[iviegatron]

I am contemplating if I should get the Parking Assist Package for the drive recorder or blackvue dashcam. I don't necessarily care for the self parking with the parking assist package.

Pros for the drive recorder it's all integrated and out of sight and records full 360 degrees. Downside is it only records a max of 40 seconds (20 before and 20 after an incident).

Pros for Blackvue you can set to record on certain triggers or always on. I would like a dashcam that is always on or triggered if someone tries to vandalize my vehicle while parked or driven for a joyride while at the valet. Plus it's $400 cheaper. Downside, it's visible (maybe this can act as a deterant) and only records front and back, not full 360.

Even though I'm leaning towards the blackvue part of me still says to get the parking assist package. What would you choose?

[Patton250]

I have the 2 channel blackvue 900X and love it. I mostly use it to record encounters while driving around but it’s also good for when I park at hotels because I travel a lot. I keep a spare cell phone in the car to act as a hotspot for the cloud and then I can get notifications on my carry phone if anything happens to my car.

[jonahk]

I have both, and which one you choose depends on your needs. You pretty much covered it in your original post but I'll add my $0.02

I have Parking assist because I REALLY appreciate the piece of mind I get from knowing how far away my nose is from that parking pole, or my wheels from the curb. But as I've discussed in other threads the actual Drive Recorder function is a nice backup but pales in comparison to any modern dash cam (low resolution, poor low light/night performance, limited recording). Yes it can do 360, but at even lower resolution than just the front or rear camera. I would not recommend it solely for the purpose of recording your drive.

Like Patton250 I have a Blackvue dash cam setup, the 750 two channel for front and rear. The resolution is great, it provides piece of mind with 24 hour sentry mode when I'm parked, and like the Drive Recorder its always recording but I don't have to remember to hit a button if there is a close call or I see something interesting. FWIW I had an Anker front/rear setup on my F87 and never once did I think to myself "I wish I had a 360 view"

There are dozens of "great" dash cam setups out there that will do a better job than the Drive Recorder, but those don't help you see curbs or whether or not you're about to destroy your front lip. Get both

[02M3ForMe]

The Parking Assist Package is not a replacement for a true dashcam setup. It's an excellent aid for parking and navigating tight spaces in general. There's also an interesting feature where you can remotely have the car take a 360-degree snapshot of the surroundings and send it to your phone via the MyBMW app. I've used it to determine whether it's a good idea to move my car. If you don't have an auxiliary battery for your dashcam, I've found asking for the pic wakes up the car, which also wakes up the dashcam and give you a couple of minutes of fresh surveillance.

I recommend getting both.

[Ex_Stig]

Another vote for the 2 channel BlackVue. Have it, love it, wouldn't want a car without it.

[buckybadger]

Originally Posted by iviegatron

I am contemplating if I should get the Parking Assist Package for the drive recorder or blackvue dashcam. I don't necessarily care for the self parking with the parking assist package.

Pros for the drive recorder it's all integrated and out of sight and records full 360 degrees. Downside is it only records a max of 40 seconds (20 before and 20 after an incident).

Pros for Blackvue you can set to record on certain triggers or always on. I would like a dashcam that is always on or triggered if someone tries to vandalize my vehicle while parked or driven for a joyride while at the valet. Plus it's $400 cheaper. Downside, it's visible (maybe this can act as a deterant) and only records front and back, not full 360.

Even though I'm leaning towards the blackvue part of me still says to get the parking assist package. What would you choose?

Get the drive recorder! I wish I had got it for my X5.

For a M car it's a no brainer.

[iviegatron]

Originally Posted by 02M3ForMe

The Parking Assist Package is not a replacement for a true dashcam setup. It's an excellent aid for parking and navigating tight spaces in general. There's also an interesting feature where you can remotely have the car take a 360-degree snapshot of the surroundings and send it to your phone via the MyBMW app. I've used it to determine whether it's a good idea to move my car. If you don't have an auxiliary battery for your dashcam, I've found asking for the pic wakes up the car, which also wakes up the dashcam and give you a couple of minutes of fresh surveillance.

