# rear view mirror



## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

Does anyone own one of the launch 335d's. I am in a battle with BMW and the dealers. No one will tell me what rear view mirror was put on these cars and they won't fix my auto dimming mirror because they say they can't. a real quandry for me. 
thanks


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## taibanl (Oct 3, 2010)

Realoem. Enter your vin. Done


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

went to realoem. What I am looking for is exactly what was supposed to be in my car when it was built. I bought it CPO and the mirror never worked. I just wanted to show the dealer what mirror is supposed to be on car and to fix it or I will take it to the next level
Thanks


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

My car does not have an auto dimming rear view mirror. Kind of annoying actually since also lacks the old style switch for when lights are too bright behind me. Or if it auto dims, it does not do it by enough or at all. I am guessing this was some sort of option on cars?


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

*fed regs for cars sold in the us Rear View Mirrors*

from the FMCSA web site "Unit magnification mirror means a plane or flat mirror with a reflective surface through which the angular height and width of the image of an object is equal to the angular height and width of the object when viewed directly at the same distance except for flaws that do not exceed normal manufacturing tolerances. For the purposes of this regulation a prismatic day-night adjustment rearview mirror one of whose positions provides unit magnification is considered a unit magnification mirror. S5. Requirements for passenger cars. S5.1 Inside rearview mirror. Each passenger car shall have an inside rearview mirror of unit magnification. "
I just filed a safety claim against BMW


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

*BMW installed wrong RV Mirror*

It turns out that the launch 2009 335d cars had the wrong mirror installed from the factory. The car can only use the manual rear view mirror. If anyone needs a perfectly working auto dimming mirror please tell me we can work something out. I took it off my car and put on a manual one. Had to pay for it myself BMW would not help even though it is required by NHTSA.:tsk:


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## János (Jun 19, 2010)

Out of curiousity, in terms of production dates what is considered a 'launch' vehicle?

My car had some early equipment (since replaced) but I think it is too late to be a launch vehicle. By the way, the autodimming mirror works well.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

How much did it cost to change? I noticed this last weekend that lights are brighter in my rear view than the sides. I was half wondering if the window tinting was somehow messing things up.


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## jashearer (Nov 9, 2011)

JAPearson said:


> It turns out that the launch 2009 335d cars had the wrong mirror installed from the factory. The car can only use the manual rear view mirror. If anyone needs a perfectly working auto dimming mirror please tell me we can work something out. I took it off my car and put on a manual one. Had to pay for it myself BMW would not help even though it is required by NHTSA.:tsk:


It had a mirror right?

The code you stated said that a day/night switchable mirror met that requirement, it did not say that a day/night switchable mirror was the requirement, only that it had to have a mirror.

I agree its lame that they put an auto switch mirror in a car that it would not work with, but saying its an NHTSA safety hazard is a bit of a stretch.

Jay


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## AndyX5d (Apr 1, 2012)

I believe his point was that when an auto dimming mirror is installed in a car in which the dimming function will not work does not meet the code requirements. In that since it does not include a manual switch to change the angle of the mirror it does not comply with the code. I tend to agree with that position. The way the car was delivered to him he could have been put in an unsafe situation. It's been a long time since I've owned a vehicle without an auto dimming mirror, but I can still remember how badly you can be blinded by vehicles behind you if you do not adjust, or are unable to adjust your rear view mirror.


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

*Thank you for clearing that up*

Well said, that is exactly my point. I drive at night at since the car is relatively low to the ground the lights from behind really affect your vision. That is why the govt requires the ability to change to a dim setting. Thank you for restating.
However, It was irritating though that you spend this much for a car and you have to swap mirrors on your own dime to a manual mirror. Especially when no one at BMW would even admit the problem. I bet it is the most expensive car in America with an auto dimming mirror.
Keep the fancy BS dealer crap and just stand behind the vehicle. I certainly realize now that BMW is full of just as much crap as any other manufacturer/dealer. I have an extended warrantly and now know how I will be dealt with in the future. "The tie goes to the house."


