Are mirror-type drive recorders fragile?

We often hear that mirror-type drive recorders are more fragile than ordinary consumer electronics.

This is true in a sense. Let us explain why.

First, products installed in cars are subjected to a much harsher environment than products intended for home use.
Have you ever had the experience of parking your car outdoors in the summer and getting into it to drive, only to find that the steering wheel was so hot that you couldn't touch it for a while?
In mid-summer, the temperature inside a car can reach as high as 70 degrees Celsius. This is the kind of temperature that could cause breakdowns in ordinary household appliances, computers, and the like. We often hear stories of household plastic products being deformed by the heat when placed on the dashboard of a car. Even a cell phone, if placed on the dashboard in the summer, will emit a high heat warning and stop working.

Moreover, it is not only hot, but also freezing cold inside a car in the middle of winter. In Hokkaido, for example, the temperature can drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius or lower. The temperature can be as high as -20 degrees Celsius or lower in Hokkaido, and as high as -20 degrees Celsius or lower in other places. In addition, the cold air from the air conditioner can directly hit the equipment right after the heat of the midsummer heat.

Drive recorders are placed in such environments every day. Of course, since they are designed for in-vehicle use, they are designed and manufactured to operate in the temperatures described above, and are shipped after thermal tests are conducted. However, since this is the case every day, it is an extremely harsh environment for electronic equipment.

Drive recorders are also used much more frequently than most consumer electronics products. If you commute by car, you will use it almost every day for about an hour. While it is very rare for a regular video camera to be used every day, a drive recorder will be used almost every day. In the case of a drive recorder, however, it will be used almost every day, and since it is used every day while exposed to heat and cold as described above, the impact on the durability of the equipment will be that much greater.

In addition, a "digital mirror" type drive recorder such as a mirror cam will have significantly more problems than a regular drive recorder.

Most drive recorders are installed in places that are usually out of sight, such as behind the mirrors of a normal drive recorder. And even though they are recording every day, they are rarely actually operated. Therefore, even if there is a malfunction, it may go unnoticed, and the malfunction may be noticed only after an accident occurs and the driver tries to check the recording of the drive recorder.

With a digital mirror system such as the Mirror Cam, the screen is in your eyes at all times when you are driving. If you drive to work every day, you will be looking at the screen for about an hour every day. In such a situation, any malfunction would be noticed immediately.

Also, due to the nature of digital mirrors, there are cases where you may notice things that you would not notice with a normal driver's video camera.
For example, we receive inquiries such as "The color is not right" or "The color is not right" or "The color is not right.Flickering signalsand so on. If it is a general (just recording) driver's license camera, such problems are often not noticed or noticed, but with a digital mirror, the driver always sees the image while driving, so it is a concern. Also, if there is a situation where the screen disappears for a moment due to a problem with the power supply voltage, etc., it would not be noticed if it were an ordinary DVR, but with a digital mirror, it would be noticed immediately.

Because of these differences, digital mirror-type drive recorders are often perceived as faulty compared to general home appliances and ordinary drive recorders.
However, as mentioned above, they are actually more durable than ordinary products because they are designed to operate normally over the long term despite being used daily in harsh environments.
In a sense, it is also easier to notice any malfunctions, so there is a possibility that there will be fewer situations in which the camera is not recording when the time comes. In addition, the digital mirror type is within easy reach, so it is easy to check the recording and playback.

In addition, the drive recorders and digital mirrors offered as factory-installed products are more durable than general-purpose retrofit types such as mirror cams, but they are often less powerful and much more expensive. In other words, genuine products will often be perceived as less cost-effective in terms of performance.

This is because durability is more important than performance in order to provide the product as a genuine vehicle product. As with the vehicle itself, the performance requirements from the vehicle manufacturer also demand a very high level of durability so that failures will not occur for several years. For this reason, the parts are made using technically stable and proven (i.e., past performance specifications) components. The durability requirements also require extensive testing over a long period of time, and the support required over a longer period of time than for ordinary electronic equipment is more expensive.
As a result, genuine products are considerably more expensive than retrofitted products, but they are more durable for long-term use or provide longer-term product support.

However, in the case of retrofit digital mirror-type drive recorders, users also expect products that actively incorporate the latest technology. However, the latest technology and frequent updates inevitably lead to new problems each time. Under such circumstances, the only way to achieve a long-term product warranty is to pass the cost of support onto the product price. However, many users replace their products when new products are released, and for such users, a price increase that assumes the same level of long-term use as a genuine product is rather over-specification. In addition, general consumer electronics products, including PCs and smartphones, generally have a one-year warranty.

For the Mirror Cam, the warranty period is limited to one year from the date of shipment.
Realistically, problems that can be called initial defects will run out in a year, and seasonal problems such as summer heat and winter cold will also run their course in a year.
Problems that occur after that are overwhelmingly dependent on the individual usage environment. For example, a Sunday driver with a covered garage and a daily commuter with open-air parking have completely different loads on their equipment. For this reason, automobile manufacturers also set limits for new car warranties, not only in terms of duration but also in terms of mileage.
In addition, our products undergo model changes every year or so in line with technological advances, so we believe that a one-year warranty is appropriate.

In the event of a malfunction, the mirror can be used as a normal mirror by turning off the screen, and since the main unit is only attached with a rubber band, it can be removed in one minute by parking on the shoulder of the road. If you remember this, you will be able to calmly deal with any malfunctions that may occur.