DIY e46 Side Mirrors Cover Repair (with pic)

sellsellsell2000 · Dec 24, 2010

My first DIY, so here goes.....

I have broken off my driver side mirror cover. :banghead: For the repair, I use electrical ties.

Please see pic below.

Luckily the FOUR tab are still there, just the hook/clip got broken off.

Now comes the repair: I've drilled small holes first to each tab, then expend them with bigger drill bits.

Here is the tricky part, get the longest electrical tie you can fine but small enough to get it through the holes you drill on the tab. I use these:

Added as of 24-DEC-2010:

Here is the image where the electrical ties goes. Make sure you put back the installation foam.

This is how I put it back together. DO NOT TIE IT TOO TIGHT, there might be chance where you can snap off the tab.

NOTE: you will only need TWO electrical ties. In the first image you see FOUR square where the clip use to latches on. Place the electrical tie through it and through the holes you drilled; do it vertically.

Edited as of 24-DEC-2010:

The added picture above should provided a clearer picture of how to repair the 'Side View Mirror Cover', and how the electrical tie should go.

EXTRA - for those who wanted 'Carbon Fiber' on their side mirrors, just remove the side cover without the worries breaking off the latches. With the electrical ties, they are much more sturdy.

:thumbup:

<hr><hr>/// ( @ )( @ ) 

<center>BMW /// 323i /// Sedan </center>
<div align="center"><img src="http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy188/sellsellsell2000/e46test.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> 
OEM M-Tech II front & rear bumper /// Cluster Ring /// Grimace Fog Lights /// DEPO corners /// CCFL angel eye 
330i Diff /// REMUS Exhaust /// Heat Shield Cold Air Intake 
<hr><hr>
</div>

Mannydog · Dec 25, 2010

Good DIY and great timing (for me). I was washing the winter crud off the car at the car wash today, and my left mirror cover blew off. The good news is, it happened in the car wash, so I was able to retrieve it, and its not very scratched.

Suggestion to improve this as a DIY: show a picture from the rear (the glass side) of the zip ties in place. Also a link to a good mirror glass removal thread (I'm still looking at them for a good one, but I have the idea now).

I really like this type of fix: works well, relatively easy, cheap but doesn't look cheesy.

Thanks for talking the time and effort to post!

sellsellsell2000 · Dec 25, 2010

As you requested.

<hr><hr>/// ( @ )( @ ) 

<center>BMW /// 323i /// Sedan </center>
<div align="center"><img src="http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy188/sellsellsell2000/e46test.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> 
OEM M-Tech II front & rear bumper /// Cluster Ring /// Grimace Fog Lights /// DEPO corners /// CCFL angel eye 
330i Diff /// REMUS Exhaust /// Heat Shield Cold Air Intake 
<hr><hr>
</div>

Mannydog · Dec 26, 2010

So, I performed this fix today. Successfully, I think.

A few observations:
1) I put the zip ties between the mirror cover and the foam, not the foam and the mirror assembly as the OP did. I didn't realize the difference until afterward, and I'm not sure which is better. I make disassemble and check it out.

2) Don't forget your mirror folds forward, which helps for some of the steps (I didn't think of it until half way thru). :idea:

3) The ties I had were 3mm wide and 8" long like the OP's. I would say that's the widest I would try to go, and the shortest. If you can find longer ones they would make life easier.

4) The riskiest step is drilling the holes, you could ruin the cover if you're not careful The trickiest step is reassembling the cover and threading the zip ties thru the holes.

5) I read a bunch of posts on removing the mirror glass. Some mentioned a tab you have to slide for unlocking, some showed adhesive/double sided tape. My car had neither. I just (nervously) tilted the mirror as far as I could inboard (so the gap was at its max on the outboard side) and pried,and it popped out. YMMV.

And the best part, I had red zip ties to match my paint color!:clap:

alwaysbored786 · Dec 26, 2010

genius!

Also, to create a signature go to the User CP (just click private messages on top), then go to edit signature, then put w/e you want in there and it will show up every time you post. No need to having to keep post it everytime

fsfikke · Dec 27, 2010

Great DIY, wish I had done this when I broke one of my tabs off. I just put the cover back on and it stayed there for a few weeks. Until one of my friends closed the door with a bit to much force and it fell off. Of course I didn't notice it had fallen off and left it there to be run over by someone :banghead:

Luckily I found a used one on Ebay for €20

LSUTiger03325i · Apr 21, 2011

Nice DIY! :thumbsup: Any idea where to purchase just the backside of the mirror and/or just the mirror itself? Everywhere I look seems to only have complete mirror replacements.

ThatGuy_JZ · Apr 22, 2011

Genius!

socalbusdev · Dec 12, 2011

I'd like to see you post how to remove the mirror itself as part of your post. Would be helpful to have beginning to end...thanks for the post and creativity.

Aesthetic · Jun 4, 2015

Just wanted to give you a quick thanks!

I was going to use silicones, but this is a far cleaner solution.

beamer96 · Nov 3, 2015

Thank you for the zip tie solution!!! saved me $50!
mirror removal.
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=e46+how+to+remove+the+mirror+glass&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001_nr_

DIY e46 Side Mirrors Cover Repair (with pic)

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