Anyone retrofitted reverse parking?
 

Backed into a parked car today and busted up my taillight and bumper :doh:
Has anyone here installed the Reverse parking aid or license plate mounted park distance control kit? Cost? is this a diy?

I have installed it and it was super simple. Basically it consists of installing a wiring harness and the transponders into the bumper or bumper strips. The hardest part is removing the bumper and that isn't hard at all. After you have PDC you are ruined for life, so be warned.

I retrofitted PDC onto my '02 X5. My instructions are linked below. I got the kit from Crevier BMW. It should pay for itself the next time it prevents an incursion into something. :tsk:

PDC retrofit instructions.

If you are going to do the rear PDC kit from BMW, it is not much more to get the full retrofit kit and do the front as well. The rear-only kit doesn't look as OEM as the full kit. Skip any license plate mounted solution as it is really too high to be as accurate as the bumper mounted sensors.

I've had PDC retrofitted on both the BMWs I've had, the X5 and the 330xi. I just took it to the dealer to do it. When I attempt DIYs, things tend to go horribly wrong. The X5's installation ended up being about $1300 including labor. I was without the car for three weeks, because they kept ordering the wrong parts. It was worth it though. Once you have PDC, you'll wonder how you lived without it. I would recommend the full front and rear PDC kit, instead of the more obtrusive kit with only two sensors. The full kit gives you better coverage, and it also helps on the front, which can come in handy while maneuvering in tight spots. Also, the full kit gives you a button so you can turn it off. Or on. I sometimes turned it on in traffic to see how close the car behind me actually stopped. Good luck!

Thanks guys. It sounds like the consensus is to do the full front and back retrofit. Browsing through earlier posts it looks like this costs anyware from $1,500-$2,000 installed?

Kevin, I read through your install. Is there a way to tell if the car is pre-wired without removing the front bumper? I read something in another post about it being related to having xenon lights which I don't have.

FWIW, I've opted to fit the reversing camera (instead of PDC), it was done last week.

Trouble is, I've been away for 2 weeks flying bushfires, and haven't seen it yet!! The +1 says that it takes some getting used to, but since she's reversed previous 4WD's into other cars (twice....), anything that saves another repair bill is worth it :)

Heli, I hear you on the repair bills. I assume you have Nav or did you get an aftermarket camera? I don't have Nav so the EOM camera I don't believe is an option.

I have Nav/TV, so it was a (relatively) painless installation, only about $A1k. Just got back from a week's firebombing, now off home to pick up the truck and head off with it as our support vehicle. And see how well the camera works :thumbup:

Yes, the xenon lights has been the big tip that your X5 is pre-wired for PDC. Perhaps you can ask your dealer to run your VIN and tell you if it is pre-wired but taking off the front bumper on your X5 is not that difficult.

Good luck!