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## jashearer (Nov 9, 2011)

You guys missed my point.

Just because a prismatic mirror is considered a unit magnification mirror does not mean that only a prismatic mirror can be installed. The code does not specify that a prismatic mirror must be installed, only that it must be a unit magnification mirror, and that a prismatic mirror in this case can be considered a unit magnification mirror.

The link below will take you to the comments from the federal motor vehicle standards committee related to they standard you mention.
http://www.archive.org/stream/federalmotorvehi392unit/federalmotorvehi392unit_djvu.txt

The standard was amended to include the statement around the prismatic mirror because technically one of the settings (night setting) does not meet the original wording that the unit magnification mirror must be "precise". The "precise" wording was also removed which meant that the prismatic wording didn't need to be added but it was kept anyway.

"Standard No. Ill is further amended by this 
notice to add a definition of the tenn "mirror of 
imit magnification." This definition incorporates 
a previous XHTSA interpretation to the effect 
that precise "unit magnification" is not required 
by the standard if any deviations are not in 
excess of normal manufacturing tolerances. The 
definition provides that a prismatic day-night 
adjustment rearview mirror, one of whose posi- 
tions provides imit magnification, is considered 
a unit magnification mirror."

If you don't believe me send it to a lawyer.

Until then, please refrain from saying that BMW is violating NHSTA codes by not having a functioning day/night mirror.

Once again, I whole heartedly agree with you that it is ridiculous that they installed an auto-dimming mirror which can't function properly and you had to rectify it on your own dime, but that is another issue then the one you are relying on above.

Jay


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

ok so, cars sold in the US do not need to have a day/night mirror. Is that what you are saying? Yes or NO


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## jashearer (Nov 9, 2011)

JAPearson said:


> ok so, cars sold in the US do not need to have a day/night mirror. Is that what you are saying? Yes or NO


That is exactly how the code you pointed out read.

Jay


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Wow, it's just a freaking mirror.:tsk:

I find it hard to believe that BMW would purposely install a non-automatic mirror in a modern car of this calibre. I haven't seen manual mirrors in years. And a mirror that is neither sounds very fishy to me.

Is it possible the original owner broke his mirror and replaced it with something else? I mean has BMW actually advised that this is the way this car was built and delivered?

I have to admit I too would be a tad upset to discover I had no way to dim my mirror, manual or otherwise. And it would seem intuitive that it is unsafe to have a manual mirror, as you would have to remove your hand from the wheel to flip it. And to have no possibility of dimming it even worse.

I get the feeling there is something more to the story we are not being told.:eeps:


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Flyingman said:


> Wow, it's just a freaking mirror.:tsk:
> 
> I find it hard to believe that BMW would purposely install a non-automatic mirror in a modern car of this calibre. I haven't seen manual mirrors in years. And a mirror that is neither sounds very fishy to me.
> 
> ...


My car does not auto dim and does not have a manual switch. I did not realize this until recent months because I never really drove it at night. It is quite annoying because my solution is just manually turn the mirror up or down to avoid bright lights behind me.


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## taibanl (Oct 3, 2010)

Really. You cant just rotate the knob on bottom by hand? I know bmw does everything differently and it took me a while to figure that out.


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## taibanl (Oct 3, 2010)

So its a compatibility issue? Can it be coded to work? Its just like any other e90 no?


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Just put on your shades!:str8pimpi:smokin::supdude::brent:


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Just kidding. I honestly would not have believed they would put in a mirror you could not dim, on purpose.

Folks have complained about theirs stopping to work.

Is it an option to get one installed, perhaps standard with certain packages? Like Premium, etc...?

Maybe part of that convenience package?


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

taibanl said:


> Really. You cant just rotate the knob on bottom by hand? I know bmw does everything differently and it took me a while to figure that out.


What knob? I felt around for one and did not notice but will certainly look next time I am in the car. Do you have a picture of the knob?


