Rearview Mirror Dashcams?

[Jlaa]

Has anyone mounted a replacement rearview mirror dashcam? (as opposed to a clip on dash cam)

I am curious on what the effort level involved is. What is driving this question - I anticipate that someday my interior rearview mirror will break. When that happens, why not replace that with a fancy schmancy one? I could replace that with a fancy shmancy 2-phast one with homelink and compass, except that I don't use my garage door opener remote (personal preference - security risk).

I see OE-rearview-replacement dash cams like this on Amazon on all the time, but have not really looked into it. Note - I don't know much about dash cams.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BVYHHQM/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

 

[speedy300dturbo]

The one you posted won't work with the MB mount - it's designed to clip onto a metal bracket that's glued to the windshield (typical on American and Japanese cars). I've seen the dashcam rearview mirrors that clip over the stock mirror, but most of those monstrosities look terribly out of place in a W124 interior (IMO). I suggest sticking with a standalone unit such as the Blueskysea B1W (ultra compact, nearly invisible behind the stock rearview mirror) or Viofo A119 / A129 (a bit bulkier). Make sure you get a unit that runs on a super-capacitor. Integrated Li-Ion and LiPo batteries tend to fail quickly.

Currently I'm running dual B1W cameras (one front, one rear) and thinking about attaching additional side-facing cameras on the rear quarter windows.

 

[Jlaa]

The one you posted won't work with the MB mount - it's designed to clip onto a metal bracket that's glued to the windshield (typical on American and Japanese cars). I've seen the dashcam rearview mirrors that clip over the stock mirror, but most of those monstrosities look terribly out of place in a W124 interior (IMO). I suggest sticking with a standalone unit such as the Blueskysea B1W (ultra compact, nearly invisible behind the stock rearview mirror) or Viofo A119 / A129 (a bit bulkier). Make sure you get a unit that runs on a super-capacitor. Integrated Li-Ion and LiPo batteries tend to fail quickly.

Currently I'm running dual B1W cameras (one front, one rear) and thinking about attaching additional side-facing cameras on the rear quarter windows.

Thanks. Hmmmm.. The driver behind my question is not so much that I really am wanting to fit a dash cam, but that when my rear view mirror breaks (as they all break eventually) that I'd like to fit a more modern rear view mirror. I wonder if 2phast has fitted more modern mirror hardware (meaning beyond homelink/compass/autodim mirror) to the MB mounts....

 

[2phast]

Yes I have. You can see the videos of these here; http://mirrors.2phast.com

There are very few that can be modified to work with the factory MB brackets. It needs to be of a specific ball/socket design and if the mirror itself has too many wires, they all can't fit inside the OE Mercedes bracket. Some of these mirrors are not easy to take apart and are very delicate. The other factor is cost, these mirrors are pricey and if you factor in the conversion cost, they become cost prohibitive.

I am looking into one mirror that might work but the wiring would need to be external to the bracket, but the good thing is the factory MB bracket would be usable. Need to test this design before I go into detail about it.

 

[Jlaa]

Thanks 2phast, now I understand the constraints you are working under. Some of these more modern mirrors have bluetooth (phone calls!!), and some others have lots-o-video-inputs, but now looking through your pictures, I understand the problem of having too-many-wires to go through the ball/socket.

 

[2phast]

Thanks 2phast, now I understand the constraints you are working under. Some of these more modern mirrors have bluetooth (phone calls!!), and some others have lots-o-video-inputs, but now looking through your pictures, I understand the problem of having too-many-wires to go through the ball/socket.

The GPS mirror I just recently sold, took me three tries to get right and even then, I had to remove some wires from main wiring loom. It had everything in it though, Homelink, auto dimming, backup camera, GPS, touch screen, bluetooth, internal speaker etc. It did not have a front mounted dash camera though.

If I come up with a suitable candidate for this type of mirror, chances are none of the wiring will be internal to the bracket. Opening these mirrors up is a nightmare due to all the electronics and easily damaged wiring. They are pricey though, so hopefully I can work out a deal with the manufacture.

 

[Jlaa]

The one you posted won't work with the MB mount - it's designed to clip onto a metal bracket that's glued to the windshield (typical on American and Japanese cars). I've seen the dashcam rearview mirrors that clip over the stock mirror, but most of those monstrosities look terribly out of place in a W124 interior (IMO). I suggest sticking with a standalone unit such as the Blueskysea B1W (ultra compact, nearly invisible behind the stock rearview mirror) or Viofo A119 / A129 (a bit bulkier). Make sure you get a unit that runs on a super-capacitor. Integrated Li-Ion and LiPo batteries tend to fail quickly.

Currently I'm running dual B1W cameras (one front, one rear) and thinking about attaching additional side-facing cameras on the rear quarter windows.

On second thought, is there any reason why you cannot MOUNT a blueskysea b1w to the back of one of Rik's mirrors and rotate the lens 360* to view out the windshield? Theoretically you could have an all in one homelink/compass/autodim mirror/dashcam that way ..... and the blueskysea dash cam only requires 2 wires - power and ground right? Same as Rik's mirrors?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0773FXVKL/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2E2D732KBQJI9

 

[speedy300dturbo]

I would mount the dashcam on the windshield so the recording angle of the camera isn't affected by minor adjustments to the mirror, or if the mirror is bumped when putting up the sunshade. Almost all dashcams are powered by a 5V mini or micro USB, so you'll need a 12V to 5V converter box. The boxes are small (about the size of a matchbox) so there's plenty of room to hide it behind the dome light, and you can snake the USB end behind the headliner panel to the camera. I connected my B1W cameras with a right angle cable for a cleaner look.

 

[speedy300dturbo]

A bit late here, here's the second B1W dashcam mounted on the rear windshield. It's nearly invisible behind the rear dome light. You can run wires down the C-pillar and tap into a 12V source at the convenience module. My early 124 doesn't have one, but there's a solenoid for the folding rear headrests that has a 12V switched wire. The dashcam draws such low amperage that tapping into any 12V source isn't an issue.

FWIW, I've been running the B1W up front for almost two years without a single issue. As with any dashcam, it's good practice to reformat the memory card every couple of weeks.

 

[Ntrepid]

@2phast Can the lack of room be fixed by 3D printing a new backing (which faces the front of the car)? Maybe able to keep the OEM look while accommodating all of the electronics with a deeper shell.


Robert

 

[2phast]

@2phast Can the lack of room be fixed by 3D printing a new backing (which faces the front of the car)? Maybe able to keep the OEM look while accommodating all of the electronics with a deeper shell.


Robert

This is the final mirror option I came up with. Front/Rear cameras, Android OS, Touch screen, Navigation, etc.

I have one available.

 

[LWB250]

Might I ask what dash cam brand/OE it is based on?