[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Stoshu

Any reviews on the “BMW Advanced Car Eye 2.0” ($466 US) w/dealer instal?

Try here and/or here

[Stoshu]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Try here and/or here

Thank you! Like anything, two different opinions!

[bayarea328xit]

I have the BMW Advanced Car Eye 2.0 on my 2020 X5 M50i -- installed by a dealership in LA for $1200 (including parts and labor) -- see Link and Link.

In the past, I've self-installed Garmin DashCams -- In the future, I plan to stick with dealer-installed BMW ACE 2+.

Attached are a couple of installed picts - let me know if you have any questions.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

In the past, I've self-installed... In the future, I plan to stick with dealer-installed

The warranty question is an interesting one ... in general, yes, hardwire installing (but not cigarette lighter installing) could affect warranty, but I'd guess that probability is exceedingly low ... but not zero.

Unless one is doing the ACE, depending on one's risk, might be best to do the self-install so one can easily reverse the install (though a dealership may have already noted it in previous service visits ...)

With that, for aesthetics, price, and features I'm probably going with the new Blackvue 900x+ w/ LTE module so I can get real-time updates (service visits anyone??) and dynamic cloud updates even if someone breaks in and steals the camera (at least partial uploads). Said differently, given BMW's Drive Recorder feature, the real risk I'm looking to mitigate is parking lot / parking ramp risks including the ability to be notified when they occur and see the footage in real-time.

I've had two bay area incidents with my last car in parking lots where I came out and $$$ in damage I can deal with once, but twice pisses me off. In those same lots (major bay area employer WITH lot security cams!) people have both had their cars hit and/or broken into and the cams stolen, most likely to steal the evidence. I also came out from Whole Foods Cupertino once to a broken tail light, but no other damage whatsoever ...

Anyway, based on that, if I'm gonna spend for a dashcam it's gotta have LTE, especially since Drive Recorder is enough for me otherwise.

[bayarea328xit]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

real-time updates

In practice, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get to my car in time to interact with someone who had triggered the alert. In most situations, I'd think that it would take at least 5 min to get to the car after *receiving the alert* - I assume that you'd receive the alert 1-2 min after the camera is triggered. Would the person who triggered the alert stick around for 5+ min? Not sure. For example, if you're in a meeting, at dinner, or shopping, are you going to run to your car after getting an alert?

I see dashcams as a way of evidencing what was happening if there is an accident when a driver of my car is behind the wheel. I don't worry about damage when parked.

Note: I had $7k+ worth of damage from the whole driver's side of my previous X5 keyed within 2 months of buying it; got it repaired and returned the X5 when the lease ended. In that particular instance, I was at least 15 min away from the car because I was in a building that was a few blocks from the parking structure.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

In practice, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get to my car in time to interact with someone who had triggered the alert.

The objective is to notify anyone who can preserve evidence, for example security staff, and so they can check their cameras & feeds for license plates in the case the the dashcam doesn't pick it up, as well as possibly catch the person.

Since I park in a lot of ramps & parking lots, I wanna know as soon as something happens so I have the best chance of getting any proof I need of no-fault as well as possible catch the person so they stop doing it.

[bayarea328xit]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

The objective is to notify anyone who can preserve evidence, for example security staff, and so they can check their cameras & feeds for license plates in the case the the dashcam doesn't pick it up, as well as possibly catch the person.

Since I park in a lot of ramps & parking lots, I wanna know as soon as something happens so I have the best chance of getting any proof I need of no-fault as well as possible catch the person so they stop doing it.

I guess that makes sense - then it comes down to how long do you leave your car unattended before you return to it.

Note: The BMW ACE 2+ will announce that it's recorded a video/event in the parked state.

GrussGott What's the monthly cost of the LTE monitoring? You have to pay AT&T and BlackVue, right?

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

GrussGott What's the monthly cost of the LTE monitoring? You have to pay AT&T and BlackVue, right?

Nope, any SIM will do, so for me I'll just put a google FI SIM in which is free (but, of course, eats up data from whatever your regular plan is)

[hyde]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

I have the BMW Advanced Car Eye 2.0 on my 2020 X5 M50i -- installed by a dealership in LA for $1200 (including parts and labor) -- see Link and Link.

In the past, I've self-installed Garmin DashCams -- In the future, I plan to stick with dealer-installed BMW ACE 2+.

Attached are a couple of installed picts - let me know if you have any questions.

That looks nice and clean, could you share pictures of the rear, especially with tailgate open, where does the wiring go thorugh?

[bayarea328xit]

Originally Posted by hyde

That looks nice and clean, could you share pictures of the rear, especially with tailgate open, where does the wiring go thorugh?

I'll take some picts for you tomorrow.

This link shows the full install process for the previous Gen X5 - you can check out the section for the installation of the rear camera:

YouTube

[hyde]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

I'll take some picts for you tomorrow.

This link shows the full install process for the previous Gen X5 - you can check out the section for the installation of the rear camera:

YouTube

Wow, he took the rear seats off! Now I see why they charged so much, incredible! Thanks for the video.

[bayarea328xit]

Originally Posted by hyde

Wow, he took the rear seats off! Now I see why they charged so much, incredible! Thanks for the video.

Yup - proper installation of the BMW ACE 2+ is a huge production.

I went with the dealer install to keep it covered under the factory warranty plus any warranty extensions.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

Yup - proper installation of the BMW ACE 2+ is a huge production.

