The Next Mod - Invision Headrests
 

So, I have owned my X5 4.8is for about 3 months now and in that time I have accomplished the following mods:

Intravee, Hardware V1, Dinan CAI, TB, Strut Tower Brace, Stage 3 Software, and Pedals.

With all of the "performance" mods pretty much installed I figured it was time to focus on the interior a little bit. In steps Captain Acedeucy (Law) to the rescue. Since he is our resident expert I gave him a call to see how easy the installation would be and he told me it would be a breeze. We also discussed where I can purchase the monitors from his list of vendors. Law is up to date on what is going on through all of his re-sellers, so if you are searching for one I would give him a call and see what he knows is going on out there.

I had heard before that headrest monitors were not compatible with comfort seats, but Law soon put that worry to rest. He really knows his merchandise and when you get on the phone with him its been like you have been friends for years.

So, I ordered me up a set of Invision RevII headrest, and they were being shipping out via UPS (side note: I really hate UPS but that is another story).

Here are my impressions of the install. You need to give the stock headrest a good whack to get it to dislodge from the actuator, it my feel like you broke something but it is fine. The rear seat panels are not plastic, but they are a wood/cardboard type material. They bend really easy, I bent both of mine removing them and they are even more difficult to put back together. But all of that is BMW's fault, not Invision's. Their install is straight forward, really easy and color coded. Mine is just using the rear cigarette adapter for now, until it goes into the dealer for its next service and then I will have them wire it to a permanent install.

Here are some pictures of the finished product:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/...8fd11cae_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/...6ddfafcd_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/...7e5affac_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3633/...999296b0_o.jpg

Overall Impressions:

Lawrence and his customer service are outstanding. I don't think I have ever been treated to kindly or wonderful ever buying a product. He also stands behind his product 110%.

Some things to note for potential buyers is that these are not your stock comfort seat headrests with monitors in them, they are replacement headrests and are not shaped like the stock ones. However, the product works as advertised.

I had received the security covers first and I felt that they did not match the leather of my seats. I gave Lawrence a call and he assured me that the actual headrest would be a better match, since they get their leather from BMW AG.

When I opened up the box with the headrests they looks just like the security covers to me and did not match. After the install I feel better about the headrest matching the leather of the rest of the car. But to me it is not an exact match, probably an 8.5 or 9.0 out of 10 in match quality. It bugs me knowing that it is not a perfect match. But I figured the cars leather has 38k miles on it, and the is leather from a whole different roll of leather. So you can't control everything.

Captain Acedeucy add me to the list of another satisfied customer.

Excellent write-up and notes! Congrats on the setup, looks stock to me! Can you also post a pic or two of the bent seat panels and the cigarette lighter power setup for future readers? Sounds like Acedeucy came through, yet again, though I have to say I'm, a little disappointed he didn't fly out to Washington and install them for you personally. Maybe they cut his travel budget? ;)

Thanks! Its very stock looking, especially from afar. It's just that the texture of the leather looks a little off to me. I tend to harp on the little things.:rolleyes:

I will post some pictures of the cigarette lighter plug in, it's just plugging into the rear center console. You can't tell the panels are bent from the rear seats. If you were to remove the panels again you could see some creases where the panels bent.

But in the end, if it makes the kid happy and quiet in the back end than I am happy as pie!

Good to note. I've seen them in person before and the leather matched in color and grain. Like you said what I think you might be seeing is the difference between used and new leather. A friend of mine who is single has a 6 month old 5 series he got new and uses as a daily driver and the passenger seat has been used maybe 2-3 times. In bright sunlight you can already see a difference between the two seats due to the wear; it sort of wears away and smooths out the grain if you know what I mean.

Anyway, the note about the backrests, what was so troublesome about their removal/installation that caused the damage to happen?

Exactly, in my old e39 I replaced some wood trim and the grain didn't match up and the color looked off, and it was because the wood trim wasn't part of the same batch during the original processing. I look at it as 3 year old leather versus new leather, there is going to be a difference.

