[rlesko]

Originally Posted by thatgarrett

After reading through this whole thread (and a few others) I have attempted this retrofit on my 2012 335i with CiC and stock F&R PDC. I mounted the camera module in the trunk above the battery, ran all the wiring, and all seemed to go well until I turned the car on- had several CAN errors and the IHKA and radio controls, and the iDrive controller, did not function, along with a few other errors as well. After troubleshooting, it would appear the culprit is the CAN taps I did by my older CiC iDrive controller. Even if the module was unplugged in the trunk, I would get all of those errors until I removed the taps and then taped up the car wires, then all is back to normal.

Any thoughts? I’m hoping I’m wrong, but the fact the wires, while not being connected to anything else in the car aside the iDrive wire taps, give the error, I’m almost inclined to think there is a break in the OEM retrofit harness somewhere causing this error? Seems like many others tapped these CAN1 wires with no problems, but would love any ideas troubleshooting it further. Should I test continuity to ground, between the two wires, or anything else? Just glad I could reverse the tap and have the car up and running normally in the mean time

Here are the errors I could not clear while the taps were still connected but the trunk end of the harness was left unplugged

Why not tap at FEM? Are you sure you didn’t swap can H and can L?

[thatgarrett]

Originally Posted by rlesko

Why not tap at FEM? Are you sure you didn’t swap can H and can L?

I had already ran the harness up to the head unit and it seemed like it would be easier to access and troubleshoot if needed, but perhaps it was not as easy as it seemed. Pretty sure, matched the colors and had double checked the pin outs. Would 4-5 inches of untwisted wire at the end of the retrofit harness cause interference in the KCAN system? Open to tapping at the FEM, but I am more concerned that something else is up with the harness at the point as it should give the same effect at the iDrive controller harness

[rlesko]

Originally Posted by thatgarrett

I had already ran the harness up to the head unit and it seemed like it would be easier to access and troubleshoot if needed, but perhaps it was not as easy as it seemed. Pretty sure, matched the colors and had double checked the pin outs. Would 4-5 inches of untwisted wire at the end of the retrofit harness cause interference in the KCAN system? Open to tapping at the FEM, but I am more concerned that something else is up with the harness at the point as it should give the same effect at the iDrive controller harness

In theory you are right, it shouldn't matter where you are tapping the KCAN bus (as long as its the right one ).

You mentioned trunk mount, what wiring harness are you using? Neither trunk mount nor tapping the CAN at the iDrive controller are part of the official retrofit instructions, so I can't help but wonder if something is hooked up improperly or the wiring harness isn't correct. People place the module in the trunk without issue so I know its possible.

Also, with a CIC car, I want to confirm you placed the wires in the quadlock harness into the correct positions, which are 18,28,and 27?

[Siki78]

Mine was in Trunk because of lvds it is actually retrofit wiring Hannes for F10. Connection I did like on wiring diagram for F30

[thatgarrett]

Originally Posted by rlesko

In theory you are right, it shouldn't matter where you are tapping the KCAN bus (as long as its the right one ).

You mentioned trunk mount, what wiring harness are you using? Neither trunk mount nor tapping the CAN at the iDrive controller are part of the official retrofit instructions, so I can't help but wonder if something is hooked up improperly or the wiring harness isn't correct. People place the module in the trunk without issue so I know its possible.

Also, with a CIC car, I want to confirm you placed the wires in the quadlock harness into the correct positions, which are 18,28,and 27?

Yes that is correct, I used those pins on the HU and used the F10 kit with the shorter FARKA wire that goes from the camera to the ECU, someone else earlier on mounted the ECU on two unused studs above the battery which is what I did. Only different thing about the wiring is that the red wire is yellow in this kit, but everything else is identical. I’ll double check the pin outs on the connectors I’m using for the KCAN1 stuff as well, but my hunch is checking resistance between the wires and each wire to ground might yield my answer

[thatgarrett]

Originally Posted by Siki78

Mine was in Trunk because of lvds it is actually retrofit wiring Hannes for F10. Connection I did like on wiring diagram for F30

That’s exactly what I did too, since I’m not doing the surround view module it is actually a little easier to mount like this as you don’t have to run separate wires on each side of the car. The harness length and plugs all fit perfectly so far too, just the CAN errors is the only weird part

[rlesko]

Originally Posted by thatgarrett

Yes that is correct, I used those pins on the HU and used the F10 kit with the shorter FARKA wire that goes from the camera to the ECU, someone else earlier on mounted the ECU on two unused studs above the battery which is what I did. Only different thing about the wiring is that the red wire is yellow in this kit, but everything else is identical. I’ll double check the pin outs on the connectors I’m using for the KCAN1 stuff as well, but my hunch is checking resistance between the wires and each wire to ground might yield my answer

I would twist the KCAN wires just to be sure. I wonder also- is your camera module good? Did you code the TRSVC module properly for your vehicle? I would code it to your vehicle, clear errors, and try again.

