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Old 30th May 2021, 22:24   #1
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RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

My experience with a decently reputed Brand, RD: I first heard about the firm when DBHPian Saket77 told me about the PW unit on his Zen, and that it is a reliable brand with decent aftersales. I also noticed this brand to be a common name in aftermarket locking systems and PW modules. So it had a certain image in my mind.

We all know how poorly equipped XL6 is. I was looking for an Auto Dimming IRVM and RD had a product which claimed to have "Anti Glare" properties, was shaped like an Auto-dimming IRVM and had an integrated camera for dashcam. In theory it looked like a perfect product as I thought it will remove one separate dashcam unit too from my windscreen.

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-rd.jpg

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-rd1.jpg

That's where I got duped. I failed to notice that this doesn't have a light sensor in the back which proper Auto dimming Units have. The front sensors are dummy units. Perhaps product being from so called "Reputed" vendor was influencing my mind. I placed an enquiry on the site and Mr. Rupesh Pandey, their area sales manager contacted me. I asked for pics of bracket etc and he provided me some pics.

I was directed to a famous car accessories market in Ranchi, where I was promised that one of their installers will deliver me the product. I chose not to get it installed by them since they often tend to be very rough with the car, and I didn't get confidence when talking to them. For example, the fuse end provided in wiring harness was different than what XL6 uses, but when asked, the installer said it can be pushed into the fuse box and the blade type fuse cuts through the plastic fuse box and makes it's required space. Felt scary.

Hence I just paid the chap Rs. 9,000 and took delivery of the unit. Back home when I installed it, I came to know it's nothing but a cheaply made product. Issues I had:

-Lots of vibrations on the IRVM
-Anti Glare claim was a joke. Forget Auto-dimming, it was just a simple IRVM.
-Video Quality was Horrendous. Nowhere compared to dashcams like Aukey, 70mai etc.
-Lots of videos got corrupted. What's the use of a dashcam when half of your videos are getting corrupted.
-The hidden rear camera(which recorded in cabin events) was of funny quality.

I also got it checked by their authorised installer and there was nothing wrong with my installation. So in short, it was neither a proper dashcam nor an auto-dimming IRVM. My money went down the drain.

I then contacted the sales manager who clearly said they cannot return the product, no matter what. They offered me a replacement to check, but by this time I was clear their product was of low quality, and no amount of replacement will solve it. Funnily, RD has mentioned on their site that they value customer satisfaction and cases can be looked into if reported within 2 days. I did, and I was also called by many senior people of RD like Mr. B. K Nagpal who happens to be a product incharge at RD. I bluntly told them that their product is horrible and doesn't compare with any proper dashcam. Still, they clearly told me that their company doesn't have any return policy, all they can do is replacement of the unit. Talks volumes about their claim of customer satisfaction when they themselves had RETURN POLICY proclaimed in bold. I don't care what your return policy states, when your product doesn't do what it claims to, it's equivalent to cheating which should be shamed in public.

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-img20210406wa0032.jpg

Later I was assured by Mr Rupesh, off the records, that he will get my unit sold whenever any next enquiry comes in the region. Well, the support I needed from the company was never received, and his small gesture of solving the case from his personal level doesn't change anything.

I plan to discard the unit someday as I cannot keep it for long and have my blood boiling everytime I look at it. I will not sell it on OLX or via any other means, since I know the product is crappy, and anyone buying it will feel cheated.

I later came to know that one Youtuber had reviewed it and had sung all praises for it. Had I known that the fool had endorsed the product and brand, I would have never gone for it. They are all thugs and opportunists of the highest order. Well I approached that Youtuber too to help me with the contact of that RD official in Video via a mutual friend, and unsurprisingly, I'm yet to hear back from him. You can also see that video quality in his video too seems bad.



Lesson Learnt:

1. Before parting with your hard earned money, research well at your own level, no matter how reputed the firm is. I admit I was a bit too excited and didn't doubt that a firm as reputed as RD can have such a crappy product. Not everything which glitters is Gold.