The backrests are composed of two parts. From the picture you can see parts #8 and #9. There is an upper lip on part #9 that part #8 lays above.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/e/a/153.png

In my installation, I bent part #8 on the drivers side. I was able to remove the two brackets on the upper portion, but the two clips that are towards the middle, where a pain to get unhooked. I pulled on it pretty well and my hand placement wasn't right, so there was a breaking point there.

Then I also bent part #9 on the passengers side, the metal clips at the top go over a metal bar in the seat. You kind of have to pull up and out to get them off. While I was pulling up and out, again, most likely the wrong hand placement it bent.

None of the pieces broke clean threw. It was much more like how you snap balsa wood, that it splinters a little bit but meshes right back together.

In putting the seats back together, part #9 is the hardest, because you have to get those metal clips back over the metal bar. There are two clips at the bottom of the seat which you can remove, clip the top portion, then the side clips and then put the bottom clips back together.

I didn't do that portion since I still need to finalize the power source, I just popped the top panels back on instead of having to fight to remove everything again later on. You can't even tell the bottom portion isn't even properly attached.

work looks pretty clean, just not my cup of tea.

It looks very clean and slick indeed. If you have kids sitting back there than you definitely want to get one.

I am thinking about getting my old SNES out and hooking it up and going out and playing some old school games during lunch time!

:iagree:
Nice setup btw.:thumbup:

jsears, great info. thanks again for the clarifications!:thumbup:

If you dont mind me asking how much does a set like that go for?

I would contact Acedeucy, he can give you tons of information on the headrests and where to buy them. He is very up to speed on the market so I am sure he could point you to the right reseller to get a good deal on the product or if you have questions about functionality.

http://www.xoutpost.com/members/6115/acedeucy.html

About your leather concern.........did they definitely provide the Nappa leather (which only came on 4.6's and 4.8's), or is it the Montana leather which came on all 4.4's and 3.0's? The Montana had a slightly more "pebbled" appearance, whereas the Nappa leather was completely smooth, and a bit softer. I would be really surprised (and impressed) if Invision went to the trouble of speccing out the two different types of leather for their headrests, when the colors are almost identical.

The different leather used in X5's was Dakota Leather or Nappa Leather in addition to alcantara. Not Montana.

When I was on the phone Law asked me if I had Nappa leather and I confirmed that with him. I just went out and took a picture with a flash and not with iPhone pictures and I can really see a difference now in the leather.

Here are so is what I notice from this picture.

A) You can definitely notice the grain quality difference.
B) The headrest almost looks gray versus the black of the seat.

I will have to double check my invoice (left it at the office) tomorrow morning and see if I can't get this all sorted out with Lawrence.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3533/...97d09cde_b.jpg

Is that shot of the cover or the headrest itself?

That's the headrest itself.

My mistake----Montana was the non-M e46's....I always get the Dakota and Montana names mixed up. The question still stands though.

That's very funny because I make the same mistake and always have to check my sales sticker.

See post #14 for the differences in Leather.

Great stuff jsears! While the leather may not be a perfect match, it's as close as it gets for these things. I have the Invision Rev II's in gray in my X5 and I don't even notice the difference anymore. Granted, my leather is not nappa. They are better than the LCD screens fitted into OEM headrests because all of those seem sort of puffy afterward and there is an external DVD player to mount whereas ours are integrated. :thumbup:

Jeff,

I'm not adding you to my satified customers list yet. 8.5 or 9.5 out of 10 isn't totally happy...yet. LOL! I have been on this new task since 8:30am this morning. Call me when you get this and we can get you squared away. Earlier in the post it was mentioned that the Nappa leather (which is now discontinued) was tossed in the mix for several vehicle 's manufactured in Spartanburg, SC. I do have Dakota and Nasca material on hand and built out, so as long as it isn't a leatherette seat, which I don't think it is. I can totally get you squared away. I look forward to you achieving total Nirvana.

