I finally hardwired a front dash cam and my Valentine1 radar detector today. It took me awhile to decide what would work best in the XC90, especially since there were restrictions for mounting points so not to interfere with Volvo's camera safety system. After doing a lot of research and seeing different installs, a light bulb went off in my head last week and I found a solution that was simple and cost effective for me. I now have both front and rear dash cams and a hardwired radar detector running in the T8.
Here is how the final result looks from the driver's side:
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When I reviewed the owner's manual for the hundredth time, I realized that the Camera Limitations area did NOT include the area immediately to the upper right or left of the Intellisafe system. That became the spot for the radar detector because I wanted it mounted high to maximize detection capabilities. I've seen a lot of people with the Blendmount bracket installed right under the mirror, but I think the bulk of the V1 would hang too low and actually interfere with driver visibility.
Here is what it looks like from the passenger's side:
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The spot under the mirror became the location for the dash cam, a VIOFO A119S. It's fairly low profile and does not block very much of the view. The picture below shows what it looks like from behind. You can see that it is fairly discrete:
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I originally wanted an Innovv C5 motorcycle camera so that I could mount it in the front grille outside, but I didn't like how low the viewing angle was on the vehicle. My next choice was a Garmin Dash Cam 55 which has been rated as the best name brand dash cam. I liked the Garmin 55 because it could be mounted high and aimed to avoid distortion problems from the curvature of the windshield. But the VIOFO A119S dash cam also has good reviews and actually has a better resolution at half the cost of the Garmin.
There are lots of videos on YouTube about the A119S if you want more information about it, but I posted this video so that people can see what the angle looks like when a camera is mounted under the rear view mirror:
Here is how the final result looks from the driver's side:
When I reviewed the owner's manual for the hundredth time, I realized that the Camera Limitations area did NOT include the area immediately to the upper right or left of the Intellisafe system. That became the spot for the radar detector because I wanted it mounted high to maximize detection capabilities. I've seen a lot of people with the Blendmount bracket installed right under the mirror, but I think the bulk of the V1 would hang too low and actually interfere with driver visibility.
Here is what it looks like from the passenger's side:
The spot under the mirror became the location for the dash cam, a VIOFO A119S. It's fairly low profile and does not block very much of the view. The picture below shows what it looks like from behind. You can see that it is fairly discrete:
I originally wanted an Innovv C5 motorcycle camera so that I could mount it in the front grille outside, but I didn't like how low the viewing angle was on the vehicle. My next choice was a Garmin Dash Cam 55 which has been rated as the best name brand dash cam. I liked the Garmin 55 because it could be mounted high and aimed to avoid distortion problems from the curvature of the windshield. But the VIOFO A119S dash cam also has good reviews and actually has a better resolution at half the cost of the Garmin.
There are lots of videos on YouTube about the A119S if you want more information about it, but I posted this video so that people can see what the angle looks like when a camera is mounted under the rear view mirror:
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