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Door mirror

Discuss your latest mods or ideas, and anything to do with the BMW X5 (E70).
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sapphireblack
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Door mirror

Post by sapphireblack » Mon Jul 14, 2025 7:14 am

I'm curious if anyone has replaced one of these? The passenger side on my (no longer) budget E70 will only move left/right. There is no up/down movement at all. The drivers side is fine.

I've looked for motors on eBay without much success. Complete used units are far from inexpensive. Ali-express, Amazon, etc, don't seem to offer replacement motors either.

I messaged LLL parts over the weekend and just had an email advising BMW only offer complete units. Does anyone have better knowledge?

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Greydog
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Post by Greydog » Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:01 am

I haven't done it on the E70 but have changed the adjustment motor on 2, 5 series which I am lead to believe are the same a neighbours and a friend in both cases BMW wanted to change the complete assembly for the typically BMW price
They both sourced the drive motor from the bay after googling the part number neighbour paid £25 friend £45 (but it came with the loom not needed)
Changing it took about an hour taking time so as not to snap any of the plastic clips once apart it just unplugs replace and it all clips back together
Not being very cooperative your E70 :D

sapphireblack
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Door mirror

Post by sapphireblack » Mon Jul 14, 2025 10:53 am

Its not being cooperative. A few TLC issues are history now, having moved onto bigger, more costly issues.

The car hasn't been helpful, but its a machine and devoid of emotion, unlike its owner. I've found a pre owned motor at a scrappies, for £32.
Last edited by sapphireblack on Mon Jul 14, 2025 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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X5Sport
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Door mirror

Post by X5Sport » Mon Jul 14, 2025 7:42 pm

I’ve got the same on the E46 and new electronics seem to be the only option. They are silly money from dealers. It seems to be intermittent so likely a wiring fault. There are ribbon cables that after 20 years are likely to have gone manky. One of those “I’ll get to it” jobs as it’s the near-side one. Car doesn’t get used much and the mirror can be manually moved to where it seems to be OK.
:ant: Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.

sapphireblack
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Door mirror

Post by sapphireblack » Mon Jul 14, 2025 7:50 pm

It's parking to a kerb that's awkward, without a dipping facility. I don't want to scuff freshly refurbished wheels. The E71 auto dips, which of course becomes the norm, until it's not :roll:

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Door mirror

Post by Johnsi02 » Tue Jul 15, 2025 6:58 am

Hi. Had exactly the same problem on my E70. Found a used motors at Global Parts. All fixed now.
Fitting the motor is an ok job. The scary bit is prising the mirror glass off! It feels as though something is sure to break but the plastic securing tabs are really quite resilient and the glass can stand a bit of flexing. Remove the old motor by removing the retaining screws. ‘New’ motor just slots in. Refit the securing screws which are tiny and easily lost if not careful. There’s a few YouTube videos online for guidance.
There is a gotcha though which I didn’t realise before doing this. The dipping function only works with the left/right mirror adjuster slider button in one of the positions. From memory, it’s needs to be in the position to adjust the left mirror (sorry, can’t check as away from home at the moment). Doesn’t dip if this slider button is in the other position.
Good luck. Ian.

sapphireblack
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Door mirror

Post by sapphireblack » Tue Jul 15, 2025 7:57 am

Ive already had the glass out to identify the motor type, apparently there are two.

The glass is tricky to remove but pops back in very easily, once aligned.
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Leslie
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Door mirror

Post by Leslie » Tue Jul 15, 2025 8:04 am

I have the auto dipping /folding side mirrors and a glass for these is like 600 quid from bmw and not available anywhere else . I bought a used mirror just to get the glass saved me 500 ! Not that id ever have paid that anyway..The glass has a faint gold border which made it easier to identify.
As said the left only dips if the switch is in a certain position .

sapphireblack
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Post by sapphireblack » Tue Jul 15, 2025 8:14 am

My E70 is all about basic and being stress free. Plans to relocate to Greece with it are making progress. But with no BMW dealer on the Island now, the simpler the car, the easier 'anyone' can fix it 🤞

The local mentality is fix it first not just replace. The opposite of BMWs mentality of course.

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