At Last a Cheap Easy Fix For Broken BMW Z3 Door Mirrors

[TaffZee]

After Gazhyde's suggestion to replace my broken door mirror by contacting a German Company they are now on EBay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/superu100...&pt=DE_Autoteile&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
Better option than buying second hand as this seems to cure the problem once and for all, easy to use your own mirror casing and spacer block, so you don't need to paint it. They do two types one is a complete unit, and one is so you can use your own spacer.

 

[Cooper]

After Gazhyde's suggestion to replace my broken door mirror by contacting a German Company they are now on EBay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/superu100...&pt=DE_Autoteile&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
Better option than buying second hand as this seems to cure the problem once and for all, easy to use your own mirror casing and spacer block, so you don't need to paint it. They do two types one is a complete unit, and one is so you can use your own spacer.

Thanks for sharing that as I have been looking for a driver's side mirror for a month. These repair items are more expensive than I would have thought though. Have you had a look to see how easy it is to disassemble the casing? My broken one looks like busted cast aluminium. Hmmm will have to post pix and get some advice methinks.

 

[TaffZee]

Same as everyone's aluminium becomes brittle and snaps when trying to move the mirror, this is a common problem, this is not a repair its a replacement part and eliminates the problems with the weak alloy part for good, Easy job to remove the casing. Mirror is held onto motor assembly by four plastic clips. by gently pricing the mirror from behind this will pop the mirror off the motor, remove the motor 4 crosshead screws, split casing 4 torque screws, casing will now split in two. Second hand mirrors go for £100+ the problem is you may be buying a corroded mirror that will again snap in a few months, this is a permanent fix and stops the mirror from snapping in the future.

 

[Zeti]

Yes, beside the rocking seats, iddle seat shaking (just for M44 as I know), the corrosion of the aluminium arm of the side mirrors are the weak points of our car.
Strange fact for the corrosion is that it's "something in the air" which starts the process.......some mirrors in the same geographic areas don't have corrosion!
I totally agree with the synthetic arm vs aluminium.
On the other hand, it's possible to find (with alot of patience) aluminium arms , old but in perfect condition; if you protect it with grease (all over the metal) it will not be affected in the future.
But the price it's similar and you have to wait......so better to take the synthetic ones!
Five years ago wasn't on the market and I had to look for second hand opportunities.....
And Jim is right: it's easy to replace but you must be carefull with the removal of the mirror from the small plastic hooks; it works better when the mirror it's hot and the old plastic become more flexible and give up easier!

 

[joey]

great bit of kit..

thats another job to go onto the "to do" list...

I have the seized mirrors and rocking seats....if only the seats would stay still and the mirrors would fold..!

 

[Boysie]

A good find Gazza

 

[Aceman]

These are a great idea, do they do ones for the ///M ?

I like the comparison against my solution for the rocking seats which is a nice cheap solution to a problem that blights most z3's. There can't be many marques out there that have ready solutions for common problems which makes these cars a great experience to own.

 

[Ashbandicoot]

They do the M parts as well, try this link http://www.spiegel-z3.de/reparatur_m_spiegel.html

That's their website

 

[Rocket Ron]

Hi Is it Easy to remove/Replace the mirrors? thats on my to do list (with convex) that is TIA Rocket Ron.

 

[GazHyde]

Hi Is it Easy to remove/Replace the mirrors? thats on my to do list (with convex) that is TIA Rocket Ron.

This article should get you going Rocket!

http://zroadster.org/articles/bmw-z3-mirror-base-refurbishment.66/

 

[Rocket Ron]

Hi Gaz Ive just realised that the passenger mirror is convex DOH. So do you think its possible to swap the drivers side mirror without dismantling the whole thing, IE just prise off the existing flat glass?

 

[Faheem]

Anyone know whether this mirror folds like the original? Thinking of putting this on my zed and putting the mirror from my zed on the project car.

 

[Antm72]

Looks as if it will fold like the orignals do the scring is still present in the pictures indicating the pivot exists.
The mirror by design pivots to make the fixings visable i would have though any replacement would do the same....

 

[Faheem]

See i received mine today, paid £95 for it and I'm not overly impressed. It was 'posted' on Tuesday morning as first class, and I've only just got it today.

It's rather light compared to the original, maybe 2/10 of the weight, will weigh the two up once I've taken my mirror off. And yes whilst it may not break like the original eventually did it doesn't feel like a premium product.

As it is sold as a new product I expected it to look like a new product and not something thats been lying in someone's shed for years.

Tiny scratches all over and a small chip in one of the corners, it's hard to show all this in a photograph.

Yes I know the scratches will be hidden when I paint it but when I pay £95 for just the frame I expected a bit more from it.

I've tried folding the mirror but it doesn't fold? I must be doing that wrong

 

[g8jka]

If they are anything like the standard mirrors then they will be an absolute nightmare to fold when they are off the car, providing they do actually fold.

Weight wise, they look like they are made from plastic compared to metal like the originals which means they won't suffer from the common corrosion issue, but will be a lot lighter. Might give you a couple of extra horses if your lucky

 

[Jack Ratt]

I bought a pair of "pattern" mirrors when I first joined the forum and they look pretty much like yours. Once they're fitted you wont know the difference. I used my old "outer covers" though

 

[hard top]

Tiny scratches all over and a small chip in one of the corners, it's hard to show all this in a photograph.

Yep, they look like sh***.....

 

[Faheem]

@hard top top I'm glad you agree mate, I was beginning to think it was just me. The problem is I need the mirror urgently which means I can't return it like I normally would have. I wish the seller (the company) were actually more accurate in the description, I don't know what their customer service is like but I'll have to drop them an email.

I've not been on the forums for very long and I've not had my zed that long either but I've got a question for you - how much have the prices of mirrors gone up in the past five years? They can't always have been this expensive??

But I'll leave a better more indepth review of the product on the forum once I've painted everything and put it together.

We shall see.

@g8jka I pushed very hard on the mirror but it refuses to fold - it didn't break though - so I suppose that's good! The design is very much like the original so I'm assuming that it will fold - but again - we'll see once it is fitted to the car.

@Jack Ratt How much did you buy yours for mate?

 

[hard top]

They can't always have been this expensive??

For some unknown reason, they all ways have been.
Same with Mercs, I paid about 200 Euro for a new one when some asshole knocked it off my car.

 

[Zeti]

As I said, the side mirrors are a weak point of our Zed, but they are also exposed to accident, like to any other car. So the price of the mirrors was always high: about six years ago I purchased a pair with 170 EUR, but I was lucky because they were painted in Champaign color , a rare color, with not too many buyers.