[FiftyPenceM3]

First we will use the following link to remove the doorcard:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...ghlight=rattle

Screws are in red, plastic clips in white. Photos courtesy of paraklas of e46********.com in regard to the doorcard removal procedure



I left the door handle, speakers etc all connected.

Remove the mirror plug from the control box

Remove the two bolts from the mirror and pull the rubber grommet and wiring harness through


Dismantling Process for BMW E46 M3 Side Mirrors

Tools required:
T15 Torx screwdriver
Pliers
A little determination

First we will look at the parts:

Overview:


All Parts


The Baseplate


Baseplate aperture from inside, the wiring harness passes through here


Here we can see the wiring harness passing through the baseplate aperture and the screws which hold the motor in place

Foam piece which attaches to the baseplate


Mirror Glass Mount


Motor and Wiring Harness


The fixings which all have a T15 Torx head



Onto the process:
Here we see the mirror housing with the glass removed. The three screws which hold the glass mount are clearly shown


On removing the glass mount we find the backing/cover plate with the 5 screws clearly marked:


On removing the backing plate we find one final screw:


The motor mechanism can then be removed from the mirror housing through the aperture



Next we will look at the baseplate
Baseplate aperture with wiring harness passing through also showing screws


Remove the two screws which hold the motor to the baseplate and unhinge the motor from the baseplate. This picture shows the ridge on the motor which acts as a hinge


Next, pull the wiring harness through the baseplate aperture as much as possible and poke this rubber grommet into the aperture and pull through with pliers


You will now be left with the baseplate on its own, here is a picture of the aperture, note the holes above the two X marks, the mounting screws pass through here.

And the motor and wiring:


Close-up of the motor which is externally the same on both manual-folding and electric-folding mirrors. Just the internals and of course the weight are different. The screws holding the motor together are T10 torx

[steeezm3]

Great DIY!

I thought you were asking a question then we'd get a bunch of replies like this

[FiftyPenceM3]

Haha, if it were a question I would have put a question mark at the end of the thread title

I hope someone finds this useful.

I just swapped out my manual folding mirrors with electric folding mirrors by swapping the internals as I was fortunate enough to locate some brand new genuine OEM electric folding mirrors on eBay which were painted silver/grey. I have a TiAg M3 so just swapped the internals and will sell on the silver/grey manual folding mirrors.

[daytonaviolet]

thanks for the write up but what is this blue wire? why is it not connected?

[FiftyPenceM3]

Originally Posted by daytonaviolet

thanks for the write up but what is this blue wire? why is it not connected?

On removing the wiring harness and motor from the baseplate this wire got caught and stripped the whole way through while I was struggling to get the rubber grommet through the aperture. It is not meant to be like that and will just be soldered back together.

I have placed this in the correct DIY section.

[castaway]

awesome write-up. i will be giving this a shot in the next few weeks.

[gtb5]

Wow thanks it would help my installer to know more about the installation when I do get the carbon mirrors.

[greys]

removing the door panel is very useful.
i was just wondering what the yellow was for?
on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest, how hard is it to remove the door panel?
Good stuff,
Chris

[nuc1]

Originally Posted by greys

removing the door panel is very useful.
i was just wondering what the yellow was for?
on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest, how hard is it to remove the door panel?
Good stuff,
Chris

First time probably a 2. After that, about a .5. So your first side will be a PITA, the other side of the car cake. There is a very good DIY over on e46fanatics that can supplement the one in this thread if you need extra help/pictures.

Remember to pull UP first on the inside mirror plastic cover of you will be buying a new one....

Mike

[FiftyPenceM3]

The following link was included within my original post to give you a detailed how-to on removing the door card. Please read the original post thoroughly.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...ghlight=rattle

Many thanks to the OP on E46fanatics for the door card DIY.