This is my first post in this incredibly helpful forum. I am a huge BMW fan - been driving them for around 25 years and have owned 6 so far. My latest is an e90 335d which, inspite of the fact that it's an automatic, has won my heart with its efficient performance and gobs of low-end torque...even in its stock form.
Aside from the lack of a 6-speed (which at least helped secure wife approval), it was a bit lacking in tech. It has CIC with Aux input and USB in the armrest, but other than that, it's fairly spartan. No camera, no combox, no BMW apps. Having also recently gotten an X3 for wife with a tricked out CIC (front and back pdc with combox and cameras all around), I wanted - no ... I NEEDED more for my little d-rocket.
So i searched and searched for possible solutions that I could conceivably do. I must admit, as a novice DIY'er - especially when it came to this particular car which I could not stand the thought of harming - at first I was intimidated by the work involved, but as I read more and more about the experiences of folks in this forum, I grew more confident. Bimmertech kept coming up as a reputable partner for making this happen. So I sent them an inquiry - and immediately, Nelson responded. I asked him a ton of questions and got on the phone with him several times. He always had time for me - even before I had bought anything. He pointed me to lots of resources to clear up uncertainties and doubts about where to route this wire or place that component. He and his colleagues at Bimmertech are not just sales people - they are experts in these cars and have experience installing what they sell. My interaction with Nelson gave me the confidence I needed to move forward.
So I went ahead and took the plunge - ordering not just the rear camera, but the front camera and the SmartView as well.
http://www.bimmer-tech.net/bmw-rear-view-cameras/
The instructions that Bimmertech provided (which included videos as well as detailed written step-by-step guides) made a huge difference, but equally as important for me was knowing Nelson and his colleagues at Bimmertech were there to help.
I received the products quickly via DHL as expected - complete and packed very well. All the necessary supplies (wiring, connectors, etc) were there. Laying out the various components, it was clear to me that this was all high quality OEM-level stuff. Nothing flimsy here. I was especially impressed by the ruggedness of the front camera.
I set aside a weekend for the install. Looking at the full kit in front of me made me wonder how I'd be able to get all that stuff in those cramped spaces. And it wasn't completely without some scary moments (which I will list here in the hope that it might help others avoid my noobie mistakes), but again, knowing the Bimmertech crew was around if I needed them gave me the confidence to push forward through these challenges.
So with apologies for not having taken a bunch of pictures or done a video, here's my notable installation considerations / things to look out for.
Rear camera- Popping out the fasteners holding the trim to the trunk roof. It is helpful to know that they are two-piece - like a dry wall fastener where the piece you nail into the wall expands when you put the screw in it. Try to get the pry tool between the top and the bottom piece. Do not try to pull both out at the same time - much harder that way.
- Fishing camera wire through the rubber hose between trunk lid and body. I found it really helpful to reduce friction by coating fishing tool and wires with dish washing detergent. Also, if you use a coat hanger as a fishing tool, be sure to blunt the end of the coat hanger with something like electrical tape or otherwise eliminate sharp edges that could rip or poke.
- Removing and replacing trunk trim. This gave me fits trying to put it back neatly in its original place once I was done. I later realized I could've saved myself work by first taking off the bottom trim (that which hides Mulf, TCU, etc).
- Removing trim around doors to route camera wires under it. I broke a couple of clips along these. Pay close attention to where the fasteners are, how they fit together, and the order in which they should be installed. Keep your cool and don't try to force things.
- Removing the dash trim (which holds the start button, vents, etc. Start from the left and work your way right. The rightmost connector is the most difficult. Again, keep your cool and try wiggling gently to work that one loose. I read somewhere that this rightmost fastener may have some hidden tabs that "bite" into the trim piece and that moving it slightly to the right as you pull may allow those tabs to disengage. I don't know if that's true but it's worth a try. I ended up pulling and pulling (and sweating it out in the Florida steambath). Fortunately, I did not break anything, but that may have been luck.
- Another little adventure with the dash. The set of buttons between the vents (the hazard light, door locks, etc) is more easily disconnected if you first pop out that assembly with your fingers after you have the trim out. I first tried jamming my fingers in there to undo the wire connectors. That didn't go anywhere.
- Climate control. After you have the dash trim off, this actually pops out fairly easily if you feel your way down with your figures for the retaining tabs and carefully/gently push the panel out. I don't think you need trim tools for this.
- Multi-media interface (MMI) placement. You put it behind the climate control panel either with the video cable from the CID out towards you OR in towards the inside of the dash. I chose the former, as I found it easier to accommodate wire harness and all its cabling that way - push THAT inside the dash.
- Routing cabling from MMI to cameras, armrest, etc. Be aware that there is a good-sized opening and access to a nice amount of space towards the right of the climate area, where the MMI goes. Use it!
