Lexus Dash Cam

RXtoNX · July 23, 2022

Now I know that this has been covered before and that the dashcam that Lexus supply for the NX is the Nextbase 380GW with rear camera but does anyone have one fitted by the dealer that can post a picture of where it is positioned on the windscreen.

I currently have a Thinkware F770 F&R which I fitted to my RX nearly 5 years ago which I intended to remove and refit to the NX, but I do remember that getting the wire through the car to the rear camera was an absolute pig of a job so I am currently trying a assess if I need that hassle again to fit a dashcam that is actually over 7 years old (it was fitted to a previous car before the RX)

The Thinkware F770 is really handy since the camera itself incorporates a speed camera database which is regularly updated. I also fitted the front camera on the cover behind the rear view mirror rather than the windscreen so that it was hidden behind the mirror, something that was not possible if fitted on the windscreen.

Questions re the Nextbase 380GW for those who have it fitted as follows:-

1. Would you mind posting pics of exactly where on the windscreen it is fitted

2. I understand that the Nextbase 380GW only connects to a switched supply and that to enable parking mode you need to use an additional al Battery which fits inside the camera (unlike the Thinkware which connects to a permanent and switched supply, the permanent one being used for motion detection in parking mode)

- Does this additional Battery recharge whist the camera is running in switched mode?
- If not how long does the Battery last

Hopefully someone can help since the Nextbase is a little short on technical info

Andy B · July 23, 2022

Hi Paul,

Firstly, congrats on the (hopefully) impending delivery of your NX. It's a fantastic car - I love mine - and I'm sure that you will have no regrets buying it.

With regards to the Nextbase 380GW - I have this dashcam fitted to my NX (both front and rear - fitted by my local Lexus dealer) and am very pleased with it. They did a very good job in installing it and the vast majority of the wiring is well hidden away. The recordings are of a good quality. I did read some dubious reviews of the associated Cam Viewer Android app (which enables you to view\download the recordings plus format the SD card) but it works fine for me.

To answer your questions:-

1. I will be happy to take a couple of pictures of both front and rear placement over the weekend and post it here for you. Basically though the front one is situated at the top of the windscreen just to the left of the rear-view mirror and the Lexus in-built camera assembly that sits behind it. The rear one (that is slightly smaller) is situated pretty much centre on the rear window.

2. My dashcam is wired to a switched supply so (by default) it only powers up when the car's ignition is switched on. However it also came with the additional rechargeable Battery that can provide power to it when the car is switched off and parked. (This Battery was supplied as part of the price that Lexus charged me to supply and fit - as was the SD card - so maybe check with your supplier whether they offer the same.) Therefore if you turn on Parking Mode via the Settings section of the Cam Viewer app, the dashcam can be "listening" whilst the car is parked and will automatically turn on should it's motion sensor detect anything untoward. To be honest I'm not too sure how effective this would be as I'm guessing it wouldn't be able to capture the actual collision and only the aftermath (probably an image of the offending car being driven away 😠). The rechargeable Battery does indeed recharge when the car's ignition is on (i.e. back in switched power mode) - there is a small blue LED light on the front camera that is illuminated when it is being charged. I can't comment on how long the Battery lasts while the car is sitting idle as I tend to use my car pretty regularly (3 or 4 times a week) and have had no issues with it on this frequency of use. (I know that the camera has sufficient Battery power as I hear it turn on as I open the door prior to starting the car). I may have concerns about Battery life if I was leaving the car idle for an extended period of time (e.g. in an airport carpark for a few weeks).

I hope this helps - I'll try to get the photos posted over the weekend.

Andy B · July 23, 2022

Here are the photos......

Front:-

Rear:-

Basically the small bits of wiring that you can see in these photos is all that is on show in the car.

Hope this helps.

RXtoNX · July 23, 2022

1 hour ago, Andy B said:

I can't comment on how long the battery lasts while the car is sitting idle as I tend to use my car pretty regularly (3 or 4 times a week) and have had no issues with it on this frequency of use. (I know that the camera has sufficient battery power as I hear it turn on as I open the door prior to starting the car). I may have concerns about battery life if I was leaving the car idle for an extended period of time (e.g. in an airport carpark for a few weeks).

I hope this helps - I'll try to get the photos posted over the weekend.

Thanks Andy, that helps a great deal.

Re the Battery life, I doubt that my Thinkware would last for 2 weeks if at an airport car park since the parking mode will turn off automatically once the camera detects that the starting Battery has reduced to a certain voltage, which doesn’t take too many days on my RX with the starter Battery being so small.

Re how it works in parking mode, the Thinkware is constantly scanning for movement and when it detects movement it will record a short clip. In the event of an incident it will add 30 seconds of the clip before the incident (can be user adjusted) and 60 seconds afterwards to capture the whole incident before, after and during. You can usually test this by walking around the car, opening a door and slamming the door shut for it to record the “incident”

Once again, thanks for your input and photos, it is very much appreciated.

