E70 MY2012 camera in mirror???
 

Dear all,

I have searched the forum but come up empty. I have a pretty big (factory installed) front facing camera installed in the housing of the internal rearview mirror. It sits just below the rain sensor. The lowest part of the housing seems to have two "vents" pointing downwards.

What is this camera? How can I activate it? I do not have the option of Lane Change warning so why is the camera installed?

Please advise.
Kind regards
Knubblo

Look at the buttons around the headlight/foglight switch,there must be a strange button present.I believe that is for recognition of the speed limit signs and comes only with a HUD.I could be mistaken of course.

That is the light sensor for automatic highbeams. Turn the feature on in your CIC.

Picture of camera AND sensor
 

Attached is a picture which shows both a camera AND a sensor. The sensor on the side of the mirror and the camera below the mirror. What are these features? I have enabled high beam assist and I believe the sensor takes care of that, very much like the internal sensor in the mirror taking care of cars lights coming up behind me. But what is the camera for?

I already answered it, its for high beam assist, so it dims the highbeams when there is on coming traffic. The button by the fogs is to turn the hud off.

I do not have a HUD. If the camera is the High Beam assist, what the is the sensor next to it (left side on the picture)?

I have read the manual carefully and there is nothing in it stating the function, The only thing I can find is that the camera i supposed to be "lane Change Warning" but I do not have that option. I doubt that they put the camera in the mirror despite that.

Kind regards
Knubblo

Sensor for dimming of rear view mirror and side mirrors, based on ambient light, and light hitting the rear view mirror from behind. Sensor on the top is the rain sensor for the wipers

Ok. I am just trying to sort this out. The Drivers Manual is taking care of 33% of the problem

1) The automatic dimming of side mirrors and internal mirror is managed by a sensor in the mirror facing the driver, i.e. in the reflecting glass, centre placed there is a dot catching rear view light coming up from behind you and then dims the mirrors. Clearly stated in the manual.

2) My picture shows camera and a sensor facing forward from the driver, i.e. behind the rear view mirror. My guess is that (read the manual) the camera is for lane change warning and/or reading speed signs whereas the sensor is for managing the high beam assist.

I do not have a HUD, I do not have lane change warning and I have not found any setting in iDrive where I can turn on Speed Sign Reading´and/or lane change warning.

There is absolutely no reference to this camera and sensor in the manual other than than a short paragraph states that "a camera reads the road lanes" for lane change warning. If outside a lane, the wheel will rattle a bit.

Questions, if the camera is for speed sign readings, how do I enable it. If it is not, why is it placed there and what for.

Sorry for repeating my question, but I am serious. I am not trying to create unnessecary posts.

Kind regards
Knubblo

That is the correct location for the Lane Departure camera, but it doesn't look like the OEM part. Check out the diagram of the KaFAS camera here:
RealOEM.com * BMW E70N X5 40dX KaFAS camera
If you google the part number you can find pictires of the actual part and it looks different from what you have installed.

Is there any chance it's aftermarket?

Or perhaps part of this retrofit?
RealOEM.com * BMW E70N X5 40dX BMW Advanced Car Eye

Its a combination of the center dot, and the sensor on the back of the mirror.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0bJSAcF8xk

That is the mirror with the camera you have no?

High Beam Assist Retrofit (FLA) - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums