http://www.car4play.com/forum Car4play forum en-gb Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:06:19 +0100 Copyright: Car4play webmaster@car4play.com (Technical) 5 car4play691805 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:06:19 +0100 Is there room for a spare wheel? There is !! Previous generation S Cross ( but 2023 ) 17" offset etc all the same....with a 215/55/17 tyre. Wheel was £45.00 inc delivery. Wasn't charged for putting the tyre onto the wheel and the old TPMS valve on the ebay alloy was good. What I call a result! http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691805&v=e car4play691802 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:17:43 +0100 Is there no room for a spare wheel? http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691802&v=e car4play691801 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:54:56 +0100 Took the car into our Suuki dealer today for them to wire in my dash-cam. Job done quickly. Following my puncture last week I asked them if they would refund me something for the unused Spare wheel kit I had bought from them 3 months ago... if I had two new tyres (for the front) and had one of the tyres fitted to an alloy that I'd procured from ebay. So fitted 2 Kumho Ecsta tyres and put one onto the alloy as a full size spare. My surprise was that they refunded the entire cost of the kit. Obviously a dealer to Cherish. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691801&v=e car4play691667 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:10:37 +0100 Mine took around half hour to take out of the Vitara, same to reinstall the swift, as I previously mentioned its never given a moments trouble but all this talk about them has made me think it's possibly time to upgrade, wonder if the mounts etc are all the same? The suction mounts and the sticky pad mounts are interchangeable on the 522gw and the 320XR http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691667&v=e car4play691664 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:30:13 +0100 >> Ive never really bothered looking deep into dashcams but am well aware that they can >> be really useful in the right circumstances. The latest trend is to exploit a simple >> driving mistake by accelerating into a developing situation and then swear loudly and excessive blowing >> of the horn for Youtube content. Yeah, I've seen any number of Facebook 'reels' with low speed collisions I'd have avoided by hitting the brake rather than the horn. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691664&v=e car4play691663 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:15:00 +0100 I use a Chilli-tech bicycle camera (I paid the promotional price of £69.99, normal price now £20 more. An optional suction mount (for dashboard or windscreen) can be purchased for an additional £14.99, so transfering it from my bike to my car is simple. https://www.chilli-tech.com/shop/recordmax-camera-for-cyclists/ The quality of the footage is very good (in my opinion) and has the advantage of recording in 4k. I use a 128 GB micro sd card. Battery life last between 5 - 6 hours (outdoor use on bike, obviously). When used in my car I attach a (supplied for charging) usb-c cable from the camera into the cigarette lighter socket for continual use (evenutally overwriting the oldest file). Yes, it's a simple way to get footage, but it'll do for me. Now I have to work out the best way for a rear camera for my car. Not sure if the rear one I have on my bike can be suitably fitted to my car. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691663&v=e car4play691662 Fri, 04 Sep 2026 07:18:41 +0100 Mine took around half hour to take out of the Vitara, same to reinstall in the swift, as I previously mentioned its never given a moments trouble but all this talk about them has made me think it's possibly time to upgrade, wonder if the mounts etc are all the same? http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691662&v=e car4play691652 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:53:27 +0100 Ive never really bothered looking deep into dashcams but am well aware that they can be really useful in the right circumstances. The latest trend is to exploit a simple driving mistake by accelerating into a developing situation and then swear loudly and excessive blowing of the horn for Youtube content. Anyway both Mrs and Junior FC have the the budget Nextbase 320XRs fitted to their cars. Now that Junior is changing her car she gave me several hours advance notice reminding me the hers would need removing :/ They were fitted by that well known motoring emporium so I had little idea as to wiring routing etc. Never the less 30 mins saw the system removed. I was impressed in that basically door seals were pulled forward and the wire, where necessary , just run in the void behind the seals then pushed behind the edges of plastic trims and headlinings. Simple. Now commenced reinstaling the wiring into the new Stonic. Replacement sticky pads arrive next day via Prime. Removing the older adhesive was a bit laborious but fortunately I spotted some 'that'll come in handy' adhesive remover down Man Aisle last week. I had the first opportunity to actually play with the camera. Budget in that there is no BT or WiFI to assist in transfer of clips with SD card removal and attachment to a computer being the only option. I also noted that trying to update firmware or image management required a Nextbase programme to be downloaded but whilst I found the correct help page for the model of Dashcam and suggesting downloading the Nextbase program there was no actual button to facilitate the download. All spares including sticky pads showed 'not available' on every single item in their on line shop. And that applied to other models as well. