heated aspheric is shown in real oem at $140 while the same + electrochromatic - $350.

I can't see spending $350 on glass, even though it is a crucial piece of safety equipment

Do all 53's have the wiring for the auto dim? I think mine got replaced with a cheap nothing glass. I would pay for a dim if its plug and play

If the e53 is like the e38 & e39...then the answer is no. Unlike the interior rearview mirror which has the wiring in an electrical harness above the headliner if the car doesn't come with a mirror that requires an electrical harness (for rain sensor/EC/compass/etc)...the side mirrors require a wiring kit if the option isn't installed (or listed) on the build sheet.

Have you pulled up your build sheet on that site that get's posted all the time? If you have...see if you have option code S430A listed (outside & interior mirror w/auto-dip)...if you do, then you have the wires for the auto dim option already installed and ran to the outside mirrors.

Yep...just checked realoem.com...you'd need to order the retrofit cables for the outside EC mirrors if you want to upgrade to them...BMW part nbr 61 12 0 140 175.

Very good. Just good old blue ones for me then. I suppose I could always pop the one out first and see what's there before ordering. Perhaps an aspherical one then

That's what I'd do (pop one out to take a look-see). And if you just have the regular heated mirrors...I'd definitely opt for an aspherical (wide angle) heated mirror...at least on the driver's side.

I upgraded my e34/e38, & e39 with the aspherical mirror (on the driver's side) and really miss not having it on my X5. Scouring the internet for an EC/heated/aspherical left side mirror has been one of the first things I've done in my first week of X5 ownership. :) I did find a couple of vendors in Europe...but the cost is still high for the auto dim (EC) aspherical/heated mirrors. But the search continues. :)

so how do you set up those damn euro mirrors. I must be doing something wrong because I hate it. I cant see anything correctly!

So...you went ahead and got some wide angle mirrors? If so, which side....left, right, or both? :)

I took the plunge and I'm awaiting a pair of used ones to cross the Atlantic...hopefully they'll get here before Xmas but I doubt it since I just got an email yesterday that they were shipped. :popcorn: I can't wait because I feel the opposite as you...I fee uneasy looking in the X5's mirrors because I can barely see anything in the lanes to either side...I'm used to seeing way more...and I'm uncomfortable now when changing lanes. :eeps:


If this is your first time with them...it may take a week or so to get used to not having a 1:1 viewing ratio...especially on the driver's side. The mirror becomes more of a "driving" mirror to see what things are in the driving lanes behind and to the side of you instead of a mirror you look into to check out things (like pretty young things walking down the sidewalk, or something of interest that's caught your eye that you've passed...or for those of us that have a bit of vanity...your own reflection. :D). Just like we do for the passenger side, it becomes more for checking for things in the lanes around you.

You set the left mirror just as you would a regular 1:1 mirror where the view on the far right of the driver's mirror should look down the side of the car when you've place your left ear against the glass...the view you should see when sitting straight should be approx 40° out from the side of the car. To set the right (passenger side) mirror...lean toward the middle of the car...then again, set the LEFT side of that mirror where it is looking down the side of the car...when you're sitting straight in the driver's seat, it should provide a 40° view to your right.

Side mirror site line:

• plain mirror (driver's side) = approx 12° viewing angle
• convex mirror (pass side) = approx 20° viewing angle
• aspherical wide angle mirro = approx 40° viewing angle
• http://www.safetymirrorsonline.com/i...p_image001.jpg

In the images below (my old e39 540iT)...you can see how the white vehicle that is to my rear in the next lane...me moves up the side and by the time his rear end is in the "bent" section of the mirror...I can clearly see the front end of the vehicle in my peripheral vision...all this is done by just glancing in the mirror without having to turn my head:

Holy crap that is nice. How much did it run you.

I still paid more than what my original price point was...but after getting back into my e38 w/wide angle mirrors, then returning to the X5...I couldn't take the limited viewing angle so I put an alert up on eBay for anyone selling the EC/heated/wide angle E53 side mirrors...and most were single mirrors (LH or RH) for around GBP 140-150 ea.

I almost went with a seller named uswomanseller...she/he was selling both a left & right mirror separately...so I emailed her to see if she would cut a deal. She emailed me back and said that she would only charge the shipping price for one mirror (US $10). I almost went with her until I got another alert for the pair of mirrors I eventually went with. Here's a link to her LH mirror...I see that she has dropped her price down to US $123...but the RH mirror is still US $141:

LH Mirror: 00 06 BMW x5 Series E53 Heated Auto Dim Mirror Glass LH L Left Driver Side | eBay
RH Mirror: 00 06 BMW x5 Series E53 Heated Auto Dim Door Wing Mirror Glass RH Right Side | eBay

The (LH/RH) set of mirrors I went with cost GBP 145 (approx US $238)...which was a few dollars less than buying them individually...and a whol lot less than buying them brand new from BMW. If you want to forgo the auto dim (EC) feature and just stick with heated/wide angle...you can find them for under US $100

Oh before I forget...the vendor was eBay seller: bmwelshoplv

PS...on my way out the door this morning..."Brown" (UPS) left 4 big boxes on my porch. My style 87 wheels arrived way earlier than I expected. I never heard the doorbell ring and I discovered them around 7 am this morning. (merry Xmas to me) :D

Congrats On the rims. Pics or it didn't happen.

Yea I am going to order the same set as you. Thanks for the excellent idea. Do you have a specific part number that you searched by? No biggie either way, I'm sure real OEM has it.