[papajohn]

I'm attempting to hardwire my radar detector (a Uniden R1) to draw power from either the rear view mirror or the rain sensor using a Mirrortap. However, I'm having one hell of a time liberating the black mirror plug to be able to check voltage with my multimeter.

The purple rain sensor plug was easy to remove, but it turns out this is an "always-on" circuit. So after the car is turned off, it continues to supply power to the radar detector and never turns off. The technique has previously been presented here (using the rear view mirror plug) and here (using the rain sensor plug).

Anyone tried this and have any advice on doing this with a G01 X3?

[sor]

Originally Posted by papajohn

I'm attempting to hardwire my radar detector (a Uniden R1) to draw power from either the rear view mirror or the rain sensor using a Mirrortap. However, I'm having one hell of a time liberating the black mirror plug to be able to check voltage with my multimeter.

The purple rain sensor plug was easy to remove, but it turns out this is an "always-on" circuit. So after the car is turned off, it continues to supply power to the radar detector and never turns off. The technique has previously been presented here (using the rear view mirror plug) and here (using the rain sensor plug).

Anyone tried this and have any advice on doing this with a G01 X3?

Are you certain it's an "always on"? The switched circuits I've found in the car only shut off after ~8 minutes or so. I ended up using one such for my amp.

[papajohn]

Originally Posted by sor

Are you certain it's an "always on"? The switched circuits I've found in the car only shut off after ~8 minutes or so. I ended up using one such for my amp.

Sadly yes. After turning off the car, I closed the doors and locked it, and took the key fob out of range. I came back a half hour later without the fob and could see the detector was still on when I looked through the window.

[papajohn]

Damn. It's looking like the 2018s are all having this problem. On this post, several folks reporting radar does not shut off with the car.

http://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...php?p=22545543

Originally Posted by lordbaron

I have a 2018 M550i, and test the power outlets as described here. They never shut off, even with car locked for 1 hour. I am now considering using the power in the center console and running the cable.

Originally Posted by jdestro

Same here. Radar is not going off. Any advice??

Originally Posted by heli_ca

Hi anyone able to resolve the fact that power is not turned off after the ignition is turned off? Unlike the dash cam with a low voltage cut off, I don't want the radar detector to remain powered at all times.

[Mdog97]

Somewhat of a necropost, but this issue hasn’t been resolved, at least not that I’ve seen yet. I’m at 16 minutes and counting up since shutdown and lock on my 2019 X3 M40i, and the mirror tap into the smaller purple connector (rain sensor) is still showing full power to the dash cam. So, this seems to confirm the earlier finding that this circuit is “always on” 12V, which is not what we would want for a radar detector or (non-parking mode) dash cam.

Has anyone tried the wire pairs in the larger black connector and found any that provide 12V when the vehicle is on but not for more than X minutes after vehicle shutdown?

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by Mdog97

Somewhat of a necropost, but this issue hasn’t been resolved, at least not that I’ve seen yet. I’m at 16 minutes and counting up since shutdown and lock on my 2019 X3 M40i, and the mirror tap into the smaller purple connector (rain sensor) is still showing full power to the dash cam. So, this seems to confirm the earlier finding that this circuit is “always on” 12V, which is not what we would want for a radar detector or (non-parking mode) dash cam.

Has anyone tried the wire pairs in the larger black connector and found any that provide 12V when the vehicle is on but not for more than X minutes after vehicle shutdown?

I couldn't figure it out either. I ended up running the wire to the fuse box and used a fuse tap.

My'15 X3 was fine, but not these 18's or 19's (apparently)

[Mdog97]

So, after fiddling around with the wires in the larger black connector, I think I found switched 12V power to run my Blackvue DR650-1CH dashcam via a Blendmount mirrortap cable with DC plug. (Again, this is on a G01 2019 X3 M40i, in this case one with Premium Package, Driving Assistance and Parking Assistance.)

Taking a tip from the earlier work by others on the purple rain sensor connector, I put the smallest mirrortap black (ground) blade into the same chamber of the connector as the brown/black wire. I then tried all of the other chambers, and found power in the last (or first, depending on your orientation) chamber, the one with the green/brown wire. I put the red (+) blade of the smallest mirrortap into that chamber. (Attached close-up photo is from trial #1, before the red tap finally snapped and had to be replaced with another one that I happened to have from another kit. These things are VERY fragile - if it doesn't slide right in, you don't have enough space, so back off and try another position around that wire.)

