E90 wing mirror glass replacement
Discussion
Smashed the wing mirror glass in my LCI E90. The part is 51167158309, I think? - mirror glass, heated, wide-angle left, as per https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=PM12... (my car does have option S430A). I'll have to get some actual prices on Monday when places are open, but from searching online it looks like OEM replacements might be quite a lot more expensive than I was expecting. Anybody got any particular recommendations for a good alternative, that's not going to be a piece of junk?
I guess at some point the wiring changed, as I've seen a few advertised as suitable for the E90 that have just a pair of pins (presumably for the heating), but mine has a little plastic socket that connects to a plug on a wire inside the housing.
I assume I lose the auto-dimming feature, and/or the glass isn't quite as good, but I can probably manage.
I guess at some point the wiring changed, as I've seen a few advertised as suitable for the E90 that have just a pair of pins (presumably for the heating), but mine has a little plastic socket that connects to a plug on a wire inside the housing.
I assume I lose the auto-dimming feature, and/or the glass isn't quite as good, but I can probably manage.
OEM glass is eye wateringly expensive.
When a nice chap driving too fast, over the white lines took the drivers side mirror off my other half’s 125i earlier this year I bought sone tinted eBay specials and they’ve been fine. Fit is good, the heating elements work fine and being tinted the worst of the glare is reduced.
When a nice chap driving too fast, over the white lines took the drivers side mirror off my other half’s 125i earlier this year I bought sone tinted eBay specials and they’ve been fine. Fit is good, the heating elements work fine and being tinted the worst of the glare is reduced.
My passenger one got broken on my E46 Compact and I got a replacement heated glass from Euro Car Parts for £24.99 which worked fine.
To be honest I was pleasantly surprised it was the right one, because the Compacts had a different shape mirror to the rest of the E46 range!
Might be worth an enquiry anyway.
To be honest I was pleasantly surprised it was the right one, because the Compacts had a different shape mirror to the rest of the E46 range!
Might be worth an enquiry anyway.
Court_S said:
OEM glass is eye wateringly expensive.
It certainly is. I remember a young lad at my daughters school opening his door by accident as I was driving past in the E92 M3. His smashed the offside wing mirror glass, and I was as cool as a cucumber at the time it happened...well I was until I went into BMW and I asked for a quote! £325...just for the glass! 
Needless to say that I ended up going for an eBay replacement instead. It was never quite the same though to be fair.
Thanks for the replies. Anybody know what, specifically, makes the OEM glass so expensive?
Got a surprise low battery warning from the car shortly after posting - it gets driven for 70 miles most days, so that's a bit unexpected. Is this normal if a heated mirror is unplugged? I've put the mirror back in for now (there's still about 50% of the glass left, might come in handy anyway), and I'll see what happens.
Got a surprise low battery warning from the car shortly after posting - it gets driven for 70 miles most days, so that's a bit unexpected. Is this normal if a heated mirror is unplugged? I've put the mirror back in for now (there's still about 50% of the glass left, might come in handy anyway), and I'll see what happens.
cerb4.5lee said:
to3m said:
I assume I lose the auto-dimming feature, and/or the glass isn't quite as good, but I can probably manage.
That is where I ended up with it too. I certainly wasn't willing to pay silly money at BMW just for a tiny piece of glass for sure. 
to3m said:
Never been convinced by the auto dimming anyway, and every now and again it goes mad and dims for no reason. But maybe I'll miss it once it's gone? Looks like I'm going to find out!
Agree. It’s so faint on the external mirrors that it’s not particularly helpful. I do like it on the rearview mirror though. I remember when I was much younger and my dad had an E34M5 that the early system actually used a motor to ‘dip’ the rearview mirror for you when it detected light from behind. Was like witchcraft at the time
cerb4.5lee said:
Court_S said:
OEM glass is eye wateringly expensive.
It certainly is. I remember a young lad at my daughters school opening his door by accident as I was driving past in the E92 M3. His smashed the offside wing mirror glass, and I was as cool as a cucumber at the time it happened...well I was until I went into BMW and I asked for a quote! £325...just for the glass! Needless to say that I ended up going for an eBay replacement instead. It was never quite the same though to be fair.
cerb4.5lee said:
Court_S said:
OEM glass is eye wateringly expensive.
It certainly is. I remember a young lad at my daughters school opening his door by accident as I was driving past in the E92 M3. His smashed the offside wing mirror glass, and I was as cool as a cucumber at the time it happened...well I was until I went into BMW and I asked for a quote! £325...just for the glass! Needless to say that I ended up going for an eBay replacement instead. It was never quite the same though to be fair.
Managed to buy the very last 2 OEM spec glass from ECP (albeit with the BMW roundel scrubbed off) for £65 EACH! Both drivers side glass; but they fit the left simply by flipping them upside down
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