Revsering Camera for E38, E39

[jimbo01 0]

I justy bought a reversing camera for the E38 on trademe, seller is "hotwire1" from Te Awamatu. $230 buynow. Fits into one of the number plate lamps and plugs int the video unit in the boot. Seem's like a good mod. I'll take photos on the install and post on here in case anyone else wants to do the same.

[greenday-rulz21 6]

Seems that would be the Hotwire from this forum.

Great mod, looking forward to see the outcome.

[jimbo01 0]

Seems that would be the Hotwire from this forum.

Great mod, looking forward to see the outcome.

Yep it's the same hotwire as on this forum. Also looking at retrofitting a nav unit, and perhaps updating the video unit, and the screen to 16:9.

[M5V8 337]

hey this is interesting!

would that work on my e39 M5?

[hybrid 1043]

Yes if you have the TV tuner and display.

[jimbo01 0]

Managed to pick up a Nav DVD ROM unit for the E38 as well so hopefully we can get that going too.

Apparently the reversing camera is a direct fit for an E39 with a TV and display, for the E38 I'll have to do a little shaping. PM hotwire if you are interested.

[jochen 4]

Reversing cameras can be fitted to any E46, E38, E39. X3. X5. and Z4

Only prerequisite: the car must have the OEM TV tuner (and of course LCD display) fitted.

Connecting the reverse camera is very simply, a relay connected to the reverse lamps is used to trigger the reverse cam switch on the TV tuner. And the rev cam video connects direct to the TV tuner rev cam input.

[M5V8 337]

Installed mine on monday and I'm pretty happy with it.

A reasonable job to get the wire nicely through the factory rubber conduit. But after that Grant's instructions were enough for a amature sparky like me to get working.

thanks Grant.

A great product that works well!

Highly recommended for anyone with little ones, or a fast moving puppy like me!

[HELLBM 1552]

Installed one into my `01 540 this afternoon. Reasonably easy with a great result.

Thanks Grant (aka Hotwire)

[hotwire 352]

Thanks for the positive feedbacks guys

Agree the biggest issue is getting the cables through the boot - car conduit - gotta hold your tonge right.

[jimbo01 0]

Thanks for the positive feedbacks guys

Agree the biggest issue is getting the cables through the boot - car conduit - gotta hold your tonge right.

Yep thats the issue. When I rolled back the rubber conduit I found a the wires had been cut and rejoined at some stage which makes getting anything through their even harder. Possibly my boot lid has been replaced at some point, I can't think of any other reason for these to have been cut.

I suspect the wire for the ledt plate light didn't like being man handled and now I'm getting no voltage across the plug. The really bad news is that it runs all the way to the light control module in the front of the car near the diveres door. I really really do not want to have to re-run this wire.

I havn't monted the camera with silicon yet as I may want to be able to use the hole if I have to run a new wire.

Mucking about with your BMW is hours of fun.

[jimbo01 0]

Yep thats the issue. When I rolled back the rubber conduit I found a the wires had been cut and rejoined at some stage which makes getting anything through their even harder. Possibly my boot lid has been replaced at some point, I can't think of any other reason for these to have been cut.

I suspect the wire for the left plate light didn't like being man handled and now I'm getting no voltage across the plug. The really bad news is that it runs all the way to the light control module in the front of the car near the diveres door. I really really do not want to have to re-run this wire.

I havn't monted the camera with silicon yet as I may want to be able to use the hole if I have to run a new wire.

Mucking about with your BMW is hours of fun.

In the end I was unable to find the required white/violet wire for the ACC on but after much checking on the online BMW wiring site I have found a wire that will work, it's all white and used to power on the amplifier from the radio. If anyone who has fitted this to an E38 knows differently let me know.

Issue with plate light was a broken join in the rubber gromlet between the boot lid and the boot. Fixed and all the boot lid trim back on and now the boot open / clouse switch isn't working. Probably another broken wire.

[Moupe 55]

I justy bought a reversing camera for the E38 on trademe, seller is "hotwire1" from Te Awamatu. $230 buynow. Fits into one of the number plate lamps and plugs int the video unit in the boot. Seem's like a good mod. I'll take photos on the install and post on here in case anyone else wants to do the same.

I realise that these are old posts, but anyone who is looking to do this definitely should! The end result is fantastic. I've just done it on my E39. I cheated a little though and did all the hard parts myself (conduit, video module etc) myself but had a sparky tap the relay and camera wires (accessory, reverse, and ground) into the loom.

Was a little nervous about doing this myself but then since I couldn't get Grant (Hotwire) to do it for me (as I'm in Welly) was more worried about getting someone else to do it (owner is always going to be more careful with his own car!). Actually found getting the wires through the conduit pretty easy. Used a bike outer brake cable lining (bought a little over a metre at a bike shop for $5). Was perfect due to it's stiffness but slight flexibility. Pushed it all the way through first, taped the wire to the top, and then pulled it out from the bottom (have to do this twice).

Aside from Grants written instructions (which are great) I also took some pics and have a few useful links which assist in figuring out how to remove the boot lid lining (without breaking anything). So more than happy sharing these if anyone decides to do it.

J

[kiwiland 3]

Look forward to seeing your info, have one of Grants units sitting in a box waiting to be installed and your info would help greatly

[hybrid 1043]

Aside from Grants written instructions (which are great) I also took some pics and have a few useful links which assist in figuring out how to remove the boot lid lining (without breaking anything). So more than happy sharing these if anyone decides to do it.

J

keen for some instructions on removing the boot lid without spoiling it. I attempted it myself and just got stuck so put it all back together and in the box again. hehe.

One of those projects for a rainy day I think.

[hotwire 352]

keen for some instructions on removing the boot lid without spoiling it. I attempted it myself and just got stuck so put it all back together and in the box again. hehe.

One of those projects for a rainy day I think.

Thought yours would be in by now Josh

Easy as - a few screws & clips & they're out. Give me a shout when you're ready

[Moupe 55]

keen for some instructions on removing the boot lid without spoiling it. I attempted it myself and just got stuck so put it all back together and in the box again. hehe.

One of those projects for a rainy day I think.

Hi Hybrid,

Here is the link I found for removing the boot lid trim: http://bit.ly/dPIfxD. Only thing that I didn't get from the pics (didn't read it properly I guess) was those plastic plugs that are mentioned in the 2nd and 3rd photos. Once you get the centre bit popped out, you actually remove the whole plug from the very base. After that, his instructions are very clear. Oh, and when you go to unscrew the screw in the handle, you'll need a jewellers phillips or similar. You don't even need to try and remove the plastic that covers it as the jewellers phillips will fit in the slot.

As for the rest of the photos, they are very similar to how I did mine. Will post those soon anyway.

Cheers,

J

[Moupe 55]

Look forward to seeing your info, have one of Grants units sitting in a box waiting to be installed and your info would help greatly

Hi Kiwiland,

Here you go as promised:

Firstly, remove all the trim as per the reply I just did to hybrid. This link also contains pics of a similar nature to what I did. You'll need to remove the boot lid trim, boot floor, boot back trim (covering audio and video modules), and the trim which covers the battery compartment.

Next, follow Grant's instructions and fit the camera into the driver's side aperture (assuming that is side he instructed you to install it into). If you have a number plate surround, remove the number plate surround (or number plate altogether as I did) first. The gasket needs to be stuck to the camera first and then thread the wires through the same hole that the existing number plate wires are coming through (I pulled the number plate wires/plug out first). Once the camera wires are through, click the camera into the aperture. Again, Grant probably already told you this, but if not, he told me a trick to getting the camera to sit tightly and that was to bend the tabs of the aperture up slightly by using a screwdriver. This works a treat.

As for feeding the cables through the conduit, I managed to do this with relative ease. I went to the bike shop and got a metre of outer brake cable casing (cost about $5). It is very stiff with still enough flex to bend where necessary. They also put a metal end on it (which keeps the end smooth, I didn't want to accidentally poke through the conduit). I pushed it through using silicone (and a bit of Vaseline on the end of the brake cable) by itself first from the top down. Once it was in, I taped the wires (one at a time) to the top end by taping over the terminals and then again about 1cm up further (to prevent the terminals from being tugged). Then I slowly pulled the brake cable all the way through from the bottom which brought the cable through all the way. Repeat the process for the second cable. It was actually pretty easy! The trick is to not only to remove the conduit from the boot lid and boot but also the big bit right underneath.

Pic of both wires now through

I then used the same brake cable to feed the wires (with the RCA plugs) that needed to go through the boot lid frame up to the male & female RCA camera connections. I taped the RCA plugs (did one at a time) and fed the wire up the inside of the bot lid. Another trick here was to use my pinky finger in the hole (bottom right of the pic below) to guide it up otherwise it kept on going too far over to the right and I couldn't get it at the top.

With both wires through, connected them to the camera and secured them with tape.

Next is to follow the instructions Grant supplied re the blue and white plugs on the Video Module. To remove the plugs from the module, you need to push the black locking tab over to the right but before you do, you need to push upwards on the centre of the plug at the same time (so to unlock the black locking tab). I used my girlfriends travel mirror to help see what I was doing!

Once the plug is out, you need to slide the black insert out of the surround (basically, the blue and white part of the plug is just a surround used to connect the black insert which has all the pins in it). I used a very small jewellers flathead screwdriver to lift up on the locking part of plug and then on the opposite side (and at the same time), pushed the inside black insert out using another jewellers screwdriver by pushing through the small hole. I found this bit quite tricky. Unfortunately, I don't have any clear pics of what I did here, but I think once you remove the plug from the Video Module, you will understand what I am saying.

Follow grants instructions for inserting the correct wires into the appropriate slots. As he mentioned, you can clearly see the numbering on the black insert once it is out.

FYI I found this step the hardest bit. Getting the thinner video wires into the black insert was quite hard. Because of how thin the wires are, I couldn't get the terminals to click into place in the insert. However, I used a very small jewellers flathead screwdriver to gently push them in from the side. I also used needlenose pliers to ease the blue wire terminal into place (in pin 17 of the blue plug insert) from where the solid part of the wire was just out of the insert. I suggest being very patient with this bit, especially given the awkwardness of where the Video Module and plugs actually are.

Here's a pic once the wires were inserted and plugs back into the module.

Once I was done, I tidied up the wiring and then took it to an auto electrician (whom I had booked that day). They tapped the camera into the number plate wiring (got them to leave the original number plate plug as well) and also the relay into the loom (I gave them the info from Grant on what wires to tap into of course). They also had a holder which fitted over the relay and secured this as well. They charged $88 for this. I have nothing to compare it to, so can only assume this is an ok amount to pay. Was very happy with their work though. This part is certainly not something I would have done myself even if I DID own a soldering iron. That loom scares the living bejeesus out of me just looking at it haha.

Once I had my car back, I just put all the trim back on and it was complete. Best bit is that from looking that the back of the car, the camera is almost camouflaged by the black number plate surround.

Only when you look from the side can you really notice it.

Total time I spent: 1 hour 50 mins to take all the trim off and install the camera + 10-15 mins to put all the trim back in.

I am exceptionally happy with the result. It is a much better alternative to reversing sensors.

Big ups go to Grant too. I asked a TON of questions as I didn't want to stuff anything up so I'm surprised he didn't get sick of all my emails

Hope this helps make it a little easier. Seriously, as daunting as I thought it seemed before starting, it actually wasn't that bad to do. I only remember swearing a couple of times and got a bit of cramp from being right in the boot haha

Get onto it

Cheers,

J

Edited February 13, 2011 by bluefish

[Tristan 338]

I should be getting this...

[matt45 1]

I should be getting this...

Do It! ... very useful MOD .... had a look at it in rays 540 works perfectly even tho he has PDC too its nice to be able to see what the PDC is beeping at.

[kiwiland 3]

Hi Kiwiland,

Here you go as promised:

Firstly, remove all the trim as per the reply I just did to hybrid. This link also contains pics of a similar nature to what I did. You'll need to remove the boot lid trim, boot floor, boot back trim (covering audio and video modules), and the trim which covers the battery compartment.

Next, follow Grant's instructions and fit the camera into the driver's side aperture (assuming that is side he instructed you to install it into). If you have a number plate surround, remove the number plate surround (or number plate altogether as I did) first. The gasket needs to be stuck to the camera first and then thread the wires through the same hole that the existing number plate wires are coming through (I pulled the number plate wires/plug out first). Once the camera wires are through, click the camera into the aperture. Again, Grant probably already told you this, but if not, he told me a trick to getting the camera to sit tightly and that was to bend the tabs of the aperture up slightly by using a screwdriver. This works a treat.

As for feeding the cables through the conduit, I managed to do this with relative ease. I went to the bike shop and got a metre of outer brake cable casing (cost about $5). It is very stiff with still enough flex to bend where necessary. They also put a metal end on it (which keeps the end smooth, I didn't want to accidentally poke through the conduit). I pushed it through using silicone (and a bit of Vaseline on the end of the brake cable) by itself first from the top down. Once it was in, I taped the wires (one at a time) to the top end by taping over the terminals and then again about 1cm up further (to prevent the terminals from being tugged). Then I slowly pulled the brake cable all the way through from the bottom which brought the cable through all the way. Repeat the process for the second cable. It was actually pretty easy! The trick is to not only to remove the conduit from the boot lid and boot but also the big bit right underneath.

Pic of both wires now through

I then used the same brake cable to feed the wires (with the RCA plugs) that needed to go through the boot lid frame up to the male & female RCA camera connections. I taped the RCA plugs (did one at a time) and fed the wire up the inside of the bot lid. Another trick here was to use my pinky finger in the hole (bottom right of the pic below) to guide it up otherwise it kept on going too far over to the right and I couldn't get it at the top.

With both wires through, connected them to the camera and secured them with tape.

Next is to follow the instructions Grant supplied re the blue and white plugs on the Video Module. To remove the plugs from the module, you need to push the black locking tab over to the right but before you do, you need to push upwards on the centre of the plug at the same time (so to unlock the black locking tab). I used my girlfriends travel mirror to help see what I was doing!

Once the plug is out, you need to slide the black insert out of the surround (basically, the blue and white part of the plug is just a surround used to connect the black insert which has all the pins in it). I used a very small jewellers flathead screwdriver to lift up on the locking part of plug and then on the opposite side (and at the same time), pushed the inside black insert out using another jewellers screwdriver by pushing through the small hole. I found this bit quite tricky. Unfortunately, I don't have any clear pics of what I did here, but I think once you remove the plug from the Video Module, you will understand what I am saying.

Follow grants instructions for inserting the correct wires into the appropriate slots. As he mentioned, you can clearly see the numbering on the black insert once it is out.

FYI I found this step the hardest bit. Getting the thinner video wires into the black insert was quite hard. Because of how thin the wires are, I couldn't get the terminals to click into place in the insert. However, I used a very small jewellers flathead screwdriver to gently push them in from the side. I also used needlenose pliers to ease the blue wire terminal into place (in pin 17 of the blue plug insert) from where the solid part of the wire was just out of the insert. I suggest being very patient with this bit, especially given the awkwardness of where the Video Module and plugs actually are.

Here's a pic once the wires were inserted and plugs back into the module.

Once I was done, I tidied up the wiring and then took it to an auto electrician (whom I had booked that day). They tapped the camera into the number plate wiring (got them to leave the original number plate plug as well) and also the relay into the loom (I gave them the info from Grant on what wires to tap into of course). They also had a holder which fitted over the relay and secured this as well. They charged $88 for this. I have nothing to compare it to, so can only assume this is an ok amount to pay. Was very happy with their work though. This part is certainly not something I would have done myself even if I DID own a soldering iron. That loom scares the living bejeesus out of me just looking at it haha.

Once I had my car back, I just put all the trim back on and it was complete. Best bit is that from looking that the back of the car, the camera is almost camouflaged by the black number plate surround.

Only when you look from the side can you really notice it.

Total time I spent: 1 hour 50 mins to take all the trim off and install the camera + 10-15 mins to put all the trim back in.

I am exceptionally happy with the result. It is a much better alternative to reversing sensors.

Big ups go to Grant too. I asked a TON of questions as I didn't want to stuff anything up so I'm surprised he didn't get sick of all my emails

Hope this helps make it a little easier. Seriously, as daunting as I thought it seemed before starting, it actually wasn't that bad to do. I only remember swearing a couple of times and got a bit of cramp from being right in the boot haha

Get onto it

Cheers,

J

My installation job on the camera is doomed!! had just opened up the excellent photos etc and got to the stage of stripping out the boot lid when my computer acquired a nasty virus which effectively locked me out.

Taken me till today to get the PC up and running again (thank goodness for the System Restore function) so hopefully will get back to it soon

[Moupe 55]

My installation job on the camera is doomed!! had just opened up the excellent photos etc and got to the stage of stripping out the boot lid when my computer acquired a nasty virus which effectively locked me out.

Taken me till today to get the PC up and running again (thank goodness for the System Restore function) so hopefully will get back to it soon

Ra ro Shaggy! You would have done it by now if it wasn't for those pesky viruses! Hopefully you can get onto it again without any further hiccups!

[hotwire 352]

I should be getting this...

Got one here all ready to go Tristan if you want

[hotwire 352]

Shite Jason - love your attention to detail with pics.

Maybe I'm a bit optomistic in presuming everyone can follow my written instruction for install

[Moupe 55]

Shite Jason - love your attention to detail with pics.

Maybe I'm a bit optomistic in presuming everyone can follow my written instruction for install

Thanks Yeah, I guess when you have done this sort of thing tons of times it probably seems like childs play. But for an amateur like me who only tinkers occasionally, it was a slightly more involved task Hopefully my post will help anyone else out there looking to do this who is in the same boat as me or simply wants a bit of a visual clue to the steps involved