How to maintain your dash cam

One of the main reasons for a dash cam to falter is that the SD card has not been formatted regularly and/or the SD card has not been changed when it has worn out or is no longer able to store data, which can happen when driving a Crowd.

We are often contacted by people wondering why their dash cam is misbehaving or not recording the footage they need. To help you ensure your dash cam stays working, we've put together some top tips for you.

The right card for the job

If you drive as part of your work, you might want to consider a larger SD card. Typically, SD memory card capacities are as follows:

All our dash cams have an endless loop recording. That means when the memory card is full, the oldest video will be automatically overwritten. For this reason it is important that you have one SD card from a reliable source that can handle the stress of constantly writing video files. A card that can't handle the stress of continually overwriting existing video can result in corrupted footage or simply no footage. This means, for example, that a card you would normally use in a smartphone to store music/photos might not be up to the task.

If you're looking for an SD card, consider a multi-level cell (MLC) card over a triple-level cell (TLC) card because of their ability to repeat themselves 1,500 to 3,000 times to overwrite, have a longer lifetime. The TLC can only overwrite itself 500 times before problems arise.

It's also worth checking the card's class to ensure your device is optimized for use. Since you are recording and writing to the SD card at a rapid pace, it is best to go for a Class 10 card.

Don't forget to format your card

Because of the way you use your memory card, ie starting and stopping recordings when turning your car on and off, it is important to format the card regularly in your dashcam. This is because partial files can "clogg" the card, which can lead to performance issues or false "memory full" error messages.

It is recommended that you format your dash cam's memory card at least once a month. This can be done via the on-screen menu on the dash cam, via the smart device app (if applicable) or via your computer with a card reader.

For Windows users, you should follow the steps below:

1. Insert your memory card into the reader
2. Once Windows recognizes it, right-click the card and choose "Format" from the file menu
3. Disable or disable the "Quick Format" option - this will ensure the card is fully formatted and ready to use
4. Click Start.
5. Once the formatting is complete, right click on the memory card and select "Eject".

For Mac users, do the following:

1. Insert your memory card into the reader
2. Open "Disk Utility" by clicking on the magnifying glass in the top right corner of your computer screen and searching for the application
3. Locate the SD card on the left side of the window - it will say "No Name" or "Untitled".
4. In the middle of the window, click the Erase tab.
5. Click the Format drop-down menu and choose either MS-DOS (FAT) for cards 32GB or smaller, or ExFAT for larger cards
6. A message will appear asking "Are you sure you want to delete partition [YOUR SD CARD NAME]?". Then click Delete.

Replace your SD card

Like your vehicle's oil, you should replace your SD card regularly to ensure you get the best performance from your dashcam. How often you need to replace the card depends on how often you use it.

We also recommend that you purchase a backup card to keep in your vehicle. If you do get into an accident, a small 8-16GB backup card means you can swap cards and continue recording without worrying about overwriting important footage. It also protects you in case you have problems with your current card.

Important points to remember:

• Check the dashcam recordings regularly to make sure everything is working properly
• Verify that the settings meet your needs
• Make sure the time and date settings are correct
• Make sure the SD card is formatted in the device
• Replace the SD card if it stops working
• Check regularly for software updates from the manufacturer

If you have tried all of the above and your SD card is still not recording, please contact us by phone at 0333 121 2252 .