[HerkHealer]

My car was in the dealership for service recently and they test drove it for 12 miles. The average mpg on my trip report was about 8mpg during that time. MyBMW told me I had 105 miles til empty on dropoff and 50 miles til empty on pickup. I also had new software updated and my I Drive home screen was magically programmed with all the M gauges on display. So guess what they were doing ? Yea.....im pissed. The things I had done were 4 new tires, repair bent wheel and a software update.

Just ordered this. Very stealthy and looks factory.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[DryBark]

So my dealer unplugs my dash cam front and rear every time I bring it in for service. I'm sure they'll likely do the same. It never fails, so I assume it's a BMW policy or something.

[HerkHealer]

Originally Posted by DryBark

So my dealer unplugs my dash cam front and rear every time I bring it in for service. I'm sure they'll likely do the same. It never fails, so I assume it's a BMW policy or something.

Wow, that's bullshit ! Is yours not hardwired? How can they do that.

[DryBark]

It's hardwired but you can unplug it at the head unit on the front windshield.

[GranitM5]

Originally Posted by DryBark

So my dealer unplugs my dash cam front and rear every time I bring it in for service. I'm sure they'll likely do the same. It never fails, so I assume it's a BMW policy or something.

My dealer does the same.

[HerkHealer]

Originally Posted by GranitM5

My dealer does the same.

I switched up Cams and went with a "stealth" cam that looks / mounts just like Factory. It's a really sleek setup and is plug n play. A fellow M550 member has this exact setup and had his car into the dealership a few times. They never noticed it, or deactivated it.

If you're paranoid about BMW tech's "joyriding" your M550/M5, look into this.

It only records when car is on (saves battery) and you can remotely turn on/off sound and record via the App. They do make a rear cam version also, but I dont see a need for that and it's much more involved in installation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

My dealer does this EVERY time as well.

[subterFUSE]

Dash cams are great. But for catching a dealer you are better off installing a gps logger device. You will then have the tracking data. Exotic car rentals use these loggers to catch abuse of their fleet cars.

[HerkHealer]

Originally Posted by subterFUSE

Dash cams are great. But for catching a dealer you are better off installing a gps logger device. You will then have the tracking data. Exotic car rentals use these loggers to catch abuse of their fleet cars.

I thought of that and looked around on Amazon. There are a few nice ones, but I could not find one that logs speed. That's what I really want to see. Im certain they were beating the shit out of my car. They even took passengers because my pass seat was in a completely different position.

[Ex_Stig]

Do yourself a favor and get a dual channel BlackVue and then go to Blendmount to get what you need to install it behind the mirror. Very happy with mine and it shows video as well as gps/speed.

Dealerships claim "protecting the privacy" of their employees as the reason to unplug the cameras, but we all know it is just to reduce the chance of issues down the road.

[HerkHealer]

Originally Posted by Ex_Stig

Dealerships claim "protecting the privacy" of their employees as the reason to unplug the cameras, but we all know it is just to reduce the chance of issues down the road.

Translation - We dont want to get caught beating on your car(s) because you can Sue us.

[crypto]

I would be annoyed if dealer was riding my car hard but not something I ever think about. They also don't unplug my dashcam either but I don't go review it. I have a Thinkware U1000 2-channel that works well. I find Thinkware and Blackvue to be comparable.

[sandwi54]

Originally Posted by HerkHealer

I switched up Cams and went with a "stealth" cam that looks / mounts just like Factory. It's a really sleek setup and is plug n play. A fellow M550 member has this exact setup and had his car into the dealership a few times. They never noticed it, or deactivated it.

If you're paranoid about BMW tech's "joyriding" your M550/M5, look into this.

It only records when car is on (saves battery) and you can remotely turn on/off sound and record via the App. They do make a rear cam version also, but I dont see a need for that and it's much more involved in installation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...UTF8&psc=1

How this camera working out for you? Was the installation and operation as easy as in the advertisement? I'd appreciate if you could share a couple of photos of the cam installed on your car. Thanks!

