Porsche dealer wants piles of money to fit dashcam - yet it's pre-wired?

[Andy718S]

Hmm, perhaps something has changed

It's just differences between markets. In the UK, dashcam preparation is standard in the same way that air suspension is standard in the USA.

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[JohnnyRoaster]

Which model? A, B or C if I'm reading it correctly at the website. I have Macan 4EV 2024. My granddaughter was recently assaulted by a bully guy who pulled up in front of her, got out of his car and punched her in the face (unfortunately he was fast and her window was down). He went to jail but it was a lot of effort to get him there. We want and need a dash cam. Thank you in advance for any guidance on which model after market.

I got the Model A and with the discount it was about 160 bucks. The video quality is decent but not great. I like the fact it is hidden and there if I need it. It won't record while parked unless the vehicle is bumped. Do a search for a current discount code. Installation took me about 45 minutes but most of that was a learning curve. Feel free to reach out if you need help.

 

[Trevasann]

I got the Model A and with the discount it was about 160 bucks. The video quality is decent but not great. I like the fact it is hidden and there if I need it. It won't record while parked unless the vehicle is bumped. Do a search for a current discount code. Installation took me about 45 minutes but most of that was a learning curve. Feel free to reach out if you need help.

Thank you so much, I will.

 

[alvaro]

It's crazy this isn't a built in standard. My BMW uses the surround cameras

 

[SuperH]

It's crazy this isn't a built in standard. My BMW uses the surround cameras

I really wish this was the case across manufacturers as dashcams only cover front and rear views, where as I was recently nearly taken out by a speeding police car that flew around a bend with no sirens on, which unfortunately I couldn't evidence from my Porsche brand dashcams.

For the Porsche I'm guessing that the quality of the surround parking view, in that it's not amazing, would make it worthless on the Macan anyway lol

 

[SuperH]

My Macan 4 is on order and the window to freeze the configuration ends in a few days from now.

Before the window closes I thought I'd add a couple more lower cost options. I included the Porsche dashcam, because although I can probably get an aftermarket one cheaper, if the dealer does it before delivery it's just over and done with.

The configuration includes 'Preparation Porsche Dashcam' (QK3) which is described as "Prewiring for retrofitting the Porsche dashcam". Yet when I told the dealer I wanted to have a dashcam, he said that labour would be well over £1,000 (USD $1,370) because "we have to take out the head lining, so it's a big job".

I don't understand - surely that's what the QK3 is for? Is my dealer trying to pull the wool over my eyes, do they not understand or are they correct (in which case I'm not sure what QK3 actually does)...?

Alas that's what I paid to have them installed in mine, even though as you point out - it's pre-wired.

I much prefer the Blackview cameras someone mentioned above for both ease of use and image quality and had one in my previous e-tron, having seen how basic and faffy to access the Audi camera (which is exactly the same one Porsche use) that I had in the Q5 I had before the e-tron. I was just reluctant to have a random third party garage pulling out the headlining and dealing with the wiring on my Macan because at the time (I had it sorted in late 2024) it was a brand new model of electric car, so the garage may not have been too knowledgeable about any little quirks of the electronics or attachments.

Now that it's a much more tried and tested system, as a Porsche dash cam owner I'd recommend you get a third party installer to put a Blackview or high quality alternative in for far less cost and far better imigiary.

 

[Andy718S]

My concern is that any third party camera system which is hard wired into the car, will give Porsche the opportunity to blame any electrical gremlins on the non-approved accessory. Knowing how pedantic Porsche can be together with the electrical issues that have been experienced by some people with this car, it is not a risk I wish to take.

Having spoken to my dealer, he has confirmed that hardwiring a third party camera could impact the warranty, so I am now exploring fitting the genuine Porsche dashcam front camera only via my OPC.

 

[byebye]

My concern is that any third party camera system which is hard wired into the car, will give Porsche the opportunity to blame any electrical gremlins on the non-approved accessory. Knowing how pedantic Porsche can be together with the electrical issues that have been experienced by some people with this car, it is not a risk I wish to take.

Having spoken to my dealer, he has confirmed that hardwiring a third party camera could impact the warranty, so I am now exploring fitting the genuine Porsche dashcam front camera only via my OPC.

You're right, actually Porsche denies the right to use third party accessories.
It's a big surprise to me that we are authorized to plug third party usb accessories in the car without losing the warranty!
I can't imagine the risk for people who lower the car, change some parts including wheels.

 

[AndrewH]

cost wouldn’t matter if it was any good

but it’s crap!

Totally agree. The Porsche dashcam is garbage and I’m honestly surprised Porsche puts their name on it. It’s incredibly (and I mean incredibly!!!) frustrating to use compared to the Thinkware U3000 in my other car. It’s a pain in the arse to connect to so much so that I honestly doubt I could access footage out on the road if there was an incident.

