Re: E34 retro heated mirrors

["Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rahul,

Pop a mirror off and see if you have any wires attached.  If so, then your 
car is wired for heated mirrors, and replacing the mirrors will give you the 
feature.  The wide angle European mirror that I mentioned:

51 16 8 119 724

(The first number is 51, not 56, as I mis-typed previously...DOH!)

will work on the non-M3 3-series, as well as the E34.  The same mirror fits 
on both sides of the car, as an extra wide angle portion on the outside 
edge.  It really improves your vision on the left side (when compared to a 
normal plane mirror).  Just remember that "OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN 
THEY APPEAR".  Apparently we're idiots in the US, because European cars are 
equipped with wide angle mirrors, but no warning is required on the mirrors 
(unlike our wide angle passenger side mirrors in the US).

If you don't want the wide angle mirrors, but want heated mirrrors, try 
these:

51 16 8 119 710  Mirror glass heated plane  (driver's side)
51 16 8 119 711  Mirror glass heated convex  (passenger side)

Both of my BMWs had mirrors with wires, but they didn't really heat up, they 
would get slightly warm.  The window sticker for my M3 doesn't list heated 
mirrors as a standard feature or an option.  By replacing the mirrors with 
the wide angle European mirrors, I now have heated mirrors on both cars.

Why would BMW wire a car for heated mirrors, but not install them?  There's 
a bean counter in Munich who could probably tell you why.


Ron Buchalski
BMWCCA #76387
1995 E36 M3
1993 E34 525iT
1999 Mazda Miata


>
>Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 13:04:41 -0800 (PST)
>From: **Rahul** <my_bimr@domain.elided>
>Subject: Re: E34 retro heated mirrors
>
>I have a '95 325i, will i be able to retrofit it with heated mirrors ?
>thnx,
>Rahul



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