Rear View Camera with Aftermarket Head Unit

[adobeee]

Hi all!

I recently purchased a 2008 BMW 128i with Premium Package, but it doesn't have Park Distance Control.

I wanted to ask if there is any way of installing an aftermarket head unit and installing a rear view camera instead of retrofitting PDC that is only compataible with the navi as I don't have a navi.

Thanks everyone!

Camera: http://www.europeanautosource.com/pr...oducts_id=3024

[wkndracr]

Its probably not worth it to install an aftermarket head unit just for a backup camera. there are small 3.5" screens you can mount next to the rearview mirror, but it's not the most aesthetically pleasing. You can, however get aftermarket backup sensors that look similar to the factory PDC and some companies offer them color matched (Echomaster comes to mind). As an installer, I've installed plenty of these for dealers (not necessarily BMW), and while they work pretty well, still don't perform quite as well as the OEM variety, IMHO.

[JimD]

Here's a website you may want to review:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-technolog...r-vehicle.html

This website also seems useful:

http://www.backupcamerasystem.net/

I got an inexpensive backup camera system for my SUV several father's days ago. It works but the image from the license plate camera is pretty poor. It transmits which also causes the image to go away sometimes. If I do anything on my bimmer, it will probably be a beeper warning system rather than a camera system. I don't want to drill holes in the bumper, however, but there seem to be alternatives. The displays on the rear view mirror seem nice but do you want to change the mirror in your bimmer? I don't want another stuck on mini-display on the dash. This is possible to do and possible to do pretty inexpensively, the question is whether you will like the way it looks when you are not using it to avoid running into or over something (IMHO).

Jim