With everything hooked up I tested the dashcam, including wifi access, and there was sufficient voltage to power it up and run it every time.

I tested the persistence of the circuit, and found that it remained hot after closing doors and locking the SUV with the remote - the dashcam remained powered on. I came back about 20 minutes later and found that the circuit and the dashcam eventually powered off. I don't know the exact amount of time, but it was less than 15 minutes I'd say. I repeated this test once again, and then closed everything up (without breaking any mounting tabs on the plastic pieces). I then tested it one more time, and it worked as expected.

I didn't have time to test whether just parking the SUV and shutting off the engine (without locking via remote or door handle touch) would eventually result in power down. I'll test that tomorrow.

[sinbad4]

Seems I read somewhere that Blackvue and other cameras that want power 24/7 in order to monitor car while parked have issues with new BMWs in that the BMW system will cut power at some point, believing system has short and/or to protect battery from discharge.

Blackvue sells both a voltage regulator unit for this - to cut power before BMW system does and also a battery unit that will power the camera for some time. Though, these options add significant cost to an already price, but excellent, dash cam.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by Mdog97

So, after fiddling around with the wires in the larger black connector, I think I found switched 12V power to run my Blackvue DR650-1CH dashcam via a Blendmount mirrortap cable with DC plug. (Again, this is on a G01 2019 X3 M40i, in this case one with Premium Package, Driving Assistance and Parking Assistance.)

Taking a tip from the earlier work by others on the purple rain sensor connector, I put the smallest mirrortap black (ground) blade into the same chamber of the connector as the brown/black wire. I then tried all of the other chambers, and found power in the last (or first, depending on your orientation) chamber, the one with the green/brown wire. I put the red (+) blade of the smallest mirrortap into that chamber. (Attached close-up photo is from trial #1, before the red tap finally snapped and had to be replaced with another one that I happened to have from another kit. These things are VERY fragile - if it doesn't slide right in, you don't have enough space, so back off and try another position around that wire.)

With everything hooked up I tested the dashcam, including wifi access, and there was sufficient voltage to power it up and run it every time.

I tested the persistence of the circuit, and found that it remained hot after closing doors and locking the SUV with the remote - the dashcam remained powered on. I came back about 20 minutes later and found that the circuit and the dashcam eventually powered off. I don't know the exact amount of time, but it was less than 15 minutes I'd say. I repeated this test once again, and then closed everything up (without breaking any mounting tabs on the plastic pieces). I then tested it one more time, and it worked as expected.

I didn't have time to test whether just parking the SUV and shutting off the engine (without locking via remote or door handle touch) would eventually result in power down. I'll test that tomorrow.

Damn. Good job being persistent. Where were you a few months ago lol!

Good job sorting it out.

[Mdog97]

Originally Posted by sinbad4

Seems I read somewhere that Blackvue and other cameras that want power 24/7 in order to monitor car while parked have issues with new BMWs in that the BMW system will cut power at some point, believing system has short and/or to protect battery from discharge.

Blackvue sells both a voltage regulator unit for this - to cut power before BMW system does and also a battery unit that will power the camera for some time. Though, these options add significant cost to an already price, but excellent, dash cam.

Yes, sort of/partially. Blackvue (and all dashcams) would love to have power 24/7 so that they could record what is happening while you're away from your car. But that takes power, and no one wants to come back to a dead car battery. So, there are power solutions available for parking mode applications like auxiliary battery packs (e.g., Cellink) and battery cutoff / protection devices (e.g., Blackvue's Power Magic Pro) that either partially isolate the dashcam from the car's electrical system, or stop the current draw as the car's battery system runs out of current.

While I'd like to have parking mode protection for those times when I have to leave my vehicles in public spaces, I've never stepped up to add the required hardware.

I've run Blackvue dashcams on 5 cars now: 2015 BMW F80 M3, 2015 Mercedes GL450, 2016 Porsche Macan S, 2018 Mercedes GLE350 and 2018 Mercedes GLS550. All have been run via cigarette lighter plug cable to center console plug receptacle (or R side passenger footwell plug receptacle).

• All have eventually been powered down by the respective host car eventually automatically cutting power to the cigarette lighter/aux plugs.
  
• All have given me announcements from time to time about "impact detected during parking mode", but I've always known that they were trunk opening and closing (I've since lowered the sensitivity for that setting and these alerts have diminished substantially). Nevertheless, somehow the dashcams have had enough power, somehow, to allow them to register the suspected "impacts". Maybe the "impacts" were all detected in the first few minutes after shutdown, while the cam still had power?

