I got an ultra-cheap, sub 10 pound ebay China cam. Something like this 2.4" LCD SCREEN Camera K6000 Car DVR Camera Recorder Dash Vehicle with G-sensor It's crap value and crap money, the ratio is pretty nice though. Takes up a microSD card and fills it with 3 minute segments, deletes oldest ones. It is said to write-lock the current file if it detects a couple of G's. Seems important to reformat the card with the camera as soon as you've used the card elsewhere. Clock's crappy, speed is off a bit, but hey .

More important to you is probably the mount. Remember we drive on the proper side of the road here ;-) I used the suction cup that came with it and that works pretty nice. I tucked it away behind the right side of the rear view mirror (so that would be left side for you). It is powered through a USB cable that I was able to push behind the ceiling lining to the door and then behind the rubber seal all the way down. I just need to do better around the foot well; now just runs under the mat. If you're interested I can snap you a picture or two.

Viewing angle is not great. You would not see a bicycle crashing into a headlight until the very moment of impact, so I would check extra carefully for a wide angle lens. My take on the Chinese ebay stuff is you divide every spec by two to get a somewhat realistic value

 

I bought my Mini 0801 dash cam here.. Car Cameras and Dash Cams | Car Camera Shop they no longer have that one but have others from £59.99 (so not as cheap as @yoh-there) that's as cheap as chips
Fitting was easy, I used a Noodle USB cable .. LONG / short NOODLE MICRO USB CHARGER CABLE FOR SAMSUNG GALAXY S2 S3 S4 NOTE 2 may need adaptor if camera is mini USB like mine.
as that was easy to route around headlining and gap around windscreen then in between dash panels to 12v socket which powers off a minute or two after car is locked.
I can also put up image of routing if needed.

 

E-PRANCE® New 1080P Novatek CPU 1.5" Car DVR Driving Recorder:Amazon.co.uk:Camera & Photo

And a nextbase piggy back cable to wire it right into a fuse.

You can remove the nearside windscreen cover and pull the bonnet release handle off and remove the footwell trim to hide all the cables.

 

E-PRANCE® New 1080P Novatek CPU 1.5" Car DVR Driving Recorder:Amazon.co.uk:Camera & Photo

And a nextbase piggy back cable to wire it right into a fuse.

You can remove the nearside windscreen cover and pull the bonnet release handle off and remove the footwell trim to hide all the cables.

Just trying this - struggling to remove the trim though! Don’t want to break anything. I appear to have unclipped something towards the back but near the door it won’t budge. Any tips appreciated (also no idea how I’m supposed to get to F29 as in their infinite wisdom they’ve made the hole too small for the fuse box)

 

I got this far after being “quite assertive” with it (I.e. probably bending/breaking something)

Can’t fathom how to release it at the join with the next piece of trim. But think I can just about do the job like this

 

Pulled directly up on the other piece which seemed to unclip that but not the piece underneath. At least it gave me more wiggle room. Tried and failed to get the earth wire to thread from fuse box down to the bonnet lever nut (which I heard is suitable), failed miserably, then had to throw the towel in due to the time / darkness.

Deciding whether to give up and pay someone to do it

 

I installed one sometime ago and I think there was an end cover/plate on the side of the dash which unclips (I don't recall bolt a fixing - I can check in the morning) and reveals a bolt to be removed to allow the removal of the side panel, unless my memory has let me down.
Good luck.

Edit - I don't think I had to remove that trim and there were photos showing how to install the cable.

 

Thanks for the info!

Is this the end cover with the sticker on? I gave it a bit of a pull in hopes of revealing the rest of the glove box screws but, like with the trim, didn’t dare pull too hard! And I was afraid of ending up with an airbag in my face but thinking about it it’d make no sense for it to be there.

Reason I was after the bonnet release bolt is I heard that’s a place to put the negative terminal.

 

Yes, that unclips and can be pulled from from under the rubber seal.
If you then also remove two screws from the top of the glove box you can remove it which gives better access to the fuses and earthing points.
I agree the plastic clips do require a brave determination to release them. Haven't broken any yet!
I'll try to find the pics later, they may be on the RZOC site.

