DIY for Z4 Backup / Reverse / Rear View Camera Mod

[Kimolaoha]

Because the 'top up' / B pillar visibility is so poor in our 2008 Z4, I'd toyed for some time with the idea of installing an aftermarket Backup / Reverse / Rear View Camera, but could never seem to find a simple DIY on this or other fora. Our car does not have Nav (for the Ron Stygar OEM solution) and I had no interest at all in removing the rear bumper cover, so the idea never took real flight.

Recently, I decided to just give it a go (cheaply, to start) and purchased from Amazon a simple 'ePath China' branded 4.3 inch digital TFT LCD color monitor (looks very similar to a Garmin Nuvi) for about $18, and an Esky EC170-06 CCD camera for about $20 (see pictures below). I was not expecting very high quality or functionality for these prices, but figured I'd give it a shot. At $38, I didn't have a lot to lose so long as I didn't destroy something on the car itself, so everything had to be reversible.

Well, I'm happy to say it works - QUITE WELL, and I'm quite happy with the unobtrusive and completely reversible install.

Unfortunately, I DID NOT THINK TO TAKE PICTURES AS I WENT (so don't bust my balls) but the process is simple and easily enough explained without pictures. If there's interest, I can still shoot and post some AFTER shots.

I therefore offer the following for those who may run across this thread when contemplating their own install. As always, 'bench test' your hardware before installing to ensure it actually works, and test it frequently again as you go to ensure it is still working with your install as you progress.

First, note that the bumper cover does not need to come off. Remove the license plate and then remove the driver side license plate light assembly (pry it out with a small flat blade) and then let it hang through the cavity from its harness cable. Open the trunk lid and remove the driver side tail light cluster by removing the plastic cover (counterclockwise turn of knob) and then remove the three nuts that hold the cluster to the frame.

Use a coat hanger or other suitable 'snake' to pull a guide string/wire from the license plate light cavity hole diagonally up to the area where the tail light cluster was removed. It takes time, and may take several bites at the apple (you may need a helper), but you can definitely pull from one hole to the other WITHOUT removing the bumper cover. Once you have the guide string, you can wrap the harness connectors that are attached to the camera together with tape (keeping as thin a profile as possible as it is a tight fit) and then carefully pull them through from the license plate cavity up to the cluster area.

On the camera that I purchased, the cables are not quite long enough to actually enter the trunk area when the camera is mounted centered BETWEEN the two license plate lights, but they are indeed long enough to get to the cluster area and make connections with the included power and video cables (video cable is a standard - but long - yellow RCA cable). These connections are then securely wrapped and fed back behind the bumper cover where they remain hidden and semi-protected from the elements. The newly-connected power and video cables are then fed into the trunk area through the innermost bulb change socket access hole on the frame, and the cluster will still secure flush when re-installed (it has a foam backing that compresses enough to accept the cable thickness when mounted. Your cables are now in the trunk and the hard part is already complete.

I permanently mounted the camera between the license plate lights with 3M industrial mounting tape, and then cut a small notch in the bumper cover for the thickness of the cable to seat correctly when the license plate assembly snaps back up into place. The inch or so of cable from the license plate light hole to the camera can not be seen. My camera can adjust up and down by bending the metal mount, and can spin to rotate the image (which threw me for a bit of a loop until I realized why my image was sideways).

Now that the power and video cables are in the trunk, it's time to tap into reverse light power such that the camera and monitor will only activate when the car is put in reverse. Use Scotchlok connectors (google them) to tap into the tail light cluster harness - Brown wire for ground, and Blue with yellow stripe for power (only when reverse light is activated). You will also need to run your own supplied 2 conductor wire (thin speaker wire works great) along with and adjacent to the video cable from the trunk to the cockpit. The connections at the tail light harness should include power and ground for the camera, and the same power and ground for the speaker wire going up to the cockpit along with the video cable.

