BMW X3 Mirror Functions Dead, Repair Advice Needed

Hey there! I had the same issue with my 2008 BMW X5 3.0i last winter. The heated mirrors just died completely, super annoying during cold weather. Turned out the wiring harness in the door had a few damaged cables where they flex between the door and frame. The constant opening and closing of the door had worn through the insulation. The repair wasn't too major, just needed to replace the door wiring harness and check the connections at the mirror assembly. Once that was done, both the heating and auto-dimming worked perfectly again. It took the mechanic about 2 hours to complete the job. This is actually a common problem in these BMWs from that era. The wiring tends to get brittle over time. I'd suggest finding a mechanic who specializes in BMW, as they'll know exactly where to look. They should be able to diagnose it pretty quickly with the right diagnostic tools. Hope this helps!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful since it sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. Such a relief to hear it wasn't something more serious. Would you mind telling me how much you ended up paying for the repair? Also, has everything stayed working properly since then, or have you noticed any other electrical quirks popping up?

Hey again! I'm glad I could help! Just wanted to update you, I actually got this fixed recently. The total bill came to 95 € for repairing the faulty cable and plug connection. Much cheaper than I initially expected, honestly! Everything's been working perfectly since the repair. The heated mirrors kick in just like they should, and the auto-dimming feature is back to normal too. No other electrical issues have shown up, which is a relief. The BMW specialist I went to really knew their stuff, they spotted the problem right away and had it sorted in no time. It's funny, when I first had the issue, I was worried it might be something major (you know how BMW repairs can get!), but it turned out to be pretty straightforward. Just make sure you find someone who knows these models well, it makes a huge difference. Let me know how you get on with yours! Always happy to share more details if you need them.

Thanks so much for all the details! Just got back from the mechanic today actually. What a relief, you were totally right about finding someone who knows BMWs. Found this great shop through a and they spotted the issue right away. Turns out my repair was super similar to yours, worn wiring in the door harness. Bill came to a bit more since they had to replace some corroded connectors too, but still way less than I was dreading. Took them about three hours total, but everything's working perfectly now. Really glad I asked here before jumping into a repair at my old mechanic's place. They probably would've charged double and taken way longer to figure it out. The new shop even showed me exactly what was wrong and explained how to prevent similar issues in the future. Thanks again for helping me avoid a potentially expensive headache! Time to enjoy my properly working mirrors again.