Cheers,
Law :thumbup:

X5Meister - Yes they did cut my travel budget so i couldn't personally fly out and do the install. After sending you that set of steak knives, I am all out of extra cash! LOL!

One thing I also wanted to point out Jeff. It seems that the front of your driver's and passnger's seat is covered by a layer of nappa leather, while the rest fo the seat is more dakota thatn anything else. The last thing I want to do is rewrap a set of shells and the whole headrest be nappa and now the back of the seats don't match the headrests. Etiher way we can get you squared away, however, you have more of a two-tone style of leather on your seats. So going one way may affect the latter. Call me this morning and will put some time into it together.

X5 Meister do see what I am talking about on the two-tone job? The front of the seat is smooth while the back is much more textured.

Cheers,

Law :thumbup:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/e/a/153.png
Why Jeff, how very REALOEM.com of you to post this! LOL!

Look at #11 and Have a Merry Christmas "Tree" that is!

I checked my original BMW Window Sticker and under the options all it says is "Black Leather" and the price option for it was $0.00. So, pretty sure its not leatherette.

Thanks for getting this all squared away for me Law! The happiest I will probably get is 9.8 or 9.9 because X5Meister got steak knives!!!

I was looking at the seats, and the front is Nappa, and the sides of the seat and some inserts in the seat would maybe be Daktoa, but they feel more like the bumps on a basketball. My original headrests are set up the same way. The fronts and back of them are Nappa, and the side of them are this weird material.

I hate part #11, who ever invented them should be shot. I tried removing those during the install, after scratching the leather and getting really frustrated I decided to stop.

If somebody has a magical recommendation for removing those I would love to hear it! Fingers, a screw driver wrapped in a cloth, and a plastic window ice scraper does not do the job.

That's why I call them Christmas Trees. There a little holiday magic baked into each one!! About as brittle as a gingerbread man!

LOL!

LAW :thumbup:

YOu want Steak Knives as well, damn who the heck am I going to give this brand new 1978 Cadillac El Dorado to now?

X5Meister, no you can't have it! You got steak knives already!

You pay shipping, insurance and licensing on the El Dorado and I'll take it!

Or X5Meister and I can have joint custody. :rolleyes:

You guys crack me up. I already put the steak knives in my safe and no one is getting access so leave me alone!

I think removing those plastic screws is best done using a trim removal tool. See picture in this link. Although I admit I've never done it.
eas - 714.369.8524 | Master Installer Plastic Tool Kit

Jeff - can you post a few photos of your headrest front/back/sides ?

Acedeucy - I see your point, which is a very good one, if the seat/headrest is two-tone, whether it is two-tone in color OR texture, it is still a compromise as to how exactly to match it.

What I find interesting is that from just a slight difference, a foot or two like in the first photos, the match looks great. It's the up close photo that shows a bit of a difference. Are you sure you didn't accidentally get a grey set? (probably not but just thought I'd ask)

You ask you shall receive:

Front:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3648/...599c910a57.jpg
Back:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3622/...f1a0a9c633.jpg
Sides:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3630/...35de34a1ea.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/...3c98a45197.jpg


Plus Mike, did you get a set of Rada Cutlery?
http://www.radamfg.com/images/products/C314L.jpg

The same material that is on the side of the headrests is also on the side of the seats and also as inserts on the bottom and top portion of the seats.

That would be tricky to replicate then. The sides do look like Dakota IMO, but obviously the main part is definitely Nappa.

Yes those are the knives, you can have them if you pry them from my cold dead hands.

I know, I am putting a lot of trust in Lawrence.....

Seeing that front and backs of my stock headrests are Nappa leather, I think we could get away with wrapping the whole thing in Nappa leather. But I do have to agree with you Mike, the two tone leather would be tough. I don't know how it would look with the boxier style headrest. But I think it would look good to keep the flow from the seat to the headrest. Plus the rear seat headrests are the same style as well.

But figuring this out is why Law gets paid the big bucks. :rolleyes: Now I am just waiting for some kick backs. :popcorn:

But if you are dead how do I get them out of the safe? Anyone a safe cracker around here?

