[Scrutineer]

Maybe I shouldn't be trying to install this before I've had my coffee, but I'm stumped on what seems from all the videos to be an easy install.

I've got the FitcamX, and I've used a trim tool to separate the two halves of the OEM mirror housing. No problem. No broken clips. The driver side completely comes off as expected. But the passenger side remains connected. In all the videos both sides just pop off.

It looks like the BMW front camera is connected inside the housing to a cable that's running up and into the headliner. Please have a look at this short video to illustrate, along with a couple stills below.

I'm waiting for guidance from the company but hoping someone here can help in the meantime. What am I doing wrong?

[T.Y.]

You may have watched my fitcamX install video on YT (#spec_egg). It's probably because the 23/24 MY car didn't come with a front camera from BMW so the two halves of OEM mirror housing just pop off easily. I think BMW only added the front camera starting on the 2025 MY car.

I'm not sure if it's worth it to ditch the BMW front camera for this dashcam although the design is super sleek....so sleek that BMW decided to also put a camera at the same place haha. I'd probably return it and just get another dashcam. Hope this is helpful.

[Scrutineer]

Thanks for your reply!

I’m still waiting for a response on this from FitcamX - not impressed with their responsiveness so far.

From what you can tell through, I’m not missing something obvious, right?

[DomMuc]

fitcamx does not fit on my25 cars .. because oem adcam moved from windshield to mirror housing

[blackdarkeye]

The my25 g87 has different model.

Is this the model you purchased? It specifically has a cutout for the camera - https://fitcamx.com/products/fitcamx...7b1593a0&_ss=r..

[Scrutineer]

Originally Posted by blackdarkeye

The my25 g87 has different model.

Is this the model you purchased? It specifically has a cutout for the camera - https://fitcamx.com/products/fitcamx...1593a0&_ss=r..

Thanks. Yes, that’s the one I did purchase. What threw me, though, is the BMW front camera is integrated into the plastic housing, as DomMuc notes above. So when you separate the OEM plastic pieces, the driver-side piece comes off as expected, but the passenger side hangs there, still attached to the car, because the front camera is in the plastic housing, and the cable it is attached to runs up into the center of the headliner. That’s not what the videos I’d seen show, so I was lost.

Long story short, I got someone’s attention at FitcamX this morning and they advised in an extended email back and forth that the front camera could be removed from the housing and then inserted into the FitcamX housing. That’s true, and the end of the story is I’m all good now with everything buttoned up neatly and a functioning, stealthy dash cam.

This was not, however, nearly as straightforward as some of the videos suggest. I didn’t make my own video, though, because it was too dark and too cold and I was working against a meeting I had to make. So hopefully the following summary of some of the challenges will help others:

1. Detaching the BMW front camera

You have to separate the BMW front camera from the passenger-side plastic into which it is clipped. So, separate the OEM trim pieces, set the driver side piece to the side, and then you have to depress two clips that are holding the camera in place. They are small and fragile. The locations are circled in red in the photo below. The clip that holds the rear of the camera in place was hard for me to manipulate and I broke it. Fair warning. The clip that holds the left side of the camera in place was easier. With those two clips out of the way, you can slide the camera out. There’s a little hook inside that plastic that holds the wire up and out of the way on its way to the headliner. Just gently work that free.

By the way, be cautious with that camera. It is not connected to the cable with a plug, like the rain sensor. I assume it is soldered or connected in some other fashion meant to be permanent.

2. Putting the BMW front camera in the FitcamX housing

Getting the camera into the FitcamX housing was non-trivial, but doable. The front edge is meant to fit into a little track in the housing. I got it lined up but focused on the clip to the rear first. Had to force that up a little to engage the camera and when it was lined up, I applied pressure from the rear, toward the front, to slide the whole assembly into place. There’s a satisfying click when you get it and you’ll be able to see that it’s good.

3. Getting the wires out of the way

Finally, just like in nearly any damn electrical project I’ve ever done, getting the wires out of the way to allow the two Fitcam pieces to snap back together was the hassle. No sage advice for you here, other than to get a lot of light up there and use some small trim tools to shove the wires out of the way as you’re squeezing the pieces together, and keep them from getting pinched by the clips. Starting from the bottom worked out best for me.

The other piece of this that is not unique to the LCI is getting the rain sensor connector in and out. My fat fingers made that tough. I thought about pulling the plug underneath to allow more access but instead used a skinny pair of needle nose pliers to grab it as if they were my fingers and gently work it backwards.

I’ll probably have more to say about the camera itself at a later date, but that’s it for now on the installation.