[HerkHealer]

Originally Posted by sandwi54

How this camera working out for you? Was the installation and operation as easy as in the advertisement? I'd appreciate if you could share a couple of photos of the cam installed on your car. Thanks!

Camera came in Wednesday. I'm hoping to have a local shop install it since they've probably taken the back of the mirror off 100x.
I will post some pics afterwards, but if you look on Amazon there are a few pics of G30's with it installed. It's really sleek and hidden quite well. It basically replaces the back side of you mirror and the FitcamX replaces that cover and extends it down about 2 more inches to house the camera.

[sandwi54]

Originally Posted by HerkHealer

Camera came in Wednesday. I'm hoping to have a local shop install it since they've probably taken the back of the mirror off 100x.
I will post some pics afterwards, but if you look on Amazon there are a few pics of G30's with it installed. It's really sleek and hidden quite well. It basically replaces the back side of you mirror and the FitcamX replaces that cover and extends it down about 2 more inches to house the camera.

Thank you. So the one for F90 is the same one as the G30 version?

[PPMKING]

IMO, the dealer driving 12 miles is really not that big of a deal for your situation. You had a bent rim plus they're replacing all the tires. They'll need to make sure you got no vibrations/wobble at various speeds. Also they may find other issues after test drive. Also they may put the car in drive on the lift when inspecting tire/rim - although that won't really put much on odometer. The point is it all adds up.

Btw the way I have the FitcamX camera and similar work done last week (3 bent rims). Based on the video, after I dropped off the car, they took it for a test drive. Based on the test drive they realized my bearings needed to be replaced too. They also had car running on lift at different speeds. After the rim and bearing repairs they took it for another test drive to make sure everything was all good. They drove similar amount of total miles as you. They weren't drag racing or doing anything crazy lol.

[carseatsm5]

Dealer also unplugs my BlackVue. I actually thought it was so they don’t get accused of killing the battery in case the camera is set to run the whole time. Guess what do I know.

[Igor_M5]

FYI you won’t be able to use concealed camera footage in any legal case. If you don’t trust your dealership, or mechanics, then keep looking for one that you trust…

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by Igor_M5

FYI you won’t be able to use concealed camera footage in any legal case. If you don’t trust your dealership, or mechanics, then keep looking for one that you trust…

State dependent.
And I’d be more inclined to have evidence when I walk into the GMs office without an appointment to discuss how his employees treat his customers property more than anything else. Not everything requires you to sue someone.

[ResIpsaLoquitur]

Originally Posted by Igor_M5

FYI you won’t be able to use concealed camera footage in any legal case. If you don’t trust your dealership, or mechanics, then keep looking for one that you trust…

That is a very broad statement. It may not be admissible evidence in your state. One could conceivably craft an argument to likely get this type of evidence admitted in a state that doesn’t require two party consent (though two party consent laws generally apply to telephone and in person conversations and surreptitiously recorded conversations), and in a handful of others if the camera is obvious, and still another handful where you can argue that the technician had no reasonable expectation of privacy while in your vehicle (though again a stretch argument, as many states apply the reasonable expectation of privacy to the limited scenario where one would normally disrobe). These aren’t great arguments by any means, but your painting with too broad of a brush to say it couldn’t be used in any legal case.

Let your cameras run, and if the tech unplugs it, they unplug it. The last few times I have been in to the dealership, they’ve put a post it note over it instead of unplugging it, so it has at least continued to record audio, even though the camera lens has been obstructed.

EDIT — I see you’re in New York. Though it is in fact a two party state, from a general evidence admissibility perspective, if authenticated and relevant, there’s a very good argument to be made to have the judge rule on this type of evidence as admissible in their discretion. If, for example, the tech crashes your car into a wall inside the service bay, and your suing for damages, that likely would be a scenario where dash cam captured footage would be ruled admissible. In my state, this would likely be the outcome as well.