Clear vs Blue vs Auto-dimming Side mirror

[BiscottiGelato]

Hey guys,

Originally posted it in the Canada section, but didn't have much visibility there as traffic is a bit low in that board... Reposting to see if any one have any insight here.

I recently got a used 09 135 M Sport. I used to have a e90 328i with auto-dimming interior mirror, but no auto-dimming exterior mirrors. I find the mirrors in the 135i all have insane glare, even more so than the non-auto-dimming exterior mirrors that I had before.

So... how many types of mirrors are there? I always thought that...

For the interior rear-view
1. Non auto-dim clear mirror
2. Auto-dimming mirror

For the exterior mirror
1. Non auto-dim blue mirror
2. Auto-dimming mirror

From RealOEM, for the USA N54 E82 135i, for the exterior mirror glass, it lists you can either get
1. Blauglas (Which I take as that it's Blue Glass)
2. ELEKTROCHROM (Which I take as the auto-dimming glass?)

I plan to replace the interior mirror with an auto-dimming one. For the exterior one tho, I want to figure out what mirror I already got. To me, the exterior mirrors looks exactly like the non-auto-dimming interior mirror, and it doesn't seem to have a blue tint to the glass. So is it not the Blauglas? If not then what the heck is it then, as RealOEM doesn't list anything other than Blauglass and Auto-dim...

My car is MY09, M Sports + Premium package but does not have the Executive/Convinience Package (whichever package that gives you Comfort Access). Please help. Thanks!

[MOCKBA]

I had impression that auto-dimming mirrors all 3 are standard. I am not impressed how they work, I guess a senser a bit off, however better than clear or manually switched ones.

[Bimmer-Bob]

IIRC, the "blue glass" is the euro-spec mirror that's tinted blue-ish but (more importantly) offers a wider-angle field of view, supposedly eliminating blind spots.

Not really sure what you mean by "insane glare" though...they just seem like normal mirrors to me.

[TMR013]

"IIRC, the "blue glass" is the euro-spec mirror that's tinted blue-ish but (more importantly) offers a wider-angle field of view, supposedly eliminating blind spots.

Sure that's a euro-spec? I have noticed a blue tint on my exterior mirrors.

[BiscottiGelato]

Originally Posted by TMR013

"IIRC, the "blue glass" is the euro-spec mirror that's tinted blue-ish but (more importantly) offers a wider-angle field of view, supposedly eliminating blind spots.

Sure that's a euro-spec? I have noticed a blue tint on my exterior mirrors.

What options do you have TMR?

I thought the right hand side mirror is always convex, because it says "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear". Or is it that the European mirrors are even more convexed than the North American mirrors so that it even covers the blind spot of the car?

My gf also have a 128i convertible with interior auto-dimming mirror. I don't notice the exteriors dim tho, so I am guessing they aren't exterior auto-dimming mirror. They are not blue tinted either. However, the mirrors on her 128i have a robber/plastic trim around it; While mine is just all glass to the very edge of the mirror...

I will try to post a picture of the difference when I meet up with my gf again this weekend. There seems to be a lot more different kinds of mirrors than it seems.... and it's rather hard to sort out the exact difference in functionality between all of them...

[nordique14]

TO me it looks like the blue tint is the non-autodimming and the clear is the autodimming. Take a look at the Euro mirrors here and you can see the diff.

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E82-135...erior/Mirrors/

[TMR013]

Originally Posted by nordique14

TO me it looks like the blue tint is the non-autodimming and the clear is the autodimming. Take a look at the Euro mirrors here and you can see the diff.

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E82-135...erior/Mirrors/

I think that's the case because I don't have the auto dimming feature.

[JHZR2]

I dont get it. Folks got along just fine without auto dimming mirrors for years. Its just something else that adds cost and another thing to go wrong...

Blue tinted glass is nice though.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

I dont get it. Folks got along just fine without auto dimming mirrors for years. Its just something else that adds cost and another thing to go wrong...

Blue tinted glass is nice though.

The extra WIDE euro mirrors are even nice-r! They are on my "must have" mod list.

[BiscottiGelato]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

I dont get it. Folks got along just fine without auto dimming mirrors for years. Its just something else that adds cost and another thing to go wrong...

Blue tinted glass is nice though.

It's really because of the proliferation of off-specish Xenon looking blue beams from tall luxury looking trucks and SUVs that makes Auto-dimming a very nice to have item these days....

[doublevanosrc]

Now that i remember my E30 325i had blue tinted mirrors, I guess BMWs costing cutting eliminated this. ECStuning only has them for earlier 1 series, not 2010+.

[dtwyim]

All 3 of mine dims. But I found the side ones too dark for my liking.

[AW128i]

My car ('08) didn't come with auto-dimming mirrors and and it has the blue mirror glass. I added the interior auto-dimming mirror. I've noticed that newer E8X cars without auto-dim have the normal clear outside mirrors. I'm assuming, like many things, BMW replaced the blue non-auto-dim with the clear ones, possibly when they switched to the larger outside mirrors.