[fe7565]

I drove yesterday for a couple of hours with the SAE 1995 blind spot mirror method on my driver side using the OEM flat glass. I see how it may work OK. I do not like it, but do not hate it.

Will leave it this way while I am still bottom feeding for bargain priced wide-angle/dimming options.

[Qsilver7]

To clarify the misinformation in this thread…you’ve incorrectly identified the mirrors BMW uses. There is plain mirror glass (like what comes on US market cars on the drivers side), and convex mirrors with writing (like mirrors on passenger side in US & some other market), and wide angle (aspherical) mirrors used in the Euro market (they have the vertical line with the bent “blind spot” section at the tip & covex mirror glass on the other side on the vertical line. All of these mirrors come with multiple options of heat and/or dimming which you should verify by how your car is optioned when replacing the mirror glass. This will help prevent buying the wrong mirrors.

The thick black band around the mirror glass just helps identify the mirror as having the EC (auto dimming) feature in the US market. The European wide angle mirrors don’t have this black band even though they may have the EC feature. If you are installing the euro mirror…EC, convex, or plain…it comes as is and the whole mirror gets mounted…you don’t have to refit it into the thick black band.

Originally Posted by fe7565

Is your OEM convex driver side mirror showing objects in the same size as real life....or closer than they appear like the passenger side? That's my only "compliant" about the Chinese mirror, it is the same as the passenger side as far as object sizes appearing.

In the quote above you have incorrectly identified this mirror set up. You are describing mirrors for a RHD car…you have the RHD passenger mirror mounted on the driver’s side of a LHD car. If there is writing on the mirror…regardless if its plain, convex, or wide angle…that is the PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR.

Also…I do suggest that anyone with the US mirrors should adjust them properly…but there is no way in Hades that the US mirrors can see as much as the wide angle aspherical mirrors (See example below). The plain mirror glass on the drivers side and convex mirror on the passenger side don’t have the larger viewing area as the wide angle mirrors…which is why they work better at reducing any blind spots.



Examples of my f06 650ix GC’s oe mirrors vs the Euro wide angle (aspherical) mirrors…take note of the amount of visibility of parking space lines plus what is beside & behind the vehicle in the wide angle mirrors vs the oe (plain) drivers’ side mirror & oe (convex w/writing) passenger side mirror:

Pic 1 is original plain mirror on drivers side
Pic 2 is euro wide angle mirror on drivers side
Pic 3 is original covex mirror w/writing on passenger side
Pic 4 is euro wide angle mirror with no writing on passenger side

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

\
In the quote above you have incorrectly identified this mirror set up. You are describing mirrors for a RHD car…you have the RHD passenger mirror mounted on the driver’s side of a LHD car. If there is writing on the mirror…regardless if its plain, convex, or wide angle…that is the PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR.

Thank you for the thorough write up and the illustration with the photos. Very well explained and clarified quite a few questions. But I have some questions remaining.

First, real quickly let me address your (quoted) comment above. The left and right Chinese mirrors I have are identical to each other. They are both convex with blind spot tips and have the same perspectives of view. Thus, both in the left hand and the right hand mirrors objects are equally closer than they appear...in the same way as the OEM US passenger side mirror (with the writing). It's better than the OEM flat US driver side mirror, but I do not like that objects are closer, because I must watch not to cut people off. While with the US OEM flat I do not. But, for me the extra wider view of the Chinese driver side mirror is worth that inconvenience.

This brings my question about the Euro mirrors for the driver side. And for now I mean by Euro as in "Continental" Euro and not UK Euro (where driver and passenger side are swapped) . Your #2 photo shows the (Continental) Euro wide angle driver side. It definitely has a much wider view than photo #1, which is the US flat OEM driver side. Actually, the view perspective looks near the same as my Chinese driver side in which objects are closer then they appear. Are the objects in the mirror of your #2 photo also closers than they appear?

In a perfect world, it would be ideal to have a driver side mirror that is as wide as your #2 photo, but the objects are not closer than they appear. I do not think that would be possible with the US passenger side mirrors because of the distance from the driver's eyes to the passenger side mirror's surface. But with the driver side, maybe. Like with stick on smaller blind sport mirrors, but incorporated into the OEM driver mirror.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by fe7565

This brings my question about the Euro mirrors for the driver side. And for now I mean by Euro as in "Continental" Euro and not UK Euro (where driver and passenger side are swapped) . Your #2 photo shows the (Continental) Euro wide angle driver side. It definitely has a much wider view than photo #1, which is the US flat OEM driver side. Actually, the view perspective looks near the same as my Chinese driver side in which objects are closer then they appear. Are the objects in the mirror of your #2 photo also closers than they appear?

In a perfect world, it would be ideal to have a driver side mirror that is as wide as your #2 photo, but the objects are not closer than they appear. I do not think that would be possible with the US passenger side mirrors because of the distance from the driver's eyes to the passenger side mirror's surface. But with the driver side, maybe. Like with stick on smaller blind sport mirrors, but incorporated into the OEM driver mirror.

