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Car Forum / BMW Cars / August 2007

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Heated Mirror - on all the time (1999-323i)

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WK2 - 29 Aug 2007 00:59 GMT
Hi all,

I have 1999-323i, and recently the outside rear view mirrors are hot
all the time -- I have replaced them several days ago.  Before that,
they weren't even warm -- now they're hot.  Are they supposed to be
heated all the time?  I did googling on this, and some says yes, but I
don't think they were ever hot like that before.

Thanks.
Mike G - 29 Aug 2007 01:12 GMT
> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> heated all the time?  I did googling on this, and some says yes, but I
> don't think they were ever hot like that before.

On all the cars I've had with heated mirrors, they come on with the
ignition.
None have felt exactly hot, but they should certainly feel warm.
Mike.
Chom_Noamsky - 29 Aug 2007 03:08 GMT
I know on some cars, it is activated by the rear window defroster - I cannot
say what method bimmer uses tho.

>> Hi all,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> None have felt exactly hot, but they should certainly feel warm.
> Mike.

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Tom K. - 29 Aug 2007 03:02 GMT
> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Thanks.

Yes, they are quite warm whenever the ignition is on.  Maybe your old ones
were malfunctioning.

Tom K.
WK2 - 29 Aug 2007 03:08 GMT
> > Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Tom K.

Thanks Mike and Tom.

Maybe my old ones were not working properly, I agree.  But now they're
HOT, not "warm".  Is this normal?  I'm a bit concerned if there's a
serious electrical problem.
Mike G - 29 Aug 2007 03:56 GMT
>> > Hi all,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> HOT, not "warm".  Is this normal?  I'm a bit concerned if there's a
> serious electrical problem.

I wouldn't worry too much about it if they're both the same.
If they are, I can't see that two new ones would have the same fault, so
perhaps they are supposed to be warmer than one would expect.
As long as they don't blow fuses or melt the mirror housings...... :-)
Mike.
Doug Vetter - 30 Aug 2007 00:19 GMT
> I have 1999-323i, and recently the outside rear view mirrors are hot
> all the time -- I have replaced them several days ago.  Before that,
> they weren't even warm -- now they're hot.  Are they supposed to be
> heated all the time?  I did googling on this, and some says yes, but I
> don't think they were ever hot like that before.

BMW heated mirrors are typically turned on automatically based on outside
air temperature.  Same goes for the heated door locks. However, as another
poster suggested, the heating elements in some cars are also activated by
the defroster button.  I'm not sure of which models do that.

If it's 80 degrees outside and the heating elements are active something
is wrong.  Have a tech (preferably one with a GT1 analyzer) look at it.

-Doug

Signature

--------------------
Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI
dwvcfii@yahoo.com
http://www.dvatp.com
--------------------

Tom K. - 30 Aug 2007 00:51 GMT
>> I have 1999-323i, and recently the outside rear view mirrors are hot
>> all the time -- I have replaced them several days ago.  Before that,
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> poster suggested, the heating elements in some cars are also activated by
> the defroster button.  I'm not sure of which models do that.

On the OP's early E46, the mirrors are heated whenever the ignition is on.

> If it's 80 degrees outside and the heating elements are active something
> is wrong.  Have a tech (preferably one with a GT1 analyzer) look at it.

Nope - that was the BMW design.  Hopefully the E90 and other newer models
have some sort of temp sensor, but the 1999 E46 didn't.

Tom K.
Dave Plowman (News) - 30 Aug 2007 10:08 GMT
> > BMW heated mirrors are typically turned on automatically based on
> > outside air temperature.  Same goes for the heated door locks.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> On the OP's early E46, the mirrors are heated whenever the ignition is
> on.

And I'm amazed they're still working. ;-)

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*A closed mouth gathers no feet.

   Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                 To e-mail, change noise into sound.

WK2 - 30 Aug 2007 14:06 GMT
Thanks all for your comments.

I've detached the mirrors and saw two wires for each mirror.  I
wonder, if I can wire either a switch for it or somehow wire to the
rear window defog switch.  Do you think it's dangerous?  I don' really
understand why it's so hard for BMW to have such switch, and that's
why I think my initial mirrors got bad spots within a few years and
must be broken -- they weren't even warm.  And it's really unnecessary
when it's 90 degree outside and these mirrors are heated -- and hot.
Tom K. - 30 Aug 2007 16:04 GMT
>> > BMW heated mirrors are typically turned on automatically based on
>> > outside air temperature.  Same goes for the heated door locks.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> And I'm amazed they're still working. ;-)

No problem Dave, I just switch off the ignition when going downhill to save
the mirrors. :-)

1999 was also the same year that gave us the (U.S.) E46 climate control
system that always blows stale air at you when the ignition is turned on
(until it is manually turned off) - even when the fan was shut down before
switching off the car .

Tom K.
dizzy - 31 Aug 2007 00:43 GMT
>1999 was also the same year that gave us the (U.S.) E46 climate control
>system that always blows stale air at you when the ignition is turned on
>(until it is manually turned off) - even when the fan was shut down before
>switching off the car .

Appearently the only year they did that?  My 2000 does not...

That's what I like about my car.  There's nothing about it that really
pisses me off.  And, believe me, I'm pretty picky.   8)

The newer cars, with their iDrives and push-button starts, on the
other hand...
 
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