[GrimTon]

Hi Guys. Just picked up a LCI F31 MY67 Shadowline. Been doing the usual nosing around to see what I can retrofit etc and came across this which has me a bit baffled.

Drivers side mirror…standard glass
Passenger side mirror…anti dimming glass.

I’m wondering if it’s as simple as the old mirror cracked and they replaced it with the anti dimming glass but that seems an unnecessary expense. I’ve pulled the mirror cap off and taken some shots of the inside, Is there someone more clued up on this who can tell from the wiring if it’s prepped for anti dimming/powerfold or not. Or is it a pull the mirror off job and look for 5/6 pin?

Apologies for the picture orientations not sure why they’re like that.

















Thanks!

[GrimTon]

Bump.

[visionaut]

Yeah, I’d guess the PO probably replaced a broken drivers mirror with the standard glass to save money.

Does your use of ‘anti-dimming’ mean photochromic ( i.e. auto-dimming) glass? (meaning it DOES dim, vs it doesn’t)

Your VIN lookup should be able to tell you all the options related to mirrors your car came equipped with. (like S430A for auto-dip, S5AGA for Lane Change Warning, etc). If your interior rearview mirror is auto-dimming then your exterior mirrors should be also.

Here’s a write up (attached PDF) on the exterior mirror options and electronics. Particularly note the diagram picture showing all the different possible connectors on the mirror, and how they correlate to features. You can likely compare to the connectors you see on yours…

Hope this helps.

[GrimTon]

Originally Posted by visionaut

Yeah, I’d guess the PO probably replaced a broken drivers mirror with the standard glass to save money.

Does your use of ‘anti-dimming’ mean photochromic ( i.e. auto-dimming) glass? (meaning it DOES dim, vs it doesn’t)

Your VIN lookup should be able to tell you all the options related to mirrors your car came equipped with. (like S430A for auto-dip, S5AGA for Lane Change Warning, etc). If your interior rearview mirror is auto-dimming then your exterior mirrors should be also.

Here’s a write up (attached PDF) on the exterior mirror options and electronics. Particularly note the diagram picture showing all the different possible connectors on the mirror, and how they correlate to features. You can likely compare to the connectors you see on yours…

Hope this helps.

Hi! Sorry I missed this. Yes I did mean auto-dimming. It doesn't appear that I have that option. The interior is auto-dimming (S431) which appears to be standard on all F31 LCI in the UK but the side mirrors (S430) are not. It does appear that it's been replaced with non OEM glass. I've also figured out the wires are for the heating element in the mirrors.

Thanks for your help

[calibrax]

Here's a thought... usually the drivers side has dimming and the passenger side doesn't... so maybe someone fitted two new mirrors from a left hand drive car?

[GrimTon]

Originally Posted by calibrax

Here's a thought... usually the drivers side has dimming and the passenger side doesn't... so maybe someone fitted two new mirrors from a left hand drive car?

I’ve driven a few cars with dimming wing mirrors and both have always dimmed, can’t think why only one would?

[calibrax]

I'm sure I read somewhere that initially they were both dimming, but then BMW changed the spec and started only having the driver's side one dimming. Possibly a cost cutting measure. Can anyone confirm?

[calibrax]

Here we go, this is the thread I read which mentions that the F3x LCI models had one dimming mirror removed...

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...s+side+dimming

[GrimTon]

Originally Posted by calibrax

Here we go, this is the thread I read which mentions that the F3x LCI models had one dimming mirror removed...

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...s+side+dimming

Ah ok that’s wild. We look out both mirrors 😅. Might just be a NA thing, I don’t think that would fly in UK. Cheers

[calibrax]

Originally Posted by GrimTon

Ah ok that’s wild. We look out both mirrors 😅. Might just be a NA thing, I don’t think that would fly in UK. Cheers

Wasn't always the case though! I'm in the UK and my first car was a 1982 Datsun Cherry... the passenger side mirror was not included, unless you added it as an optional extra!