Timm's BMW E31 Exterior Mirror Replacement

As the weather is getting colder as winter arrives in the UK I noticed that the driver's exterior mirror did not defrost whereas the passenger's mirror was fine. Time to replace the mirror. All you need for this is the replacement mirror and a wooden wedge:

Poke the wedge in at this point and lever the glass out - it takes quite a bit of force so don't use metal tools:

The mirror should detach from the motor assembly one clip at a time until it is held only by two wires:

Wiggle the connectors off and remove the mirror.

The mirror is held onto the motor assembly with four clips as shown below:

I checked the resistance across the terminals on the old and new mirrors, 7 Ohms on the new mirror, open-circuit on the old one:

The mirror heating is via a stick-on pad (which won't come off in one piece):

To fit the new mirror, connect the two terminals and wiggle the mirror around until placed centrally and then use both thumbs near the centre of the mirror to push it straight onto the four mounting points. It should go into place with a healthy click. Just make sure all four points are attached by poking the wooden wedge back in and putting a small amount of pressure on the glass. If it is fitted correctly it will stay in place!

All done, time for a cup of tea