connector sourcing power from the homelink mirror connection. The alternative way is that in some cars there is actually a cable pre-run and you just need to plug in the camera. So yes they do "steal" power from a plug that is behind the PCS cover, but they do not source it from the PCS camera itself. Having said that, I still have full faith in the product. The two cars that I've had this installed on have no issues reading lanes, switching to high beams at night, and the PCS system has flashed the giant red BRAKE on both cars without any issues (we have it on high sensitivity, I promise I'm not a bad driver lol). I have full faith in the product. I was the first person to install it in an IS and since then a number of people have installed it and had no issues. The only complaints I've heard from some is that the resolution is not that great. There was an in depth explanation by a user on the ES forum on how the 4K model of fitcam just has a 2K sensor and it upscales the image to 4K. Having said that, even the absolute best dash cams do not always show license plates crystal clear. In my personal opinion, the dash cam is more than adequate during the day and at night, especially when considering it only costs $169. My main reason behind the purchase was how the camera looked OEM and I avoided having to run any wires down the A pillars either to the cigarette lighter or the fuse box. I had a camera wired that way in my previous car and I hated how it looked. As far as your dealers comments, their opinion should really be worthless. I've had my local dealer refuse to install Lexus OEM parts just because I didn't buy it from them. I also had a PCS camera go bad on a 2017 Corolla and it took 2 months and me opening a case with Toyota Corporate before the dealer admitted the part was defective. Most of the guys there are clueless and don't really have a passion for their jobs.

 

Thanks again for sharing your experience with the dash cam. I and a few friends with NX 350h are looking for someone locally in GTA who already installs FitCamX in multiple NX 350h models without any issues. If anyone knows the reputable individual, please PM me the contact. That would be appreciated.

 

Anyone else considering installing an external battery pack for parking mode recording for dashcams?
Wondering where's a good spot to put the battery pack? I am thinking in the front passenger foot well. There doesn't seem to be enough space below the driver seat.

 

I bought a Viofo A119 v3 as a lightening deal on Cyber Monday for $69. It's on sale now for $79 - nice and tidy little unit and I've been pleased with the picture and playback. I haven't hardwired it but was able to hide the wires in the headliner and rubber door gaskets.

https://tinyurl.com/44nz5v9z

 

Has anyone taken off the driver side A pillar trim cover?

 

So i finished the install. Ended up removing the A pillar as i think this is a safer install because you can run the wire behind the airbag and it will not be in the way if the curtain airbag is deployed. One question, now that there is a fuse tap in place, the fuse panel cover no longer fits. Is everyone keeping this open or covering with a piece of tape or something?

 

Nope, I just took off the cover and left it like that.

 

Thanks. By the way, if anyone is looking for instructions on removing the A pillar, it is the same clips as used in the Rav4. Video here:

 

Yup. I'm pretty sure everyone is leaving it like that, as did I. It's hidden enough not to be an eyesore or look unwieldy and out of place.

Just make sure you keep the cover in the car for future reference.

 

Currently Im using Nexar one dashcam with $10 monthly fee for LTE (connectivity to the cam not always good).
Also I have FitCamX for the front and rear and its ok.
And now I did preorder for the new Ring Car Cam (also planning to use their LTE feature $6 compare to Nexar which is $10).

https://ring.com/products/car-cam

Let see how Ring Cam works.

 

correct...the game is over...they are going to take over. thread should be closed in a few months. lol

 

That Ring looks nice and polished, but having it down so low seems like it will have an obstructed view over the hood

 

this looks intriguing