 

Great, I’m a step further and got the side panel off. Have removed 2x screws at the top of the glove box and 2 at the side and.... it won’t budge
Following the instructions elsewhere it “may need a little tug”... if I pull any harder the whole front of the car is going to break off...

Wish there was a Haynes manual for these. It sucks working blind

 

Got it. “A little tug” translates to “pull with the strength of Hercules”

I have, naturally, broken one of the yellow clips. I don’t suppose it’s possible to get replacements without paying Renault an arm and a leg for a new glove box?

 

I doubt you need to replace it. The screws are all you need to secure it and at least now you have elbow room for connections etc,,

 

Appears to work with negative attached to the bonnet release mechanism bolt. Piggyback fuse that I got is a bit naff, only fits kind of loosely, but we’ll see how it goes... hopefully it won’t fall out... it lights up, so that’s something!

 

Progress!

 

Done. Took about 5 hours and a lot of swearing. Took a few pics along the way so will try and do something of a guide later!

Thanks for the various pointers and putting up with me spamming the thread.

 

I bought a cheap dash cam but it didn't last long. Replaced with a Mio from Amazon and far better. Having GPS coordinates and speed in the recording could be a big help in some accident scenarios. The regularly updated speed camera alerts are a nice bonus too.

Not cheap, but I will buy the 792 Wi-Fi model and A20 rear camera for the Zoe. The Integrated Advanced Driver Assistance Systems sound useful.

 

Something to be aware of: the police prosecute for all offences they see in the footage. So if you have any speed overlays turned on and have to submit evidence sometime, make good use of that speed limiting function

Guide done. Hope there is no bad advice and that it helps others struggling like I did.
Fitting a hard wired dashcam to a Renault Zoe – The Lakes Geek Blog

 

On my 2017 zoe there is a couple of connecters hanging down behind the glove box.
I used the black wire on the * four wire block Connector for the earth .

* Might not be on the older Zoe

I have a Nextbase 402G dash cam and a few times when checking the footage back some files have been corrupted.
Update to File corruption
Nothing to do with the zoe its a Nextbase 402G battery problem which caused the File's to be corrupted,
After 18 months the Nextbase 402G was shuting down before the file was saved a new battery in the nextbase fixed that.

 

Take the door rubber off - it’s always easier

For the 30 seconds to remove and replace its essential to help getting the panels off

JJ

 

Didn’t have the nerve in case I couldn’t get it back properly... much like the trim I suppose but with the fear of leaks added!

 

But you are more likely to damage it or have it seated badly trying to do stuff around it

You only have to pull it off in the area you are working

The triangle piece at the end of the dash has the lip that goes behind the rubber for example and the rubber seats over it.

Gives you better access to get the wire behind the A pillar then

In your guide you have the wire trapped between the rubber and the end of the dash and then the A pillar - removing the rubber would have allowed all the panels to pop off so much easier (inc the a pillar cover

Short sharp pulls on the panels and they will pop off

The only issue I’ve ever had with anything was on the 5 series where they had decided on 1 screw and hidden it under the airbag sign on the a-pillar.

Well done though and thanks - at least I know to buy a nextbase hard wire kit as it has all the bits in 1 purchase

JJ

 

Okie doke I've added a note at the top advising to consider taking your advice there rather than mine

It is somewhat "the blind leading the blind" in my case so if anyone wants to adapt it into a more reputable guide please feel free to use any of the photos if they help.

 

You’ve done well mate

It’s really helped me for when mine comes

Where did you get the info on the wiring impacting DAB?

JJ

 

Now then that's a good question. Somewhere on the various forum threads I was digging through. I can't find it specifically, but a google of "dash cam dab radio interference" suggests it's "a thing". It may only require a wind around a ferrite core though

 

How long should it take for the accessory socket to switch off after locking the car??

JJ

 

Its not necessarily the socket more like the camera - Which can be up to 30 seconds and is programmable

 

Socket switches off after about 2 minutes I think. Maybe 5