Way to retrofit F15 back up camera?

[Axel81]

Originally Posted by Taran.J

Any tips or idea how to remove the X5's cd and climate area?

That was actually the easiest part, compared to properly routing the wiring to the front...

In short these are the steps:

1. Remove the cover/frame around the instrument cluster (pull it towards the back of the car)
2. Remove the decor strip starting on the passenger side. It is just clipped in.
3. 2x T20 screws appear at the top of the radio unit. Release them.
4. Remove the plastic cover under the AC controls (again pull it towards the back of the car).
5. Now you can release the entire radio/cd and AC unit controls (clipped in with 2 clips on each side)
6. The radio unit is now visible. Remove the 4x T20 screws and pull it out.

[pmccoy2211]

Originally Posted by Dennisr

Did some searching on the internet yesterday and came across OEM retrofit package SA3AG. This is a general retrofit nr also used with the X3.

Went to the dealer today and received a quote for two part numbers; 71602289351 and 66539390542. One is the camera and the other one is the needed harness. Cost, not installed 750€. And this is OEM.

Link: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...51#71602289351

Hi Dennis, I'm in the same position now and have just come across this post.
Were you happy with the retro install of these parts? Did you need any other parts other than these 2?
Thanks
Paul

[pmccoy2211]

Originally Posted by Axel81

Just went through the same exercise last weekend, just using the Bimmer Tech OEM set.

Was a fun DIY activity over the 4th of July weekend.

Good luck!

Hi axel81.
Were you happy with the picture quality of the bimmer tech kit?
I'm researching between their oem kit and the kit from the main dealer.
Thanks
Paul

[JamesInSJ]

I just picked up a new to me 2015 X5, and like many here, was surprised a backup camera wasn't standard. At least it has PDC front and rear.

What I've seen is that the bimmertech option is as good as OEM, but it's also a ton of money for a simple camera solution. Recently found there are some nice aftermarket screen options, including from Avin or Bimmertech, that would give me upgraded iDrive, better Android integration, AND a wireless backup camera, for less than it would cost for just the bimmertech backup camera.

Just wondering if anyone found a cheaper oem-like solution than dropping $600+ with bimmertech, or if maybe going the upgraded display/iDrive unit is the way to go. Seems like many people are quite happy with all the updated features of the unit, and if I'm going to drop $600 for a backup camera, I can do that instead for about the same amount of money.

[mobinakhtar]

I bought my kit at dhgate.com. It's basically a Chinese copy of all the US-based retrofit kits (bimmertech, bmwtv2go, etc). It comes with tailgate-handle-camera, the module, cables and no programming needed. All cables are harness-to-harness ready and plug-n-play it appears.It is supposed to integrate with the factory OEM screen. My F15 X5 has PDC and is a 2015 Diesel. I'll attempt to put it in this weekend. It was advertised as NBT and did not come with even a shred of documentation.

[kwstandard]

This one actually works pretty well - and for $199.00. But you can't be afraid of taking you car apart (plastic panels and the dash trim, anyway.) If you have the bigger screen, it uses the entire screen.

http://www.carnaviplayer.com/rearvie...-series-p-1222

[JamesInSJ]

Thank you so much, mobinakhtar and kwstandard. I've been looking at that dhgate kit and figured it was pretty much the same as a few others for ~$300-400 I've seen.

mobinakthar - looking forward to your feedback about the product. I like the idea of some of the aftermarket kits because you can install a forward looking camera for the very little extra cost of a camera and the time to pull the wiring into the dash area (usually very easy).

As for the other suggestion...not afraid of that either. I'm assuming it's no different than what you have to do with the dhgate. I've run several dash-to-trunk runs in different cars over the years, the most recent being an Android radio upgrade for my E46 M3, and just a few little wires is easy compared to the Android ~15-wire bundle you have to run.

[JamesInSJ]

Originally Posted by kwstandard

This one actually works pretty well - and for $199.00. But you can't be afraid of taking you car apart (plastic panels and the dash trim, anyway.) If you have the bigger screen, it uses the entire screen.

http://www.carnaviplayer.com/rearvie...-series-p-1222

n/m to my original post here (edited out).

I found a long F30 thread with lots of people who bought this setup and lots of positive feedback about it. Ordered one using code "free-shipping" which covers the $20 DHL cost. That code is good until end of this year. An email to carnaviplayer about any discounts got a response that all they ever discount is for free shipping, so I just took the $199 deal in hand and ran with it. Much, much better pricing than the $575+ of other options out there.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1651921

[JamesInSJ]

Originally Posted by Axel81

Just went through the same exercise last weekend, just using the Bimmer Tech OEM set.

Was a fun DIY activity over the 4th of July weekend.

Good luck!

Any hints on routing the wiring? My understanding is that you follow the wiring path of the trunk electronic latch down into the passenger side panel (fuse area) and then follow that forward. I know that's an oversimplification, so figured I'd ask about any hints/tips from your experience doing it.