A key issue is when the app on my iPhone detects the dashcam needs a firmware update, I can’t actually connect to the dashcam as the app won’t connect before the firmware is updated. This then requires a manual firmware update via the micro SD card.

The rear footage is also imbedded as a channel within the front footage file so is a nightmare to extract as a separate file - the only option that I found that worked is a script in Terminal in my Mac.

If people are saying that the prewiring provides the switched and unswitched power then save yourself the outrageous cost and usage anger and install something else.

 

[jwatte]

will give Porsche the opportunity to blame any electrical gremlins on the non-approved accessory

I don't know about the UK, but in the US (California), car manufacturers were doing all of those shenanigans in the mid-20th century, and helping consumers was popular among congressctritters, so we have laws that protect the consumer against these claims. Any part that's well installed, cannot be blamed for a main system failure, unless they can show that it *actually* interferes.

 

[joeev]

I always like to quote the Magnuson Moss act, which gives you theoretical protections in the US. Practically speaking though, you still have to have the time and money if Porsche stonewalls you or makes you take them to court.

 

[whitex]

I got the Model A and with the discount it was about 160 bucks. The video quality is decent but not great. I like the fact it is hidden and there if I need it. It won't record while parked unless the vehicle is bumped. Do a search for a current discount code. Installation took me about 45 minutes but most of that was a learning curve. Feel free to reach out if you need help.

You can install Blackvue dashcam using Porsche pre-wire, which will record while parked.
https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...rd-party-dashcam-and-other-accessories.19743/
Note, I have the DR900X-2CH installed in my Taycan via the Porsche dashcam pre-wire. It may or may not work well for the latest Elite series with 4K on the rear. Tried chatting with AI (Gemini), but it just told me a bunch of very fluid nonsense, including making up data I know is false, but stated very authoritatively by AI. It even tried to tell me the 900X wouldn't work, that I would have an impedance mismatch (which I measured so know for a fact the impedance matches near perfect). Also, not sure how well shielded the Porsche coax cable is, whether it can handle the 4K video bandwidth (it's Porsche, they tend to choose the cheapest cables that meet the spec, no overdesign).

 

[whitex]

My concern is that any third party camera system which is hard wired into the car, will give Porsche the opportunity to blame any electrical gremlins on the non-approved accessory. Knowing how pedantic Porsche can be together with the electrical issues that have been experienced by some people with this car, it is not a risk I wish to take.

Having spoken to my dealer, he has confirmed that hardwiring a third party camera could impact the warranty, so I am now exploring fitting the genuine Porsche dashcam front camera only via my OPC.

I've heard stories about voiding warranties for years, but we have the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act in the US that protects consumers, so they would have a hard time defending such claims. Secondly, my personal experience modifying cars, as long as you give the dealer a way to disconnect or remove the modification for diagnosis, they tend to be very agreeable. For the dashcam and radar detector, I can fully disconnect it from the car by simply reaching under the overhead console and disconnecting the 6 pin dashcam pre-wire connector. It's never been necessary (yet) but should they ever suspect my dashcam install interferes, takes a minute to disconnect it.

 

[PrudentOcean]

I have a history of modifying my cars and have had a dispute with the dealer that I bought my non-Porsche vehicle at where I reminded them of the Magnuson-Moss Act when I needed warranty work for something unrelated to any modifications I had made. I was told to pound sand, the dealer refused to work on the car, and flagged the VIN in the manufacturer's service database. Consequently I had to have all future work on the car (including scheduled maintenance) done at an independent shop.

I'm not saying the Magnuson-Moss Act is completely useless, but it doesn't provide the protection that people believe it does.

 

[whitex]

I have a history of modifying my cars and have had a dispute with the dealer that I bought my non-Porsche vehicle at where I reminded them of the Magnuson-Moss Act when I needed warranty work for something unrelated to any modifications I had made. I was told to pound sand, the dealer refused to work on the car, and flagged the VIN in the manufacturer's service database. Consequently I had to have all future work on the car (including scheduled maintenance) done at an independent shop.

I'm not saying the Magnuson-Moss Act is completely useless, but it doesn't provide the protection that people believe it does.

Have you consulted an attorney, and/or just file one small claim at a time, one per repair done with 3rd party which should have been covered by warranty (if the manufacturer shows up in court, you argue yourself, if they don't show up, default judgement each time - unlikely the car manufacturer will claim bankruptcy to avoid paying your bill)?

Or was your mod possibly related to some failures you tried to claim (so would lose in court if it go there)? What was your mod? Who was the manufacturer? It sounds like you never pursued any lawsuits (or lost them) so no NDA preventing you from naming them here - just facts.

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