Dashcam installation appointments: timing and prep

A dashcam install looks simple until you open the trim. The time it takes depends on three choices: a front camera alone or front and rear, a plug-in power lead or a hardwired connection to the fuse box, and whether the driver wants parking mode. Offer each combination as its own service with its own duration, collect the vehicle details and the camera model at booking, and confirm placement with the driver before you start. The day then runs to plan instead of overrunning on the second job.

A plug-in front camera with the cable tucked into the headliner and down the pillar is a short job. Hardwiring adds work at the fuse box: finding a switched and a permanent circuit, fitting fuse taps and earthing correctly. A rear camera adds cable routing through the rubber gaiter between body and tailgate, which on some vehicles is easy and on others means removing several trim panels. Time your own installs for a few weeks and set durations from what you see, then add a margin for older vehicles with brittle clips.

Short plug-in installs suit a driver who waits. Longer hardwired front and rear jobs work better as a drop-off, so you are not working with someone watching over your shoulder. Say which option applies in each service description, and tell the driver how long to plan for.

Agree the camera position with the driver before sticking anything to the glass. Keep it out of the driver's line of sight, within the area cleared by the wipers so the image stays clear in rain, and clear of any existing windscreen camera or sensor. Route cables away from airbag deployment zones in the pillars, and use the vehicle's own trim channels rather than loose cable. Rules on recording and on what may be mounted on a windscreen differ between countries, so point drivers to the local rules rather than giving advice you cannot back up.

Parking mode keeps the camera recording while the car is parked, which draws on the battery. Set the hardwire kit's cut-off voltage so the car still starts, and explain the trade-off to the driver: a car parked for a long time or used for short trips may need a higher cut-off, or parking mode switched off.

Before the driver leaves, check the camera powers on and off with the ignition, the image is level and sharp, and the rear camera, if fitted, records too. Show how to format the card, where footage is stored and how to save a clip. A five-minute handover avoids a return visit for something that was only a setting.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create separate services for each install type, and list in the description what is included and how long the driver should plan to leave the car. Publish slots that repeat weekly; each slot belongs to one service and sits within a single day, and with one place per slot a booked slot no longer appears on your public page. Drivers book with their name, email and phone and can add an optional note with the vehicle and the camera model, which you read in your new-booking email.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If an install has to move, change it from your bookings list and tell the driver yourself, as Book does not email clients when a booking is rescheduled or cancelled. Book costs €5/month, all-inclusive: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no commitment.