Whether you have a brand new Jaguar or an older one, you recognize that you need to protect your vehicle. Chances are if someone causes you to get into an accident, your car has a higher chance of being more expensive to fix. And that’s not to say one person is better than the other, but it means it is important that you have evidence to show to law enforcement, your insurance company or the courts to show the true story.
- Front and Rear Dash Cam with 4K and 1080P resolution
- Power Magic Pro Hardwiring Kit included
- Built-in WiFi and GPS Logger to record speed/location and review or transfer footage
- Motion Detection, Parking Mode and G-Sensor
The Jaguar XF is a refined sedan for those who prioritize comfort. You didn’t choose the Jaguar lightly as it is an expensive car but you also purchased it with the assumption it would last a long time. Having a dash cam is a great car accessory that has the potential to save you more money than any other add-on!
Besides helping you with a direct car accident, a dash cam can record near misses, drunk drivers, and even suspicious people hanging around your car a little too long. Dash cams have a Parking Mode feature that will detect motion detection or vibration if someone walks around your car or breaks a window. We never think our car is going to be broken into, until it happens. I always stress that is better to be proactive than reactive.
Installation
Where do I mount the dash cam?
When you first begin installing your dash cam, the first step is to determine the dash cam fitting and positioning. This part decides what type of camera coverage you will get and how hidden it is from yourself and others. Besides having a front facing dash cam, do you want a dual dash cam? This means you will need to have a dash cam that comes with a rear unit, to attach to your rear windshield. There are even some cameras that having a cabin facing view, but typically those are reserved for ride share drivers.
For the front dash cam, we recommend mounting it somewhere near your rear view mirror. Underneath, or towards the left or right is perfectly fine. The closer to the mirror unit, the better as it doesn’t stand out and doesn’t obstruct your vision which can actually be illegal depending on where you are located.
For the rear dash cam, typically you can mount it on your rear windshield. The difficulty here is that the windshield is part of the trunk if it opens. Deciding on positioning will depend on how you route your cables which we will discuss shortly.
How do I hide dash cam cables for my Jaguar?
Hiding dash cam cables is easier than it sounds! You can probably hide all the dash cam cables within 15 minutes. After mounting the front dash camera, push the dash cam wires under the top headliner going towards the passenger side. You should be able to create enough space with your fingers to guide the wires. If not, you can use a panel or trim tool to assist you. I do want to note that we suggest routing the wires towards the passenger side because there is a fuse box down in the passenger’s side. This allows us to hard wire the dash cam into the car’s electrical power. There are some cases where Jaguar has the fuse box on the driver’s side, near the foot pedals. If this is the case, alter my instructions to fit your situation.
After routing to along the top headliner, you can use a tool or your fingers to route the cables across the A-pillar. We then recommend using the rubber trim or weather stripping to hide the dash cam wires. If needed, you can remove the weather stripping by pulling it out, hiding the wires and reinserting.
If you are hard wiring, the wires from the dash cam should be in the right spot. If you are powering the device from a USB or cigarette lighter, you’ll need to open up a few more panels. We recommend going underneath the glove compartment inside the trim; you’ll have to remove the trim with the panel remover. From here, you can route it through the trim in your center console. This is where the cup holders are. We’ll make our way to the center console compartment which has a USB and cigarette lighter. The USB and lighter can be unmounted so the wires are exposed. From underneath the trim, you’ll be able to push the wire through to the compartment.
Once done, you will be able to reinstall all the trim, power box and your dash cam without any wires showing.
If you decide to go with a rear dash cam, you’ll want to the cables neatly routed towards the rear windshield. Luckily, it’s pretty easy. The rear unit will power from the front unit, so you’ll have to wire another cable along the top headliner. Some people decide to run it the opposite direction as the front unit’s cable. So if you ran the first cable towards the passenger side, you can run the rear unit’s cable towards the driver’s side. This is used to spread out the wires.
The process is the same. You can route most the wire through the rubber trim that goes all the way to the rear part of the car. Now the only tricky bit is how to navigate the trunk and the windshield. You’ll want to be able to freely open your trunk without tugging on any hidden wires and you won’t want a ton of loose cable while driving.
There are a couple ways you can handle this. One is to route the wire over the trim and along the tubing as seen below. Your dash cam should come with cable stickers to securely mount.
Otherwise for a clean look, you’ll have to open up some panels on the top of your car’s ceiling.
How do I hard wire my Jaguar XF?
Deciding to hard wire you Jaguar will make your life easier in the future. You can fully utilize your dash cam’s potential with the Parking Mode and other motion detection features. If you’ve been managing your cables properly, you should be right next to the fuse box.
The great thing that Jaguar did is they included the fuse box legend on the fuse box panel covering. You now can easily see what fuse you want to tap into. You’ll want constant power running to your dash cam, so you’ll want a fuse that is always on. There are other fuses that turn on only when the key is in the ignition, so you always have that option. The later option is similar to hooking up your dash cam to a cigarette lighter, but you don’t take up a power slot this way.
If you still have questions on what fuse to use, if you have a voltage tester, you can see what fuses are “always-on”.
Once you have chosen the fuse, you can now hard wire your dash cam. Depending on the hard wire kit you have, crimping may be involved. You should also see a black wire, which is the ground wire. There are a couple bolts you can attach this to.
BlackVue DR900S-2CH
If you are going to go with the top of the line dash cam device, than the BlackVue is perfect for you. Many Jaguar owners choose the BlackVue because they only design high quality dash cameras.
This particular kit has a hardwiring kit included, so you won’t have to mess around with a generic hardwiring kit. Their hardwiring kit, the Power Magic Pro, will shut the dash cam off if it detects the car battery is running low which is a great emergency feature.