In the trunk, you can remove the horizontal deck carpeting for cable routing/hiding (no need to completely remove the vertical carpeting at the wall aft of the seats - just pull the fasteners and then bend it up when necessary). In the sheet metal framing aft of the seats, locate the back of your storage compartment - thin plastic that flexes back and forth a bit when pushed. This will be your cable ingress point into the cockpit. Drill a 1/2 inch hole through the thin plastic that forms the back of the storage compartment (there's a rectangular cutout in the frame looking from the trunk forward - drill in the bottom left corner).

Then go up to the cockpit, adjust the driver seat forward so that you can get behind it, and remove the driver side subwoofer grill (use trim tool or carefully with flatblade) and drill another 1/2" hole in the corner of the storage compartment (accessible from the inner lower corner of the subwoofer cavity). None of these holes are seen when everything is back in place (except I suppose you can see the holes if looking INSIDE the storage compartment). Feed the cables (video and 2 conductor power/speaker wire in through the back of the storage compartment, out the side and into the subwoofer cavity down to the drivers side and under the rocker panel cover. The way that the trim is installed on the Z4, all of this cable can be completely hidden. Tuck excess cable into the subwoofer cavity and then put the cover back on. Your cables should now terminate in the area under the driver side dash and can be further routed behind the steering wheel/knee airbag fascia.

Mounting the monitor was the trickiest part, and required the most thought and trial and error. For the monitor, I found that the best place to mount it is directly OVER the driver side cupholder - that's correct, OVER it - when retracted into the dash. Since we don't trust the stock cupholders and instead use an Ultimate Cupholder in the Z4 anyway, this was an ideal spot for our mounting as it is unobtrusive and sits flat against the dash. Only the driver needs to see what's in the camera anyway.

The trick to actually mounting it is as follows, because Velcro, mounting tape, hot glue, etc. will not work in a hot interior. Here goes - this is where pictures would probably have helped, but just ask if you are interested and have questions.
1) Remove the ball socket mount that comes with the monitor. It will not be used. That will leave a small circular bump (the socket) in the back of the monitor.
2) Purchase a package of square adhesive cable tie mounting pad bases (google if unsure).
3) Remove the adhesive from one mount (as clean as you can) and then cut a V in one of the quadrants so that the V sits over the socket bump in the back of the monitor. If cut correctly, the top of the mounting base square will be flush with the top of the monitor. Epoxy the cable tie mount to the back of the monitor (ensure you are adhering it to the TOP and not the bottom. Allow to dry overnight. Use Epoxy because adhesive, mounting tape, etc. will melt in the hot interior and your monitor will fall off.
4) Open your stock driver side cupholder and feed an 11 inch zip tie through the back of it with the BUCKLE at the bottom, feed opening facing the rear of the car. Then CLOSE the cupholder (forever).
5) To mount the monitor, fold back towards the seat and feed the zip tie down through the top of the cable tie mount through to the bottom of the mount, and then into the buckle to make a big circle with the cupholder and the monitor on opposite sides. Tighten the zip tie carefully (big circle to small circle) while always feeding the buckle up towards the mount on the monitor back. The monitor cinches back to the cupholder and the buckle keeps the monitor from tilting/dipping when fully cinched, at which point the monitor will be held tight to the recessed cupholder. Snip the excess cable tie, tuck in any remaining cabling and you are DONE!

Let me know if you have any questions.
Mike

[unluky]

Have any pics of the installed items??

[Kimo]

Originally Posted by unluky

Have any pics of the installed items??

Here you go . . . Camera in first image, monitor in the remainder.
I've since made some modifications -- grounded everything at one of the three nuts that fasten the tail light cluster in back (instead of at the brown wire in the harness), and also inserted diodes and 10A fuses plus a separate 12V source to activate the camera and monitor ON DEMAND in addition to the auto-activation when in reverse.

[Kimo]

Not sure why the pics are so huge!

[Walkurie]

Maryland has a BMWCCA plate? Nice.....