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691652&v=e car4play691645 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:29:28 +0100 I have had nextbase dashcams for many years. A 312G, still working fine, just gave it to a friend. A 522gw fitted in the Korando in 2021 when I bought it. Works fine will fit it into the Venga. (bought a new microsd card for it. One firmware update a few months back. Personally I have no complaints. I DO NOT think they're crap. Everyone is free to buy what they want ....................... http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691645&v=e car4play691642 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:29:22 +0100 >> I have been in the habit of buying cheap dashcams, £40 or so, and accepting they last a couple of years or so My mate is the same. He buys 2 cheap dash cams from places like Ali Express for £15 to £20, and mounts one in the front, and the other in the rear. They last a couple of years, and the video quality is good enough to provide evidence with. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691642&v=e car4play691641 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:47:23 +0100 I have been in the habit of buying cheap dashcams, £40 or so, and accepting they last a couple of years or so. Typically the very small battery in them, enough to capture the last few minutes of video before powering down, will pack up. My old Orskey one is still going strong in my old car after 5+ years. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PFSXZ2W?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details It has a habit of filling the mini SD and needing a reformat every now and then, but continues to do the job. I can thoroughly recommend the one below. Bought on Amazon, when a deal was on, after a bit of research. Solidly made, great image and a very good app that connects quickly and easily. I paid £100 or so, complete with a rear camera and a suitably long power cord. I see it is now £135, but maybe there are deals out there. This is step wise better in quality than a cheapo. I would happily buy another of these by preference. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FC68MRZC?ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title&th=1 http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691641&v=e car4play691640 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:19:27 +0100 I've never had an issue with my Two Next base either. Which roadtested them back in Feb 2026, from memory Blackvue came out on top but hefty price http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691640&v=e car4play691638 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:07:18 +0100 >> VxFan…what are your recommendations please for front & rear dashcams ? The only experience I've had with dashcams is the one I bought approx 2½ years ago from Temu for £50. The same one was on sale at the time from Amazon, but was £25 dearer, so I put the saving made toward a hardwire kit for £20. AZDOME M300S https://www.amazon.co.uk/AZDOME-Dashcam-G-Sensor-Recording-Included-4K/dp/B09M7ZRGG7?th=1 But it is getting on a bit now, and newer models have superseded it. I also see the rear cam doesn't look as good as mine is. My mate always swore by how good the Road Angel dashcams were, but the build quality has since gone south with them by all accounts. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691638&v=e car4play691636 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:55:07 +0100 >> why do you say there crap? I've seen loads of comments people mentioning failing batteries in them. Keep crashing, and downloading footage from the App is very slow. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691636&v=e car4play691633 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 12:08:40 +0100 Never had a moments trouble with mine, why do you say there crap? http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691633&v=e car4play691632 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:55:24 +0100 VxFan…what are your recommendations please for front & rear dashcams ? Probably one final 7 week trip around Spain later this month in the Vitara..,dashcams will be fitted to its replacement before the next trip May/June 2027 …Karoq 1.5 manual or S Cross Ultra. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691632&v=e car4play691630 Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:03:13 +0100 >> Bought a new dashcam from Halfords, Nextbase 320 XR I take it you're not aware how crap Nextbase are these days, and that Halfords get commission by selling them to their victims. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691630&v=e car4play691561 Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:12:55 +0100 When I bought my new Volvo V60 it came with a front and rear dashcam. This was fitted by Volvo and saved having to go to the trouble of having one fitted later. It cost an extra £690. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691561&v=e car4play691541 Sun, 30 Aug 2026 07:43:22 +0100 Be wary of allowing Halfords to fit a camera for you. They may asto sign a form absolving them of responsibility to any damage they may cause during the installation. Me too Suzuki dealer is only £50 more. Halfords £99 plus 25.00 nextbase wiring loom http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691541&v=e car4play691540 Sun, 30 Aug 2026 07:27:09 +0100 Be wary of allowing Halfords to fit a camera for you. They may ask you to sign a form absolving them of responsibility to any damage they may cause during the installation. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691540&v=e car4play691537 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 23:00:37 +0100 How much is the Suzuki dealer charging ? were other fitting options any cheaper ? I’ve recently fit Heko wind deflectors on my Vitara front windows…seem to work well, minimal buffeting with the window fully down…hope to cover many miles with windows down on Spanish back roads in the next few months. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691537&v=e car4play691535 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:14:42 +0100 Bought a new dashcam from Halfords, but the suzuki dealer will install it Nextbase 320 XR front and rear cameras £99.00...( inc link cables for cameras) if you join their motoring club instead of £169.00. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=691535&v=e