Onto the actual device, this shoots in 4K @ 30FPS, which is the current highest resolution out there. It features a rear unit that films in 1080P @ 30FPS. Since this device is screen-less, all of the settings and views are done through the BlackVue App and your smart phone. Navigating their smartphone app is easy once setup and is very convenient to quickly review clips, change settings or reposition the camera. In addition to WiFi, it also includes Cloud capabilities and GPS so you can check on your car’s location at any time. You can also access the dash camera from anywhere.
Most importantly, Parking Mode is included and has the top of the like Motion Detection and impact detection. Anything as sensitive as someone closing your door will trigger the DR900S to start recording. I’ve done tests to confirm that closing your door or walking across the car will trigger an “event”.
Overall we can’t recommend this camera setup enough. With such an advanced dash camera, there might be a little bit of tinkering around to get everything working exactly how you want, but it is well worth the time.
THINKWARE U1000 Dual Dash Cam
The Thinkware U1000 is another top of the line dash camera setup. Much like the BlackVue, it also films in 4k @ 30 FPS. It also offers the ability to switch to 60FPS for buttery smooth footage at 2K resolution.
One big difference is the form factor. It really depends on your preference. The Thinkware hugs the windshield a bit more, but covers more surface area whereas the BlackVue is the opposite.
Feature wise, it also has the slew of functions such as Parking Mode, WiFi, GPS and motion detection. It has some additional driver assistance systems that can alert driver’s of potential lane departures and forward collisions.
This kit also comes with a 32GB microSD card. One downside to the design is that the camera is fixed, meaning you wouldn’t be able to adjust the camera angle once you place it on your windshield. So if your car has a unique angle, this might not work for you.
VIOFO A129 Pro Duo 4K
The VIOFO A129 is a great alternative that is cheaper, but still packs a punch. Let’s start off with what’s similar. First, the front dash cam films in 4K @ 30FPS while the rear films in 1080P @ 30FPS. We’re really happy that we don’t have to sacrifice in this department as having a larger resolution can help with license plates or any other fine detail you may need.
It comes with WiFi as well as a screen which is pretty rare nowadays. You have the option to do things in a multitude of ways which can be convenient. Recently I was trying to make a minor setting change to my WiFi, screen-less, dash cam and it took a few minutes to connect and alter my settings. With on screen buttons, if the change is minor, working with the physical screen buttons can be easier not have to require connecting to the dash cam’s WiFi.
Continuing on, it also has GPS, and Parking Mode. Where it lacks is any Cloud capabilities, so you won’t be able to access your camera remotely nor get any alerts if your car is being broken into.
Roav by Anker Dash Cam C2 Pro
Last is the C2 Pro. If you only want a front facing dash camera on the budget side, this is your option. Highly rated on Amazon, this dash cam sacrifices the rear unit, but still holds tons of features at a cheaper price.
It records at a sharp 1080P. It has features such as built-in WiFi, GPS an Night Mode, which is like Parking Mode.
Who this device will appeal towards are those who want something plug and play, no hassle. Installation is easy, and hiding wires is at a minimum because there is not rear dash cam. The design is small so it will hide behind the rear view mirror, but it does use a suction cup so it’s not flush.
Side note here, the package comes with a trim removal tool, which is a nice touch! Also included is a 32GB Samsung SD Card.
Features you need in a Jaguar
Motion Detection
This is typically a part of the Parking Mode feature, but every company has a different definition of Parking Mode. They all monitor your car when you are away from the car, but some only record if a vibration or an impact is detected.
While this is better than nothing, there are some cases where you’ll want it to activate when it detects motion. If you are parking in a remote area where there isn’t a lot of foot traffic, being able to see what walks in front of your car might be worthwhile.
On some cameras, like the newer BlackVue devices, you can actually decide what region of the dash cam you want to detect motion. For example if you have trees that sway in the upper part of the dash cam, you can deactivate those areas so the motion detection doesn’t go off all the time.
Dual Coverage
We firmly believe that a dual dash cam is a smart option for all people. No matter the profession or the car worth; if you drive on a daily basis, why not have eyes in the back of your head? These dash cams can see why driver’s rear end you or can see if someone is vandalizing your trunk.
Most rear mounts are pretty easy to wire as the headliner is easily manipulated. Here’s a couple pro tips. One, is that you want to mount the rear unit in a spot where you can open your trunk freely. If your Jaguar has windshield wipers in the back, be sure to mount so it doesn’t get obstructed. Also, on all dual dash cams, the rear unit isn’t as powerful as the front unit. The rear unit would still be formidable in resolution and FPS, but lack in image quality and dynamic range.
WiFi Capabilities
Jaguar’s are a luxury car, so why not get luxury dash cam features? Yes, gone are the days where you’ll have to remove the tiny microSD card and insert it into your computer to review footage. With WiFi functionality, you can access all of the footage through your smartphone. Footage is at your fingertips! You can also modify settings, download footage and see the dash cam live view from the app.
This usually cuts down on the form factor of the dash cam device as you don’t need to have a screen.
In order to access the device, there should be a button on your dash cam that will turn on WiFi. If not, then it probably is always on. With the dash cam app already installed, go to your WiFi settings to connect to the dash cam WiFi.
Sometimes your phone won’t like that the dash cam doesn’t have internet, but you’ll have to accept all warnings. Open up the dash cam app and you should be good to go!
Is it worth it?
Whether you have a Jaguar XF, F Pace, or even a F Type, you can benefit from picking up a dash cam. You might not need all the features I’ve gone through, but getting a front dash camera can save you in the long run. I understand that the costs can add up quickly depending on how many advanced features you want, but at the basic level, a front dash cam can be purchased at a discount and it would still pack a bunch.
Installation should be smooth with my instructions and you can be on your way in no time.