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Reverse camera install

Discuss your latest mods or ideas, and anything to do with the BMW X5 (E53).
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Themoog2
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Reverse camera install

Post by Themoog2 » Fri Apr 26, 2019 5:59 am

I bought a reverse camera off ebay the other week that replaces one of the number plate lights and I may fit it this weekend.
As the wiring diagram is a bit pants (Chinese) I thought I would ask on here.
I assume the camera gets power from one of the reverse lights - which would mean the cable supplied is about 4 meters too short as it has to go up the top hatch and down to a cable supplying the light.
On each end of the TV signal cable there are shorter red cables connected to the back of the plugs - what are they for? There is also no relay included or mentioned although others I have seen on YouTube show a relay.
Any advice is welcome. I'll post a picture of it later.

Themoog2
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Re: Reverse camera install

Post by Themoog2 » Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:03 am

This is the camera
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sleepyfolk
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Re: Reverse camera install

Post by sleepyfolk » Sat Apr 27, 2019 1:33 am

Don’t want to be a party pooper but when I did mine and looked at these number plate light replacements it seemed at the time there was a lot of comments about them causing dash errors with the lighting self check system so I went for one built in to the number plate.

Anyway, when I did mine I took power from a switched supply from one of the spare relay slots on the right hand side of the boot behind the panel where the sub is, put a fuse in line and earthed it just above the rear lamp cluster. The signal wire on mine which I think might be what your little red wires are - one end connected to the reverse lights ( by tracing the wire back into the boot area and splicing in), the other end went to the “reverse signal” wire dangling out of the replacement stereo.

Might help if you post the wiring diagram even if it’s a bit chinglish.

Themoog2
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Re: Reverse camera install

Post by Themoog2 » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:47 am

Diagram..
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sleepyfolk
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Re: Reverse camera install

Post by sleepyfolk » Sun Apr 28, 2019 12:00 am

Can’t say that it helped me! Did you get it put in?

Themoog2
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Re: Reverse camera install

Post by Themoog2 » Sun Apr 28, 2019 7:14 am

No. I ended up doing other things. Maybe in the week..

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Re: Reverse camera install

Post by Themoog2 » Mon May 13, 2019 5:41 am

Well I didn't put the camera in the hatch handle area. I cut a hole in the tow bar cover plate and the wires now go straight through in the battery box area.
But that's it. I'm stuck. I know that to power the camera it has to be connected to the reverse light cable somewhere but as for the picture signal I haven't got a clue. I have the TV module by the battery so where does it plug in? Is the cable supplied which has plugs on each end supposed to run all the way up front to the dash unit and plug in there?
So close yet so far..

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