Q about replacement mirror glass

P

parabolica

Member
Hello,

New to the forum having just picked up a great '03 3.0 roadster. I need to change the p/side mirror glass due to yellowing; seller included newly purchased (from BMW) glass in the sale but didn't fit it due to it arriving the day I picked up the car. I got the old glass out however I've noticed a difference between the pieces and not sure how to proceed.

The original glass has a plastic surround (which the new one doesn't) and has additional wires running to it which I believe are for the external temp sensors? The wires don't seem to appear on RealOEM.com so I'm not 100% sure, but they seem integral to the mirror with no way to remove them (i.e. no visible connectors) from the old piece. Also the heating element connectors are positioned differently on the new piece (old piece = positioned to the n/s, new piece = o/s) however I don't think this matters.

All my searches online about replacing the glass don't seem to reference these additional wires at all - does anyone know what they are/how I'm supposed to transpose them to the new mirror? Does the surround snap off and snap onto the new glass? The only video I found referencing them, the guy cut the wires off because he didn't know what they were (real helpful).
 
Fairly certain the wires will be because they are auto-dimming mirrors, do you notice that happening?
 
That would make sense; mirrors do auto dim although the p/side has deteriorated - probably connected to the yellowing of the glass.

So find question is how do I get these wires transposed to my new mirror? There doesn't appear to be a physical connector for them. Currently the wires just disappear behind the plastic housing that the mirror is attached to.
 
You would need to buy the correct mirror, either that or lose the ability to dim if you use the mirror you currently have.
 
According to the paperwork the replacement I have is for heated and auto-dimming cars; both the old and new mirrors have a gap on the plastic backing where these wires go in and disappear, so it looks like I have the correct part. It's just there appears to be no-way to remove these wires from the original mirror? I tried gently pulling on them but they are well connected somehow (that I can't see).

Worse case I'll crack the backing off the old mirror and investigate; I was just hoping someone had replaced their mirrors previously and encountered the same.
 
When I had to fix my passenger side mirror the wires for the heated function were connected with individual small bullet type connectors. I think that there are some how to videos on youtube
 
These random wires aren't for the heated element; they are in addition to it. All the vids and guides I've found online either don't refer to these additional wires, or the author doesn't know what they are for either. This video (https://youtu.be/re0LJCtk2kU) shows them best at 2.36.

The wires originate somewhere in the mirror housing, then loop out and behind the plastic backing on the mirror glass, then attach somehow before looping back out the same hole in the plastic backing and back into the mirror housing. Going to crack it open in a few days time when I'm in the workshop and diagnose; worse case I'll just cut and tape up the wires, but it would be good to know what they are for.

ETA I just read that youtube vid's comments for the first time; looks like they are for self-dimming. Still no idea how to transpose them though. Will crack it open and find out.
 
Post up a picture of the rear of the new mirror.

They are indeed for auto dimming, so you want to connect them. The mirror won't have been cheap.
 
There are at least three types of mirrors that I have had. 1– Euro, non dimming, with a convex outer part. 2- flat left, convex right, US version, non dimming. Neither has the extra wires, both of the ones I’ve seen are heated. 3- convex / flat combo like 2, but dimming, with extra wires and plastic surround and a tendency to leak the magic fluid. There probably are others.

Sounds likeOP had number 3. Leaking ones can be repaired for about $100.
 
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