Does anyone of a step by step guide to removing the OEM wing mirrors and fitting M5 mirrors? I know that quite a few have done this mod, and I thought I would ask before purchasing the M5 mirrors to see how difficult it is and to avoid scratching my trim.

 

No probs. Here you go.

Firstly Disconnect Battery (-ve terminal only). It's in the boot on the right hand side near the wheel well. You need to remove part of the Carpet trim to access it. You need to do this so you don't accidentally set off the airbag. Remember to wind down the windows beforehand.

Get a grown up helper to help you. It takes 2 ppl to remove the door trim. 1 person to hold trim, while other fits the mirror in. You will need a set of Torx head screw bits.

Second you need to remove Door trim: A little force (but not too much!) is required here. Be careful not to rip out all the wiring behind the panel!
3_RA_Removing_and_installing_left_or_right_front_door_trim_panel_1_.pdf

Third you need to remove mirrors. Best to spray some WD40 on the 3 torx screw heads, because they are thread tapping and will become stiff over time.........the last thing you want to do is damage the screwhead.
replacing_mirror_on_left_or_right_front_door_1_.pdf.
When fitting make sure you screw in very carefully..........as I said they are thread tapping screws...so you want to create the thread correctly first time !

Inevitably you may need to get your M5 mirrors painted, so here's also a guide on how to dismantle them. The trickiest part here is feeding the wiring through the base plate (you need to remove the adapters from the plugs). Also remove the Grommet..........althought it's not easy!
mirror_1_.pdf

Above all make sure you buy the correct version of mirrors.......There is a difference between LHD and RHD, and contrary to popular belief it ain't just the base plate that is different, it is the whole metal carrier that is a different part for LHD and RHD.........I should know!! Also a difference between Pre and Post 9/2005. I am not sure if introduction of LCI models have changed anything.

It's not difficult to do........just fiddly and requires patience. Make sure you have a decent set of tools.

Any probs give me a call.....PM me if you want my number.

 

Ha, I didnt need anyone to help me remove and install my mirrors... I did it all by myself! hahaha


Hey Gudge, what's up with the mirrors?



MK

 

how long did it take you to do it.

 

like... less than an hour.


It'll probably take you maybe 2 hours since taking apart the doors might be new to you. Also you'll need a bunch of torque heads / screws to take the mirrors off and put it back on. Them torque screws are really tight.


Good luck!



MK

 

MK - PM Sent. What did you think of my write up........Thanks for reitterating about the Torque screws........damn those things are tight, which leads to more risk of damaging the screw head.........anything else you wanted to add ?

 

With the tourque screws, I used a torque head and a torque wrench (socket wrench attached to the head) made life a lot easier.


Best advice, just be careful and be patient. once you are done, you'll feel great and glad you didnt bring it to a shop to install it for you and pay for it too. heh



MK

 

I attempted to fit these mirrors today.

After removing the original mirrors, I found that the original mirrors have 4 wires (Brown,Red,Green and White) the M5 mirrors only have three wires (Brown, Red and Green). I changed the plugs to have the three wires correctly, re-installed the M5 mirrors, which after re-installation they did not move at all for tilt adjustment. Also the I-drive system shows a restraint Error, giving both a picture of the Air Bag and seat belt warings, is there any way to reset i-drive after disconnecting the battery? I reinstalled the factory mirror waiting for replies on the wiring but the error still exsists on idrive

Perhaps I shouldnt have unplugged the side air bags, but the battery negative terminal was disconnected at the time...

HELP!

 

I believe when SonicMS installed my mirrors, they didnt remove the side air bag wires. That is why you need two people to install. One to hold the door trim the other to put the side mirror on.

 

Perhaps that was my mistake to remove the wires, now what though, do I need to return the car to BMW to reset the system? On top of that the M5 wires did not work, they only had three wires coming out where the original mirrors has four and a different connector!!!

M5 connector attahed, original mirrors have one extra cable which is white!