[hollandog]

I run 2 dashcams in my car. Front and rear, the rear points forward to record the cabin and sides.

I took my car in for routine service. I usually drop off the car before work and pick it up after work. It happened couple times I came home from dealership and all the rear cam footage were gone. Power was also unplugged in the trunk. Front cam was not touched probably because they didn't notice it. It's a mobius hiding behind rear view mirror. It's hard to notice in driver position unless you look for it.

I reviewed the front footage and there were no red flags. Anyone else experiencing the same? Their action felt like they have something to hide.

[ErkanTR16]

Originally Posted by hollandog

I run 2 dashcams in my car. Front and rear, the rear points forward to record the cabin and sides.

I took my car in for routine service. I usually drop off the car before work and pick it up after work. It happened couple times I came home from dealership and all the rear cam footage were gone. Power was also unplugged in the trunk. Front cam was not touched probably because they didn't notice it. It's a mobius hiding behind rear view mirror. It's hard to notice in driver position unless you look for it.

I reviewed the front footage and there were no red flags. Anyone else experiencing the same? Their action felt like they have something to hide.

Honestly i'm not sure but I'd feel the same way about it. There's no reason what so ever for rear cam footage to be deleted etc.. Did you inform your SA?

[beanbaguk]

They probably didn't want you recording them. If I were one of the mechanics, I'd feel the same. At the end of the day it's an invasion of privacy for them.

Perhaps in future, you can disconnect the dashcam for them and remove the memory card so it can't record?

It would be a courtesy I'm sure they'd appreciate.

[COKen]

I would be concerned about video taping someone without their consent. The laws vary from state to state, but in most states the person being video taped could take the person taking the video to court. Even if they don't win, it could be expensive and a real pain.

[Beek]

Most Techs don't want customers looking over their shoulder while they work. Having said that I suspect I don't have a right to turn off the Dealerships security camera's just because I don't want to be taped. A Dashcam's basic purpose is security and protection of your property and unless the Dealer has a need to disable the Dashcam as part of whatever service they are performing they should leave it alone. I would tell my SA I expect the camera to remain on and if they need to disable it I expect a call first. I have my doubts that the Tech would comply but I would at least let the Dealer know what my expectations are.

[hollandog]

I understand the techs don't want to be taped. but the cams are also there to protect the owners from shit storm like the service guy crashed customer's M5, techs take customers' cars for joy ride and such.

If they disabled and deleted footage I would expect them to be open and transparent about it. Let me know so I can hook it back up.

[vanbmw]

The BMW dealership I go to here has a giant floor to ceiling glass wall between the waiting room and the service area. Actually the Acura dealer where we got our MDX is similar.

The shops are impeccably clean inside. Seems to run very efficiently and certainly they aren't trying to hide anything.

[CIWS]

Speak with the service manager about it. I can perhaps understand them wanting power pulled from the camera(s) while the car is there. But accessing memory and deleting things without telling you is borderline criminal and does beg the question of what were they not wanting you to see that simply removing power could have stopped.

[ronanz]

Originally Posted by CIWS

Speak with the service manager about it. I can perhaps understand them wanting power pulled from the camera(s) while the car is there. But accessing memory and deleting things without telling you is borderline criminal and does beg the question of what were they not wanting you to see that simply removing power could have stopped.

This ^^^

[F30MGM]

It happened to me at my dealership before. i had a blackvue 2 channel dashcam and fuse tap was pulled in the trunk

[jd_perspective]

wow I'd be pissed. There's no reason that they should have any expectation of privacy inside MY own vehicle.

[mike@x-ph.com]

I would address it with them but to be honest they have the right not to be filmed while working on your car

[ronanz]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

I would address it with them but to be honest they have the right not to be filmed while working on your car

They have a right to refuse work based on said camera (don't want to be filmed, refuse job or post in plain view camera's will be disabled)....NOT touch and/or disable customers personal property

.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by ronanz

They have a right to refuse work based on said camera (don't want to be filmed, refuse job or post in plain view camera's will be disabled)....NOT touch and/or disable customers personal property

.

Yes that is what i meant

[madsmith]

Don't know how they work, but could they have stopped running if the battery was disconnected?

[CIWS]

Originally Posted by madsmith

Don't know how they work, but could they have stopped running if the battery was disconnected?

Yes, but OP stated the front camera was fine. Only the rear showed tampering.

[Orion4]

The dealership probably has the right to ask you to disable the camera or call you and ask permission for them to do so, but I can't foresee where they had any right to go in an consciouusly delete any data. That is VERBOTEN without your explicit permission.

Was all data deleted from the camera including any recording prior to the visit? I would "bend" the service manager's ear.

[BlueCrabMafia]

Depending on the state, it doesn't matter if they "want" to be filmed or not. As long as one person (the owner) is aware of the recording, their wants are irrelevant.

Also disabling equipment in your vehicle or deleting videos on your camera is coming close to criminal trespass. There may even be a specific charge for deleting videos.

All that being said, they have the right to refuse service for vehicles like yours equipped with cameras. They can even ask for it to be disabled, but they CANNOT disable it themselves.

If they have nothing to hide, then they shouldn't be worried. It boils down to it's your property and how far are you willing to go to protect it?

I have a dash cam on my car and if that happened to me, the service and dealer manager would not be happy to see me.

[hollandog]

Originally Posted by Orion4

The dealership probably has the right to ask you to disable the camera or call you and ask permission for them to do so, but I can't foresee where they had any right to go in an consciouusly delete any data. That is VERBOTEN without your explicit permission.

Was all data deleted from the camera including any recording prior to the visit? I would "bend" the service manager's ear.

No just the footage from the day of service was gone.

[hollandog]

Originally Posted by CIWS

Yes, but OP stated the front camera was fine. Only the rear showed tampering.

The front is harder to spot from outside and driver seat. That could be why because I had footage deleted on my previous front camera that was more obvious. The rear camera is very obvious that you see it right away from the rear view mirror.

The cameras are plugged into the under glove box socket and the trunk power socket for the rear. I didn't hardwire anything so it's easy to disconnect if they wanted to.

I don't want to make this a big deal but their action just seem like they were trying to hide stuff. The SD cards on the cameras are easy to access so they just pop the card out and delete related footage in their computer.

I made a comment on the survey to suggest to inform customers about disconnected cameras so they can hook it back up ASAP to avoid lapse in footage in case of anything happens.

[F30ed]

A piece of electrical tape on the lens would solve the problem: no tampering with device and no recording either.

[GPM]

As dashcams become more common I wouldn't be surprised to see something about this in the fine print of the Service Order you sign when you drop off your car. Then, you will have given them permission to disable the camera.

Or they could simply post a sign on the wall. The bottom line is they own the property and absolutely do have the right to prohibit recording.