After seeing & driving the car, the thing I'd have the hardest time deciding on would be the tech pkg.

JMO, but....
- The ICC sensor on the front bumper really looks fugggggly.....
- I never really use cruise anyway, so ICC is of no interest.
- AFS adaptive lighting; probably good but I could live w/o it... give me HID bi-xenons & I'm happy.

But.... rear view monitor; that was sweet on my test drive.
I wonder how difficult it would be to add a rear view camera...
It might be as simple as replacing the chrome spoiler with the camera spoiler.
I wouldn't be surprized if it was already prewired to the trunk lid.

Your thinking is exactly in line with my thoughts Ian, which was why I decided to exclude the tech package.

If I had to guess, I would say that it is definitely pre-wired to the trunk.

I wonder why they didnt place the sensor behind the grill like on the new Lexus ES350, that way you don't see it.

Sure, it may be easy to add a camera, but I bet you'd have to enable it somehow in the car's computer or NAV system. Or even Non-NAV system? I agree, that would be totally sweet to get it without the tech pkg.

I'm hardly an expert on such things, but adding the rear view monitor function must involve more than just adding a camera to the trunk. It's the firmware that superimposes the distance markers and anticipated-path lines and ties the camera to the steering, not the camera itself. I very much doubt that the company would be interested in giving out the proprietary firmware separate from the Tech package. Why should they?

I'm betting that the software is there already... just needs the input device or to be enabled.

For example, I have an AVIC-D1 right now.
As soon as I added the iPod input.... everything worked.
adding input to the port is what enabled it.

You may be right though... it may need to be s/w enabled.
I know when you buy the iPod link for BMW it requires a software patch.
This is done by the dealer.
.... I could live with that.

Wow guys, I didn't know the bumpers were that ugly. Is there a picture of the ICC bumper and the rearview Camera? pretty please.

TIA

Thanks for the pictures.
The front bumper I can live with, but is it necessary to have the wing chromed in the back with the backup camera?

It's not a wing, actually, it's the trunk lip, but to answer your question - it sure wasn't necessary for the company to chrome it, but it having been done, it's unavoidable unless you have it painted or something.

The chrome rear lip is there regardless of the camera...

that sucks, I don't like that .... I would change it if I had to live with it.

Exactly my thoughts.

If the Tech package turns out to be an expensive gig, I won't think twice before forgoing it...

Daniel, the tech package is $1200 CDN so I would expect somewhere around $1k US. It would of been cool to have, but I just didn't see it as a necessity.

These were my thoughts but I went with the package as we need to back the car into the garage most times and my wife isn't comfortable doing so. I figure the tech package is better than a paint job.