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Reverse Mod Installation - a Pictorial

37K views 28 replies 17 participants last post by  TopDownInFL 
#1 ·
When I got my car, it was CPO and had no PDC (which I had in my last 3 cars) so I was a little uneasy about reversing when a) I rarely pull forward into a parking space b) I have 2 little ones that can't be seen behind the boot and c) I have two older kids, one of which will be driving in a few years. So I looked first into a PDC retrofit, but it was $3K ($1800 of which is just the 8 sensors @ $150 each). So instead, I found a more reasonable solution with some added cool factor - reverse sensors and a reverse camera.

Here's the breakdown of the items used and the costs:


The installer is an independant guy local to South Florida and has over 18 years of experience. I highly recommend him, as his attention to detail and perfection were demonstrated throughout the job (which was done in my garage and I watched all of it).

PM me for his info as he is always looking for additional work.

Here goes the pictorial:

Here's the car before any work was done:



The camera with painted cover to match the car:



The Sensor Kit (with painted sensors):



Now for the installation:

First, the license plate and all items in the trunk were removed, including necessary panels, etc.




Next, the bumper was taped up to minimize any drilling damage.



We measured about 4 times to ensure the placement of the sensors was both level and appropriately spaced across the bumper. I used pics of OEM sensor placement as guides and got it pretty close. Once we were both satisfied, drilling commenced:





Next came the installation of the sensors. We had to find a way into the trunk and found it through an opening with a rubber stopper. The cables were pulled through using a fish tape.



(this pic is taken standing at the left side of the trunk looking down at the rear wall of the trunk closest to the bumper)


At this point, the sensors were all installed into the bumper (but still not working yet):



The sensor brain was tucked neatly away in a space that will be hidden by the driver's side trunk panel. Power was pulled from the reverse lights so the sensors (and, therefore, the beeping, are only engaged when in Reverse)



A hole for the camera was drilled behind the license plate (forgot to take pics) and the cable for it was fed into the car along with the sensor cables. The cables for the camera video and from the reverse sensor brain to its speaker were fed through to the front of the car where the speaker for the sensors and the camera brain would be installed. They were ran through an existing opening for cables on the driver's side under the rear seat. (You can see the long white plastic fish tape used to pull the wires through from the back. This pic is the rear seat with the cushion removed).



An accessory channel exists under the driver's side doorsill. The wires were run along that.



The reverse speaker was installed inside the panel just under the steering wheel. The remaining cables for the video camera and power pulled from the reverse lights were fed across to under the passenger side behind the glove box.



The iDrive screen was removed to include the interface for the video camera.




Frank, my installer, connected the camera, video interface, power and the iDrive screen (I told him I wanted to include a pic of him - he says everyone tells him "we always see your work but you're never in the pics..." so noone believes him <g>).



The iDrive was reinstalled, the panels put back, etc.



I did have some issues with the video interface from NavVideo - it was set to use CAN video (where you can call up the video on demand, used for watching videos, etc.) Since I only needed a reverse camera application, they had to tweak it. Tony at NavVideo is the guy to talk to - he is passionate about these devices and knows EVERYTHING about them.

Here is a pic of the finished product (the camera is seen just above the license plate):



Here is a pic of the reverse camera in action. When engaged, it takes over the section of the screen that hosts the navigation. This particular camera has lines to show distance and alignment with a parking spot. It was very flexible to be configured my car.

 
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#6 ·
Nice! I'd love to do the same.
 
#10 ·
Quick question, do the sensors work just like the OEM PDCs through the iDrive interface or is it just sound? I'm assuming it must just be sound as the video feed is what I'm seeing.
 
#12 ·
Some sensor kits have a visual aspect to them and can integrate with the camera to work somewhat like PDC. My install is just sound (with the speaker under the dash at my knees) and the camera output (the camera is what puts the lines on the screen.)

That set up looks nice..............seems like there was someone on here that had some type of OEM camera set up as well.
Stratus650.
 
#13 ·
I looked into this, as well. The OEM is veeeeeery expensive.
 
#16 ·
Yes - only in reverse. The video goes back to normal (nav is there currently). The idea is the video input box interrupts the BMW video and superimposes the camera video onto the iDrive screen. When not engaged, it allows teh BMW video to flow to the screen as normal.
 
#18 ·
quick question, does the nav-video send video only to that small portion on the screen for backup, and full screen for DVD's or is it just displayed on that little section all the time?
 
#19 ·
According to Tony @ NavVideo, it displays over the navigation. So if you have the nav covering the entire screen, it should cover the entire screen. I was never able to change the nav to full screen (anyone know how???) and test. If someone can tell me how to set the nav to full screen, I'll test.
 
#24 ·
Does the camera have the Distance sensor built into it, or does it work in conjunction with the other sensors?
It has the lines representing the distance. Generally, the red line is 12" from the rear of the car.

Nice job looks great. Hey were did u get the 650 trunk I see the light so I'm guessing that's what you did.
Thanks. Not sure what you mean. as far as I know I have the original 645 trunk.
 
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