There are many reasons why the thought of a dash cam has come up. It could be that you recently were in an accident, or someone hit your parked Lexus. It could be because you saw a crazy Russian dash cam video or that you just bought a new car and want it protected.
Whatever the reason, it has led you to researching what the best dash cam for your Lexus is. But you can’t just choose any dash cam that looks nice. There are tons of features that vary from device to device and the last thing you want is to slap an ugly, obtrusive camera to your car.
We’ll be going in-depth on how to install a dash cam for your Lexus, what the best dash cam is and what features to look out for.
- Embeds with Lexus Model for OEM finish
- 2.5K Resolution
- F/1.6 Aperture Lens for night vision
How to Install
Installing a dash cam for any Lexus whether it be from sedans such as the Lexus IS or ES, to SUV models like the UX, NX or RX, there is an easy way and a more difficult method when it comes to installation.
Beginning with the easy way, once you have your Lexus dash cam, the first step is to decide its placement. For the front camera, we recommend to place it on the windshield to the left or right of the rear view mirror. Be careful of the frits or the little black dots on the outer edge of the windshield.
Depending on the form factor, you will either have an adhesive tape or a suction cup that will mount onto the glass.
From there, all you have to do is connect the cable to a USB port or cigarette lighter to power the dash cam.
Not too bad, so far, right? If you want to take it to the next level, you’ll want to hide the cable within the panels of your Lexus.
Use a panel remover tool and route the cable underneath the top headliner going towards either the driver or passenger side door. You will then have to feed the cable through the A-pillar downwards and then route it to your power source.
If you decide to go for a rear camera, you will have route the cable in a similar manner along your Lexus’s pillars, hiding the cable throughout the panels.
It is a bit time intensive and you will have to be a bit creative, but it isn’t difficult.
Hardwire
To unlock the parking feature in your dash cam you’ll want to explore the idea of hardwiring your device. Utilizing your car’s internal battery to help power the dash cam when they key is out of the ignition will allow you to monitor your car while away.
Parking mode can detect motion, vibrations and crashes and will record these incidents for later viewing.
You will have to access your vehicle’s fuse box which is located underneath the driver’s side instrumental panel. You can then use a constantly-on fuse with a dash cam hardwiring kit to power your device.
Features you’ll want to look for
Low Light
Depending on the your Lexus model, you may have a car that has tint on the windows. This is why you’ll want to choose a dash cam that has night vision capabilities to help counteract that. Even if you don’t have tint, low light is especially helpful as there are more drunk drivers out at night.
What you’ll want to look for are cameras that have a F-Stop of 1.8 or lower. It could also be formatted like F/1.8. The lower, the better. This reflects the aperture which is how much light the sensor can handle.
In terms of software, the camera could also list things such as WDR or HDR which is wide or high dynamic range. This will allow the camera to capture a wide spectrum of colors.
Aesthetic
Truth be told there are some ugly looking dash cams out there. And why scar your Lexus with an unsightly dash camera? In our review below we talk about how there is a dash cam that is built-into the rear view mirror panel with power available.
Other cameras are wedge shaped which we like, or at the very least conform to the windshield. On luxury cars we don’t recommend having a dash cam that is so far away from the windshield.
What also really helps is hiding the cable in your car panels.
FITCAMX Dash Cam
The FITCAMX is a dash cam that is made specifically for Lexus models. This company covers a wide range of models including the Lexus ES 2019-2021, Lexus UX 2016-2021, Lexus NX 2018-2021 and Lexus RX 2016-2021.
How it works is you are going to be replacing the plastic cover that is near your rear view mirror with this unit. It looks like the manufacture original and is super sleek because the dash cam is embedded.
It taps into the power from the ACC sensor that is easily available so no more messing with cables!
Besides the sleek form factor, the two things that impressed me the most was the low light performance and wide angle.
This has a F/1.6 aperture lens which only a small handful of dash cams have. This means that low light conditions or a little bit of tint on your windows will be no problem for this camera.
Next this features a 170° field of view which is really important to be capturing the entire road. Did I mention that you can get this in 2.5K or 4K resolution?
The one feature you will miss is not having a screen, but you can access all of the settings and footage via WiFi app. Not having a screen may actually work towards your advantage and you won’t be distracted or draw attention to it.
We think this is a great choice for a dash camera if your Lexus is compatible with it. You don’t get all the bells and whistles like parking mode, but it definitely excels on the form factor and the specs are definitely impressive.
VIOFO A119 V3
For those with other Lexus models or simply want more features, many Lexus enthusiasts turn to the VIOFO A119 V3. This is more of a traditional dash cam compared to the FITCAMX, where the main objective was to conform to the interior.
The VIOFO follows a wedge type factor which is similar to others in its class like the Rexing V1. This is a 2560x1440P resolution camera that features GPS, something the FITCAMX doesn’t do. It can also withstand extreme weather from harsh winters to blistering hot summers. Living on the west coast, temperatures in parked cars can rise to 110 degrees. This camera can operate from 14℉ to 149℉.
The FITCAMX was missing parking mode whereas the VIOFO A119 V3 includes it along with several variations. Buffered parking mode, though not a unique feature, is not found on many dash cams. This parking mode will constantly monitor your car and when it detects a collision or crash, it will save 15 seconds before the accident occurs and 30 seconds afterwards. This ensures that you have full context on what happened to your vehicle.
One downside to the VIOFO is that there is no WiFi, so reviewing footage comes down to popping the SD card out or accept watching footage on the tiny included screen.
Overall, we really like the simplicity of this dash cam. It is fairly minimalistic as we recommend placing it to the left of your rear view mirror. Video quality is excellent as you will be able to read license plates from 20-30 feet away.
BlackVue DR900X-2CH
The last option we recommend is going with a BlackVue dash cam. The price tag isn’t for the faint of heart, but you are looking for a premium setup, with tons of functionality and a great aesthetic, then consider the BlackVue DR900X-2CH.
Unlike other premium dash cam companies like Thinkware, BlackVue has continually developed new dash cam technology that has toppled the market leaving consumers with only one choice.
The BlackVue is a front and rear setup, filming in 4K in the front and 1080p in the rear. It lacks a screen but has built-in WiFi and GPS to easily connect to your smartphone for viewing footage or changing your settings.
What sets this apart is the optional CM100LTE module that you can attach which will enable LTE connectivity. This would allow you to be able to access your dash cam remotely, just like if you had a home security system connected to the cloud. If you ever need to locate your vehicle, check the cameras or even use it a two-way walkie talkie, this is a one-of-a-kind product. If you are worried about security while you are away, the cloud connected camera can send you remote notifications if it detects a car incident.
And while you are paying for all of these functions, you’ll want to note the form factor. It’s cylinder form factor is pleasing to the eye, and remains close to your Lexus. It’s smaller than your rear view mirror so you won’t even notice it.