I recommend getting both.

I'm convinced, I'll get the blackvue for sure. Will think on the drive recorder.

How does the car sends the snapshot, do you need to purchase a data plan or is that something that's already included with the purchase of the vehicle?

[mzcp]

I also recommend the BlackVue Dashcam with the Aux Battery B-124X. It's much easier to install and you get Parking mode recording for up to 24 h. It also eliminates any wear and tear on your car battery.

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by iviegatron

I'm convinced, I'll get the blackvue for sure. Will think on the drive recorder.

How does the car sends the snapshot, do you need to purchase a data plan or is that something that's already included with the purchase of the vehicle?

Already included with the purchase. You do however have to activate it in iDrive settings before it'll work, and the button is kind of hidden in the myBMW app.

It's too bad it's not a real time feed (takes about 2-3 minutes) but its nice to get a quick glimpse of what's going on around your car. Plus whatever is right next to the car is comically huge, as I demonstrate in this example:

[MKParris]

Originally Posted by jonahk

Already included with the purchase. You do however have to activate it in iDrive settings before it'll work, and the button is kind of hidden in the myBMW app.

It's too bad it's not a real time feed (takes about 2-3 minutes) but its nice to get a quick glimpse of what's going on around your car. Plus whatever is right next to the car is comically huge, as I demonstrate in this example:

I lold at the size of those cars.

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by MKParris

I lold at the size of those cars.

blah blah blah "THE G80 IS SO BIG" blah blah blah

Bro did you SEE the size of that 318????

[iviegatron]

Originally Posted by jonahk

Already included with the purchase. You do however have to activate it in iDrive settings before it'll work, and the button is kind of hidden in the myBMW app.

It's too bad it's not a real time feed (takes about 2-3 minutes) but its nice to get a quick glimpse of what's going on around your car. Plus whatever is right next to the car is comically huge, as I demonstrate in this example:

Lol that's hilarious.

Is it always like that or only in certain situations?

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by iviegatron

Lol that's hilarious.

Is it always like that or only in certain situations?

all the time. it's the wide angle perspective from the cameras and gets even more hilarious the closer you are to the car

[plussizemodel]

Originally Posted by Patton250

I have the 2 channel blackvue 900X and love it. I mostly use it to record encounters while driving around but it’s also good for when I park at hotels because I travel a lot. I keep a spare cell phone in the car to act as a hotspot for the cloud and then I can get notifications on my carry phone if anything happens to my car.

I have the blackvue 750x and haven’t figured out how to keep it constantly connected to the cloud. Does the spare cell work well for you?

[sleepy floyd]

I put a Vantop rear view mirror in my Wrangler. It's got front and rear cameras (4K in front) and the rear view mirror function is great for seeing past the back seats and rear mounted spare. I hard-wired it and it's got a battery for when the the key isn't engaged.

The big mirror is probably overkill for the M Car, but I'm very happy with it.

[mzcp]

Originally Posted by plussizemodel

I have the blackvue 750x and haven’t figured out how to keep it constantly connected to the cloud. Does the spare cell work well for you?

You need to use a Wi-Fi hotspot or the USB LTE module to upload your videos

[kjx]

Originally Posted by iviegatron

I am contemplating if I should get the Parking Assist Package for the drive recorder or blackvue dashcam. I don't necessarily care for the self parking with the parking assist package.

Pros for the drive recorder it's all integrated and out of sight and records full 360 degrees. Downside is it only records a max of 40 seconds (20 before and 20 after an incident).

Pros for Blackvue you can set to record on certain triggers or always on. I would like a dashcam that is always on or triggered if someone tries to vandalize my vehicle while parked or driven for a joyride while at the valet. Plus it's $400 cheaper. Downside, it's visible (maybe this can act as a deterant) and only records front and back, not full 360.