Not to take this on a tangent, but I've never seen the different leather used like that....on my 4.6 the headrest and seat sides are both Nappa....wonder if it's maybe a cost cutting move they did for the 2004 restyle?

Exactly. See I'm always thinking.

That's a good question. I don't think the 'is models ever came with Dakota leather. I do know they are the only ones that had Nappa leather, and even the models that had the Alcantara / Leather option, the leather used was Nappa. Maybe Nappa comes in different textures?

headrest installation
 

Hi Guys,

I am also one of Law's very very happy customers, just wanted to add thought that you do not need to take off the back of the seats, I just phished the wires down the headrest tubes and after a bit of waggling they drop out of the bottom quite easily, I have done this a couple of times. No real issues.

The screens are still going strong here in the uk Lawerence and I get lots of comments about them .One of the screens still doesnt like the cold though, it takes a couple of minutes to warm up , it obviously didnt like being taken away from the California climate. LOL :thumbup::D

Wow, sounds like Acedeucy's pretty much got the Northern hemisphere covered!:thumbup:

I wonder if Avonside got steak knifes too?

No he didnt, although I have had awesome customer service from Lawerence, I had a major disaster just before xmas 2007 and had a major road trip over xmas and new year planned I was driving down to the French alps with the family ie 2 young boys in the back and wifey up front and one of the cable sets had shattered in the cold as it got stuck under the seat and I had only one set working :( you can imagine my nightmare trip ahead , so a quick desperate call to Lawerence in the USA and a new set of cables arrived within a couple of days, mine and the wifes sanity saved. And yes we had a wonderfull ski vacation and the Invission system worked perfect, in fact my eldest was in heaven as he had a new PS2 for xmas and was able to play it in the car, what joy. I wish I was a kid again I never got any of this treatment on my family car vacations we were left to play I spy looking out of the window LOL LOL :bustingup:bustingup

Mike, why are you so special?

I have officially started as Director of Customer Service for Gil Hibben Knives. Seriously you guys are all going to get knives so I can stab all of your old headrests and put little slits in them if you don't stop blowing me up like this.

It's embarrasing when I blush. :p::p:

Thank you all for your support and yes for the record Jeff I really haven't seen a headrest like yours before. I am going to try and DR. Frankenstein this together so it does the same thing as your factory headrest. But very interesting looking. A first for me and I am quite sure not the last.

Avonside...Greetings to the UK! Booyakasha from the West Staines Massive! Wadwan!

Hey I hope you are doing great. Please give my love to the Queen, I just got a kit out to her so she can watch reruns of Ali G and Little Brittain in the Ambassador 7 Series! LOL! J/k!

Thanks to you all for your cander and enthusiasm. But I have big bucks to make so I can keep you all happy. And now I am off to the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe they need a kit or 2 in Ecuador?

Take Care!

-Law :thumbup:

Congratulations on your new position. I look forward to getting my set of cutlery in the mail soon!

I know I got curious about my headrests so I started browsing ebay for other 4.8is with comfort seats. Everyone that I saw (not real good photos), seemed to have their headrests completely wrapped in Nappa leather. So, I guess I am special in a way, well not me, my car's interior.

I am going to Mexico in 2 weeks Lawrence, you think I can have the new ones for the long trip? It's like a 20 minute drive to the airport. :rofl:

As if anyone needs to ask.:thumbup:

Wow, so the boss is leaving and starting to work for a knife company. That sucks, but glad I got my free knife set; anything goes wrong with them I know who to go to for A+ customer support! Down side is that it looks like I won't be getting a DVD set through him after all which is okay, because as good as they are I think I found something better.

Hey Lawrence! Can you help me out with my headrests too? My leather doesn't match either. I have the Alcantara/Nappa sport seats. I noticed they didn't match well but the car has been in the shop for the past week. I'm going to call you tomorrow.