Harrier Man · July 23, 2022

3 hours ago, Andy B said:

Hi Paul,

Firstly, congrats on the (hopefully) impending delivery of your NX. It's a fantastic car - I love mine - and I'm sure that you will have no regrets buying it.

With regards to the Nextbase 380GW - I have this dashcam fitted to my NX (both front and rear - fitted by my local Lexus dealer) and am very pleased with it. They did a very good job in installing it and the vast majority of the wiring is well hidden away. The recordings are of a good quality. I did read some dubious reviews of the associated Cam Viewer Android app (which enables you to view\download the recordings plus format the SD card) but it works fine for me.

To answer your questions:-

1. I will be happy to take a couple of pictures of both front and rear placement over the weekend and post it here for you. Basically though the front one is situated at the top of the windscreen just to the left of the rear-view mirror and the Lexus in-built camera assembly that sits behind it. The rear one (that is slightly smaller) is situated pretty much centre on the rear window.

2. My dashcam is wired to a switched supply so (by default) it only powers up when the car's ignition is switched on. However it also came with the additional rechargeable battery that can provide power to it when the car is switched off and parked. (This battery was supplied as part of the price that Lexus charged me to supply and fit - as was the SD card - so maybe check with your supplier whether they offer the same.) Therefore if you turn on Parking Mode via the Settings section of the Cam Viewer app, the dashcam can be "listening" whilst the car is parked and will automatically turn on should it's motion sensor detect anything untoward. To be honest I'm not too sure how effective this would be as I'm guessing it wouldn't be able to capture the actual collision and only the aftermath (probably an image of the offending car being driven away 😠). The rechargeable battery does indeed recharge when the car's ignition is on (i.e. back in switched power mode) - there is a small blue LED light on the front camera that is illuminated when it is being charged. I can't comment on how long the battery lasts while the car is sitting idle as I tend to use my car pretty regularly (3 or 4 times a week) and have had no issues with it on this frequency of use. (I know that the camera has sufficient battery power as I hear it turn on as I open the door prior to starting the car). I may have concerns about battery life if I was leaving the car idle for an extended period of time (e.g. in an airport carpark for a few weeks).

I hope this helps - I'll try to get the photos posted over the weekend.

Thanks Andy, helpful to me too. Any chance of a photo of where the power supply is taken please. CarbonCopy in a post yesterday (NX 2022 Delivery Date thread) said his dealer had had to leave the cover off to accommodate the piggy-back connector. He also said they took supply from two places, one permanent live and one switched. I think this is to cover parked mode and driving mode respectively.

Marlinleg · July 23, 2022

Just a note if using a 32gb sd card supplied with the dashcam don't forget to format the card. My card filled up overtime because every time I locked and left the car closing the door triggered the front and rear dash and locked the file thinking it was a bump , camera operating as it should problem 2 min of recording front and rear. Problem solved by upgrading to a128gb sd Scandisk fast read write at £21 were as Nextbase 128 go sd card £71 . Once in a while I take the 128gb sd card out and format on windows 10 pc via a card reader. BUT UNTICK QUICK FORMAT OPTION format takes a while 10/15 min

RXtoNX · July 23, 2022

2 hours ago, Marlinleg said:

Just a note if using a 32gb sd card supplied with the dashcam don't forget to format the card.

I would use a 128gb card anyway but is it not possible to format the card via the camera whist it is in there?

My Thinkware reminds me from time to time that the card should be reformatted which can be done vis a facility on the camera

Marlinleg · July 23, 2022

Thank you but I can format my 128gb sd card whilst in the dash cam via my Iphone (13) and have done so. But I do format from time to time on my pc

joelfigueira · July 23, 2022

11 hours ago, Andy B said:

Here are the photos......

Front:-

Rear:-

Basically the small bits of wiring that you can see in these photos is all that is on show in the car.

Hope this helps.

Mine is placed similar and I have a CT200h

Moleman · July 24, 2022

20 hours ago, joelfigueira said:

Mine is placed similar and I have a CT200h

Same here as well.

Addh · July 25, 2022

I have taken my Thinkware F800 inc rear camera out of my old Volvo and am contemplating whether to put it into my new NX. I fitted it myself in the Volvo, haven't looked at wiring routes in the NX yet. I've got a wiring harness which plugs into the OBD port. The camera switches on with the ignition but stays in parking mode the rest of the time powered by the car Battery. It monitors voltage level and switches turns off if the Battery voltage drops below the preset limit but means it is powered for longer than cameras which have their own small internal Battery.

Rodd · March 25

I contacted Lexus and made the appointment for dashcam but they told me only front cam can be installed in NX 350h and they won’t install rear one as it interferes with Dab!!? Any suggestions pls? Should I cancel the appointment and try somewhere else than Lexus?

