BMW E70 X5 with CCC iDrive - Maximized Safety feature Pt.1

We've recently had this pretty rare Midnight Blue colored X5, 2009 model with CCC iDrive system - It came in to Naviplus workshop  for the MirrorLink system.

 Smartphone Integration - MirrorLink / AirPlay Integration on BMW X5 CCC iDrive

And a week later, It came in for an another job, this time, It's more of a safety add-on:

A Front Camera that is Integrated to the iDrive Display, and also a Blind spot alarm system.

Which is surely a great feature for SUVs like X5, in fact, good for any vehicle really.

Front Camera - Great parking assistance system for tall SUVs.

A Front Camera will be somewhat most recent / or still optional accessory for most of vehicles in the market / dealership right now.

Not to mention the availability of Front sensors, but also compare to Reverse parking, front parking is easier, and requires less technique.

Yet still, driving tall SUVs and front parking towards wall / bump : It's always a risk and end up leaving too many or too little space.

And this isn't about Dash Cam - also known as 'Front Record camera', this is a solid Front Camera that grants front sight, mainly for distance measure purpose between car and obstacle front.

Surely It's handy, and at this point, some of you will may ask : "how does it activated."

Unlike Reverse camera, Front Camera won't have benefit of trigger / signal - the way as Reverse camera having Reverse gear or tail lamp light as a trigger.

Having said that, normally general idea is that you either install a dedicated screen for it / or install a button if it gets to integrated into either factory audio display or an aftermarket one.

Front Camera displayed - showing fences right in front of the vehicle.

Us, Naviplus Team thought of installing a switch for the camera power on / off, as the owner of this X5 approved it & even told us his preferred switch location.

Yet at the same time, the switch will pretty much require drawing hole on dash, which neither us or customer will like it in down the track.

Hence Instead of the adding an additional button, we've decided to utilize what's already in the car, just like what our system consists for : Factory Audio Integrated.

Most of BMW E70 X5 till 2011 has CCC iDrive system, and this vehicle - as mentioned from the start- had our MiraPlus Smartphone Integrated system - MirrorLink / AirPlay stuff :P - installed.

 Up on prolonged press of this 'MENU' button on iDrive dials, Our integrated system will switch the display mode to MirrorLink (as installed prior to Front Camera)

Which projects your mobile phone to the Audio display - CCC iDrive system.

Every action you make, will be displayed on the screen.

And from there, upon prolonged press of the 'MENU' button one more time: will show the Front sight, directly from Front Camera.

 With this method, no damage to the car, and gives more 'genuine-like' feature & operation to the vehicle. Not to mention that It doesn't require any sort of those external display to show front sight.

And also, probably one of those hot items in automotive industry: 

Blind Sport alarm system.

 Blind spot system will probably remind you those systems, on side mirrors and ignite to orange / red depends on distance.

Although those are fairly new systems and available with vehicles with high price tag & recent models, in idea of an alarm that warns blind spot while trying to turn / lane switch:

There are few available, with quality of beyond expectation.

The system us Naviplus used is a sound & visual alarm system from local brand in Australia: Mongoose Australia.

 An Alarm light - since we can't integrate it inside of those side mirrors.
It beeps and lights in orange.
Installed on each side of door's A-pilars.

 Sensors those are linked with Blind spot system - detect radius : 2.5~3m.

Installed on Front left & right, Rear left & right, 4 in total.

The system is in fact straight forward system and well made, whenever car is trying to switch lane or go into the corner that makes gap - there are chance of incoming traffic towards next lane / or a bike / cyclist driving next to it.

It allows to detect those and alerts via both sound and light - which is literally what Blind spot systems are made for.

Both time and money wise, make it displayed on side mirrors like current models aren't worth doing it - expensive, takes lots of time and not that big market due to those 2 cons.

Yet still an alert system with decent price (about 1/3 of what you will need to pay for the package with blind spot) and quality is better than we've expected.

In part 2, this X5 has also got new reverse camera fitted - which we will be posting - on comparison and the features of what It can do.

Thank you for reading.

Navi+