As some of you know, I obtained a rear view mirror from a convertible Mini, which has the same windscreen mounting mechanism as a BMW. I thought I would finally do a quick write-up on this relatively easy (but slightly fiddly) process.
Apologies; I don't have many pictures as I took them for my own reference to remember which wires went where!
I decided to go with a convertible mini mirror as it is oval, and looks similar to the ///M rear view mirror.
ADVANCED WARNING - DO NOT KEEP REMOVING AND REPLACING THE MIRROR FROM THE WINDSCREEN MOUNT... This will cause the windscreen mount to round its edges, resulting in the mirror wobbling/vibrating when driving.
Here's what I did:
- I opened up my Z3 mirror, and transplanted the remote locking antenna into the mini mirror (used hot glue to hold in place, but you may not have to do this if your mirror is the same shape as the current one).
I followed these instructions for opening the mirror up: http://www.z3mirrors.com/remote_entry.htm
- Next, I decluttered the mini mirror by removing its central locking antenna, and remove all the wires from the autodimming sensor other than the red and brown wires (12v and earth), required for power. (Autodimming sensor was attached to the back of the mirror glass, and therefore not pictured.)
- I then spliced the brown wire of the autodimming sensor into the loom of the remote locking antenna
- I soldered the red wire from the autodimming sensor to a length of wire and ran it along the top of the windscreen, down the A pillar and under the dash to one of the centre console light bulbs. I used the ashtray light bulb as it is the easiest to access; you dont need to remove the centre console, only the ashtray itself (two screws). This way, the autodimming mirror only functions when you have your side/dipped lights on, as opposed to wiring it to the red wire of the remote locking antenna which is live constantly.
So far so good with mine, it works a treat! (Below was the first trial for, before making the wiring permanent.)
Follow my instructions at your own risk. I accept no responsibility if anything goes wrong, but claim all credit should you love the mod
Apologies; I don't have many pictures as I took them for my own reference to remember which wires went where!
I decided to go with a convertible mini mirror as it is oval, and looks similar to the ///M rear view mirror.
ADVANCED WARNING - DO NOT KEEP REMOVING AND REPLACING THE MIRROR FROM THE WINDSCREEN MOUNT... This will cause the windscreen mount to round its edges, resulting in the mirror wobbling/vibrating when driving.
Here's what I did:
- I opened up my Z3 mirror, and transplanted the remote locking antenna into the mini mirror (used hot glue to hold in place, but you may not have to do this if your mirror is the same shape as the current one).
I followed these instructions for opening the mirror up: http://www.z3mirrors.com/remote_entry.htm
- Next, I decluttered the mini mirror by removing its central locking antenna, and remove all the wires from the autodimming sensor other than the red and brown wires (12v and earth), required for power. (Autodimming sensor was attached to the back of the mirror glass, and therefore not pictured.)
- I then spliced the brown wire of the autodimming sensor into the loom of the remote locking antenna
- I soldered the red wire from the autodimming sensor to a length of wire and ran it along the top of the windscreen, down the A pillar and under the dash to one of the centre console light bulbs. I used the ashtray light bulb as it is the easiest to access; you dont need to remove the centre console, only the ashtray itself (two screws). This way, the autodimming mirror only functions when you have your side/dipped lights on, as opposed to wiring it to the red wire of the remote locking antenna which is live constantly.
So far so good with mine, it works a treat! (Below was the first trial for, before making the wiring permanent.)
Follow my instructions at your own risk. I accept no responsibility if anything goes wrong, but claim all credit should you love the mod