[studavis]

Hi all, sorry for not following up on my post. to recap, I purchased the broken part from http://www.hongmei.com.tw/shop/side-...for-bmw-x1-x3/. US75 plus shipping, arrived very quickly and fitted perfectly. As the surrounding spring needs to be compressed and it's very strong, I had to get a mechanic to fix it. He took the mirror to the workshop so I did not see how it was done but he said it was not easy. Luckily, as I currently reside in Malaysia, the work only cost USD90 so all in all, much cheaper than the replacement. The replacement part is cast aluminum, magpies14 steel replacment is probably a better bet.

[bradleyland]

Just an update to this thread for anyone else having this issue. The driver's side exterior mirror on our 2013 F25 just popped the other day, and I came across this thread. I really don't want to spend >$600 on a full mirror assembly, so this part looks like a winner. I contacted Hongmei and they sent me an updated website link to a site that has more of a shopping car style system.

http://www.twwongtai.com/product_info.php?no=300

[bradleyland]

Further research (thx magpies14) identified this stainless part available out of the UK.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Exter....m46890.l49292

[bradleyland]

I ended up ordering direct through Marcin (via FB Messenger) rather than through eBay. Ordered parts on the 13th; arrived this morning on the 18th. These are definitely going to be the nicest parts on our F25, outside of the engine internals. Stainless steel, CNC machined. They're so pretty, I almost don't want to install them

The holes are for easier installation. You insert a 4mm hex wrench so you can twist them while they're in a press/vice to compress the spring.

View post on imgur.com

(Click for larger image)

[bradleyland]

Did the install over the weekend. Here are some notes for anyone coming after me. My notes are for the driver's side, so you may need to reverse some things for the passenger side.

Tools Needed

• Torx bit set; T20 for the door card screws and most mirror hardware, T27 for the bolts that hold the wing mirror on
• Tiny flat blade screwdriver for prying clips loose
• A cotter pin extractor tool is useful, but not 100% required
• Set of plastic car trim removal tools
• Nitrile gloves (there is a lot of grease on some parts of the mirror)

Before You Start

Turn the ignition on and adjust the mirror all the way inward. This makes removing the glass easier. I also recommend rolling the window down so that you can easily reach through to grab the mirror during removal.

This job requires a press. If you don't have a press, you'll need to find a friend who does, because you cannot compress the spring far enough by hand. Using channel locks might be possible, but the spring is robust, so have a contingency for access to a press.

Door Card Removal

There are videos online, but here are the basics. There are five screws holding the door card on. Two at the bottom edge, two in the door pull (on the driver's side), and one behind the tweeter cover. Pry the tweeter cover off starting at the edge closest to the dashboard.

With all the screws out, pry the card off starting at the bottom using your plastic trim removal tool like a crowbar. It just pops off. It sounds bad, but the clips are pretty resilient, and you can break a couple without worry. There are a ton of them and they're cheap if you want to order some online (google BMW door panel clips). Keep an eye out for the little felt anti-squeak washers. They like to stick to the door and fall off.

Once the card is loose, there are a bunch of wires that need to be disconnected. The tweeter disconnects at the door speaker, not the tweeter. The others plugs pretty straight forward, but there are a few LED lights that have to be unclipped from their diffusers. Just be careful when prying them off. The tabs are springy, but they will break if you force them. To hold the door card while you're working on it, insert it in the door frame, as if you were closing the door, only just put the card there. You can hold it with your knee while you work, and the door frame and seat supports it perfectly.

Window Trim Removal

There's a piece of black plastic trim in your way, and it's not very obvious how to get it off. Grab a slim plastic trim removal tool and slide it between the trim and the door along the flat part at the bottom-front corner. There is a single metal friction clip that holds this piece in place. You can tell where it is by how the material flexes. The clip is where the plastic stays put. Move your tool as close as possible to this point and pull out. Careful, the clip will drop off once it's out. I put a tiny dab of silicone on there to hold it in place for reinstallation.

Mirror Removal

There are three T27 bolts holding the mirror on, as well as a plug for all the mirror electronics. Unplug the connector and remove the three T27 bolts. My mirror still stuck to the car pretty good, but it's a good idea to support it as you remove these bolts. Give the mirror a little wiggle and a tug and it should come right off. There is a lot of sound insulation behind there, so if it's stuck, take care not to damage it.

Mirror Trim Removal

First we have to remove the mirror glass. If you forgot to adjust the mirror all the way in, push on the inside edge of the mirror and it will move slowly. Don't worry, this doesn't harm the mechanism. Put your fingers in behind the glass and push outward. The glass just pops out. These clips are also nice and resilient, but hold on to the glass so it doesn't go flying. If you have heated mirrors, there's a plug on the back side to disconnect.

