E46 Side View Mirror Complete Replacement

Hey all,

I am attempting to replace my entire side view mirrors with aftermarket ones for my 2002 325i sedan. The stock mirrors are powered and heated, and have the infamous rust, and one is missing the back plastic peice.

I am wondering, do I have to remove the entire door panel to remove the mirrors? I seem to get mixed information from forums, some say yes for the sedan and no for the coupe, or vice versa.

Also, does anyone have access to the wiring schematics for the mirrors? My new ones will not be heated, but they are powered, so I need to know what wire colors mean what in order to match up the aftermarket ones to the current wiring scheme.

Thanks for all your help!

I won't be much help (never replaced this on my car - always assumed at least the interior panel would have to come off) - BUT, I'm in need of a mirror cover for my car and would be willing to buy your old assemblies if interested.

I would definitely be interested. What part do you need and what side do you need it for?

i think you do have to remove the panel from the door. in fact, you can buy a nice mirror from the junkyard for a couple of hundred dollars. i bought the plastic dome colored piece from bmw and painted it with gun metal gray from the o'reilly parts store. looks good as new. search this site for step by step diy mirror replacement. it will show you how to remove the plastic fake wood trim, etc. pretty easy job.

I changed my mirrors last week on a 04 325i and you have to remove the door panel.

1) Remove the wood trim
2) Remove the two screws behind the trim
3) Remove the powered mirror switch.
4) Remove the screw underneath the mirror switch.
5) Then there are two more screw to remove on the bottom of the armrest section located under plastic caps.
6) Use trim tools and pull lightly and the door panel with unclip and come off.
7) The mirror has three bolts you must loosen to remove the mirror.

Hope this helps.

Anyone know what the wiring diagram looks like?