a new (I think) easy way to fix the folding mirror malfunction

Sackboy11 · 05-24-2023, 04:09 PM

Hi, our BMW had the famous folding mirror malfunction a few months ago. I think I found the fix - cleaning!

I made a video of the fix though not a lot of people have seen it:

If you have mirror problems, give cleaning a try!

I tried other fixes I found online which involved pushing the mirror back and forth until it clicks into place but that didn't fix the issue. It seemed like the only fix left to do was to cut the wire and disable the folding function entirely, but I found out after I gently cleaned the folding mirror mechanisms that I fixed the folding behavior. It has been working for months now.

To describe the malfunction, the mirrors were folding out too much, not folding into place at a proper angle to see, making snapping noises, etc. until I used a little bit of all purpose cleaner and flushed gently with water, then the mirrors were fixed. (It was visibly dirty which is why I thought to try cleaning first, though I didn't expect that cleaning would fix the issue due to how crazy the mirrors were behaving)

No need to cut the wire and give up on the folding mirrors. I think that when the motor mechanism is dirty, it binds up and folds incorrectly. The mirror mechanism appears to have two rotating parts. The bottom part only rotates if somebody pushes the mirror by hand to prevent damage to the motor. Normally it shouldn't rotate, but dirt causes the top motorized part and the bottom part to spin together, messing up the rotation/alignment as if somebody was manually pushing the mirror.

Let me know if anybody has this problem and cleaning fixes it. It may not fix your issue but I think it's worth a shot by how easy it is to try. Just don't use too much water because presumably there's some electronics you can damage. I added some lubricant afterwards too for good measure though I'm not sure if it was the right type for a dirty environment.

StradaRedlands · 05-24-2023, 07:45 PM

Nothing wrong with this... clean and lube it for sure! Actually good preventive maintenance before you start having problems.

lowrydr310 · 05-24-2023, 07:46 PM

I'm going to try this tomorrow. My drivers side mirror extends about 1/2" more than it should. I repeatedly tried everything else and couldn't solve the issue. Hope this is it!

StradaRedlands · 05-24-2023, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I'm going to try this tomorrow. My drivers side mirror extends about 1/2" more than it should. I repeatedly tried everything else and couldn't solve the issue. Hope this is it!

Try the thing where you pull the mirror back in, all the closed, then hit the close button. That can get it re-set so it's on the right cog/lug that fits in the housing. Then you have to play around with the other side to get them synchronized. I got one mirror fixed that way... but had to swap out another one that just couldn't get synced. Good luck!

lowrydr310 · 05-25-2023, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Try the thing where you pull the mirror back in, all the closed, then hit the close button. That can get it re-set so it's on the right cog/lug that fits in the housing. Then you have to play around with the other side to get them synchronized. I got one mirror fixed that way... but had to swap out another one that just couldn't get synced. Good luck!

I tried that dozens of times and it makes no difference. I got my passenger side fixed that way but not the drivers side.

jsunma · 05-25-2023, 05:26 AM

The second video you link to in the info for your video is the fix that has worked for me.

Having been plagued over the years with this problem in my car (now at 230K miles), I've found that 90% of the YT videos about "fixing" mirrors are just about getting the folding mechanism synchronized (those are all of the ones about holding it until it clicks). Those do nothing about the functioning of the actual mechanism...and unless your mirrors are just bent backwards, the REASON why they won't go into (or actually, stay in) the right position hasn't been addressed. Your video is on the right track about cleaning the mechanism, but I'd suspect that in most cases external cleaning of the mechanism really won't do it.

The problem - as the second video in the info notes - is that the inaccessible pin in the mechanism gets gummed up and won't drop into place at the proper point in the mechanism. Drilling the hole in the housing and thereby enabling one to get a high quality lubricant in there is the way to go.

Cutting the wires is IMO an entirely lame/lazy solution that comes from people being frustrated and not having access to accurate info on why the problem exists to begin with. So, good to get info out, and hopefully folks will find this thread when their mirrors go bonkers.