There are four (IIRC) T20 screws that hold the trim on, as well as some pain in the ass clips that hold the mirror cap on. Remove the screws and set them aside. The clips perplexed and frustrated me. I ended up damaging some tiny little plastic fins along the top edge of the mirror cap by prying on it with a trim removal tool. DO NOT pry on the mirror cap from the edge if you can avoid it. Disengage the clips by inserting something into the little square holes and push the clip "outward" from the hole. Honestly, BMW probably has a tool for this. The damage I did can't be seen externally, but it frustrated me. Best of luck here. The cap will pop off as you release the clips.

With the cap off, you'll see a couple more T20 screws to remove. The black trim piece came off very easy once the screws were out. If you have the surround view camera, you'll need to unplug the camera or unscrew it from the mirror. I recommend unplugging it and leaving the camera in the trim, because it's easy to scratch the camera lens working with the part in a press later.

There is one last piece of trim to remove on the mirror bracket that attaches to the car. It's a little black piece along the bottom with a ridge on it. You just kind of pull it outward and it pops off. Mine actually came off when I put the part in the press. It scared me, because I thought I broke the trim, so I recommend removing it first.

Mirror Internals Separation

At this point you should have two (mostly) bare metal parts of the mirror on your bench. The plastic triangle trim doesn't come off, but we do need to remove the wires that are tethering the two parts together. They detach from the end with blue plug. Most of the wires here use waterproof connectors, so some significant effort is required to get them separated. If something is rock solid, it's probably still clipped. If it feels like it's stuck in tar, it's unclipped but the waterproof seal is providing friction.

The plug is secured in the metal mirror bracket by two tiny plastic clip ends. If you look in from the bottom, you can see them. Use your tiny screwdriver or the cotter pin extractor to push them inward and release the plug. It will pull out, but requires firm pressure thanks to the rubber grommet. You'll also need to make sure you feed slack to the wires as you pull.

With the plug out, remove the flat 3-pin connector first. Lift the little retainer tab with a tiny screwdriver and it pulls out. Again, firm pressure is required.

The round connector has a rubber boot that you have to slide back using your fingers. This required a lot of work, but resist the urge to spray it with WD-40 or any lubricant. Just work the boot back and it will slide off. Once it's off, there's a little retainer clip you can press with your fingernail. it works like a see-saw. Press at the end furthest from the plug and closes to the wire. It will tip up and the connector slides right out (no friction here).

With the wires free from the connector, you can pull them out. Pull the flat 3-pin connector out first, as the boot on the other connector is too fat to fit through the opening easily with the other wire in the way.

With these wires out, the two parts should be free from each other, and your broken hinge pin and spring should be loose. Be sure to recover the broken "tip" of the hinge pin from the bottom of the mirror bracket.

Installing the New Hinge Pin

You should now be staring at a pile of parts. Before heading to the press, test fit the new hinge pin by sliding it into the hole, rotate it, and get a feel for how it engages. Also note, the pin uses left-handed engagement. At least driver's side does. That is, you must rotate it counter-clockwise. This boneheaded oversight cost me an hour of frustration and panic. This part is super-cumbersome to hold in the press, so under stress I "reverted to my training" and kept trying to turn the hinge pin "righty-tighty", which won't work. But enough with the excuse making.

With a solid grasp on how the engagement works, on to press setup. We used a 25 lb shot bag like you'd use for body work. You may be able to support the mirror using a piece of wood or something, but the shape is highly irregular, and even with the shot bag it took careful attention to make sure the part doesn't rotate and shoot out under tension. The shot bag is a nice thing to have for this kind of work anyway.

Here's a photo of the setup. Sorry it's a little close.

View post on imgur.com

The shot bag is the green canvas thing that looks like a bean bag. That's essentially what it is, only a LOT heavier duty. On the part I bought, there's a 5mm hole you can insert a rod into for easy rotation. I used an old punch, but you can use a 4mm hex wrench too. There's some force required for rotation, but most tools will hold up.

We worked the press down to compress the spring while applying counter-clockwise rotation pressure on the hinge pin. It's easy to feel when it passes the required depth. At that point, you just push it around and it will stop where it needs to. Then you just slowly release the press pressure.

Reinstallation

From here it's a matter of reversing the steps. When feeding the wires back through, be sure to feed the one with the boot first. Also be careful not to bend the pins on the 3-pin connector. I used my cotter key extractor to reach up in there and kind of guide the wires down.

Everything else went back together smoothly, but please feel free to ask questions if you have them.

[MinhViet]

This item is not available on eBay now. Pls advice how can i contact dirrect to the seller.

[spyderman01]

I have mine all apart and I can't get that darn spring to compress enough and still be able to spin it into place. If I compress, it's too tight to turn and I've broken a few allen wrenches already!

[xavier8288]

Originally Posted by MinhViet

This item is not available on eBay now. Pls advice how can i contact dirrect to the seller.

