Bimmertech Backup Camera Review

wrecklessfool · 07-27-2014, 10:28 PM

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.

M3AG · 07-27-2014, 11:09 PM

Good to know... I was looking at the similar kit from bimmer retrofit.

Patrys@BimmerTech · 07-28-2014, 06:49 AM

OP, I am sorry for what happened!

I know it's too late and I can't take it back, but if you could email us at info@bimmer-tech.net we will try to make it up to you a bit.

Here are a couple of comments:
1.Installation instructions - we never ship them with parts. Some may say it's not the best practice but we have reasons to do it this way. We always ask our customers to provide us with a single picture of all parts they received from us before we send instructions by email. We do it to make sure that all required parts were delivered. This is to avoid a situation when you take apart your car to find out that something is missing.
I understand you wanted to install the camera ASAP and we should have replied to your email sooner but if you had waited for the instructions you wouldn't have to take the car apart again.

2.Coding - we failed here. No question about it. Although it shouldn't have happened the reason why it happened was that this particular technician had to leave the country for a few days. He has been trying to provide services to our customers without interruptions, but clearly it did not work out.
Once again I am sorry for that. It was not how we usually work with our customers.

At least I am glad to hear that you like how the camera works. Indeed it's the best rear view camera for the E9x vehicles and the only one with dynamic parking lines available.

jdamore · 07-28-2014, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrys@BimmerTech

Here are a couple of comments:
1.Installation instructions - we never ship them with parts. Some may say it's not the best practice but we have reasons to do it this way. We always ask our customers to provide us with a single picture of all parts they reeived from us before we send instructions by email. We do it to make sure that all required parts were delivered. This is to avoid a situation when you take apart your car to find out that something is missing.
I understand you wanted to install the camera ASAP and we should have replied to your email sooner but if you had waited for the instructions you wouldn't have to take the car apart again.

Who prepares the package before it's shipped? It's a terrible practice. Be sure you are sending all the contents..

OP- Did you send a picture?

wrecklessfool · 07-28-2014, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdamore

Who prepares the package before it's shipped? It's a terrible practice. Be sure you are sending all the contents..

OP- Did you send a picture?

No pic was required and was never asked for or outlined anywhere. I actually can't think of anywhere that I read you even had to email Bimmertech for the manual.

I plan to contact Bimmertech via email after work today to see what remedy is proposed. I will keep this thread updated.

brianpdx · 07-28-2014, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrys@BimmerTech

*snip*

Here are a couple of comments:
1.Installation instructions - we never ship them with parts. Some may say it's not the best practice but we have reasons to do it this way.

If your QA and QC procedures were intact, you wouldn't have to operate under this ridiculous guideline. Just include the installation instructions.

W/// · 07-28-2014, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianpdx

If your QA and QC procedures were intact, you wouldn't have to operate under this ridiculous guideline. Just include the installation instructions.

+1. That's not the best way to do things IMO. Just more frustrations for the customer, exactly what happened to OP.

MasterP · 07-28-2014, 12:31 PM

Puahahahaha.

Here's a bag of screws. We'll ship you the screwdriver after we've made sure we sent you all of them.

I'd have been Livid on the coding. Nothing pisses me off more than someone who does not respect my time.

Chris M4CS · 07-28-2014, 06:09 PM

As someone who was planning this mod, thanks very much for the review!

M3AG · 07-28-2014, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrakBch

Puahahahaha.

Here's a bag of screws. We'll ship you the screwdriver after we've made sure we sent you all of them.

I'd have been Livid on the coding. Nothing pisses me off more than someone who does not respect my time.

m3ray · 07-28-2014, 11:01 PM

Seems like a lot of work instead of turning your head

I guess see the convenience in it,,

MasterP · 07-29-2014, 09:19 AM

I felt the same way. But I have a Backup Camera in my F30. That car has better visibility than an E92 already, but that camera is a huge help for parking in tight spaces. I don't find the value for it in a car I don't drive every day, but I'd give it more consideration if I did.

wrecklessfool · 07-29-2014, 06:01 PM

As promised, here is an update of my dealings with Bimmertech:

I emailed Patryk and he has compensated me for my troubles. I will not disclose the specifics of the arrangement on an open forum out of respect for Bimmertech, but I will say I feel like the compensation was fair. I'll come out and say that it was not a monetary compensation but more of a "service" of sorts.

GTMOT · 07-29-2014, 07:50 PM

Yikes. Any other companies selling a similar product where forum members had better results?