[thatgarrett]

Originally Posted by rlesko

I would twist the KCAN wires just to be sure. I wonder also- is your camera module good? Did you code the TRSVC module properly for your vehicle? I would code it to your vehicle, clear errors, and try again.

I couldn’t get the module to show up because the CAN network was showing all kinds of errors, but it looks like the CAN wires in the retrofit harness themselves are at fault- there is contunuity between both CAN wires, the ground, and the shield wire (also ground I believe), all when the can wires are disconnected at both ends, meaning there must be a break of some sort in the wires, likely at a sharp edge. I’ll check and see if the FEM has the CAN wires there, then I’ll cut the retrofit harness there, test the can wires and see if the branch from there to the rear of the car still has the continuity readings or not. If so, I’ll start pulling trim. If I get lucky and only the branch going from the cut at the FEM to the center dash has continuity, I’ll just connect the wires at the FEM and toss the (extra) wiring that was running from that point up to the iDrive. Glad I’ve pinpointed it and shouldn’t be too much of a pain, but still not the most fun project to undertake. I’ll update once I’ve successfully figured out where the wiring is bad- appreciate you bouncing ideas back and forth in helping me thing this out

[rlesko]

Originally Posted by thatgarrett

I couldn’t get the module to show up because the CAN network was showing all kinds of errors, but it looks like the CAN wires in the retrofit harness themselves are at fault- there is contunuity between both CAN wires, the ground, and the shield wire (also ground I believe), all when the can wires are disconnected at both ends, meaning there must be a break of some sort in the wires, likely at a sharp edge. I’ll check and see if the FEM has the CAN wires there, then I’ll cut the retrofit harness there, test the can wires and see if the branch from there to the rear of the car still has the continuity readings or not. If so, I’ll start pulling trim. If I get lucky and only the branch going from the cut at the FEM to the center dash has continuity, I’ll just connect the wires at the FEM and toss the (extra) wiring that was running from that point up to the iDrive. Glad I’ve pinpointed it and shouldn’t be too much of a pain, but still not the most fun project to undertake. I’ll update once I’ve successfully figured out where the wiring is bad- appreciate you bouncing ideas back and forth in helping me thing this out

Damn, that sounds like a big headache! Where did you source the wiring harness from? Sounds like you have it under the control tho.

[thatgarrett]

Originally Posted by rlesko

Damn, that sounds like a big headache! Where did you source the wiring harness from? Sounds like you have it under the control tho.

It was OEM from one of those Eastern European sellers on eBay, came in the packaging and everything and appears OEM, I’ll see once I investigate more though, I did have a pin break when I was trying to insert it into the CiC harness so maybe it wasn’t? Looks good if it isn’t

[thatgarrett]

rlesko

Finally completed it and got everything working!

My problem ended up being a few different things:
-the CAN wires must have gotten behind a clip or where a mounting bolt goes, because they were smashed on the middle side of the passenger footwell, the wiring was exposed and likely in contact with metal and led to my initial can errors. Remedied by cutting my CAN wires in the new harness as it passed the FEM and tapping wires there instead.
-still no rearview signal, so I set up eSYS on my Mac and all the pain that that is, and tried for multiple days to get it to connect to the car. Turns out the ENET cable was junk so I got a different one and it worked first try.
-then I never got the TSRVC to show up in ESYS, checked the wiring and the TSRVC wasn’t getting 12V, traced the wire to the rear fuse box and figured out I had installed it on the “bottom” row instead of the “top” row of the plug, the bottom row connects to nothing. Spent about 1.5 hours getting the old PIN out and slotting it in new connector.
-at this point, the rearview camera worked! I had done some coding via BimmerCode in expert mode at the beginning, so that is to say that you CAN do this retrofit without ESYS and just via BimmerCode by editing values in the HU and REM in expert mode!!
-I injected a new CAF into the TSRVC, edited my FA, and VO coded just to be safe and have everything happy. I’m planning on flashing my REM to a new iSTEP so my LCI tail lights inner turn signals will work, so the modified FA will be used to flash the rearview camera settings back in when I do that.

All in all, 2 silly mistakes made this longer than it should have been, but everything works and no harm done!

[rlesko]

Originally Posted by thatgarrett

rlesko

Finally completed it and got everything working!