2. Beware of those thugs posing as Karolbagh Youtubers these days. If any product is endorsed by them, odds are they are mostly of crappy quality and hence be double vigilant.

Some pics and videos:

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-20210327_203406.jpg

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-20210328_165842.jpg

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-20210328_165849.jpg

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-20210328_165852.jpg

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-20210402_202917.jpg

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-20210402_202923.jpg

Day time footage of Dashcam, look how bad it is:



Night time footage of Dashcam:



Night time footage of hidden cam:



Regards,
Shashi
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Old 31st May 2021, 00:39   #2
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Re: Experience with online aftermarket part buying scams

Hello Shashi,

Sad to know about your experience. Wish that it had ended well but sadly that hasn’t happened as yet.
I don’t know about the current status but RD used to be not only a good after market player but was also an OEM supplier including that to Maruti Suzuki. But with the advent of Chinese low priced products especially electronics, I can tell you that a lot of reputed brands knowing well that they can’t compete with Chinese prices have themselves gone the same road for the sake of their survival. A lot of manufacturers today even stamp their logo on basic Chinese products. It’s happening across all the segments today including micro electronics stuff to home appliances. Niche and expensive brands once like Blaupunkt today is almost like any consumer grade brand, even price wise.

Also I’m quite surprised that you didn’t go for the Maruti OE accessory. Isn’t something like it available?

Last edited by saket77 : 31st May 2021 at 00:41.
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Old 31st May 2021, 01:10   #3
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Re: Experience with online aftermarket part buying scams

I don't mind bad product as much as I hated RD's attitude in solving the issue. Just for the record, even Maruti had some cheap quality products under their MGA range. I had purchased one, only to be disappointed and I did express my displeasure to their customer care with all details and they escalated my case. Maruti involved the vendor which was a firm based out of Gurgaon, they attended to my complain patiently. They sent an engineer, and tried their best but issue was in the product and not my car. Eventually they asked me what they can do, and I made it clear how I expected the product to work, and if it cannot work that way, I'd like to have my money back. They asked me to give the product along with all bits and pieces in place and my bank details. As soon as I surrendered the product at a dealership near my place, they wired the amount promptly. I mean this is what builds trust. Maruti also ensured that the selling dealer didn't get penalised. It was product's issue and they made sure it was vendor who paid for it. Maruti had such control over the vendor that he was eager to close the case as soon as possible with a signed note from my end.

Quote:
Originally Posted by saket77 View Post
Also I’m quite surprised that you didn’t go for the Maruti OE accessory. Isn’t something like it available?
There were a couple of options, but this one looked better, atleast on paper. Nevertheless, I have almost completed the Auto-Dimming project using common parts from Maruti and Toyota.

This post is intended to save people from wasting their hard earned money like me, since I have come across many people, specially Ertiga and XL6 owners, who are eying it.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 31st May 2021, 08:55   #4
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Horrible experience, poor quality & pathetic after-sales

Thanks for sharing, Leoshashi! Moving your post out to a new thread so as to warn others. A new thread means 100X the views & 100X the visibility in search engines, including Google. Will add to homepage later this week .

@ BHPians, if you should spot any good post in an existing thread that deserves its own new thread, please report the post and we'll move it out for greater visibility.

Thank you!

Last edited by GTO : 31st May 2021 at 09:02.
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Old 31st May 2021, 09:23   #5
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

RD is not a company I trust for quality. This is so sad. Personally, I know of someone's hard-top Thar with RD's central locking system. The unit was fiddly and prone to breakdowns, though RD always sent their mechanic to fix the issue as long as warranty lasted. After the end of warranty, they couldn't care less.

OTOH, my Thar had a Minda central locking system, which worked faultlessly for 3 years, till I sold the car.

My Zen in 2003-2004 had an aftermarket RD central locking system installed, by the company's technician. The system would drain the battery so much, that I would have a flat battery in a week or 10 days. Till the time I sold the car, RD was unable to resolve the issue.