W Cole · 07-30-2014, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrecklessfool

As promised, here is an update of my dealings with Bimmertech:

I emailed Patryk and he has compensated me for my troubles. I will not disclose the specifics of the arrangement on an open forum out of respect for Bimmertech, but I will say I feel like the compensation was fair. I'll come out and say that it was not a monetary compensation but more of a "service" of sorts.

Sounds like he knows just what you like.

Glad to see this got sorted.

BzsBimmer · 07-30-2014, 10:27 PM

Damn J... didn't know it was that painful!
My experience was not the same as yours but I will agree that the manual should be included in the package and the package QC tested.

With that said, I still love mine. Would I do it again... yes. As you and I spoke about it, this option should have been available from BMW from the beginning.

07-27-2014, 10:28 PM	#1
wrecklessfool First Lieutenant 23 Rep 386 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Chesapeake, VA iTrader: (14)	Bimmertech Backup Camera Review 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.
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07-27-2014, 11:09 PM	#2
M3AG First Lieutenant 22 Rep 369 Posts Drives: 2013 E92 M3 ZCP, 6MT Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Gatineau iTrader: (0)	Good to know... I was looking at the similar kit from bimmer retrofit.
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07-28-2014, 06:49 AM	#3
Patrys@BimmerTech Banned 620 Rep 2,013 Posts Drives: 2007 E92 335i Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Warsaw/Poland iTrader: (7)	OP, I am sorry for what happened! I know it's too late and I can't take it back, but if you could email us at info@bimmer-tech.net we will try to make it up to you a bit. Here are a couple of comments: 1.Installation instructions - we never ship them with parts. Some may say it's not the best practice but we have reasons to do it this way. We always ask our customers to provide us with a single picture of all parts they received from us before we send instructions by email. We do it to make sure that all required parts were delivered. This is to avoid a situation when you take apart your car to find out that something is missing. I understand you wanted to install the camera ASAP and we should have replied to your email sooner but if you had waited for the instructions you wouldn't have to take the car apart again. 2.Coding - we failed here. No question about it. Although it shouldn't have happened the reason why it happened was that this particular technician had to leave the country for a few days. He has been trying to provide services to our customers without interruptions, but clearly it did not work out. Once again I am sorry for that. It was not how we usually work with our customers. At least I am glad to hear that you like how the camera works. Indeed it's the best rear view camera for the E9x vehicles and the only one with dynamic parking lines available.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-28-2014, 12:31 PM	#8
MasterP Colonel 721 Rep 2,342 Posts Drives: All the M's Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Where do you want me? iTrader: (8)	Puahahahaha. Here's a bag of screws. We'll ship you the screwdriver after we've made sure we sent you all of them. I'd have been Livid on the coding. Nothing pisses me off more than someone who does not respect my time.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-28-2014, 06:09 PM	#9
Chris M4CS First Lieutenant 27 Rep 313 Posts Drives: 2019 BMW M4CS Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Oklahoma City iTrader: (0)	As someone who was planning this mod, thanks very much for the review!
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07-28-2014, 11:01 PM	#11
m3ray Banned 101 Rep 701 Posts Drives: '09 e92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: New York City iTrader: (0)	Seems like a lot of work instead of turning your head I guess see the convenience in it,,
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07-29-2014, 09:19 AM	#12
MasterP Colonel 721 Rep 2,342 Posts Drives: All the M's Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Where do you want me? iTrader: (8)	I felt the same way. But I have a Backup Camera in my F30. That car has better visibility than an E92 already, but that camera is a huge help for parking in tight spaces. I don't find the value for it in a car I don't drive every day, but I'd give it more consideration if I did.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-29-2014, 06:01 PM	#13
wrecklessfool First Lieutenant 23 Rep 386 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Chesapeake, VA iTrader: (14)	As promised, here is an update of my dealings with Bimmertech: I emailed Patryk and he has compensated me for my troubles. I will not disclose the specifics of the arrangement on an open forum out of respect for Bimmertech, but I will say I feel like the compensation was fair. I'll come out and say that it was not a monetary compensation but more of a "service" of sorts.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-29-2014, 07:50 PM	#14
GTMOT Enlisted Member 0 Rep 48 Posts Drives: 2010 SSII Convertible Join Date: May 2013 Location: Atlanta, Georgia iTrader: (0)	Yikes. Any other companies selling a similar product where forum members had better results?
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07-30-2014, 10:27 PM	#16
BzsBimmer Major General 3271 Rep 6,723 Posts Drives: '23 G80 FO M3, M3 & MY Tezzy's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Nor. Cal iTrader: (32)	Damn J... didn't know it was that painful! My experience was not the same as yours but I will agree that the manual should be included in the package and the package QC tested. With that said, I still love mine. Would I do it again... yes. As you and I spoke about it, this option should have been available from BMW from the beginning.
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