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

not sure why you can't say yes or no. So I will make it simple, according to the nhtsa when I spoke to them on the phone, every car needs to have the ability to dim the mirror for night time use. Every one who doesn't think that matters should try driving at night without their mirror dimming. Ofcourse then you have to figure out how to do that since none of you that think it is important have to deal with the issue.


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

also, if you have the option to manually dim the RV mirror a knob will be on bottom of mirror. If you don't have a knob and your mirror doesn't work, one, the car should have the manual mirror because the auto dimmer will never work or two you have a auto dimmer that doesn't work. My car does not have premium anything, it is a launch car. I am very greatfu now for that lack of options since now I know how much fun BMW is to work with concerning repairs etc.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I see now, the "knob" is the clown nose for the alarm light, correct? It turns but puts a big angle to the glass, much more so than my other vehicles do. I will have to try it at night.


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## jashearer (Nov 9, 2011)

JAPearson said:


> not sure why you can't say yes or no. So I will make it simple, according to the nhtsa when I spoke to them on the phone, every car needs to have the ability to dim the mirror for night time use. Every one who doesn't think that matters should try driving at night without their mirror dimming. Ofcourse then you have to figure out how to do that since none of you that think it is important have to deal with the issue.


I can't say yes/no definitely because I am not an expert on ALL the NHTSA rules. The one you referenced does not say that every car needs to have day/night ability, it says that day/night ability qualifies as an appropriate mirror.

If someone you spoke with on the phone can give you the code to reference that would help your fight with BMW. You have not referenced it so far.

I'm not trying to be an @ ss, just trying to help you formulate a better argument. The worst thing you can do is start spouting off arguments that are easily refutable by BMW and its lawyers. You lose credability and your case all the sudden is weak.

You have a valid complaint, but you need more facts to support your claim that BMW is selling cars that don't meet US auto standards. If you can't find those facts then you need to figure out why your car has an autodimming mirror that won't work. If it indeed came from the factory that way "accidentaly" then argue that point.

Jay


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

jashearer said:


> I can't say yes/no definitely because I am not an expert on ALL the NHTSA rules. The one you referenced does not say that every car needs to have day/night ability, it says that day/night ability qualifies as an appropriate mirror.
> 
> If someone you spoke with on the phone can give you the code to reference that would help your fight with BMW. You have not referenced it so far.
> 
> ...


Well that is why I just spent the money took off my perfectly (working) not usable auto dimming mirror and put on a manual one. I am not a lawyer and if BMW wants to sell a car without a mirror that works well I guess I am the wiser now. Fool me once...
NHTSA has sent me info to fill out, I will fill it out and leave it to them. Their is no payback getting a lawyer. To answer someone elses question, I bought the car CPO for way too much money. I even asked about the warranty, listed some examples of possible repairs that may be covered on warranty etc. Never thought to even check the mirror. I like the care alot, I don't like how BMW has handled this incident. IF this situation did not happen to me I would have not believed it myself... It is like I bought a yugo from a used car lot.


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## taibanl (Oct 3, 2010)

Snipe656 said:


> I see now, the "knob" is the clown nose for the alarm light, correct? It turns but puts a big angle to the glass, much more so than my other vehicles do. I will have to try it at night.


Mine is black as i have no alarm. But yes. Rotate it and its night mode


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

taibanl said:


> Mine is black as i have no alarm. But yes. Rotate it and its night mode


I think the mistake happened because I have the base alarm with the wiring to got to next "level". The mirror would then have to be auto because the red blinking thing is where the manual switch is located. so now I can't upgrade alarm since I switched mirrors.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

JAPearson said:


> I think the mistake happened because I have the base alarm with the wiring to got to next "level". The mirror would then have to be auto because the red blinking thing is where the manual switch is located. so now I can't upgrade alarm since I switched mirrors.


The "red blinking thing" is what I discovered turns on my car, it is the knob and it is the blinker for the alarm and what I referred to as the "clown nose". From what I can tell all 2009 335d cars have the "red blinking thing" regardless of if they have an alarm because they were all pre-wired for an alarm. My car had no alarm on it from the factory but I had the dealer later add it since it was pre-wired for the alarm. My car always has had the "clown nose" though.