Are you looking for this one? I found only 1 on Taobao.com

[spyderman01]

Originally Posted by MinhViet

This item is not available on eBay now. Pls advice how can i contact dirrect to the seller.

Here it is on ebay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294096588535

[spyderman01]

I also have one of these for sale, the stainless and will never break. It has a few scratches on it, but nothing major. Message me for details.

[X3drvrnjax]

Originally Posted by spyderman01

I also have one of these for sale, the stainless and will never break. It has a few scratches on it, but nothing major. Message me for details.

Spyderman01 - do you still have x3 mirror part for sale?

[decoburgos]

Hey guys,

I have the same problem here, can't find this to buy. Any ideas?

[code1321]

Originally Posted by spyderman01

I also have one of these for sale, the stainless and will never break. It has a few scratches on it, but nothing major. Message me for details.

spyderman01 do you still have the stainless piece available? I am interested, thanks!

[jmkworld]

anybody have any luck finding the part. just happened to me today

[RL325xi]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/29423170283....c101124.m2109

https://www.ebay.com/itm/27490891129....c101124.m2109

[pharris]

bradleyland what kind of press did you use?

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by pharris

bradleyland what kind of press did you use?

Just a simple Harbor Freight hydraulic press. Doesn't require a ton of pressure. Just a little more than you can apply with your hands or simple tools.

[Lurcher]

Looking for one of these if anyone has available. If not, I still may look into getting one as a spare for the future.

Of course this happens after my 2 recent trips to the UK (shipping $$ and time)...

[Roy_Fokker]

First of all, a huge shout out to bradleyland for a great step-by-step instructions.

After my wife's masterpiece of reverse parking I've been left with a tough decision of spending 1k+ USD or letting her drive with tape-mounted mirror. After reviewing this thread, which is, apparently, is the only good source of meaningful info in the internet, I've ordered the part from e-bay. Spent something around 130 USD including shipping from UK (https://www.ebay.com/itm/294231702835). Pics were duplicated from this thread so I took it as a good sign!

As for the installation, before proceeding with it, I've painted a small "///M" sign on the part with the marker for better performance (it's always working, right?). Here are couple things I've learned while doing it:

1) Make sure you follow the instructions from bradleyland cause they are very thorough and detailed. Most of my questions were answered there. I found myself frustrated multiple times during the process but original instructions were always spot on.

2) Get all the tools that he recommends. If you don't think that investing into the hydraulic press is worth it, consider finding local Indy shop for the most complex step of fitting the new part with the spring into the assembly. I've asked my mechanic about it and he was ok with me to stop by for it as long as I break down the mirror. I've managed to find some other solution, but I don't think it's worth of your time. If you feel like spending at least 1 hour on fitting The Part into the mirror without press, just use a table, bunch of cloth and 6" C-clamp. It will be very hard to find a perfect angle because of the plastic part on the bottom of the lower part, but eventually you'll get there. I've spent 2 hours with it cause first time I've managed to fully install it I've realized that I forgot a rubber seal that is sitting on top of the lower mirror part. Obviously, re-installation took more time than the first attempt.

Apart from that it's very interesting moderate complexity level DIY that saves a lot. Good luck!

[Lurcher]

Screwing with that spring right now, and the UK part. Due to some good machine work, there is no slack in getting that spring down far enough to engage.

More ugga-duggas in a bit.

[Lurcher]

OK - took a different approach and got it done. Tried a C-clamp and brute force, to no avail. So, remove the mirror when taking everything apart and unscrewed the 4 screws, releasing the plastic frame from the metal housing. Then used a pulley puller to compress the spring almost all the way. Have to rotate it just right and barely catch the lip, but you can do it. That allowed me to just fasten the 2 pieces together with slack. No mess, no fussing with the weird angle of the frame trying to compress. I could do the other side in under 30 min. Wifey was helping and was surprised as much as I was it went together so easy.

Used biggest tool:https://www.harborfreight.com/front-...-pc-56807.html

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by Lurcher

OK - took a different approach and got it done. Tried a C-clamp and brute force, to no avail. So, remove the mirror when taking everything apart and unscrewed the 4 screws, releasing the plastic frame from the metal housing. Then used a pulley puller to compress the spring almost all the way. Have to rotate it just right and barely catch the lip, but you can do it. That allowed me to just fasten the 2 pieces together with slack. No mess, no fussing with the weird angle of the frame trying to compress. I could do the other side in under 30 min. Wifey was helping and was surprised as much as I was it went together so easy.

Used biggest tool:https://www.harborfreight.com/front-...-pc-56807.html

FWIW, I thought i was up against the same problem, but the fastener was left-handed, not right-handed. I was working under the assumption that it was right-handed and almost had myself in a panic when I realized it was left.

Once I rotated it left, the spring needed only moderate compression to pass the "catch" point.

For context, I was working on the left-side mirror.