I went with the dealer install to keep it covered under the factory warranty plus any warranty extensions.

whew! I'm thinking with the blackvue, to preserve warranty, i'm just going to stick on the cams, run the wires under the weatherstripping, and plug the battery into the rear outlet like this guy:



Then maybe once i'm more confident with the car (i.e., nothing on it is blowing up / i need warranty) I'll hard wire it. The battery can probably go into the rear storage bin ...

[hyde]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

whew! I'm thinking with the blackvue, to preserve warranty, i'm just going to stick on the cams, run the wires under the weatherstripping, and plug the battery into the rear outlet like this guy:



Then maybe once i'm more confident with the car (i.e., nothing on it is blowing up / i need warranty) I'll hard wire it. The battery can probably go into the rear storage bin ...

Which battery is that? It looks really good, in fact I am thinking maybe you can put the battery under storage area for sure, if not maybe a longer cable and put it on the other side where the first aid kid would normally be? Otherwise just double sided velcro should be able to hold it there as well I am thinking? That's a nice setup to ensure it has parking mode. Thanks for this.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by hyde

Which battery is that? It looks really good, in fact I am thinking maybe you can put the battery under storage area for sure, if not maybe a longer cable and put it on the other side where the first aid kid would normally be? Otherwise just double sided velcro should be able to hold it there as well I am thinking? That's a nice setup to ensure it has parking mode. Thanks for this.

That's blackvue's battery, though the new BBMC powercell 8 is 25% more capacity and charges faster so I think I'm going with that ... and yeah, that's held there with velcro, but like you, I plan to put mine more hidden. Nice thing is, if you use a cigarette lighter port, no worries about warranty, but it does charge slower (though I have an inverter so if the setup makes the battery easily removable then I can just take it in for full charge ups if I need to)

[hyde]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

That's blackvue's battery, though the new BBMC powercell 8 is 25% more capacity and charges faster so I think I'm going with that ... and yeah, that's held there with velcro, but like you, I plan to put mine more hidden. Nice thing is, if you use a cigarette lighter port, no worries about warranty, but it does charge slower (though I have an inverter so if the setup makes the battery easily removable then I can just take it in for full charge ups if I need to)

Thank you very much.
I see BBMC is $400, that's pretty hefty for what I am trying to achieve, do you really need that big capacity? I just need it for parking at the mall or at work parking lot etc, it's just to detect bumps/vibrations. Are there any smaller batteries we can use?

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by hyde

Thank you very much.
I see BBMC is $400, that's pretty hefty for what I am trying to achieve, do you really need that big capacity? I just need it for parking at the mall or at work parking lot etc, it's just to detect bumps/vibrations. Are there any smaller batteries we can use?

Oh, yeah, there's tons of batteries out there (vector tests plenty) - Mine are for extended stays in parking ramps, hotels, airports, etc. I want at least 36 hours & ideally 2 days.

[bayarea328xit]

The new iX pricing guide shows "Drive Recorder and Remote Theft Recorder" option:

See thread w/ PDF

It would be nice to see additional details. It would be amazing if this could be added (even at additional cost) to existing Drive Recorder installations.

[SmartSaves]

Originally Posted by bayarea328xit

The new iX pricing guide shows "Drive Recorder and Remote Theft Recorder" option:

See thread w/ PDF

It would be nice to see additional details. It would be amazing if this could be added (even at additional cost) to existing Drive Recorder installations.

iX is an EV with large capacity battery, hence it can run cams for longer. You best bet will be aftermarket dashcam with battery pack.

[suboray]

Originally Posted by speuk

Just installed my rear camera, tricky to get through the rubber grommet for the lower cable s and then out through the double skin. I really needed longer fingers to grab the nylon guide/ cable puller I was using. After that it was easy to feed through the rubber tube to the tailgate. Took a bit longer than the F15! Trim is pretty much the same as F15.

Just did the install on my 2022 X5. The rubber grommet was impossible to get back into place after it popped up and out since I pushed the rear dash cam cable up through it. How did you get it back into place? Really need extra long fingers. I tried maneuvering with a long screwdriver or pliers to push it back down but after a long time I couldn’t. I just left it and closed everything up. No issues or rattles but I know it isn’t in place properly.

Also was following diagrams and noticed my D pillars don’t have a speaker in them.

[Stoshu]

I went to the dealer to have the (ordered) Advanced Car Eye 2 installed along with some curb rash repaired. When I got there my SA was slightly embarrassed and said the camera had a BMW hold on it and was not available in the US at this time. He told me the code (but I can’t remember) and he wasn’t sure what it was or meant, he’d never seen it before.

Maybe it’s time to look for a third party product.

[3Wagon]

I’ve thought about doing the hardwire blackvue setup - anyone using it with the built in hotspot?

I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, as I can’t justify the use cases where this is > drive recorder enough to justify the expense. I can’t come up with scenarios where this makes an *actual* difference. For example:

• Accident? Dash recorder *probably* sufficient (more is better of course, but drive recorder would likely cover most scenarios.
• Someone breaks in? - any place w/ enough crime for break ins probably won’t do anything about my break in videos
• monitoring car when parked at home - I have garage cameras and such for that.

It’s probably 2k for a proper install and I just don’t know how it makes a real difference to me. Sure, someone will probably break in and/or key my car over time; that happens in many cities and I’ve had it happen before to my car. I carry zero comp deductible for that; the difference from a $0 deductible and a higher one is not that much a month and I’d have to own the car for a long time to make up for the cost vs just paying insurance to take care of whatever happens.

Any real world great reasons to get this that I’m missing? Wife asked why i wanted to spend the money and I realized I didn’t have a great reason vs. Drive recorder.