While I would hope / expect that BMW, Mercedes and Porsche would have battery protection capabilities built into their electronics, I've never had to test that, as I've only ever gone through the cigarette / aux plugs...until now.

======

So far this morning, my further testing revealed that the circuit / wiring described by me above (to the larger black connector in front of the mirror) appears to have switched power. I drove my X3 this morning, then pulled it into the garage, turned off the engine, got out, and left it alone. I came back 20 minutes later to find that the dashcam had powered off.

At this point, given the quick dashcam shutdown time, I'd be surprised if it was the car's own built-in battery discharge protection that is cutting the power to the newly-hardwired dashcam. The current draw from the dashcam is too small, and the time (a few minutes) is too short, for that explanation to make any sense.

As an aside, I really don't understand why there is always-on current supplied to the purple rain sensor connector in our G01 X3s. What purpose could this serve?

======

So, good news. Hopefully others can try this and confirm what I've found.

[Mdog97]

Originally Posted by BMWZ4

Damn. Good job being persistent. Where were you a few months ago lol!

Good job sorting it out.

Thanks, and sorry for the delay. When my last F80 M3 lease ended, I took an unwelcome 6 month detour into a CPO Porsche Macan S, so I wasn't available to solve BMW + dashcam hard wiring problems....

[nogren]

Originally Posted by Mdog97

Yes, sort of/partially. Blackvue (and all dashcams) would love to have power 24/7 so that they could record what is happening while you're away from your car. But that takes power, and no one wants to come back to a dead car battery. So, there are power solutions available for parking mode applications like auxiliary battery packs (e.g., Cellink) and battery cutoff / protection devices (e.g., Blackvue's Power Magic Pro) that either partially isolate the dashcam from the car's electrical system, or stop the current draw as the car's battery system runs out of current.

While I'd like to have parking mode protection for those times when I have to leave my vehicles in public spaces, I've never stepped up to add the required hardware.

I've run Blackvue dashcams on 5 cars now: 2015 BMW F80 M3, 2015 Mercedes GL450, 2016 Porsche Macan S, 2018 Mercedes GLE350 and 2018 Mercedes GLS550. All have been run via cigarette lighter plug cable to center console plug receptacle (or R side passenger footwell plug receptacle).

• All have eventually been powered down by the respective host car eventually automatically cutting power to the cigarette lighter/aux plugs.
  
• All have given me announcements from time to time about "impact detected during parking mode", but I've always known that they were trunk opening and closing (I've since lowered the sensitivity for that setting and these alerts have diminished substantially). Nevertheless, somehow the dashcams have had enough power, somehow, to allow them to register the suspected "impacts". Maybe the "impacts" were all detected in the first few minutes after shutdown, while the cam still had power?

While I would hope / expect that BMW, Mercedes and Porsche would have battery protection capabilities built into their electronics, I've never had to test that, as I've only ever gone through the cigarette / aux plugs...until now.

======

So far this morning, my further testing revealed that the circuit / wiring described by me above (to the larger black connector in front of the mirror) appears to have switched power. I drove my X3 this morning, then pulled it into the garage, turned off the engine, got out, and left it alone. I came back 20 minutes later to find that the dashcam had powered off.

At this point, given the quick dashcam shutdown time, I'd be surprised if it was the car's own built-in battery discharge protection that is cutting the power to the newly-hardwired dashcam. The current draw from the dashcam is too small, and the time (a few minutes) is too short, for that explanation to make any sense.

As an aside, I really don't understand why there is always-on current supplied to the purple rain sensor connector in our G01 X3s. What purpose could this serve?

======

So, good news. Hopefully others can try this and confirm what I've found.

Maybe some kind of weird ondocumented surveillance is going on there? Or they want to detect sun and rain where all BMWs are parked, to sell to 3rd party? Or at least show in the cloud for you to look at.

I believe the ~6-7 minute delay before cutting the power is the same as for the cig lighter outlets. Just something they do. To let people have a smoke after parking...
I.e. there is a delay for a lot of electronics to completely shut off, of about 6min.

/n

[shemeld_135]

Pulling this from its grave.

I gave this a shot today but doesn't seem to work for the x3mc tapping in to the green/brown and brown. I used the post

https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=24112875

Anyone have success with this in the x3mc? What wires did you tap in to?

