Re: E36 Mirrors & Sideskirts

["Alex Matthews" <alex@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I posted a message a little while ago regarding tips on changing 
the mirrors and side skirts on an E36 Coupe. There was a definate 
lack of replies, I don't know whether this was because there's a 
general lack of knowledge on the subject or what, but I went 
ahead and did it anyway with a view to sharing what I learnt.

Its a bit long winded so I'll do mirrors in this mail and follow 
up with the skirts later.

Whilst I have tried to record everything please note that details 
may differ slightly from my car/experiences so treat this as a 
guide only, not professional advice.

Mirrors

Replacing the standard electric mirrors on an E36 with M-Tech 
ones.

Tools:  10mm socket and wrench (may differ)
        Flat head screwdriver
        Long nosed pliers
        (An assistant to support the mirror is useful)

First, get your new mirrors sprayed in body colour, make sure you 
have 3 bolts and 3 washers with each mirror and there is a 
connector on each mirror with four wires.

The next step is to remove the black triangular panel from the 
inside of the car directly behind the mirror. This is a snap on 
panel held by 3 protruding clips. Start at the top and gently 
pull it off using the screwdriver to lever as close to the clips 
as possible. When all 3 are pulled out you can gently wriggle the 
bottom of the panel out from behind the door panel. The wiring 
loom for the mirror passes through a clip on this panel so be 
careful not to pull too hard.

Now the panel is off you should be able to see 2 bolt heads. 
There is a third hidden behind the rubber flap that folds around 
the front of the door. Get someone to support the mirror while 
you remove the 3 bolts taking care not to let them drop down into 
the door. The mirror should now come loose (it might be a little 
stuck to the rubber pad behind)

Next gently pull the wire up from inside the door until you find 
the plug (it might already be in view) and disconnect the mirror. 
Make sure the plug on the loom doesn't slip down into the door! 
Push the rubber grommit around the wire outwards and remove the 
mirror and wire from the door completely.

The next step is to get the rubber grommit off the wire on the 
old mirror and on to the wire on the new mirror. This is where 
the long nosed pliers come in. Push the nose of the pliers 
through the hole in the grommit and open them, using them like 
forceps. The grommit should stretch wide enough to get the plug 
through.

So thats the off with the old.....now on with the new.

First put the grommit onto the wire of the new mirror using the 
pliers as above. Pass the wire through the hole and connect to 
the loom. (Its helpful if someone can support the mirror for you 
during all this) Before going any further you can now test the 
mirror with the ignition on to check everything is working. This 
saves having to take it off again if there is a problem.

The rest is pretty much the reverse of the removal procedure. 
Push the grommit back into place. When tightning the bolts it 
helps if you leave them loose until you have all 3 in, otherwise 
aligning the holes could be difficult. Go round tightening each 
one a little at a time whilst checking the mirror correctly mates 
with the rubber pad behind. Be careful not to let the rubber get 
folded over at the edges, you might have to poke it in a bit with 
the screwdriver as you tighten the mirror. This is important, as 
you want a water tight seal. (Don't over tighten however)

When the new mirror is in place, check again to see it its 
working OK. Replace the triangular panel, first clipping the plug 
in the loom back into into its clip on the panel. Slide the base 
of the panel back behind the door panel taking care not to pull 
on the wires and making sure the edges of the panel tuck into 
their slots in the rubber pad.

Finally pat yourself on the back and be awestruck at your car's 
new image.

Hope that helps someone out there

Alex

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