Last edited by SS-Traveller : 31st May 2021 at 09:25.
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Old 31st May 2021, 09:30   #6
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
I failed to notice that this doesn't have a light sensor in the back which proper Auto dimming Units have. The front sensors are dummy units.
I wish I had shared this information earlier
In past I purchased few products from RD (mostly the remote lock units) and fully satisfied until I got a similar product as yours (Anti-glare IRVM)


Auto dimming was not working. Opened the unit to understand I was fooled. Got to know it is nothing more than a Anti glare (??) mirror + display unit for reverse camera input.

Even the mount was not holding well, had all sort of rattle and vibration. Finally ditched it and went back to OE IRVM.

Last edited by Mr.Boss : 31st May 2021 at 09:35.
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Old 31st May 2021, 14:27   #7
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
My experience with a decently reputed Brand, RD

-Lots of vibrations on the IRVM
-Anti Glare claim was a joke. Forget Auto-dimming, it was just a simple IRVM.
-Video Quality was Horrendous. Nowhere compared to dashcams like Aukey, 70mai etc.
-Lots of videos got corrupted. What's the use of a dashcam when half of your videos are getting corrupted.
-The hidden rear camera(which recorded in cabin events) was of funny quality.
Really sad to hear about your experience, this is simply cheating on the part of RD. Seems the IRVM doesn't do anything properly, doesn't have auto dimming, doesn't have a proper dashcam etc. Also at 10k it's not exactly a cheap product. Over the years have heard about the RD brand & I assumed it was a reputed brand. This thread is a real eye opener for people like us.

One thing I would like to add is that OEM equipment are always better than aftermarket ones (especially in the long run). There are tons of videos on Youtube about turning a base variant into a top variant (for cheap) with aftermarket parts, more so for MSIL cars. I would say it's more wise to pay a bit more upfront & go for the top variant (or whatever variant has all the features an individual wants), rather than getting a base variant & fitting tons of cheap aftermarket accessories/equipment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
I later came to know that one Youtuber had reviewed it and had sung all praises for it. Had I known that the fool had endorsed the product and brand, I would have never gone for it. They are all thugs and opportunists of the highest order.
Tell me about it, recently a close friend of mine had to suffer a lot due to these Youtubers. I had made a thread about it last year. Here's the link to the thread:https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ing-scams.html (Experience with online aftermarket part buying scams)

Last edited by chiranjitp : 31st May 2021 at 14:47.
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Old 31st May 2021, 17:22   #8
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

After watching the same video mentioned in the opening post, I too was keen on adding the auto closing ORVM module to my Ciaz. It was out of stock on RD website. When I enquired about it at the local accessory shop, they strongly advised against it as they have seen failures of motor which closes and opens the ORVM.
I made it a habit to close and open the mirrors through the provided switch at required places when locking and unlocking.

This product simply looks like a rebranded Chinese Unit. You should have gone for the MGA kit in the first place, which you did later.
https://www.marutisuzuki.com/genuine...90j0m76m06-030

And please refrain from these Delhi based YouTubers they are simply associated with a shop and they just sing praises about their products, while the comment section is filled with negative feedback.
They all buy a base model and then unleash a series of videos filled with horrendous monologs praising the cheap stuff and untasteful modifications. And everything is a modification for them. Even if seat covers are installed, a new video comes up as "Best modified Swift"
I don't want to name the culprits, but you all know who I am talking about.

Last edited by PraNeel : 31st May 2021 at 17:28.
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Old 31st May 2021, 17:25   #9
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Quote:
Originally Posted by PraNeel View Post

This product simply looks like a rebranded Chinese Unit. You should have gone for the MGA kit in the first place, which you did later.
I haven't gone for this kit. Wires were visible in this and looked crude. Stay tuned for my solution.

Glad you didn't go for those ORVM folding kits. Someone I know installed two of those in his Ignis. One was KMH brand IIRC, which conked off within 6 months. I don't recall the brand of 2nd unit, but I guess it was RD since it had warranty on the relay etc and in this case the ORVM motor itself malfunctioned.

