Dashcam Parking Mode - Battery Issue?

[mikull109]

Wondering if any of you folks have experienced this sort of issue with a hardwired dashcam setup.

My girlfriend's 2019 Civic's battery voltage is dropping from ~14v to ~12.1v within 30 seconds of the car shutting off. This is causing problems with her hardwired dashcam setup and the dealership is being difficult in testing/verifying that there is even a problem. Any thoughts or advice? Could this be perhaps some sort of parasitic battery drain to do with the initial installation? The car was bought brand new 6 months ago, but the issue has only come to light after her car got sideswiped while we were on vacation and the dashcam parking mode recorded absolutely nothing while we were away.

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[shoegazer]

It could just be a defective battery. I'd test it before going nuts with other stuff.

 

[jarvm]

~12V when the car is off is normal for the battery, but I agree on doing a load test on the battery as a start. I hardwired my dashcam too, but don't have parking mode enabled. I'd also test to see if the battery drops from 14V to 12V that quickly with the dashcam unplugged.

 

[mikull109]

Ah, good point, we'll try doing that as well as with the dashcam unplugged. There's not much the dealership can do these days anyway what with everything being shut down due to the coronavirus.

 

[blitz]

Wondering if any of you folks have experienced this sort of issue with a hardwired dashcam setup.

My girlfriend's 2019 Civic's battery voltage is dropping from ~14v to ~12.1v within 30 seconds of the car shutting off. This is causing problems with her hardwired dashcam setup and the dealership is being difficult in testing/verifying that there is even a problem. Any thoughts or advice? Could this be perhaps some sort of parasitic battery drain to do with the initial installation? The car was bought brand new 6 months ago, but the issue has only come to light after her car got sideswiped while we were on vacation and the dashcam parking mode recorded absolutely nothing while we were away.

Perform a simple drain test at home with a multimeter ($7 at Harbor Freight), and determine what your amperage draw is with the dash cam powered On. If the drain is 0.1 amperes, the battery (100Ah) will discharge in about 42 hours. For reference, the car will typically have a drain of 0.01 - 0.02 amperes (alarm, ECU, etc).

Also, keep in mind that the vehicle may shut Off power to the fuse you are using if the ECU detects a voltage capacity of less than 11.X volts, in order to allow the operator to start the vehicle with enough reserve battery capacity. I forget the “X” value (11.8?), but you may find it in the owner’s manual.

Here is a video marked at the correct play time that shows how to do the test:

 

[carl4]

My dash cam has settings for being nice to the battery when in parking mode. I haven't wired it for that, but I do know that these batteries die quick if, for instance, you're listening to the radio in accessory mode for any length of time. I've killed it 2x. That's one reason I haven't bothered setting up parking mode.

The HondaHack has an audible notification for when the battery hits 11.8, which has saved me a couple of times since I discovered that feature.

 

[kimtyson]

Anyone install a second battery or similar solution? I think paying $300 for the battery packs on the dashcams is crazy expensive. Can I just add a second battery in the trunk or something?

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