Even though I'm leaning towards the blackvue part of me still says to get the parking assist package. What would you choose?

Only the park assist package gives you the top down cameras and front bumper camera (to avoid hitting the curb). Get it for that. Drive recorder is not a good substitute for a dash cam.

Even though it was set up properly, in a pinch when someone almost hit me, I went into it to force a recording. And guess what? It showed me a disclaimer and made me go through a multi-step setup process again (as though I'd never done it). For something so consequential as liability and fault attribution, I cannot rely on that. So I've a BlackVue.

[Solarium]

I'm thinking of getting the 750x instead of the 900x for the size of those videos being uploaded. I'm buying it now, what do I choose for:

Memory Capacity
-thinking of getting 32gb then just upgrading myself to a 1 TB one or something. What type of SD card upgrade do I get?
Parking Mode Add-on
-thinking fuse taps instead of battery. Which fuse tap type do I pick for the M3?
LTE Connectivity Module
-don't need, just need wifi to upload at home.
Tamper-Proof Case
-wasn't going to select it, do I need it?

[Ex_Stig]

Originally Posted by Solarium

I'm thinking of getting the 750x instead of the 900x for the size of those videos being uploaded. I'm buying it now, what do I choose for:

Memory Capacity
-thinking of getting 32gb then just upgrading myself to a 1 TB one or something. What type of SD card upgrade do I get?
Parking Mode Add-on
-thinking fuse taps instead of battery. Which fuse tap type do I pick for the M3?
LTE Connectivity Module
-don't need, just need wifi to upload at home.
Tamper-Proof Case
-wasn't going to select it, do I need it?

Don't get an upgraded memory card from BlackVue. They are absurdly priced and mine failed after 6 months.

Coincidentally, the warranty on the camera is for one year, but they only warranty the SD card for 6 months.

The tamper proof case is nice if you have the camera hardwired because then it can't be unplugged (by the service department). But, if you are going to get a Blendmount, which I highly recommend, then you can't use the tamper proof case.

[MauiSteve]

I think you really need to consider both. Main problem with the BMW Parking Assist Pkg is the cameras don't trigger on from an event when the car is parked and off. Some !@#$ing tourist recently left a parking lot dent on my G30 back bumper in a lot without security cameras. Insurance estimate was $1968.00 The BlackVue front/rear system can trigger on for those and maybe catch the offender. Until BMW Parking Assist can protect in a similar manner you are more vulnerable.

[Solarium]

Originally Posted by Ex Stig

Don't get an upgraded memory card from BlackVue. They are absurdly priced and mine failed after 6 months.

Coincidentally, the warranty on the camera is for one year, but they only warranty the SD card for 6 months.

The tamper proof case is nice if you have the camera hardwired because then it can't be unplugged (by the service department). But, if you are going to get a Blendmount, which I highly recommend, then you can't use the tamper proof case.

It's the typical SD card right, not the micro SD?

I'm also using a radar detector (Uniden R7), and I've heard the Blendmount is superb. Is there one that will mount both the R7 and the Blackvue?

Also, the fuse type, which do I pick: ATO fuse, low profile mini fuse, or mini fuse - is there only 1 that's compatible with the M3?

Thanks again!

[Ex_Stig]

Originally Posted by Solarium

It's the typical SD card right, not the micro SD?

I'm also using a radar detector (Uniden R7), and I've heard the Blendmount is superb. Is there one that will mount both the R7 and the Blackvue?

Also, the fuse type, which do I pick: ATO fuse, low profile mini fuse, or mini fuse - is there only 1 that's compatible with the M3?

Thanks again!

About 2 years ago I messaged Blendmout to ask if they had anything that could hold more than one device and they didn't have anything then. Guessing this is still the case now.

Sadly, I can't help with the wiring. I had a shop run my wires above the headliner and back to the battery in the trunk.