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Power and Heated mirror description

The exterior mirrors can be adjusted or heated any time the ignition is turned on.

Heating is automatic, with ignition on, the element will activate via an internal temperature switch , when temperature drops below  15 ± 5° C (59 ± 9° F) and will turn off when temperature reaches 50 ± 10° C (122 +/-18° F). Sequence will begin again if temp drops below switch on threshold.

The mirror should be able to melt ice in 5 minutes or less from being switched on , at temperature of -10° C (14° F) with an approximate draw of 1.5Amps

How the power mirror works

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Left and right movement - green arrows
Up and down movement - yellow arrows

The white cage mounted over the motor contains two toothed levers. The motor drives a clutched gear setup that , electronically, selects which of two gears to drive from the motor.

The first gear drives the lever in the center of the cage, which in turn, moves the cage left and right.

When the mirror switch is pressed in the up or down position, the electromagnetic clutch activates , removing power from the first gear and transfers it to the second gear, which drives the lever at the top of the cage. This lever moves the cage up and down.

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E30 M3 Repair Manual V2.7.  Copyright ©1999-2001 Koala Motorsport & Brett Anderson