Those with cameras which mode do you use?

[ktc]

Just wondering -- do those with the cameras use the 270 view mode, or the two-side mode?

[bmxcamel]

Side view for determining how close I am to a parking block.

Surround view to check if I'm parked straightly in a space.

[shockin330i]

Back up camera only. Never got use to not having the front camera

[Super Spartan]

Originally Posted by ktc

Just wondering -- do those with the cameras use the 270 view mode, or the two-side mode?

I use the top view which shows me my car from a top view so I can perfectly see the lines of the parking

[EALm4]

Top view

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by bmxcamel

Side view for determining how close I am to a parking block.

Surround view to check if I'm parked straightly in a space.

Same here. And I use the back-up camera when backing up.

[sandwi54]

Too view to make sure I park perfectly within the lines.

[AIRPOWER]

Top view mostly but I use the front cameras to determine when to stop before I hit the curb. The yellow lines on top of the curb is a good time to stop.

[bmxcamel]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

Top view mostly but I use the front cameras to determine when to stop before I hit the curb. The yellow lines on top of the curb is a good time to stop.

This

[MRV99]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

Top view mostly but I use the front cameras to determine when to stop before I hit the curb. The yellow lines on top of the curb is a good time to stop.

Bravo. I usually use the top view but I will have to give this a shot. I have been parking real short since I have m-performance splitter ?

[AustinGelbM4]

All the cameras at one time or other based on what I want to see. Even use the rear cam to see how close some drivers are behind me. Just as a gauge, those yellow lines on front cameras are about 1ft in front of bumper.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

Top view mostly but I use the front cameras to determine when to stop before I hit the curb. The yellow lines on top of the curb is a good time to stop.

Thanks for posting this. I have been trying to figure out a good use for this view, but couldn't until now. I wonder if this is how BMW intended this view to be used?

I use top view when backing into my "tight" 1-car garage to get near perfect alignment on the first try. I also use top view sometimes in parking lots for the same reason, especially if on an end spot with a curb as one of the sides. Otherwise I use the standard backup camera in most cases, although the more I use top view, it might replace the standard backup view the longer I own the car.

[2kaccordocoupe]

My car has the side view, top down and rear camera. I honestly don't use any of them, for backing up I turn my head and use my eyes and listen for the PDC beeps as I get close. Call me old skool but knowing the dimensions of your car is far more accurate than any camera.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

My car has the side view, top down and rear camera. I honestly don't use any of them, for backing up I turn my head and use my eyes and listen for the PDC beeps as I get close. Call me old skool but knowing the dimensions of your car is far more accurate than any camera.

I guess that this begs the question, why did you get the cameras if you don't use them? (Let me guess, they were already on a car on the dealer's lot.)

Also, rear cameras also allow you to see things that you can't see by turning your head, i.e., anything that might be below your trunk line and out of your line of sight, such as kid's toys, or even a kid. This is why rear backup cameras are required by law by May 2018 and most manufacturers already include them as standard equipment. Rear view cameras were designed to make backing up safer, but they don't preclude also looking backward. Nothing wrong with using your eyes both ways.

And, if more people had top view cameras and used them, perhaps they'd realized that they're completely jacked up in the parking spot.

If you've got them, why not just use them? It doesn't make you any less a driver.

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

I guess that this begs the question, why did you get the cameras if you don't use them? (Let me guess, they were already on a car on the dealer's lot.)

Also, rear cameras also allow you to see things that you can't see by turning your head, i.e., anything that might be below your trunk line and out of your line of sight, such as kid's toys, or even a kid. This is why rear backup cameras are required by law by May 2018 and most manufacturers already include them as standard equipment. Rear view cameras were designed to make backing up safer, but they don't preclude also looking backward. Nothing wrong with using your eyes both ways.

And, if more people had top view cameras and used them, perhaps they'd realized that they're completely jacked up in the parking spot.

If you've got them, why not just use them? It doesn't make you any less a driver.

My car was custom spec ED order, I wanted options that came in the various packages, the cameras just to happen to be in them and nothing we can do about that.

