[X5White]

I have an appointment to bring my 2019 X5 in for the software update & recalls next week. I am still running the software that came with the car that I purchased new in June 2019 & do not currently have any issues, everything is working fine. My concern is that from reading this forum it seems that some people are loosing some functions or having issues after the software updates. My surround view camera works great, when I’m in reverse it shows the rear view & when I switch to Drive it shows the front view.....will I loose this or will it continue to work correctly?

[Andyx5]

Had mine updated a couple of weeks ago to 11/40 and all is working ok

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by Andyx5

Had mine updated a couple of weeks ago to 11/40 and all is working ok

You are in UK, OP is in US. If you review the extensive forum discussions on the topic of camera view following gear shift correctly, you'll note that this distinction is highly relevant.

To OP, what version are you coming from? What version will you be going to?

[X5White]

I currently have version 3/2019.44, I do not know which version they plan to upgrade to.

[LexxM3]

I am going to try to be excruciatingly precise, as lack of precision has and will continue to confuse everyone including BMW themselves.

Limiting the current answer to only the "from P to R to D ..." sequence, the correct automatic camera view display (Front or Rear, nothing to do with "Surround View" display except that the two views are side by side):

- 03/2019.xx worked correctly everywhere

- 07/2019.xx broke in US and Canada cars, worked correctly in other regions

- 11/2019.xx appears to still be broken in US and Canada cars, working correctly in other regions

- I am testing a coding-based fix proposed by @ifr in my Canadian 11/2019.xx that appears to fix the issue; yes, it appears to work, but I need more testing before releasing it publicly without causing even more chaos; no, it won't be doable by Bimmercode

Finally, there are other camera view issues for other sequences that are in various states of working or not working on various versions, but again, this answer is limited to the "from P to R to D ..." sequence.

[X5White]

Is there any benefit in upgrading?

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by X5White

Is there any benefit in upgrading?

Look for the 11/2019.40 discussion threads for details. It depends. For me, due to coding that I wanted to do, it was worth it. Generally more reliable, but still plenty of bugs. Some camera view issues fixed, this issue introduced. Auto Lane Change Assist much improved, some report lane tracking improved (but I didn't notice any improvement in my typical environments). Not an obvious yes or no.

Oh, the dealer will want to do the rear camera contrast recall and that is just a software update. So they may force you into it.

[anuj452]

LexxM3, please PM me and I can verify if the coding works in US region..

Originally Posted by LexxM3

I am going to try to be excruciatingly precise, as lack of precision has and will continue to confuse everyone including BMW themselves.

Limiting the current answer to only the "from P to R to D ..." sequence, the correct automatic camera view display (Front or Rear, nothing to do with "Surround View" display except that the two views are side by side):

- 03/2019.xx worked correctly everywhere

- 07/2019.xx broke in US and Canada cars, worked correctly in other regions

- 11/2019.xx appears to still be broken in US and Canada cars, working correctly in other regions

- I am testing a coding-based fix proposed by @ifr in my Canadian 11/2019.xx that appears to fix the issue; yes, it appears to work, but I need more testing before releasing it publicly without causing even more chaos; no, it won't be doable by Bimmercode

Finally, there are other camera view issues for other sequences that are in various states of working or not working on various versions, but again, this answer is limited to the "from P to R to D ..." sequence.

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by anuj452

LexxM3, please PM me and I can verify if the coding works in US region..

PM sent. With great coding comes great responsibility ...

[smovva]

Originally Posted by LexxM3

I am going to try to be excruciatingly precise, as lack of precision has and will continue to confuse everyone including BMW themselves.

Limiting the current answer to only the "from P to R to D ..." sequence, the correct automatic camera view display (Front or Rear, nothing to do with "Surround View" display except that the two views are side by side):

- 03/2019.xx worked correctly everywhere

- 07/2019.xx broke in US and Canada cars, worked correctly in other regions

- 11/2019.xx appears to still be broken in US and Canada cars, working correctly in other regions

- I am testing a coding-based fix proposed by @ifr in my Canadian 11/2019.xx that appears to fix the issue; yes, it appears to work, but I need more testing before releasing it publicly without causing even more chaos; no, it won't be doable by Bimmercode

Finally, there are other camera view issues for other sequences that are in various states of working or not working on various versions, but again, this answer is limited to the "from P to R to D ..." sequence.

