Mini Cooper Wing Mirror: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
A genuinely surprising finding: mirror faults have twice been traced to a blown heated seats fuse, not a mirror-specific fuse — plus a finding that fold-on-lock via the fob needs a separate comfort pack option.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — Aftermarket Van Wezel 0518807 (LH) / 0518808 (RH)
| Passenger side (LH / nearside), complete mirror | Genuine: confirm via VIN. Aftermarket: Van Wezel 0518807 (electric, heated, aspherical, primed); Van Wezel 0518827 (power-folding, memory); Alkar 6139918 (5-pin, LHD-spec) |
|---|---|
| Driver's side (RH / offside), complete mirror | Genuine: confirm via VIN. Aftermarket: Van Wezel 0518808 (electric, heated, convex, primed); Van Wezel 0518828 (power-folding, memory); Alkar 6140918 (5-pin, LHD-spec) |
| Mirror glass only (aftermarket) | LH Van Wezel 0518837 / TYC 322-0010-1 / Diederichs 1208127 / Johns 53 54 37-81 (aspherical, heated); RH Van Wezel 0518838 / TYC 322-0009-1 / Johns 53 54 38-81 (convex, heated) |
| Spec variants to match | One: heated, manual fold; Cooper / Cooper S with Chili pack: power-folding with memory; caps black, white, body colour or chrome (sold separately). |
Mini Cooper Wing Mirror: More Electronics Hiding Inside Than Most People Realise
What looks like a simple glass-and-plastic assembly on the outside is often anything but on the Mini Cooper: its wing mirrors typically house folding motors, heating elements, indicator lights, and sometimes blind-spot sensors, so a "faulty mirror" isn't really one specific fault.
Mini Cooper Wing Mirror: Watch: Replacing It
Filmed on an R56.
Mini Cooper Wing Mirror: Driver's Side or Passenger Side? Sorting Out the Terminology
One thing worth getting right before you buy a Mini Cooper wing mirror: terminology for left and right isn't applied consistently across UK retailers and parts catalogues, which trips up plenty of buyers. On a right-hand-drive UK car, the convention runs like this:
- 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 Cooper. 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.
Mini Cooper Wing Mirror: What It Does
Beyond the obvious job of rear visibility, modern wing mirrors on higher trims of the Cooper 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.
Mini Cooper Wing Mirror: Generations, Derivatives, Colour & Mirror Adjustment
| R50/R56 (2001–2013), standard trims | Chili Red, Pepper White, Lightning Blue, Astro Black; manually adjusted, unheated mirrors were common on the base trim of this era — electric adjustment (and often heating) typically arrived further up the range; confirm your exact trim |
|---|---|
| F55/F56 (2014–present), standard trims | Chili Red, Pepper White, White Silver, various blues; 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 |
| F55/F56 JCW | Rebel Green was reserved exclusively for JCW models until the 2022 Resolute special edition combined it with a Pepper White roof for the first time; electric adjustment and heated glass are standard on this trim |
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A Genuinely Surprising, Real Finding Worth Checking First — Mini Cooper Wing Mirror
If both wing mirrors have stopped working electrically, this is genuinely worth knowing: documented cases have twice traced this exact problem back to a blown heated seats fuse, rather than any fuse dedicated to the mirrors themselves. Worth checking this specific fuse even if your car doesn't have heated seats fitted.
It's also genuinely worth knowing that the mirror's internal drive mechanism can break internally while the motor itself remains fine — meaning you can hear the motor whirring, yet the mirror still doesn't move correctly, though it will typically move fine with a gentle manual push.
Mini Cooper 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 Mini Wing Mirror
The same part, covered across other Mini models.