All the use cases you mentioned for requiring a camera are merely a cover up for a lack of driver education and training which is a fundamental problem here in North America.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

All the use cases you mentioned for requiring a camera are merely a cover up for a lack of driver education and training which is a fundamental problem here in North America.

So your solution is just to completely ignore the cameras that you already have? Rear view mirror, side view mirrors, backup cameras, windshield wipers, headlights, rear window defrosters, they're all designed to help you better see your surroundings and all lead to safer driving. But what, we should draw the line at backup cameras because that makes us worse drivers?

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

So your solution is just to completely ignore the cameras that you already have? Rear view mirror, side view mirrors, backup cameras, windshield wipers, headlights, rear window defrosters, they're all designed to help you better see your surroundings and all lead to safer driving. But what, we should draw the line at backup cameras because that makes us worse drivers?

I think that is reaching a bit and way off topic...

To get back to the camera topic I merely said that I don't rely on them to maneuver my vehicle nor do I feel they should be used as a crutch to compensate for driver training. That is why they made it law in NA, to compensate for poor driver education. A driver should be aware of the the cars dimensions and its surroundings when operating it.

We could debate the pros and cons of that all day which is fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Am I going to ignore the cameras, so far yes I have as I have not needed them. Will I need to use them in the future, don't know. Does relying on certain tech make us worse drivers, yes it does.

[DreamSlider ///M]

Actually used the front cameras last night when pulling out of a friend's neighborhood. Bushes pretty close to the cross street, so being able to see traffic around them was nice... if I still lived in Chicago or spent more time downtown in Atlanta, I'd definitely use them more (coming out of an alley with cars parallel parked on either side, anyone?).

Use backup up every time I'm reversing, because seeing below the trunk deck is nice, as is it useful for lining up when backing into a spot... I do wish system defaulted to this view when I put it in reverse... not whatever the last "park assist" view I was using last.

Top down to ensure that I'm centered in the lines after I get in the space.

So... all of them, depending on the situation.

[Alvinized52]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

Top view mostly but I use the front cameras to determine when to stop before I hit the curb. The yellow lines on top of the curb is a good time to stop.

I could never figure out how to use those yellow lines accurately. I have a front lip and damage the first one using these side cams.
I always back in now... but wondering if you have any tips on how to use this better.

[jmciver]

So I have been using the front side view cameras with the yellow lines now since seeing this thread and love it as it is a very accurate way to tell where you are, but I still think you need to "know" your car for it to work effectively for you. In the past, when approaching a curb I would use the reflection on the car next to me to help gauge how close I was, always being more conservative and stopping short. I would check to see how close I got and over time I was able to "calibrate" my eyeball to the point I didn't need to check, even if there were not a car next to me to use as a reference. I would still check periodically, to verify my calibrated eye ball was still good. I have never run my bumper up on to the curb.

With the front side cameras, I still use the same process. I just calibrate my eye ball to the yellow line and distance to the curb. Having a cement curb is nice because if you align the yellow lines with the cement line of the curb, you know you are good. With practice, judging the distance to a curb without cement line will become easier. Of course, when in doubt (and your spidy senses start tingling that you might be getting ready to hit the curb), just stop. Even using the cameras now I still find myself with more room than necessary to the curb. But my eye ball calibration process is still at work with this car as it is still new to me.

[AIRPOWER]

Originally Posted by Alvinized52

I could never figure out how to use those yellow lines accurately. I have a front lip and damage the first one using these side cams.
I always back in now... but wondering if you have any tips on how to use this better.

If the space is flat, when the yellow lines are just before on top of the curb, thats when I stop. You can go to the top of the curb but I get too nervous.....

[Alvinized52]

Originally Posted by AIRPOWER

If the space is flat, when the yellow lines are just before on top of the curb, thats when I stop. You can go to the top of the curb but I get too nervous.....

Problem is.. in most parking lots in my area, there are no curbs like the ones in previous photos. Only small parking blocks in front of car which are not visible on the camera angle. So Those Cameras are rendered pointless for the most common type of situation.