Reviving this older thread -
My sensor got cracked also and I'm getting the error message. I just checked with my dealer and was quoted $8500 for replacement. I have never used it, so I would rather just "disable" the Night View, but dealer said that it can't be done. When you say that you tried to "code it out" were you just trying to disable it, or code out the need to calibrate it? Is it possible to just disable it as if it wasn't even installed?

 

I have a night vision camera for sale I bought from a Porsche vendor on Bay. It's like new and in excellent condition. If interested I'd sell it for what I paid for it $1800

 

I had listened to the service guy's nonsense about the labor being double if the used camera didn't work. I should've had Porsche install the camera I bought off Ebay

 

My previous S Class had this option, yes it was behind the windshield as you stated but I also got a rock hit and had to replace the windshield ($2300) plus calibration but I did not have to calibrate as it worked out fine. Unless u live in a wooded area with a lot of deer like myself, I wouldn't recommend it as an option if you're building a car. I no longer have that on any of my cars and I don't miss it.

 

By contrast, the number of deer in the hills surrounding San Antonio is insane. I drive early to golf five days a week, and have been saved several times by the camera's alerts, when I clearly did not see the deer with my own eyes. I had considered it invaluable, but $8700 to fix is pretty formidable.

 

There's a discussion elsewhere online - part of the reason the camera's so expen$ive is that the lens isn't glass - it's Germanium, which is required for
the infrared functionality to work - glass won't cut it...


Good luck!

 

OP here - I too like the camera for 1) saved me at least once from a deer, and 2) I love gadgets. Mostly 2.

In answer to the most recent question, "code it out" meant bypass the calibration and just get it working again. My Indie wasn't able to get past the calibration routine, no "skip calibration" button. Did not mean "turn off the camera and pretend it is not there. Might be worth a try though.

If you go back to the beginning of the thread, you will see some links to just the "glass" for about $1000. This is the fix I recommend - no coding, purely mechanical. Removing the bumper is not rocket science and you can change out the engine air filter while you are in there. I don't know how you can disable the function like you are saying, but if that's what you feel like you should do, I would go to the PIWIS thread and ask if someone can do it remotely for you.

If you switch out the box (from my experience) the warning messages just get worse. Mine was like that for a while before the calibration, which cost me ~$850 IIRC after shopping around the local dealers. If it happens again I will just replace the glass and see if that works.

 

orca15 - Thanks for your response. I saw your posts at the beginning of the thread - unfortunately, the first link shows the lens kit as "not available" and the eBay link is $1400 (just for the lens repair kit). Since there is no guarantee that replacing the lens alone won't require the calibration process, the cost of this repair is approaching $2500 - not to mention the possibility that it needs a whole new camera and not just the lens - in which case, I would be better just have the dealer replace it at $8500. Since I never use the NV feature, I was hoping for the simple solution of just coding it out.

I will keep looking for a less expensive lens replacement option, but any other insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

Is there an official PIWIS thread? If so, can someone share a link? I just tried searching and didn't see anything to suggest that I could find someone to code it remotely.

Thanks!

 

just realized this is for a Panamerica. Mine is for 911 and is the complete camera