I ordered the Bimmertech backup camera for my 2012 M3 with the CIC nav system. The kit arrived in a reasonable amount of time given it was being shipped from Poland. Less than 3 weeks from order to arrival I believe.
When I got the kit I opened it up and briefly inspected the components. Everything looked ok.
Fast-forward to earlier this week and I got around to the install.
Now here's the bad:
INSTALL:
The camera does not include any install instructions! None. This is standard for this kit and you must email Bimmertech for the PDF version to be emailed to you. Ok, no big deal right? I emailed and received no response. After 2 days they emailed me the PDF. By this time I had gone at it without the manual and buttoned everything back up...only to find out there was a fiber optic plug I needed to swap over to the new harness. You wouldn't know this without the manual. Out comes the trim, climate control unit and CIC box to rectify the oversight. When I plugged in the main harness, a plug backed out of the Bimmertech side of the main harness and also a larger (power?) pin backed out at the same time. I was able to reseat these by hand after connecting the two main harnesses and they should be ok. After I dealt with all this, it was now time to plug the main harness on the Bimmertech cable into the back of the CIC box. The plastic on the plug lock is more flexible than OEM and left me with doubts about whether it was fully seated into the back of the CIC box. I removed and re-attached five times before settling with what I fealt was a solid connection. The trunk handle swap and running the camera wiring from the trunk lid to the dash down the passenger side of the car was fairly straightforward. The bulky harness, camera emulator box, and relay were a VERY tight fit behind the CIC box in the dash. It took some creativity and a decent amount of time to get everything situated. Ok, all is good now and I'm ready for the coding.
CODING:
I contacted Bimmertech's coding guy via Skype as directed. He sent me instructions for downloading required applications for the remote coding to be performed. I comply and email back my Team Viewer info as requested on Wednesday. No response. Contact again on Thursday. No response. Contact again on Friday, and finally a response! The coder tells me he will be available on Saturday to code. We make a time of 10 AM my time. I Skype at 930 AM. No response. Follow up at 1030 AM and again no response. Throughout the day he is on and off Skype and still never got back to me. Frustrated with the process at this point I reach out to Alex@Alpine. I was able to get the camera coded through him so the day was not wasted. Never heard back from Bimemrtech. Skyped again today to let them know I paid someone else to code the camera for me and that I intended to leave them a bad review on the forum. Guess what? No response. Matter of fact, the coder is logged onto Skype as I type this. Ridiculous.
SUMMARY:
Would I do this again? Not with a Bimmertech kit. I would consider looking at a few of the other options out there that have been used with good results on this forum.
The kit components were ok. The handle/camera combo was a good fit, but the wiring harness left something to be desired in terms of wire security and rigidity of the plastic connectors for the portion that resides behind the CIC box. For the steep price of $600 for this kit I truly expected more from the components.
After-sale support was nearly non-existent. The PDF install should be available on their site, or at a minimum emailed to the customer at the time of purchase. Coding support was pathetic and very frustrating.
Now that everything is installed and properly coded I can say that the camera does everything it is advertised to do and does it well. The image is clear and the trunk handle/camera combo is 100% OEM looking and low profile. Am I pleased with the end result? Yes, I am, but it was a rough road getting here.
I hope this review helps someone who is considering a rearview backup camera. There are a few options out there besides this one, so do your due diligence and research for the best fit for you.
When I got the kit I opened it up and briefly inspected the components. Everything looked ok.
Fast-forward to earlier this week and I got around to the install.
Now here's the bad:
INSTALL:
The camera does not include any install instructions! None. This is standard for this kit and you must email Bimmertech for the PDF version to be emailed to you. Ok, no big deal right? I emailed and received no response. After 2 days they emailed me the PDF. By this time I had gone at it without the manual and buttoned everything back up...only to find out there was a fiber optic plug I needed to swap over to the new harness. You wouldn't know this without the manual. Out comes the trim, climate control unit and CIC box to rectify the oversight. When I plugged in the main harness, a plug backed out of the Bimmertech side of the main harness and also a larger (power?) pin backed out at the same time. I was able to reseat these by hand after connecting the two main harnesses and they should be ok. After I dealt with all this, it was now time to plug the main harness on the Bimmertech cable into the back of the CIC box. The plastic on the plug lock is more flexible than OEM and left me with doubts about whether it was fully seated into the back of the CIC box. I removed and re-attached five times before settling with what I fealt was a solid connection. The trunk handle swap and running the camera wiring from the trunk lid to the dash down the passenger side of the car was fairly straightforward. The bulky harness, camera emulator box, and relay were a VERY tight fit behind the CIC box in the dash. It took some creativity and a decent amount of time to get everything situated. Ok, all is good now and I'm ready for the coding.
CODING:
I contacted Bimmertech's coding guy via Skype as directed. He sent me instructions for downloading required applications for the remote coding to be performed. I comply and email back my Team Viewer info as requested on Wednesday. No response. Contact again on Thursday. No response. Contact again on Friday, and finally a response! The coder tells me he will be available on Saturday to code. We make a time of 10 AM my time. I Skype at 930 AM. No response. Follow up at 1030 AM and again no response. Throughout the day he is on and off Skype and still never got back to me. Frustrated with the process at this point I reach out to Alex@Alpine. I was able to get the camera coded through him so the day was not wasted. Never heard back from Bimemrtech. Skyped again today to let them know I paid someone else to code the camera for me and that I intended to leave them a bad review on the forum. Guess what? No response. Matter of fact, the coder is logged onto Skype as I type this. Ridiculous.
SUMMARY:
Would I do this again? Not with a Bimmertech kit. I would consider looking at a few of the other options out there that have been used with good results on this forum.
The kit components were ok. The handle/camera combo was a good fit, but the wiring harness left something to be desired in terms of wire security and rigidity of the plastic connectors for the portion that resides behind the CIC box. For the steep price of $600 for this kit I truly expected more from the components.
After-sale support was nearly non-existent. The PDF install should be available on their site, or at a minimum emailed to the customer at the time of purchase. Coding support was pathetic and very frustrating.
Now that everything is installed and properly coded I can say that the camera does everything it is advertised to do and does it well. The image is clear and the trunk handle/camera combo is 100% OEM looking and low profile. Am I pleased with the end result? Yes, I am, but it was a rough road getting here.
I hope this review helps someone who is considering a rearview backup camera. There are a few options out there besides this one, so do your due diligence and research for the best fit for you.
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