Ovaman’s new OEM style dash cam system swaps in a camera tailgate handle and a full screen mirror, and every factory part keeps working.
Ovaman showed the system at SEMA. It is built to look like it came from the factory. The first version fits the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
The kit replaces the tailgate handle with a new one that has a camera built in. The factory backup camera, tailgate release button and trailer light all move over to the new part.
“So it all works with the factory stuff without messing with any of it,” said Augustin Leung of Ovaman.
The kit also comes with a new rear view mirror that turns into a full screen. The front facing dash cam is built into the ADAS cover on the windshield, so it sits apart from the mirror and looks stock. Many other systems mount the front camera on the back of the mirror.
The factory backup camera stays in the same spot. That matters on trucks with a 360 camera system.
“We put it exactly in the same spot, so it doesn’t need to get recalibrated,” Leung said. “If anything ever breaks, you just go back to the dealer and order the part.”
Installers run one extra cable from the back of the truck. Up front, the system uses a plug and play connector at the factory mirror, which gets replaced anyway. The pickup system sells for $999 US retail.
A Version for Cars and Minivans
Ovaman also has a $299 system for passenger cars and minivans, including Toyota and Lexus models. It uses a fixed front camera and a universal stick on camera for the rear.
Leung said a fixed front camera solves a common problem with suction cup dash cams.
“You bump into a visor, whatever the case may be. You get into an accident, then you realize I’m recording trees,” Leung said. “For a month.”
A New Category for Dealers
The line is still young. “We just started,” Leung said. “It’s a new category for the retailers, so it’s something they’ve never seen before.”
Ovaman has 70 SKUs and knows stocking the full line is a lot to ask. “I think some of them are apprehensive about having any inventory, which I understand. So we have all the inventory,” Leung said.
Ovaman does not have distributors on board yet, but Leung said some are in the works. A Canadian distributor has not been named.
For more information, contact Augustin Leung at augustin@philipsdvr.com.
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