John Adams · March 25

10 minutes ago, Rodd said:

I contacted Lexus and made the appointment for dashcam but they told me only front cam can be installed in NX 350h and they won’t install rear one as it interferes with Dab!!? Any suggestions pls? Should I cancel the appointment and try somewhere else than Lexus?

Lexus fitted front and rear cameras to my NX450+ and I never had a problem with DAB or indeed anything else.

Ken R · March 25

I've just had Nextbase front and rear cameras fitted to my RX450h+ by Lexus.

Rodd · March 25

7 minutes ago, John Adams said:

Lexus fitted front and rear cameras to my NX450+ and I never had a problem with DAB or indeed anything else.

Thanks for the reply guys. Not sure what the issue is. I have asked 2 Lexus dealers and both told me they will only install front and not rear. Could be NX thing but not sure what the problem is. They are going to charge £275 for front cam.

Rodd · March 25

46 minutes ago, John Adams said:

Lexus fitted front and rear cameras to my NX450+ and I never had a problem with DAB or indeed anything else.

Thanks, great to know.

Rodd · March 25

38 minutes ago, Ken R said:

I've just had Nextbase front and rear cameras fitted to my RX450h+ by Lexus.

How much did it cost? Thanks

Harrier Man · March 25

5 hours ago, Rodd said:

I contacted Lexus and made the appointment for dashcam but they told me only front cam can be installed in NX 350h and they won’t install rear one as it interferes with Dab!!? Any suggestions pls? Should I cancel the appointment and try somewhere else than Lexus?

I've got front and rear cam's and not had any interference. I do recall a thread a year or so ago where some people did have a problem (if I've remembered correctly). That some have had a problem and others haven't could be because some took the wiring down the near-side and others took it down the off-side maybe.

Ken R · March 25

4 hours ago, Rodd said:

How much did it cost? Thanks

£390 incl VAT.

stepppy · March 26

I got the front dashcam fitted as part of my deal. They also mentioned about possible DAB interference, so I didn’t want to risk it even though I never listen to DAB 😆

Also I wanted as little trim disturbed as possible and after seeing @Andy B photos of the rear camera I think it would annoy me as it looks quite distracting.

Would it be possible to add the rear one if I wanted to later down the line or does the front camera have different sockets on the dual camera setup?

LenT · March 26

1 hour ago, stepppy said:

I got the front dashcam fitted as part of my deal. They also mentioned about possible DAB interference, so I didn’t want to risk it even though I never listen to DAB 😆

Also I wanted as little trim disturbed as possible and after seeing @Andy B photos of the rear camera I think it would annoy me as it looks quite distracting.

Would it be possible to add the rear one if I wanted to later down the line or does the front camera have different sockets on the dual camera setup?

Well, I don’t have an NX350h but I have had dual cameras on cars for many years. I’ve never noticed DAB interference- and quite how a hardwired camera would interfere I’m not sure - unless the aerial connections in the rear screen were damaged during installation?

I’ve never found the rear camera a distraction, despite mine having a white LED to indicate that it’s powered up - because I’m focusing through the screen and beyond the camera.

But most importantly, the minor temporary inconvenience of wiring one in is irrelevant compared to the additional protection it affords. When I had an HGV undertake on a motorway before pulling out and writing off my car, it was the rear camera that recorded the manoeuvre and ensured a no-quibble payout by the Insurers..

That incident alone paid for its installation many times over. So what ever the temporary problems you think there may be, I would suggest they are nothing compared to the long term benefits.

ColinBarber · March 26

27 minutes ago, LenT said:

I’ve never noticed DAB interference- and quite how a hardwired camera would interfere I’m not sure

It's not an uncommon issue, the dash cam and cabling give off EMI that interferes with the weak DAB signal if it is close. Most installation kits come with a ferrite core to put on the power cable to reduce the impact.

scythe · March 26

If you're buying a replacement SD card it's important to use an endurance one.

I've got the "Samsung PRO Endurance 128GB microSDXC UHS-I U3 100MB/s Video Monitoring Memory Card", currently £26 at amazon.

: o )

Rodd · March 29

I cancelled the appointment with Lexus to have their dash cam as they told me it doesn’t have parking mode. They literally selling dash cam models 2020 in 2024. Found an independent in car technology ltd specialised in cams and things like that to install Nextbase new model that has intelligent parking mode.

LenT · March 30

9 hours ago, Rodd said:

I cancelled the appointment with Lexus to have their dash cam as they told me it doesn’t have parking mode.

Wise decision!

Your car is just as likely to be attacked or damaged when it’s parked - if not more so!

As a general rule, I think this is the kind of equipment best installed by a busy auto electrician - who may be doing it on a regular basis - than a dealer’s mechanic who does it occasionally.

And if this Dealer keeps offering outdated cameras, then they won’t be selling many of them.