Dealer installed dashcam?

Has anyone had the dealer installed dashcam? I have the choice of paying $399 to have the cab brake light get a pulse mod, or $599 for a dashcam. (At a minimum I HAVE to pay the $399, it’s the dealer premium, just to clarify for folks responding with “just say no, it’s overpriced.”)

The dealership wouldn't budge on a mandatory feature, but this was the smallest upcharge on MSRP I could find, everyone else was upward of $4K on dealer premiums. And since the pulse mod is absolutely useless, I'm wondering if this specific dashcam is worth the extra $200.

 

https://www.*****************.com/o...x9ytjkels7dmhxIPZPMXT78yISI84YEBoCuT0QAvD_BwE

not sure how difficult this is to install, but maybe you can get them to come down on the price since the price for the part is less than half of that charge

 

They came off some on the price already, but the salesman was honest and said it was about how much money they make on the deal. I'm sure a LOT of the $399 is profit for a pulsed cab light, that can't take very long for a tech that's been doing them every month.

 

Mandatory? They're forcing you to buy options? Can you choose neither?

 

A couple of the dealers Near me love to do that pulse brake light thing. I don’t think it cost that much money at all. It is almost completely pure profit for the dealership. And they leave that stupid triangle sticker on the vehicle. if I had to choose, I would definitely go with the Dashcam.

There is a company called FitcamX that makes a dash cam that integrates into the existing rear view mirror housing. I was going to buy the oem camera until I found this one.

https://fitcamx.com/

 

my dealer let me out of paying for Toyoguard. $699

SE Toyota adds this as a port installed option on every Toyota.

 

Yea I hate that Toyoguard Platinum upcharge, soooooo overpriced for some additional oil changes and Scotchguard. Did they leave the oil changes in place and just reduce your price by $700, or did they actually remove the oil changes over and above the 2 years Toyota gives you?

 

they said I still get the 2 years of free maintenance

 

OK so only 2 years, which is the factory maintenance. The Toyoguard Platinum adds an additional 2, but not worth $700. Good for you.

By the way just as an aside, I also found out that unlike what SE Toyota dealers tell you, you can get an actual Toyota factory VSA (extended warranty) here in FL instead of having to deal with one from JM&A, which is what FL dealers sell you as the "factory" warranty. The dealer won't sell you a warranty through TFS but you can get one from one of the out of state dealers in several of the threads here. They just can't finance it through TFS, it's a cash or credit card only purchase. I just bought a 10 yr 100k mile Platinum Extra Care plan for $1,360 from Toyota of Greenfield MA.

 

Can you give them $300 to not do anything?

Most dashcams are not worth $200 at all, let alone $200 MORE. Sorry,that's saying it wrong, the utility is invaluable, but the hardware itself is usually pretty crappy.

I will say that I think it's illegal nearly everywhere to force someone to purchase an item with the purchase of another item. Not sure that is a winning game for you though since it sounds like you negotiated with them pretty well .

Personally, I might just pay the price for the brake light pulser and ask them to put the parts in the truck since you want to install it yourself.

Is there any option you DO want that you could overpay for? A chase rack, blackout kit, etc.

 

do you have a link? I’d be interested in that; I declined the $3k warranty the dealer tried to sell me. I told him it’s a Toyota so I should be fine. I always decline everything the finance guys try to sell me.

 

I wanted the OEM tailgate lock kit (key fob lock/unlock) but they weren’t willing to do that in lieu of the pulse. I could have pushed the issue before I put my non refundable deposit down, but I didn’t think of it till after so I can only push so much. I’d bet they know they they’re nowhere near as expensive as the other dealers with thousands in markup fees.

 

Yea, this was my thought process. $400 for something with zero value vs. $600 for something marginally useful. It’s just a question of whether that dashcam is worth $200, but of course they have zero specs available for it, because why let consumers make informed decisions when you can just make a cash grab instead?

 

Yes sir I will PM you with the info

 

Dongar technologies adapter, and a garmin mini2 is less than 160 bucks for a great dash cam. not sure why a dealer is "forcing you" to add options you dont want or need. run far, run fast. Ski

 

It’s their play on market adjustments. Some dealers say “We charge a $10K market adjustment,” this one just gave me a $1k market adjustment and just labeled it as some goofy options to soften the blow. I took the hit because I get the truck in a few weeks and a favorable trade-in deal, plus they’re cheaper than every other dealer I talked to. Lesser of many evils thing, I guess.

 

Fit Cam X Dash Camera

 

I went with a Garmin Dashcam Mini. $200 on sale (CAD). Grabbed a dongle to plug it into the Rear a view Mirror (70$ CAD) and I wouldn’t go back.

The new dashcam mini is maybe a bit better.

 

They ask you to pick the options or they are already on the truck you plan to buy?

If asked for options, then tell them that you reject those options and you get new dashcam later which can be purchased at Amazon for low price.

If they are already on the truck, if you don't like pulse, then you can see if you are able to unplug the pulse module somewhere. But you will need to plug it back in before you sell the truck if you decide to sell it down the road. Or take the wire apart then place the wires together without pulse wires. Not sure if they have option in the head unit settings like they do for headlights and doors.

Why you are worrying about pulse in brake light? You aren't looking at it while braking at the traffic light or toward at stopped car. Pulse helps the drivers behind you which you get their attention if you plan to stop or stop hard for some reason. For safety reasons.

 

Pulse Stop gadgets are against the law here, but they are everywhere...
Fucking annoying they are...