Another datapoint to add here: wife has a 2019 Chrysler Pacifica that just got safety recalled for the camera not changing view from rear to front in a timely manner when switching drive selector. The reason I bring it up (and attached the recall notice below) is that there seems to be a US federal requirement for the "linger" time when camera must switch from one view to another and the recall notice cites the US fed requirements. If I am reading correctly (entirely possible that I am misinterpreting this, so please be gentle!), shouldn't BMW also have to fix this?

[X5White]

Just got my X5 back from the software update & recalls. Everything seems to be working fine. They did have to replace the windshield because of a failed KAFAS heating circuit after the update, luckily it only took overnight to get the windshield & parts to replace it.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by smovva

Another datapoint to add here: wife has a 2019 Chrysler Pacifica that just got safety recalled for the camera not changing view from rear to front in a timely manner when switching drive selector. The reason I bring it up (and attached the recall notice below) is that there seems to be a US federal requirement for the "linger" time when camera must switch from one view to another and the recall notice cites the US fed requirements. If I am reading correctly (entirely possible that I am misinterpreting this, so please be gentle!), shouldn't BMW also have to fix this?

I read the pdf attachment .. .. 10 seconds? Fed law says the camera view can stay pointing rearward for 10 seconds after putting the car in Drive and driving forward??? I can see that this is ok if you do NOT have a front camera. We had a VW diesel that did this and I would say it would take around 5-8 seconds driving forward before the camera turned off but we did not have a forward looking camera in that car.

However, if you have a front camera and you are expecting the view to change from rear to front and it takes up to 10 seconds, to me this is a problem. Can you imagine that you back out of a parking spot in a busy lot, shift to Drive and wait for the camera to change to the front view and you wait for 10 seconds???? Surely you've got to be kidding. In this case I would want the view to change as soon as the car sensed I placed it into the Drive mode. The X5 is a tall car, we are short people and I know would become hooked on watching the camera views. A lot can happen in 10 seconds when around small kids, pets, etc. I like instant gratification and cannot understand why the views would not switch immediately upon changing gears.

[VTENGR]

If you're in automatic camera mode, it doesn't take 10 seconds. It's instant. If you used reverse to activate the cameras, then it's not in auto mode. In that instance, you put the car into drive and it will show the rear camera for a bit - like almost every rear camera I've experienced.

[spike5150]

Why is everyone so worked up about having the rear camera switch to front camera? Seems totally pointless to me - my X5 has this huge window in the front...

But seriously - what am I missing here?

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by spike5150

Why is everyone so worked up about having the rear camera switch to front camera? Seems totally pointless to me - my X5 has this huge window in the front...

But seriously - what am I missing here?

+1

I am also a bit amused by the strong reaction.

You can always use the front panoramic view - which is a MUCH better view to see anything unexpected.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by spike5150

Why is everyone so worked up about having the rear camera switch to front camera? Seems totally pointless to me - my X5 has this huge window in the front...

But seriously - what am I missing here?

I just like to antagonize

[X5White]

The front view camera is great for parking & Drive thru’s, help save you tires from curbs

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by spike5150

Why is everyone so worked up about having the rear camera switch to front camera? Seems totally pointless to me - my X5 has this huge window in the front...

But seriously - what am I missing here?

So you can see all obstacles below your front sightline like curbs, garbage bins, and crawling children without the front cameras then? Impressive.

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by VTENGR

If you're in automatic camera mode, it doesn't take 10 seconds. It's instant. If you used reverse to activate the cameras, then it's not in auto mode. In that instance, you put the car into drive and it will show the rear camera for a bit - like almost every rear camera I've experienced.

There appears to be a coding fix for this that removes the USAtedness, just being tested before posting because there appears to be some ambiguity/reliability on whether it's really a fix.

And if USA regulators require a delay before switching to front camera when car is placed into Drive, then the USA regulators in question are utter morons.

[VTENGR]

Originally Posted by LexxM3

There appears to be a coding fix for this that removes the USAtedness, just being tested before posting because there appears to be some ambiguity/reliability on whether it's really a fix.

And if USA regulators require a delay before switching to front camera when car is placed into Drive, then the USA regulators in question are utter morons.

I could be interpreting the spec incorrectly but how I thought it read is that the US feds say it allowed to have the camera on for up to 10 seconds. Not that it must stay on for 10 seconds.

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by VTENGR

I could be interpreting the spec incorrectly but how I thought it read is that the US feds say it allowed to have the camera on for up to 10 seconds. Not that it must stay on for 10 seconds.