So bottom line, no the mirror would not have to be auto because of the clown nose.


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

Ok, thank you for that tip, the new clown nose is not red though. What color is yours. Is your mirror manual or auto and do you have any packages?


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

JAPearson said:


> Ok, thank you for that tip, the new clown nose is not red though. What color is yours. Is your mirror manual or auto and do you have any packages?


The new ones are not red because after 2009 the cars were no longer pre-wired for alarms. Mine is red but my car is a 2009 and 2009 cars were pre-wired for an alarm.

I have zero packages. The only option my car was ordered with was metallic paint. Since it was pre-wired for an alarm though, I had that added a few months after I bought the car. The alarm kit had nothing that dealt with the rear view mirror.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread mine does not have an auto dimming mirror and I thought it did not have a manual method to dim it either. I was wrong on my thoughts though after reading the other users post I got to looking some more and discovered the clown nose turns and that dims the mirror manually.

I'd never guessed the red clown nose turned until after reading the post on here. Quite honestly I'd probably never discovered that on my own because not very intuitive to me. I actually always figured my car had an auto dimming mirror until just recent months when I had to drive more and night and noticed it never changed.


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

Snipe656 said:


> The new ones are not red because after 2009 the cars were no longer pre-wired for alarms. Mine is red but my car is a 2009 and 2009 cars were pre-wired for an alarm.
> 
> I have zero packages. The only option my car was ordered with was metallic paint. Since it was pre-wired for an alarm though, I had that added a few months after I bought the car. The alarm kit had nothing that dealt with the rear view mirror.
> 
> ...


Mine is a launch car and the red clown nose on mine did not turn, you lucked out. That mirror you reference I could not get. But, I did the best I could working with the dealers and researching on line. That is pretty much what I am saying about BMW, they wouldn't even supply the mirror that could do both. Whether they can or not they ncan I will never know. I will just skip the alarm. Thank you for the info.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

JAPearson said:


> Mine is a launch car and the red clown nose on mine did not turn, you lucked out. That mirror you reference I could not get. But, I did the best I could working with the dealers and researching on line. That is pretty much what I am saying about BMW, they wouldn't even supply the mirror that could do both. Whether they can or not they ncan I will never know. I will just skip the alarm. Thank you for the info.


I'd like to know the build date of your car. The sticker in your front driver side door jam has the date.


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## JAPearson (Sep 9, 2011)

oct 2008 about, wife has car right now, but it was around then


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

OK, I have a 2010, Premium and Sport. I have auto dim mirrors all around, and a Red Clown Nose, no alarm.

What will my mirror do?:dunno:

Can it milk a cat?:rofl:


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

Flyingman said:


> OK, I have a 2010, Premium and Sport. I have auto dim mirrors all around, and a Red Clown Nose, no alarm.
> 
> What will my mirror do?:dunno:
> 
> Can it milk a cat?:rofl:


Does the clown nose turn?


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## 831Doug (Dec 20, 2011)

Flyingman said:


> OK, I have a 2010, Premium and Sport. I have auto dim mirrors all around, and a Red Clown Nose, no alarm.
> 
> What will my mirror do?:dunno:
> 
> Can it milk a cat?:rofl:


My car is a 2011. I don't have a Sport package, but I have auto dim mirrors with the red clown nose, no alarm. Red clown nose is fixed.


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## Snipe656 (Oct 22, 2009)

I feel lucky that I am one of the few owners who gets to play with his clown's nose at night .....


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## Flyingman (Sep 13, 2009)

Snipe656 said:


> Does the clown nose turn?


Nope, actually it doesn't do anything!:dunno:


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## Jim E. (Apr 23, 2002)

JAPearson said:


> Does anyone own one of the launch 335d's. I am in a battle with BMW and the dealers. No one will tell me what rear view mirror was put on these cars and they won't fix my auto dimming mirror because they say they can't. a real quandry for me.
> thanks


What are the last seven of your vin?


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