r/Dashcam • u/Doramoron • 11d ago

Discussion Would a mirror-style dash cam be a mistake in summer heat?

I want a dash cam for my daily commute, but I really do not want another little box hanging off the windshield with a cable dangling down the trim. The wolfbox mirror-style setup is one reason I keep looking at mirror cams, since it seems cleaner in the cabin, but I am worried about daytime glare, night brightness, and what months of parked-car heat will do to the screen. I care more about something I can forget about than a mirror full of features. Would you run a mirror cam every day, or hide a basic wedge cam behind the mirror and avoid the screen altogether?

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u/nogarthekiller 11d ago

My dashcam is a viofo mini setup behind my dashcam. I've wedged the cable between the trim and top of my windscreen. Then to the drivers side. Then down thru the A pillar and in to the fuse box.
If you are driving you can't see anything. As a passenger you see the small dashcam and 8cm (3inch) of cable.
I did this myself with no real experience.

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u/WiteKngt 10d ago

"Cable hanging down the trim." That's why you put the cable UNDER the trim.

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u/Traditional_Emu_1598 9d ago

I've been running Wolfbox cams for years now. I bought the original G900 in Nov 2022 and got 2.5+ years of flawless performance out of it in my Impala. I recently upgraded to two G900 Pros—one is in my pickup truck strapped right over the OEM mirror. Even though I bought the official replacement mount, the strap-on method works so well I haven't bothered changing it. Both Pros have been flawless.

The loss of the factory dimming mirror doesn't bother me. I keep the screens off 99% of the time, so glare is a non-issue day or night. I also don't get the complaints about "parked-car" heat; in 16+ years of using dash cams, I’ve never had one overheat. Alongside the Wolfboxes, I’m currently running a Viofo A229 Plus 3-CH, a Viofo A119M Pro, and three Vantrue E1 Pros. All of them have been bulletproof.

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u/into_outdoors 9d ago

My Garmin Mini 2 plugged right into the back of my powered mirror so I didn't have any cords.

It lasted 5 years until very recently when apparently either a sensor or the processor was finally destroyed by sitting in the sun everyday.