BMW X3 - Which fuse slots for hard wiring? [Photos]

[crosis]

I want to hard-wire install a dash cam into my 2011 BMW X3. I have all the appropriate parts. What I'm unable to discover are which fuse slots to use for the ACC and Constant.

For the life of me i cant make sense of the BMW fuse diagram nor am i able to accurately test which fuse slot is appropriate. I've provided images of the Fuse Tap, the glove box fuse bank and the vehicle's fuse diagrams. Please, someone just tell me which fuse numbers will suffice for ACC and Constant. Keep in mind the Fuse Tap must be installed into a suitable slot which accommodates the adjacent tail / power side.

Thanks

 

[753951]

I have 2021 X3 and my fuse box looks different than yours. But the provided sheet has same icons. For ACC you want one of the fuses with icon in lower right corner (1, 54, 65, 143, 144, 171, 176). Only 1, 54 and 65 are in the glove box, so chose one that fits the size of the fuse tap you have, but 54 would be my choice due to amperage (20A).

For Constant I used an open slot (unused originally), so it was not listed on the sheet. I used multimeter to measure if it's alive (between the fuse and the ground). Try 20-22 or 41-42. In order to determine if it provides constant power I had to to prepare everything for measurement, get in, close the doors and wait 7 minutes for car to shut everything off (that's how 2021 model works). Then I connected one probe to the slot, and the other probe to the ground (find some beefy screw in the fuse box or close to it, that connects to the chassis). If it gives you reading of 12V (could be slightly higher or slightly lower), that's your slot.

 

[crosis]

I have 2021 X3 and my fuse box looks different than yours. But the provided sheet has same icons. For ACC you want one of the fuses with icon in lower right corner (1, 54, 65, 143, 144, 171, 176). Only 1, 54 and 65 are in the glove box, so chose one that fits the size of the fuse tap you have, but 54 would be my choice due to amperage (20A).

For Constant I used an open slot (unused originally), so it was not listed on the sheet. I used multimeter to measure if it's alive (between the fuse and the ground). Try 20-22 or 41-42. In order to determine if it provides constant power I had to to prepare everything for measurement, get in, close the doors and wait 7 minutes for car to shut everything off (that's how 2021 model works). Then I connected one probe to the slot, and the other probe to the ground (find some beefy screw in the fuse box or close to it, that connects to the chassis). If it gives you reading of 12V (could be slightly higher or slightly lower), that's your slot.

Wonderful. I will give this a try tonight. Thanks in advance!

 

[crosis]

Out of curiosity from the BMW fuse diagram you see icons with several fuse #s. Is it trying to say each icon can use from 1 fuse up to 14 fuses in the case of the Heads Up Display? I do see the same #s being reused elsewhere but it is still crazy to see this spaghetti in electronics, assuming I'm understanding things. So if fuse #8 fails then i'm looking at failure in:
+ Steering Column
+ HUD
+ Headlights
+ Parking Sensors
+ Car Horn
+ Door Locks
+ Wipers
+ Instrument Panel
+ AC
??

 

[753951]

You would be, probably, looking at the failure in some of them, not all of them. Over the decades, I think, they optimized it as much as possible. On the other hand, they don't want just anyone to be able to fix things, do they?