[lair12]

It's really easy (and safe) to just run the wire down the column and tap to almost any of the spots in the fusebox below the glove compartment. They mostly shut off after 6 or 7 minutes.

[Frsh-N-Klean]

Originally Posted by Mdog97

So, after fiddling around with the wires in the larger black connector, I think I found switched 12V power to run my Blackvue DR650-1CH dashcam via a Blendmount mirrortap cable with DC plug. (Again, this is on a G01 2019 X3 M40i, in this case one with Premium Package, Driving Assistance and Parking Assistance.)

Taking a tip from the earlier work by others on the purple rain sensor connector, I put the smallest mirrortap black (ground) blade into the same chamber of the connector as the brown/black wire. I then tried all of the other chambers, and found power in the last (or first, depending on your orientation) chamber, the one with the green/brown wire. I put the red (+) blade of the smallest mirrortap into that chamber. (Attached close-up photo is from trial #1, before the red tap finally snapped and had to be replaced with another one that I happened to have from another kit. These things are VERY fragile - if it doesn't slide right in, you don't have enough space, so back off and try another position around that wire.)

With everything hooked up I tested the dashcam, including wifi access, and there was sufficient voltage to power it up and run it every time.

I tested the persistence of the circuit, and found that it remained hot after closing doors and locking the SUV with the remote - the dashcam remained powered on. I came back about 20 minutes later and found that the circuit and the dashcam eventually powered off. I don't know the exact amount of time, but it was less than 15 minutes I'd say. I repeated this test once again, and then closed everything up (without breaking any mounting tabs on the plastic pieces). I then tested it one more time, and it worked as expected.

I didn't have time to test whether just parking the SUV and shutting off the engine (without locking via remote or door handle touch) would eventually result in power down. I'll test that tomorrow.

Thanks for this post. This worked in my 2020 x3 m40i.

[968Cab]

Originally Posted by lair12

It's really easy (and safe) to just run the wire down the column and tap to almost any of the spots in the fusebox below the glove compartment. They mostly shut off after 6 or 7 minutes.

Once you get the wire to the pillar/dash junction, how do you route it to below?

[freshxdough]

Originally Posted by 968Cab

Once you get the wire to the pillar/dash junction, how do you route it to below?

Take off the right side dash cover and the passenger kick panel and just route the wires down and zip tie them so they don't dangle around and make noise.

[Jeffola]

Maybe a noob question but I can't seem the get the shroud off around the mirror base. I can remove the upper cover, wiring going to the mirror should be Green/Brn (+) and Brn/Blk (-). But I can't get to the wiring for the mirror. how the heck do you split the shroud it feels like im missing something. I have Lane assist and the photo attached in green is my shroud. Any takers?

[jhardwood]

Hey jeffola,
Did you ever figure out how to get that shroud apart? I am at this same point and unsure of how to do it without feeling like I am going to break something.

[FLYT89]

Originally Posted by jhardwood

Hey jeffola,
Did you ever figure out how to get that shroud apart? I am at this same point and unsure of how to do it without feeling like I am going to break something.

Try this link maybe this will help. I was looking to attempt the same thing but I’m afraid to break my mirror lol.

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1594592

[TXGrey]

Originally Posted by jhardwood

Hey jeffola,
Did you ever figure out how to get that shroud apart? I am at this same point and unsure of how to do it without feeling like I am going to break something.

Hey guys - checking back in to see if you all ever completed your attempts? I did it today on a '21 X4 M40i... and it was definitely a bit hairy. I did end up with a tiny broken sliver of plastic from somewhere... BUT, I can't even tell where it came from and when it came time for putting it back together, everything was totally fine and snug.

On the technique, I just kept going at things with both plastic pry tools, and my hands. What ended up really working was simply just using my hands to push/pull/and massage from different angle until things just started finally separating. I do feel bad I didn't take some pics to help others on this. Sorry about that. If I can be of any assistance to anyone else, please feel free to DM me and I will attempt to answer any questions possible.

As far as power.... same connections as the pic above from Mdog97, and mine cuts off after 6 or so mins of being locked. Not that I'm worried. I'll probably just turn mine off by hand.... but it's nice to know that it'll shut down on its own if needed.

[Burr001]

Here is a video on how easy it is to remove the cover.

It took me a less than 30 to install my Uniden.


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005...c00W2DUiv&mp=1