Regards,
Shashi

Last edited by Leoshashi : 31st May 2021 at 17:27.
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Old 31st May 2021, 18:21   #10
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post

Hence I just paid the chap Rs. 9,000 and took delivery of the unit. Back home when I installed it, I came to know it's nothing but a cheaply made product.
Shashi,
I just commented on the Rahul Singh YouTube review. That should make them take note & refund your money or at the very least warn other potential buyers.

Waiting for what solution you've found!!

Regards,
Varun
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Old 31st May 2021, 22:21   #11
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Boss View Post
I wish I had shared this information earlier
Indeed, would have saved me that much time and mental agony. This also proves my case is not a one off, and that their IRVM's product line is indeed a sham.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chiranjitp View Post
Tell me about it, recently a close friend of mine had to suffer a lot due to these Youtubers
Quote:
Originally Posted by PraNeel View Post
And please refrain from these Delhi based YouTubers they are simply associated with a shop and they just sing praises about their products, while the comment section is filled with negative feedback.
They all buy a base model and then unleash a series of videos filled with horrendous monologs praising the cheap stuff and untasteful modifications. And everything is a modification for them. Even if seat covers are installed, a new video comes up as "Best modified Swift"
I don't want to name the culprits, but you all know who I am talking about.
I actively avoid them. Had I known that this had been reviewed by them, I'd have stayed away from the product. Unfortunately I came across the video after tragedy had struck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by powertrain View Post
Shashi,
I just commented on the Rahul Singh YouTube review. That should make them take note & refund your money or at the very least warn other potential buyers.
Thanks a lot buddy for your effort, really appreciate your intent. However I don't think any comment on their video will ever get the required response, since they often take down such comments. I just looked at the video again and sorted the comments as per date, and your comment was nowhere to be found.

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-capture.jpg

If many negative comments start pouring in, all they'll do is turn off the comments. So it's useless to expect such frauds to pay any attention on this matter and help us. My intention is to save anyone else from falling for this product.

Regards,
Shashi
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Old 1st June 2021, 11:17   #12
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Having driven a 7 seater for some time, I have understood the difficulty of using a basic IRVM in dense city traffic. One extra set of pillars and the fact that the rear windscreen is even further than normal cars create huge blind spots that can easily cause an accident if you are not careful.

My suggestion is to cut your losses and get yourself the 70mai rearview dashcam with night view cameras. Buying it directly from Nexdigitron, the official vendor will save you Rs 500 on the product. Installation can be done even by yourself at home.
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Old 1st June 2021, 11:45   #13
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Sorry to hear about your horrible experience. 9,000 bucks for such an horrible product is day time robbery. I had seen many videos on YouTube related to RD products and they always felt cheaply made. I stayed away from them even though they were tempting.

I installed 70mai dashcam in my Compass and am really satisfied with it's performance. It supports class 10 SD cards only up to 128GB, Full HD video with loop recording. It also has sensors which detects any collisions and will start recording automatically and save them in seperate folder where they will be saved permanently and can be manually deleted only. Fully satisfied and highly recommended.

Only downside is there is no display and should be paired with smartphone to watch or download recorded videos.
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RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-img_20210105_112524.jpg  

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Old 1st June 2021, 12:13   #14
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

Why do people buy such junk from unknown sources at such crazy prices? Either get it from the dealer or go to a trusted accessories store and ask them to give a demo before paying up.

The car accessory market is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to fraud. Nothing is genuine and no one gives what they say they are giving. 9k for that is just daylight robbery.
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Old 1st June 2021, 12:39   #15
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re: RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction

And the inevitable happened! Got a call from the guy and this time he was actually looking for a solution(thanks to our forum). I have been assured that he will get the product picked this week and return me my money. Fingers crossed.

RD DVR 90 Rear View Mirror Review | Poor quality & pathetic service | EDIT: Resolved to satisfaction-screenshot_20210601115723_call.jpg
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