Front Camera- Removing the front bumper. I used a floor jack and jack stands instead of ramps, since it allowed the wheels to hang down and away from some of the fasteners inside the wheel well that you will need access to - making it easier to reach these.
- Temperature considerations. Bear in mind that this is a high temperature area - especially in a turbo-equipped car like the 335d. Give careful thought to how you route the wire along the engine bay. I routed mine along with other wires towards the right-most side of the bay (passenger side) and used zip ties to secure it. I also tried to feed it down to the sport grill in the coolest, least cramped route I could find, trying to avoid any steady contact with hot parts.
- Wiring along the sport grill. Minor aesthetic point but if you're like me, you don't want loose wire from the camera to the side of the engine bay to be visible: try to hide and secure it above the sport grill.
- MOST CHALLENGING (for me at least) - PENETRATING THE FIREWALL. Here I was faced with a choice. Either route the Camera wire along the driver's side, and drill a hole through the firewall and seal it...OR route along the passenger side and use an existing opening inside the ECU box. Mucking with all that sensitive electronics in the ECU scared the bejeevers out of me. But drilling a hole in my car ... and then figuring out how to get the wire from driver's side to the MMI, likely involving more Trim-removal adventures - that I could not stomach. So I went through the ECU. Word to the wise. If you have not done this before, proceed VERY CAREFULLY. Make doubly sure that any connections you undo in order to pull out the ECU to access the firewall opening you REDO them TIGHTLY! Here's what happened to me. I was certain that I had put things back as I found them after feeding the camera wire through the firewall opening. I hooked everything up and was eager to test my now complete install...and when I pressed the Start button, the engine cranked...but would not turn over. ENGINE MALFUNCTION, the instrument panel read. Oh S*(&^t. It was Sunday in the Naples area - no shop open, I was alone without transportation, my wife had gone back up north and I had to be in Miami the following day for an important meeting...soaked in sweat from the Florida steambath. Remember, I had never done anything like this before! 45 minutes (seemed like a week) went by before I was able to catch my breath and think clearly. Then I did all I could do at that time. I tore into the ECU, retraced my steps, and this time, focused on getting those connections as firm as possible. Went back to the start button, heart beating a mile a minute, prepared for the worst. But this time, the car started right up.
This is a moment I will not forget!
SmartView- The SmartView box fits nicely either to the right of the climate control area, where there is a fair amount of space...or behind the glove compartment in front of the JBE, where it is more easily accessible if you ever need to get at it again. Try to secure to minimize movement and unwanted contact.
- RCA plug that connects to Aux inside the arm rest. Open armrest cover, remove bottom of compartment and fish the stereo plug thorough the passenger side center console trim into the armrest. Then guide the RCA plug-end of that cable under the center console trim towards the glove compartment area, where you can connect it with the corresponding RCA plugs from the Bimmertech MMI harness.
Putting everything back together- The trunk lock switch. I lost about an hour trying to figure out why my trunk would not open. Well, there's a switch along the upper left hand edge of the Glove Compartment which I was not aware of that locks out the trunk. I had inadvertently flipped it to LOCK mode. Duh.
- Separately, I struggled for another half hour to get the Glove Compartment re-installed before it occurred to me that I was doing things in the wrong order...I had put in the cup holders first, and they were in the way.
- Then there was the SmartView wi-fi signal dropping. Loose connection. Another reason to secure the SmartView box, to eliminate that possibility.
- Service Engine Soon lamps: I came a cross two these situations, likely due to battery disconnect/reconnect troubles I had. Those went away after a few drives. So no big deal.
At the end of the day (or the weekend in my case), everything turned out fine. I have a fantastic rear camera with dynamic lines - it works flawlessly, switching on quickly after shifting to Reverse and showing a great wide angle view of what's back there, with a beautiful clear picture in both day time and - impressively - at night...a picture that fills the entire 8.8in screen with vivid color.
The front camera is a pleasure to use. I installed the MMI's input switch button unobtrusively beside the radio "mode" button, allowing quick/easy cycling through the inputs. Sometimes I go to the front cam input to see the road from that low to the ground perspective as I'm driving along - it just looks cool!
And the nicest surprise is the SmartView - the refresh is incredibly fast. My Waze app rocks with this...as does iHeart radio and many others. The one small bummer is that you can't watch youtube videos and other similar rich content due to Apple's DRM enforcement. But I think this is not an issue with Android - so I might get an el-cheapo Android phone just for the car that will connect to my personal hotspot and play this type of content.
And what puts it all together is the peace of mind of having Bimmertech behind me. I would not have had the confidence to get this done myself if it hadn't been for that.