That would be more logical, although it should be around 0s +/- 0.5s. But since without the coding fix in US/Canada there is an effective delay, it seems its either the regulators are the morons or the BMW engineers reading the regulations that are the morons. Either way, it's wrong.

Update: Ok, now read the PDF attached by smovva (aside: Bimmerpost app doesn't show that there is even an attachment available, so no way to tell what you're missing unless you're on a browser, grrr). I agree with Marty in Bgm's interpretation that the referenced rule applies only to cars without front cameras and, even in those cars, agree that it states that there is a maximum delay before rear view camera image disappears -- nothing about minimum delay and nothing about showing front camera views. Unfortunately, the attachment doesn't shed any particularly direct light on the issue at hand ... except to point out that a) US regulations are at least a decade behind the times, and b) someone stoned or otherwise high at BMW may have read that and completely misinterpreted the required implementation causing all of us this chaos and frustration.

[smovva]

Originally Posted by LexxM3

That would be more logical, although it should be around 0s +/- 0.5s. But since without the coding fix in US/Canada there is an effective delay, it seems its either the regulators are the morons or the BMW engineers reading the regulations that are the morons. Either way, it's wrong.

Update: Ok, now read the PDF attached by smovva (aside: Bimmerpost app doesn't show that there is even an attachment available, so no way to tell what you're missing unless you're on a browser, grrr). I agree with Marty in Bgm's interpretation that the referenced rule applies only to cars without front cameras and, even in those cars, agree that it states that there is a maximum delay before rear view camera image disappears -- nothing about minimum delay and nothing about showing front camera views. Unfortunately, the attachment doesn't shed any particularly direct light on the issue at hand ... except to point out that a) US regulations are at least a decade behind the times, and b) someone stoned or otherwise high at BMW may have read that and completely misinterpreted the required implementation causing all of us this chaos and frustration.

I read up on the actual tests that need to be passed and excerpted below the one for the linger time. it seems that it was BMW choice and not a regulatory issue as regs says that its up to manufacturer discretion to switch image off at any time after drive selector moved out of reverse - though nothing about forward camera view. I wish it worked that way as I need to use several forward/reverse maneuvers to get my car into and out of the garage and its a pain to not see the front and how close I am to various obstructions therein.

Excerpt from Pages 67 and 68 of this document: https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.do...v-01-final.pdf

E. LINGER TIME (S5.5.4, S6.2.4) (Data Sheet 12) REQUIREMENT:
The Rearview image meeting the requirements of S5.5.1 and S5.5.2 (S6.2.1 and S6.2.2) shall not be displayed after the backing event has ended.
PROCEDURE:
For information purposes, obtain from the COR, if available, which of the following was selected by the manufacturer as to what constitutes the end of the vehicle backing event:
• A forward speed of 10 mph
• A forward distance of 10 meters traveled, or
• A forward motion of continuous duration of 10 seconds.
Notes:
The manufacturer may elect to extinguish the rearview image at any interim time between when the transmission gear selector is moved out of reverse but prior to the end of the backing event which occurs at any of the three events described above. Many systems will extinguish the rearview image immediately after the gear selector is shifted out of reverse. The driver is permitted to deactivate the rearview image at any time after the start of the backing event provided the compliant view is initially displayed.
The Backing event only ends at one of the three conditions described above. Rearview image extinguished does NOT equate to end of backing event unless it occurs simultaneous to one of the three conditions described, e.g image off immediately at gear selector out of reverse is NOT the end of the backing event – backing event is still in effect.
After the backing event has been initiated, and the vehicle transmission selector is placed into drive, the image can remain visible. However, it must extinguish at the manufacturer option at a forward speed not greater than 10 mph, or travels a distance no greater than 10 meters, or travels continuously forward for a time not exceeding 10 seconds. If for example, the end of the backing event is continuous forward travel for a maximum of 10 seconds, there is no restriction for distance travelled and speed at this 10 second mark. The Backing event only ends at one of the three conditions described above. Rearview image extinguished does NOT equate to end of backing event unless it occurs simultaneous to one of the three conditions described, e.g image off immediately at gear selector out of reverse is NOT the end of the backing event – backing event is still in effect.
After the backing event has been initiated, and the vehicle transmission selector is placed into drive, the image can remain visible. However, it must extinguish at the manufacturer option at a forward speed not greater than 10 mph, or travels a distance no greater than 10 meters, or travels continuously forward for a time not exceeding 10 seconds. If for example, the end of the backing event is continuous forward travel for a maximum of 10 seconds, there is no restriction for distance travelled and speed at this 10 second mark.