05-24-2023, 04:09 PM	#1
Sackboy11 New Member 2 Rep 5 Posts Drives: BMW 325XI Join Date: Aug 2022 Location: East coast USA iTrader: (0)	a new (I think) easy way to fix the folding mirror malfunction Hi, our BMW had the famous folding mirror malfunction a few months ago. I think I found the fix - cleaning! I made a video of the fix though not a lot of people have seen it: If you have mirror problems, give cleaning a try! I tried other fixes I found online which involved pushing the mirror back and forth until it clicks into place but that didn't fix the issue. It seemed like the only fix left to do was to cut the wire and disable the folding function entirely, but I found out after I gently cleaned the folding mirror mechanisms that I fixed the folding behavior. It has been working for months now. To describe the malfunction, the mirrors were folding out too much, not folding into place at a proper angle to see, making snapping noises, etc. until I used a little bit of all purpose cleaner and flushed gently with water, then the mirrors were fixed. (It was visibly dirty which is why I thought to try cleaning first, though I didn't expect that cleaning would fix the issue due to how crazy the mirrors were behaving) No need to cut the wire and give up on the folding mirrors. I think that when the motor mechanism is dirty, it binds up and folds incorrectly. The mirror mechanism appears to have two rotating parts. The bottom part only rotates if somebody pushes the mirror by hand to prevent damage to the motor. Normally it shouldn't rotate, but dirt causes the top motorized part and the bottom part to spin together, messing up the rotation/alignment as if somebody was manually pushing the mirror. Let me know if anybody has this problem and cleaning fixes it. It may not fix your issue but I think it's worth a shot by how easy it is to try. Just don't use too much water because presumably there's some electronics you can damage. I added some lubricant afterwards too for good measure though I'm not sure if it was the right type for a dirty environment.
	Appreciate 1 POBEP374.50 Tweet Quote

05-24-2023, 07:45 PM	#2
StradaRedlands Brigadier General 5037 Rep 3,089 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 330i MT Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: SoCal iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 BMW 330i [8.25] 2009 BMW 328i Touri ... [8.00] 2013 BMW X5 35i [7.80] 2011 BMW 528i [8.70] 2006 Mazda3 [5.50]	Nothing wrong with this... clean and lube it for sure! Actually good preventive maintenance before you start having problems.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-24-2023, 07:46 PM	#3
lowrydr310 Robot 1698 Rep 2,196 Posts Drives: 2006 330i, 2007 E93 335i Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Souhtrne Califniora iTrader: (0)	I'm going to try this tomorrow. My drivers side mirror extends about 1/2" more than it should. I repeatedly tried everything else and couldn't solve the issue. Hope this is it!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-25-2023, 05:26 AM	#6
jsunma Captain 654 Rep 815 Posts Drives: 2008 328iT 6MT RWD Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Massachusetts iTrader: (0)	The second video you link to in the info for your video is the fix that has worked for me. Having been plagued over the years with this problem in my car (now at 230K miles), I've found that 90% of the YT videos about "fixing" mirrors are just about getting the folding mechanism synchronized (those are all of the ones about holding it until it clicks). Those do nothing about the functioning of the actual mechanism...and unless your mirrors are just bent backwards, the REASON why they won't go into (or actually, stay in) the right position hasn't been addressed. Your video is on the right track about cleaning the mechanism, but I'd suspect that in most cases external cleaning of the mechanism really won't do it. The problem - as the second video in the info notes - is that the inaccessible pin in the mechanism gets gummed up and won't drop into place at the proper point in the mechanism. Drilling the hole in the housing and thereby enabling one to get a high quality lubricant in there is the way to go. Cutting the wires is IMO an entirely lame/lazy solution that comes from people being frustrated and not having access to accurate info on why the problem exists to begin with. So, good to get info out, and hopefully folks will find this thread when their mirrors go bonkers.
	Appreciate 1 StradaRedlands5036.50 Quote