Yes, the aspherical (wide angle) mirrors do NOT have the 1:1 visual ratio like the US drivers' side mirror.

All I can say is...you'll get use to it after a week or so. Its just that you've been conditioned (if you've been driving for a few years) to having the 1:1 ratio on the drivers' side. I say that because most Americans have no issue with their passenger side (convex) mirrors...and drive everyday with no problems changing lanes or seeing what is on their right.

Again, your brain will eventually habituate to the different viewing angle on the drivers side...and you'll learn to judge the distance while using your left side mirror, your interior mirror, and right passenger side mirrors to determine what the traffic is around your car.

I first installed the Euro (wide angle) mirrors on my 1995 e34 525iT...and I was like you...uneasy at first...but then my brain got used to it and every since then, the first mod I've done on every BMW I've owned since then is to order a set of wide angle mirrors on my e38, e39, e53, f06, and f15.

[fe7565]

Thank you for all the inputs and clarifications.

By the way, as far as my OCD about ISTA+ errors with the Chinese heater-only mirrors: I found this Chinese mirror that claims to be auto-dimming compatible, although the auto-diming is not designed to work. Not planning to buy it, but I can modify my current Chinese mirror circuit the same way, hoping to solve the auto-dimming ISTA+ errors.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=21

[fe7565]

Managed to get rid of the ISTA+ dimming errors for the Chinese mirrors without the dimming feature. Previously, I tried a capacitor and a resistor in series, but didn’t work. And it didn’t work because I had previously coded off the auto dimming feature to inactive. And I forgot about it.

So today I made it active, and I put a 100 Ohm 1/4 Watt resistor across the pins of the auto-dimming wire’s plug going to the mirror. So now I can use my (actually quite great working) $20 Chinese heating-only euro-style mirrors. I prefer these way over the factory dimming mirrors.

I also figured out why I prefer the wide/euro style mirrors vs the factory US driver side mirror. When you’re adjust out the factory US mirror to cover the blind spot then you miss the corner of your car in the side rear view. For me that gives a distance reference to any cars that are approaching me from the rear, even if the Eurostyle mirrors show vehicles farther than they really are. My car’s rear corner view in the side mirror provides repeatability by using it as a permanent comparison point.

[wishbone]

I installed the EU OEM glass on both my F30 and F80. It does take a small amount of getting used to (as well as going to my Subaru Ascent with no wide angle) on the drivers side only.

The wider view, at scale, is such a nice addition. It provides piece of mind and a safety benefit.

I wouldn't skimp on the chinese version. This is like saying you'll put knock-off watch bands on a patek philippe, why risk $25K over a few hundred dollars??? You're saving tens of dollars over thousands of dollars in value on a safety element? Doesn't make rational sense.

Excellent that you've managed to code out a safety feature of the car.

Also, on the passenger side as someone noted, it's convex in US spec but it's not wide angle. The EU versions do not have the text appearing on the bottom of the glass either which is another safety benefit. No inadvertent glance thinking something is there. You also gain the black trim area on EU spec so you're again, increasing your visibility for a safety feature.

Just my $0.02.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by wishbone

I installed the EU OEM glass on both my F30 and F80. It does take a small amount of getting used to (as well as going to my Subaru Ascent with no wide angle) on the drivers side only.

The wider view, at scale, is such a nice addition. It provides piece of mind and a safety benefit.

I wouldn't skimp on the chinese version. This is like saying you'll put knock-off watch bands on a patek philippe, why risk $25K over a few hundred dollars??? You're saving tens of dollars over thousands of dollars in value on a safety element? Doesn't make rational sense.

Excellent that you've managed to code out a safety feature of the car.

Also, on the passenger side as someone noted, it's convex in US spec but it's not wide angle. The EU versions do not have the text appearing on the bottom of the glass either which is another safety benefit. No inadvertent glance thinking something is there. You also gain the black trim area on EU spec so you're again, increasing your visibility for a safety feature.

Just my $0.02.

I agree with all the reasonings you mentioned. But I’m quite happy with the Chinese mirrors. Somehow the Chinese managed to make a good quality product, the blue one is much better than the plain color Chinese. I have both.

I wouldn’t mind paying a couple of hundred dollars for a pair of OEM European mirrors, but I compared the Chinese during night driving and it behaved as if auto dimmed when compared to the OEM interior rearview mirror.

[lllRazorlll]

So what's the overall consensus? Are the Chinese mirrors any good if you need/want auto dimming and heating functionality?

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by lllRazorlll

So what's the overall consensus? Are the Chinese mirrors any good if you need/want auto dimming and heating functionality?

I’m not aware of a Chinese mirror that has a functioning auto dimming. The one I have is tinted blue and it works about as good as auto dimming, but that’s just my subjective opinion when comparing it with my OEM interior auto dimming rear view mirror.