Jeff- I have been looking at a bunch of headrest photos and I guess one of the differences between comfort and non-comfort seats is that comfort seat headrests seem to be made from 3 panels of leather, whereas for example sports seat headrests look like they are made from 2 panels. Take a look. The first two are sports seat, the 3rd is yours.

Also, since comfort seats also came in Dakota leather I found a couple of photos that seem to show the same leather on those 3 panels. So I'm left thinking that it is the comfort seat + nappa that is the issue, which would isolate it to just the 'is models, and not the comfort seat all by itself.

Good find Mike! :thumbup::thumbup:

Comfort Seats would be 3 panels of leather and non-comfort seats would be 2. In the comfort seats the front and back are all one piece with the sides being an individual piece of leather.

I've been trying to look for comfort seats in other X5's particularly the 4.8is, and I haven't came across any good photos to where I can see the detail.

So you gonna tell us what you found?

Oopsy, I opened up a can of worms for Law. I am sure the Alcantara/Nappa set up is harder to match than mine.

I think its the same leather as yours (Nappa). It should be the same fix IMO. I hope to get it squared away. I too was not 100% satisfied with the leather matching. In fact, that was one of the biggest factors in paying MORE for the Invisions. I would prefer it match very closely. As of right now, its a so so match. Also, the leather doesn't seem to be very tightly wrapped around the headrest framework. OE headrest are very taught. I wonder if this could remidied.

I am glad I started working for the Knife company this headrest stuff is Blasphempy, it's Madness... It's SPARTA!

LOL!

Jeff - I will do my best to get everything back out to you before your 20 minute journey to the airport. Again, I hope we can get you super happy with a nappa covering. I know how kids get after 3 minutes with no DVD system, nonetheless, 20 minutes.

JT///MC - Shoot me some photos to my work email addy and let me see what we are working with as far as your interior goes. The reason Jeff's interior is going to be easy to recreate is that the leather is on hand for me to do a custom. I was able to see his complaint and why his headrest is so different. I need to see yours as well. Thanks.

Keep in mind as well everybody I am out for Vegas on Friday evening until Wednesday to attend the 2009 BMW NAC convention at the MGM Grand. So nothing will get done during absence. I know I suck!

You guys just made me go to my truck to make sure I'm not going crazy....this is what's weird. On my is comfort seats, there's no dakota anywhere---nada---it's all nappa. So either this is a 4.8 vs 4.6 thing, or jsears seats were made on the Monday following a long holiday weekend in Spartanburg. :D

Again it is extremely hard to simulate wear and tear on a used vehicle and factors like pigments in skin, sweat and uv rays from sunlight affect leather on a minute by minute basis. So matching perfectly everytime would only go to the owner of the X5 that kept the car in Spatanburg in a climate controlled warehouse and never took the car outside and probably kept it vacuum sealed. So if anyboday is out there with one of those cars, they will have their mind blown by the color match. Everyboday else will have to wait for the leather to do its thing. Every piece of the leather that is cut off of the giant reams that we receive is a different cut. No 2 cuts the same, kind of like a diamond. But I will tell you this I will do my absolute best to get Jeff's Frankenstein style headrest redone in nappa / dakota. It will a project that is the first of it's kind so I am curious to see the results. 1 thing to remember is that the headrests, regardless of color match and material used, all have the same effect on children. It keeps them extremely quiet and that is the premise of my business. Law loves the kids just like Trick Daddy! Shot out to the 305!

-Law :thumbup:

Sorry Law----wasn't even commenting on your headrests.....just noting the minor differences in how the seats came from the factory--all Nappa vs Nappa/Dakota hybrid. I'm sure it's not incredibly interesting----I'm just bored today. :D

Well, being a pragmatist I am always looking to get the most bang from my buck. The problem with a rear entertainment system is that while it may keep rear seat occupants entertained, it really does nothing for the common problem of how to transport small pets (i.e. the kids hamsters, maybe a lizard or two, or even a small puppy). I thought my dreams would never be fulfilled, until now. See below. Yes ladies and germs, a rear entertainment system with integrated small animal cage (notice the air holes). Now the ENTIRE family can travel in true style. BTW, please ignore the poorly matched leather (in color AND texture), the ridiculous design, etc. So until Invision can accomodate Sparky, Lulu, and Mr. Cheese, I am going to have to pass on their otherwise superior products.

