I was in the stealers yesterday to pick up a couple of bumper parts for my Z4M rear bumper upgrade when I saw a BMW Advanced Eye Camera on display. I asked the parts guy if it could be fitted to my E85 Roadster and he said the front camera could but due to the soft top they couldn't fit the rear camera. Not a great response but something I could live with. Later on I saw the same camera featured at another BMW dealership on line, with a much better price. I rang them to confirm the price only to be told that it is not compatible with the E85 Z4. Can anybody confirm if this is the case and if BMW have ever done a camera suitable for the E85 Roadster?
BMW Advanced Eye Camera
- Thread starter olsonn
- Start date
Pretty sure any dash cam can be wired in to any car. With the E85, a rear facing camera can be a bit tricky as typically you'd mount it on the rear screen. It's possible to mount the rear facing part on the windscreen, but it will naturally catch a lot of the cabin too.
Regarding wiring, the two hardwire options are a fuse tap at the fuse box, or do what I did and tap into the rain sensor live for power, gps mounting screw for earth. No need to remove all the windscreen trim then, just take the light and mirror cover off. Don't have any photos to show but my wiring is very subtle.
Regarding wiring, the two hardwire options are a fuse tap at the fuse box, or do what I did and tap into the rain sensor live for power, gps mounting screw for earth. No need to remove all the windscreen trim then, just take the light and mirror cover off. Don't have any photos to show but my wiring is very subtle.
From what I’ve seen it seems very expensive anyway compared to the competition, so perhaps worth just looking at the alternatives.
earthdweller
Senior member
olsonn said:
Who was the dealer doing deals on this ?
Not for my Zed but I'm interested for my X3
Andy
A
Anonymous
Guest
You can check compatibility with your vehicle by entering your VIN number here http://shop.bmw.co.uk/bmw-uk-responsive/en_GB/p/genuine-bmw-accessories/interior/interior-trim-finishers/bmw-advanced-car-eye/PID_99986/
This topic has been covered extensively on this forum previously and can be found by searching for Advanced Car Eye. It is not compatible with the E85/6 and problems have been reported with fitting to the E89 but that appears to have been an issue with the way one dealer chose to install it. I have it fitted to my car and I'm very happy with it. It's relatively expensive but it's a great piece of kit and has impressive performance. I have a Nextbase dash cam fitted to another car and can recommend this brand but with my Z4, which is still under warranty, I was concerned with warranty issues if a non approved accessory was fitted by an unauthorized organisation (e.g. Halfwords). At least one other member was told by his dealer that doing this would invalidate his warranty.
This topic has been covered extensively on this forum previously and can be found by searching for Advanced Car Eye. It is not compatible with the E85/6 and problems have been reported with fitting to the E89 but that appears to have been an issue with the way one dealer chose to install it. I have it fitted to my car and I'm very happy with it. It's relatively expensive but it's a great piece of kit and has impressive performance. I have a Nextbase dash cam fitted to another car and can recommend this brand but with my Z4, which is still under warranty, I was concerned with warranty issues if a non approved accessory was fitted by an unauthorized organisation (e.g. Halfwords). At least one other member was told by his dealer that doing this would invalidate his warranty.
Shock as BMW dealer tells you a cheaper alternative “might invalidate your warranty mate” but their kit is fine :roll:
Suffice to say, they would have a very torrid time trying to defend that action. The only thing they could even begin to argue is invalidated is the warranty on the wiring to the camera, which if you use a fuse tap has no permanent connection to the car.
A car warranty absolutely cannot be invalidated by adding something to it. There is no way a dealer can refuse to fix, let’s say a siezed caliper, and their reason being “dash cam installed by third party”. But of course, it’s in their interest to let people continue believeing that!
Tl;dr don’t believe everything a dealer tells you regarding warranty
Suffice to say, they would have a very torrid time trying to defend that action. The only thing they could even begin to argue is invalidated is the warranty on the wiring to the camera, which if you use a fuse tap has no permanent connection to the car.
A car warranty absolutely cannot be invalidated by adding something to it. There is no way a dealer can refuse to fix, let’s say a siezed caliper, and their reason being “dash cam installed by third party”. But of course, it’s in their interest to let people continue believeing that!
Tl;dr don’t believe everything a dealer tells you regarding warranty