Help with exterior mirror part number
 

I want to replace my left side exterior mirror glass on my '06 4.8 with a new genuine BMW mirror of the exact one that came on the vehicle. I'm confused on realoem as it shows a "mirror glass" and "mirror lens". The price difference is substantial. Here's the two part numbers and prices. Anyone know what's the difference and which one do I need?

51168408797 mirror glass $125
51168247769 mirror lens $335

Thanks in advance for any help!

51168408797 mirror glass $125 blue glass
51168247769 mirror lens $335 auto dip

Fixed

Not really only for the 4.8. Its also available in the 4.4.
Mine has them.

You need the mirror based on how your X5 is optioned. If you have dimming side view mirrors...then to replace them with the oe set-up...you need the mirrors identified with the S430A option code.

You can tell you have these mirrors multiple ways...a quick visual way is to look at the front of the mirror to see if it has a thick black band around the circumference of the mirror glass. If it does, then you have the auto-dimming mirrors. If you still can't tell, when you pop them out of the mirror assembly...you can tell by the wiring harness. The regular heated mirrors only have 2 wires running to 2 pins on the back side of the glass. The EC (auto dimming) mirrors has those 2 wiring pins for the heating feature...but also has another multi-wire connector for the dimming feature. (see pics below for example of S430A mirrors)

A tip to help understand the part database...in this case of the two types of mirrors...hints were given in the supplemental info that was written at the top of each diagram's part nbr index.

The option code (S430A) is given which is the option code for auto dimming (dipping) mirrors...aka EC (electrochromatic) mirrors. These mirrors cost a lot more than the regular mirrors due to their ability to dim when a signal from the interior EC rear view mirror is sent to it.

In the diagrams for the auto dimming (dipping) Mirror Lens (S430A) it says:

For vehicles with
Interior/outside mirror with auto dip
S430A=Yes

In the diagrams for the Mirror Glass it says:

For vehicles with
Interior/outside mirror with auto dip
S430A=No

Thanks all for your help and Qsilver a big thank you for that detailed info! I'm shocked a mirror costs that much!

Due to the high cost of the EC mirrors...if you're going to spend that type of money...you may want to look at upgrading to the EC/heated/wide angle mirrors that are offered outside the US market.


I see Georgia as your location, so I don't know if that's the state in the US or the country in eastern Europe. :) But you can use the 11 digit number for the wide angle mirrors (just look on the Euro side of the part database)...then shop using those part nbrs. You can usually find sellers on eBay or Amazon.com that will sell these mirrors to this side of the pond. I've purchased my last two sets from Europe...my e53 X5 I got from Riga, Latvia...and the ones for my f06 650GC I purchased from a seller in Berlin Germany.

If you've never used them before...it may take a day or two to get used to the reflective ratio for the driver's side mirror since in the US we are accustomed to a straight mirror with a 1:1 ratio. But we have no problem with the convex mirror on the passenger side. But the reflective view of the wide angle mirrors gives so much more coverage (45° vs 17°). You can see the difference in the pics below:

I had those aspherical mirrors on my E39! Don’t think I’m going to shell out that kinda dough and I’ll just keep mine. My drivers side has a slight cloudy haze to them. I tried some polish to no avail. But I’m being nit picky on my now 14k and change mileage truck. Thanks for all you do on this site!!


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