BMW X6 Mirror Electronics Failure Fix & Cost Guide

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my 2011 BMW X5 35i last winter. The heated mirrors and auto-dimming completely stopped working, just like yours. After checking it at the garage, turned out the wiring harness connector behind the mirror was corroded and had some loose pins. The moisture got in there over time and messed things up. The fix wasn't actually as serious as I initially feared. They had to replace the connector and rewire a small section. It took about 2 hours of work. The connection issue also knocked out the auto-dimming function since both features share the same wiring pathway. If you're seeing error codes, it's likely the same problem. These things tend to be pretty common on that generation of BMWs. My advice would be to get it checked soon before winter hits, you don't want to deal with foggy mirrors when it's cold outside. Hope this helps!

Hey, thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful as I'm dealing with the exact same symptoms. Good to know it might just be the wiring harness, definitely sounds less scary than what I was imagining. Would you mind sharing how much you ended up paying for the repair? Also curious if you've had any other electrical issues pop up since getting it fixed?

Hey again! Just wanted to follow up, I actually just got mine fixed last week and it's working perfectly now! The mirror heating and auto-dimming are both back to normal. Turned out I was right about the wiring, it was exactly what I suspected when I first replied to you. The mechanic found a faulty cable connection that was causing both problems. Total bill came to 95€, which honestly wasn't as bad as I feared. And to answer your question about other electrical issues, nope, haven't had any other problems since the repair. Everything's been working great. The BMW tech mentioned these connection issues are pretty common but once fixed, they usually stay fixed. If you're still having the problem, I'd definitely recommend getting it checked out. For what it cost me, it was totally worth it to have properly working mirrors again, especially for those early morning drives when you really need that heating and auto-dimming to work!

Thanks for the detailed update! I actually took your advice and got it checked out yesterday at a different mechanic. What a relief, it was also just a wiring issue like you mentioned. The mechanic found some corrosion in the connections and fixed it right up. Cost me slightly more than yours at around 120, but still way better than what I was expecting to pay. They did a really thorough job explaining everything and even showed me the corroded parts. Such a different experience from my last mechanic! The mirrors are working perfectly now, both the heating and auto-dimming. Really glad I didn't put this off any longer. It's funny how we worry about these things being major issues, but sometimes it's just a simple fix. Thanks again for sharing your experience, it really helped me make the decision to get it sorted. Case closed on this one!