That's it X5Merister, I want my F***ing knives back! :wow::wow:

J/K!

Love ya bro!

Sorry, no can do. I need them to open up the headrest to get the animals inside!

Now that is Funny!!!!! :bustingup:bustingup:rofl::rofl::bustingup

That is the funniest thing I have heard all week!! :bustingup:bustingup:rofl::rofl:

:thumbup:

so how exactly did you get them powered? where did you wire it to? thanks

THe system comes with 2 power options standard.
1) A cigarette Lighter adapter, plug in to use, unplug to power down. THe easiest way yet non permanent.

2) 12v T-Tap. This grabs power off of any 12v cold source in the vehicle. The front Cigarette Lighter power wire is actually ideal as it is a cold source. This wire has a power / ground and after it is installed will allow the system to be fully operational off of vehicle power and no wires will be showing at all.

If you have any additional questions. Feel free to call me at the office at...
1-877-468-4746 x311

-Law :thumbup:

Law,

Are you sure the front Cigarette Lighter is a cold source? I charge my iphone with a cigarette lighter charger and it still works even when the car is turned off. That would mean it is a hot source right?

I stopped by a Car Audio/Video dealership around here and they want to charge me $65 to do an ignition tap.

Yeah, thats what Lawrence told me too but its HOT. Its not a cold source at all. It stays on all the time just like the rear cig adapter plug.

Yea, it sounds to me like the closest COLD source is the ignition, I thought I read somewhere that there was a cable that ran under the front seats that was a cold source. I'll have to run a search for it and see if I can find it.

I'd like to do it myself and save the money, but I don't want to tap it if it really isn't a cold source and without seeing some type of diagram. I trust myself, but its nice to have that reassurance.

Found this post from Law awhile back. Maybe this is the COLD source we are looking for?

If you have a 6 disc changer that XLR cable is not going to be available for use. Some E53's have the front cig lighter adapter cold and some don't. It depends on what year it was built as BMW did a running change to the vehilce in later E53 models. E70's have that front cig lighter adapter cold. THe ignition is always a cold source. You can also go to accessory panel and tap off of that but it will be a little more difficult. Yeah Jeff as crazy as your headrest was, I only expect your front cig lighter to be hot. You have one Frank-N-Stein of a vehicle. LOL!

BTW how was Hawaii?

-LAw :thumbup:

could someone explain what wire is the XLR to tap into under the drivers seat. What colour and which connector. I have looked under the seat but there are a lot of wires and I dont want to mess things up, specially with air bags and things.I have been using the cig lighter for years but it is a bit hit and miss sometimes and the acc fuse has blown a few times.would be nice to hard wire it.:thumbup::thumbup:

I'll explain it! Call me!
1-877-468-4746 x 311
'-Law :thumbup:

Grrr! First the headrests, and now the cig adapter. I might as well as just sell this car! Everything else was easy! Looks like the ignition tap it is, am I going to toss out any codes going that route?

Hawaii was awesome! I did not want to leave there and come back to the coldness of Portland.

Don't think you will throw codes at all. But you can also go to the accessory panel (Fuse box) but it's a lot harder to get to. Honestly I would hold up a steak knife to the guy's throat and offer him his favorite 12-pack and see where he goes from there. $60 bucks to tap the ignition is pricey! But it should not throw a code. If you need to talk to my master installer I can make that happen as well. He has done this in your E53 type several times in the past. He will be here after 11:30 PST. Shoot me a call. We shall get-r-done! LOL!

I AM THE LAW!

Glad you are home safely!

How to power your invision headrest system
 

I just added this post on sunday but put it in the wrong place.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...vd-system.html

Works a treat.:thumbup::thumbup:

AWESOME!! :thumbup: