XSeries-forum

Hi Folks,


I'm pretty much set on the idea of buying a Blackvue dr650s-2ch dashcam for my 2016 BMW X5 3.0D M Sport. I'm also looking to get the Blackvue external battery pack or the Cellink B external battery pack too.

Thought I had nothing better to do than ask my local dealer to install. Nope. They will only install the BMW Advanced Eye unit. In my opinion this is not discrete enough and does not have key features that the Blackvue has. Anyway, BMW Kirkcaldy could not install and BMW Perth could not intstall. They were polite enough but would only install BMW approved. So my question is, can anyone recommend a dashcam installer in Fife? I know BMW and Audi are sensitive to battery drain and that the cable used for the rear camera needs to be appropriately shielded to prevent interference to the DAB radio, hence the reason for the battery pack and wanting a professional installation.

Thanks very much in advance for any assistance

BMW have always taken the line that if it is not an official retrofit kit then they won't install it.

When you do find an installer then they absolutely must not coil any excess cables, must use a fully screened cable from the rear which must have rf ferrites installed and be located as far away from the DAB antenna as possible.  Ideally the cable should be bonded to the chassis too as this stops it being an aerial.  Certainly the interconnect cabling needs to be run along the chassis and not allowed to 'float' within the wiring loom bundles.  If the camera manufacturer does not provide a fully screened cable then you may need to place it inside a metal sheath and bond that.

Given the number of camera owners across all makes of car reporting DAB issues, I wonder if the cameras have undergone full CE EMC Certification testing as a 'system' rather than just the units at each end.  They do seem to be using the 'this equipment may cause interference' clause as they are allowed to, but which doesn't help us!

This problem is only now becoming well known and from what I have seen on other Forums, most installers are just car ICE specialists who have little idea about how to solve the problem.

Cameras with wifi are more likely to generate a problem and there is very little that can be done - except avoid them or don't use DAB, or use separate cameras with no interconnect.

Can't help with a Scottish installed unfortunately however I've always fitted my own (F20/F30/F34/F15) - the X5 was by far the simplest.

Power can be taken from the fuse box in the driver footwell, run the rear camera data cable along the floor (passenger side) with a few ferrite cores; no DAB issues at all.

I have the Thinkware F770 which is very discrete (no cables in view) - I believe the Blackview's suffered with DAB issues more but potentially resolved in more recent releases.

Hi MarkG, which fuse in the footwell fusebox did you use and does it give a switched or permanently live feed?
I have an Aguri dash cam that I would like to permanently wire.
Thanks in advance.

Thanks very much indeed for the advice both X5Sport and MarkG_M50d.  Nice pic of the Thinkware.  Looks very nice.  You've got me thinking now!  When you ran the cable along the floor do you mean you had to lift the carpets?  If so, was this straightforward.  Sorry to ask what might seem blindingly obvious questions.

Cheers.

When I ran my amateur radio aerial cables (E53 & E71) through from front to back, I found that I could remove the trims at the bottom of the doors and run the cables along the floor at that point in the angle between the sill and floor and just pop the trims back on.  Similarly running into the boot, though in my case I did remove the boot side trim on the off side of the X6.  A small bit of Gorilla tape holds them to the floor.

Cheers - thank you very much.

Blackvue was a nightmare with the DAB radio signal in my 2015 X6M.

Had the latest blackvue cable that linked the front camera to the rear camera still had major issues. In the end I disconnected the rear camera.

My coax cable that linked the cameras ran above the roof trim so I guess that dident help.

As yet I have not installed one in the new car.



 

[quote="silverbeemersurfer"]
Hi MarkG, which fuse in the footwell fusebox did you use and does it give a switched or permanently live feed?
I have an Aguri dash cam that I would like to permanently wire.
Thanks in advance.
[/quote]

I used fused 41 and 42 - have a look here:
http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/showth ... ?t=1217998

[quote="tek_architect"]
Thanks very much indeed for the advice both X5Sport and MarkG_M50d.  Nice pic of the Thinkware.  Looks very nice.  You've got me thinking now!  When you ran the cable along the floor do you mean you had to lift the carpets?  If so, was this straightforward.  Sorry to ask what might seem blindingly obvious questions.

Cheers.
[/quote]

Most of the cable I simply tucked up under the plastic trim; I did remove the door sill trips to secure but this is not essential. When you get top the rear, you may need a coat hanger of similar to feed the cable from the rear seat area to the side storage cubby in the back. Then just feed up the pillar, remove the wiring grommet and feed the plug into the tailgate.

You'll need to removed the tailgate trim to route and secure the cable (and prevent rattles!).

Good luck.

Hi MarkG, many thanks for the link and info. This is a perfect example of forum members helping each other.
I am not sure whether to use fused or live. I need to check if the unit switches off after a delay, as the battery could be discharged over time which would be a disaster.
Anyway, thanks again  ;D.

I think I must of went for the easy option.
This morning I fitted a Nextbase 212 dash cam so easy in the X5 to push the cables into the trim,
and I put the power straight into the power socket in the central armrest