Wiring instructions for the reading lamp mirrors

The sketch above is the schematic of the BMW Z3 & M/Roadster's dome light.

There are three wires that run up along the right side of your windshield that feed the dome lamp, a ground wire(#7 red with white stripe), a variable +12 volt controlled by the door switch (#2 brown), and a constant on +12 volt. (#6 also brown).You can access only the two wires that connect to the lamp bulb when you remove the lamp lens. The +12 volt wires are on the other side of a plastic partition. You need to drop the header to gain access to these wires.

The photo above is an actual photo of the dome light wiring taken from the backside of the lamp.

This is what you will find on the backside of the windshield header that holds the dome lamp.

1. To wire the reading lamp mirror you will need to....
   1. Remove the top windshield header to gain access to the wires.
      • There are 5 screws holding the header in place. Observe how the rubber trim fits against the header before you start to remove it. Remember how the trim lays under, not on top of the header when you reassemble it.
      • Remove both sun visors. ( 2 screws each)
      • Remove the dome lamp lens. Insert small screwdriver under the left side to lift out.
      • Remove the plastic dome lamp housing that the lens covered. You have to push in the plastic locking tabs to free the housing. ( It helps to have 4 hands to do this!)
      • Remove the screw that is behind the lamp housing that you just removed.
      • The header is now free to remove. The A pillar trim pieces overlap the top header. Pull the A pillar trim pieces out far enough by hand to free the top header piece and then lift out the top header. The 3 wires that run up the right side keep you from completely taking the header away from the car. You will need to work on the wires with the header close to the right side pillar.
   2. Drill a 1/4" hole through the header for the lamp wires. ( see photo for location)
      • Feed the wires from the mirror plug through this hole.
   3. Splice into the ground wire (red & white), and the +12 variable wire ( brown wire that goes to the left switch terminal) and the constant on +12 volt wire ( brown wire that goes to the right side switch terminal) to the mirror plug.
   4. STEP #4 IS FOR THE OLDER STYLE GM MIRROR CONNECTOR WITH 3 INLINE CONTACTS
      1. For the following steps look at the mirror wiring socket with the release tab facing up. (photo below)
         • The ground goes to the far left terminal, the one closest to the rib on the plug.
         • The +12 volt constant on wire goes to the center terminal.
         • The +12 volt variable (door switched) wire goes to the right terminal, farest from the rib on the plug.
         • Refer to the photo above to see where you find the 12 volt and ground wires. ( numbers 2, 6 & 7)

         

   STEP #5 IS FOR THE NEWEST STYLE GM CONNECTOR WITH SPACE FOR 7 INLINE CONTACTS

   STEP #5	Instruction for wiring latest style GM mirror connector
   This is a 2004 GM reading lamp mirror shown upside down so that you can see the electrical connector.	The lamp mirrors have only 3 pins in the socket. Match pins 2, 6 & 7 to the numbers on the photo at the top of this page.
   	This is the newest style GM mirror connector. It is the standard connector for all GM lamp, electrochromatic and compass mirrors. The pins on the non electrochromatic lamp mirror are: missing (not used) 12volt+ switched (from the door switch) This turns on the lamps when you open the doors. missing (not used) missing (not used) missing (not used) 12 volt + always on This supplys power to the manual pushbuttons for the lamps ground

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   That's it, you are finished with the wiring job, but before you reassemble, I suggest that you run two wires up along the left A pillar. You already have the header removed and BMW thoughtfully placed wire clips along the cleft side for wires. If you ever want to install a radar detector with switched power, now is the time to run wires. You already have +12 volt constant on and +12 volt open door controlled and a ground, but no +12 ignition switched power in the header. I ran two wires that I can access by removing the header lamp housing. ( which does not require removing the header, just the lens and housing). You can run the wires from behind the lamp housing to the left A pillar. Push the wires behind the left A pillar without removing it and then down and tucked up under the area above the clutch pedal. I did not have to remove anything to run these wires. I'm told that you can easily access +12 volt switched power behind the radio which removes from the front with just 2 screws. I'll update this later when I actually remove the radio.

   Reassemble in the reverse order

   1. Replace the header. Push the A pillar ends back in place over top of the header ends.
   2. Replace the screw behind the lamp housing.
   3. Reinstall the sun visors.
   4. Insert the lamp housing.
   5. Snap in the lens.
   6. Plug the plug into the mirrors socket.
   7. Happy motoring!