My problem ended up being a few different things:
-the CAN wires must have gotten behind a clip or where a mounting bolt goes, because they were smashed on the middle side of the passenger footwell, the wiring was exposed and likely in contact with metal and led to my initial can errors. Remedied by cutting my CAN wires in the new harness as it passed the FEM and tapping wires there instead.
-still no rearview signal, so I set up eSYS on my Mac and all the pain that that is, and tried for multiple days to get it to connect to the car. Turns out the ENET cable was junk so I got a different one and it worked first try.
-then I never got the TSRVC to show up in ESYS, checked the wiring and the TSRVC wasn’t getting 12V, traced the wire to the rear fuse box and figured out I had installed it on the “bottom” row instead of the “top” row of the plug, the bottom row connects to nothing. Spent about 1.5 hours getting the old PIN out and slotting it in new connector.
-at this point, the rearview camera worked! I had done some coding via BimmerCode in expert mode at the beginning, so that is to say that you CAN do this retrofit without ESYS and just via BimmerCode by editing values in the HU and REM in expert mode!!
-I injected a new CAF into the TSRVC, edited my FA, and VO coded just to be safe and have everything happy. I’m planning on flashing my REM to a new iSTEP so my LCI tail lights inner turn signals will work, so the modified FA will be used to flash the rearview camera settings back in when I do that.

All in all, 2 silly mistakes made this longer than it should have been, but everything works and no harm done!

Awesome work debugging and working through that!

It seems like you were able to save a substantial amount of money with the trunk mounted camera module which is another big win.

I did everything the OEM way in my car with the driver footwell mounted camera module because I had ultimately planned to do the ‘surround’ view but after retrofitting front and rear PDC with reverse camera I don’t think I’ll bother with the ‘surround’ view as I don’t think its worth the investment from time or money perspectives - I could have saved at least a couple hundred bucks with trunk mounted camera module!

[thatgarrett]

Originally Posted by rlesko

Awesome work debugging and working through that!

It seems like you were able to save a substantial amount of money with the trunk mounted camera module which is another big win.

I did everything the OEM way in my car with the driver footwell mounted camera module because I had ultimately planned to do the ‘surround’ view but after retrofitting front and rear PDC with reverse camera I don’t think I’ll bother with the ‘surround’ view as I don’t think its worth the investment from time or money perspectives - I could have saved at least a couple hundred bucks with trunk mounted camera module!

Yeah I was on the fence initially with the surround view as well, as I would like to eventually retrofit that, but like you said, realistically the backup camera and PDC will cover most needs in real life use. I do want to eventually retrofit auto dimming side-view mirrors, and if I can get a pair with the cameras built in, I might try and track down some cables that will reach from the door connectors to the trunk (maybe F10 repair cables or similar), that could potentially increase the cost of this method but I don’t know if I’ll get around to that, it’s a bit further down the planned mod list so we will see

[lu_picciotto]

Hi all,

First off, thanks for keeping this thread alive with comments, tips and solutions. It really did come in handy when trying to understand exactly how to undertake this retrofit. I did read all 37 pages too before starting.

Today I completed this instal on my F20 LCI (2015).
I purchased the camera cable, plastic holder and screw for the control module, and the small female PINS for the FEM (in case there were no K-Can wires I could splice into) from the dealership. The camera module, camera and wiring harness I purchased via Ebay.

A few things for those with F20s. You won't need the plastic holder for the ECU. As I mounted it in the boot I couldn't figure out anywhere to instal it. I installed the camera module on the left hand side without the bracket, didn't need it. The camera cable was long enough to reach it there. I then took the tape off the retrofit cable and kept the Ground wire and Fuse (power) wire in the boot. I did shorten the fuse wire as it was way too long. There was a Ground point near the module. I ran the cable on the left hand side of the vehicle to the drivers footwell, crossed over to the head unit and connected the wires as per the instructions in the PDF on this thread. (White to PIN 24, Red [mine was yellow] to PIN 21 and the Shield to PIN 23)
I then took the K-Can wires to the FEM in the passenger side footwell. On my car PINS 51 & 52 were empty so I just put connected the small female Pins on the wires and inserted them. (Female PINS part# 61 13 1 383 776). I did have a problem that the K-Can wires barely reached the FEM so I did have to slice them and put in some extra wires as the wires were too taut. I added about 15/20 cms.
The hole for the camera took a while to do. Take your time with it as a tighter fit is what you're aiming for. I made a stencil out of cardboard and used it as a guide so it would be nice and centred between the licence plate lights.
Had no problem coding with E-Sys. I did have to inject the Cafd files into the TSRVC as per the instructions by ShawnSheridan. Once I added 3AG to the VO I coded the FEM, HU_NBT, REM, ICM and TSRVC. I was lucky that the camera and control module (ECU) were from the same donor car so I've no errors on the dash and don't think I'll need to use Rheingold. Image is clear, guidelines are there and I'm able to turn the camera on and off via the PDC sensor switch (as I added one near the gear lever when I installed front PDC a month ago).
All in all, this was a pretty simple instal. I really didn't have too many issues with any of the steps.
If anyone needs any information, please ask, I'm no expert in any way but I'm happy to share details of what I did.
Also, cost wise I think I spent around 350 euros (give or take a few euros) all up.
Camera Control Module and Camera were purchased on Ebay in the US. The retrofit cable on Ebay in the UK and the rest I got a my local dealership.