side view mirror pre LCI vs LCI
 

I got what I thought was a good deal on a set of 2012 outside mirrors, came of a LCI 2012 e70 35d. Mine need replacing because they are scratched ... My car is a 2008 (pre LCI, build date 04/2008).

When I took the driver's side off, my mirror glass had only two simple prong connections (has defrost function). The 2012 mirror glass is much heavier and has a "ribbon-connector" on it, and what appears to be a circuit board behind the mirror glass. Both mirrors have BMW logos on back.

According to REALOEM the options for pre-LCI and LCI are the same: plane(or flat), convex or "autodip". Both of the mirror glass are definitely flat and "autodip" has to be a function of the motor, not the glass.

I suppose this could be an alternate manufacturer ...?

Anyone?

Can I modify the ribbon connector to work with my simple two wires?

Why does BMW make everything so complex??? I can't even swap out a simple mirror glass ... probably have to re-code the whole car too!

I think the difference might be due to autodimming feature. My '08 uses the ribbon connection. I bought some aspheric Euro-style mirrors for my X5 and they came with a different style connector. Might be what you have. If you're interested, I can check them to see if they're what you need, and I'll sell them to you for less than my cost.

The one on the left does not have auto-dimming, the one on the right does.

I am learning that the BMW "auto-dimming" (a.k.a electro chromic) mirrors are protected by one or more patents!! That is why one cannot get these as aftermarket (or in blue). These mirrors have an dealer list price in excess of $300/ea!!!

Here's a little info on how these electro-chromic mirrors work:

Working operation of Electro chromatic mirrors:

This auto dimming mirror is typically installed on higher end vehicles. It consists of two lenses that sandwich an electro chromic (electronic color changing) gel. The inside sides of the lenses are coated with a transparent conductive layer coating and the deepest lens has a reflective coating.

This gel, when charged with electricity darkens, then clear once the glare is no longer detected. The mirror uses a forward sensor which measures the outside ambient light, and a rearward sensor to look for glare. When dark enough, it sends current to the electrostatic gel, darkening it a rate which is related to the level of ambient darkness and rearward glare. When the outside ambient light increases, the current decreases, until the gel is clear again at daylight light levels.