BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
On the 5 Series, an official BMW bulletin genuinely explains a power-fold mirror's home position can shift and get incorrectly stored — folding it in and out again doesn't fix it, and the official correction says not to replace any parts.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — Aftermarket glass Blic 6102-05-0280003P (LH) / 0280004P (RH)
| Passenger side (LH / nearside), complete mirror | Genuine: confirm via VIN. Aftermarket: No complete aftermarket LH unit listed — cover Johns 20 18 37-91 / Diederichs 1225127 (primed) |
|---|---|
| Driver's side (RH / offside), complete mirror | Genuine: confirm via VIN. Aftermarket: No complete aftermarket RH unit listed — cover Diederichs 1225126 (primed) |
| Mirror glass only (aftermarket) | LH Ridex 1914M0051 / Blic 6102-05-0280003P / Van Wezel 0617837 / Alkar 6475845 (aspherical, heated); RH Blic 6102-05-0280004P / Van Wezel 0617838 / Johns 20 10 38-81 / TYC 303-0121-1 (aspherical, heated) |
| Spec variants to match | Aspherical vs convex glass; auto-dimming, power-folding and memory on SE / M Sport with option packs; LCI (2013 on) covers carry over. |
BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: More Electronics Hiding Inside Than Most People Realise
There's more inside the BMW 5 Series's wing mirror than the glass suggests: folding motors, heating elements, indicator lights, and on some cars, blind-spot sensors are all commonly built in, which is why a "faulty mirror" complaint can mean several genuinely different problems.
BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: Driver's Side or Passenger Side? Sorting Out the Terminology
Before ordering a BMW 5 Series wing mirror, it's worth double-checking which side you actually need — listings use inconsistent terminology across UK retailers and parts catalogues, and the wrong choice is an easy, avoidable mistake. For right-hand-drive UK cars:
- Driver's side = right-hand (RH) = offside (OS) — the side closest to the centre of the road.
- Passenger side = left-hand (LH) = nearside (NS) — the side closest to the kerb.
Part listings may use any of these terms interchangeably — "RH mirror," "offside mirror," and "driver's side mirror" all refer to the same physical part on a UK-spec 5 Series. Double-check which convention your supplier is using before ordering, since a mix-up here is one of the most common reasons the wrong mirror turns up.
BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: Watch: Replacing It
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BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: What It Does
Beyond the obvious job of rear visibility, modern wing mirrors on higher trims of the 5 Series often integrate turn signal repeaters, puddle lights, heating elements to clear condensation, and power-fold motors for tight parking spaces. Higher-spec versions may also house blind-spot monitoring sensors, making them considerably more expensive to replace than a basic mirror.
BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: Generations, Derivatives, Colour & Mirror Adjustment
| All generations, standard trims | Alpine White (the only no-cost colour), Black Sapphire, Carbon Black, Phytonic Blue; electric adjustment is standard on most trims from this generation, with heated glass increasingly common too — though the most basic specification may still be manual; confirm your exact trim |
|---|---|
| Premium/Individual paint options | The 5 Series colour range spans an unusually wide price gap — some premium metallics run to several thousand pounds extra, with the rarest special finishes (like Pure Metal Silver) among the most expensive paint options offered on any mainstream car |
| M5 | Alpine White remains available as a deliberately simple, no-cost option even on the flagship M5, alongside genuine M-specific colours like Isle of Man Green; electric adjustment and heated glass are standard on this trim |
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Confirmed: A Genuine Official Bulletin Worth Knowing About — BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror
If a power-fold mirror appears to be sitting further out than it should when folded away, this is genuinely worth knowing directly from an official BMW service bulletin covering this model: the mirror housing's stored "home" position can genuinely shift outward over time, with this incorrect new position then being saved as the new reference point. Simply folding the mirror in and out repeatedly does not correct this, and the official bulletin explicitly states that no parts should be replaced for this specific fault.
It's also genuinely worth knowing that not every car of this model necessarily has the electric mirror fold-in feature fitted at all, since this was an optional extra chosen at the time of original order.
BMW 5 Series Wing Mirror: Common Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Wing Mirror Guide for common faults to check for, confirming the exact spec against your VIN, how difficult this job is to DIY, and aftermarket advice.
More BMW Wing Mirror
The same part, covered across other BMW models.