October 2007. Reverse Camera.

I purchased a reverse camera and video module from Tom at European Auto Source.

First, I disconnected the negative battery terminal then removed the NAV drive and NAV trim. (Since I have the ice>LINK I have no CD changer, but a storage bin instead.) I then pulled out the trunk side panel.

Here is what is out of the car so far. And how the trunk now looks.

Took off the tool kit and trunk lid panel.

Fed the camera wire through rubber boot over the battery compartment.

The camera plug is too large to go through the plastic tube, so I zip-tied it along side. But the wire does go through both rubber boots, into the trunk lid and into the trunk through existing holes where the other wires run.

I pulled a license plate light, Dremel�ed a U-shaped cut next to the light opening, filed it smooth, hit the bare spots with touch up paint, and glued in a rubber grommet to protect the camera wire from any metal edges. The camera wires are all hidden in the trunk lid cavity.

The camera wire runs around the trunk from the battery side to the NAV side. A remote trigger wire is run to the center console through the back seat area then under the driver�s side door sills (next to my BassLink remote volume line).

The only other connections are power, ground, and a trigger with a relay from the reverse lights. (Dave Clement spent a couple hours one afternoon showing me how to wire it all up, since that isn�t really my area. Thanks Dave!)

The camera is attached by the upper license plate screw. The camera wire is completely hidden under the metal license plate frame. There are a couple U-shaped Dremel cuts in the back of the frame to allow the wire to pass without any risk of pinching.

A switch from Radio Shack fits perfectly in the Cup-Holders.com cup holder storage slot. The camera comes on when the car is put in reverse, but also has this switch as a manual override. Now my aftermarket cup holder holds both the BassLink volume and the camera switch, so I didn't have to drill or mount eiher to any part of the car itself.

Here is how the image looks.

With the cars positioned like this.

Since there are brightness, contrast, color, and tint controls on the module, I have it mounted in the storage bin for now. Eventually I will probably put it where the CDC mounts behind the trunk panel.

Once again, Steve and Tom�s customer service was outstanding, trading e-mails late into the night when I had wiring questions.
www.EuropeanAutoSource.com

Also thanks to sealbeach740, Magnum, Brian, and Dave Clement from BimmerBoard.com for all the wiring assistance!

www.BimmerBoard.com

January 2008

Strong Strut custom strut brace.

Sport steering wheel from a 2000 740i Sport