Avoid a Melted Dash Cam in Summer
Yes we know what you are thinking….. Oh… my…. gosh! Believe it or not, it does happen.
Dash Cams are subjected to some brutal conditions when sitting on a windscreen, especially during summer.
Dash Cams are exposed to direct sunlight while driving and parked and the sweltering cabin heat of a hot parked car.
Furthermore, if your Dash Cam is recording while parked in parking mode, add in the extra internal heat of the Dash Cam itself.
If a Dash Cam isn’t high quality and intentionally built and designed to survive summer heat, there is a chance it could end up like the ones pictured.
We can honestly say we have never seen this type of heat failure happen to any of our Dash Cams.
We only source high quality Dash Cams built to survive the conditions of a hot parked car.
You shouldn’t have to be anxious about your Dash Cams survival in the heat. How annoying would it be having to always unplug the cable and remove the Dash Cam from the mount just to protect it from the heat. Then you have to re-mount the Dash Cam and plug it back in each you hop back in the car. No thanks.
If you purchased your Dash Cam to record while parked, what good is it if you have to remove it from the windscreen to prevent it from melting in the sun.
So what helps a Dash Cam survive being in a hot car in summer:
Obviously high quality external and internal components.
Supercapacitors – all Dash Cams have a small internal battery which has the function of saving the last video file when power is cut to the camera. If a Dash Cam shuts down the moment power is cut, the last video file might not be saved. These internal batteries are normally standard lithium ion or the superior supercapacitors. High quality supercapacitors will outperform lithium ion batteries in the heat.
Lithium ion batteries can be extremely prone to swelling in the heat of a hot car and the internal acid can pop and leak out of the Dash Cam. We have seen examples of this in person. You will notice a bulge where the lithium ion battery sits. If the acid leaks, you will definitely know as it can eat away at the plastic housing or even your car interior.
Buyer beware, just because a cheap Dash Cam states it has a supercapcitor, doesn’t mean it is an entirely heat resistant camera. Every component of the Dash Cam needs to be high heat tolerant, not just one or two components.
Dash Cam Warranty – the longer the Dash Cam warranty gives you peace of mind that should something happen you are covered for longer. A longer warranty generally means the manufacturer has more confidence their product will survive harsh summer conditions for longer.
FineVu and Blackvue Dash Cams have the longest 3 year Dash Cam warranty.
Don’t place a reflective sun shade BEHIND any Dash Cam – this will kill any Dash Cam. If a sun shade is placed behind a Dash Cam, the sun shade will reflect all the heat back onto the Dash Cam melting it and killing it very quickly.
High temperature shut off – any good quality Dash Cam will have an “auto shut off” feature, so if the Dash Cam senses its temperature is too high it will shut down. Features like this aren’t in cheap Dash Cams because it adds cost.
Some FineVu Dash Cams have a nifty park mode feature called “Ai Heat Monitoring”. While recording motion/impacts in a hot parked car, the FineVu camera will automatically switch to power saving park mode if it detects the temperature is getting too high. This power saving park mode uses less energy therefore cooling down the camera. Once the Dash Cam cools down, it switches back to normal motion/impact park mode. This feature means that the Dash Cam can stay on a record while parked, rather than just simply shutting down to protect itself from high heat.
If you want to take the stress out of using a Dash Cam during summer, ensure you look at one of our BlackVue, FineVu or Lukas Dash Cams. These units have been supplied to customers and fleets in some of the harshest conditions in Australia and have not seen a melted unit to date.
If you want to record while parked, you really need the highest quality unit to be able to survive direct sunlight and the sweltering internal car heat.
Check out of most popular and high quality park mode Dash Cam by clicking here.
Don’t forget to check out our 2023 Dash Cam Recommendations by clicking here.
If you have any further enquiries or would like more assistance please do not hesitate to contact us on (03) 9350 2605 or info@dashcamsaustralia.com.au or chat with us live on our LIVE CHAT tab on the site. We are more than happy to answer any questions or assist you with a Dash Cam recommendation.