Cool! ... I'll walk myself out.
Photography by Tim Suddard
We just wanted cool air. As we slid the vent’s tab toward us, it broke.
We learned that this is a common occurrence on E9x-chassis BMWs like our 2011 BMW 328i. Not occasionally cleaning and lubricating the vent mechanism results in this failure.
While you could just replace the tabs, you can buy the entire vent mechanism for $80 to $100 new and for as low as $20 used on eBay. We chose the latter, getting one from eBay vendor Straight Six Auto Parts.
When the part arrived, we verified that it wasn’t broken and still had its mounting tabs. Then, we cleaned and lubricated the mechanism with silicone spray–after all, failure to do that is why our first one broke.
To remove the old unit, we gently pried the old vent mechanism off the dash along with its faux-wood fascia. We then slid plastic prying tools into both sides of this assembly and pulled it from the dash.
After that, we carefully removed the fascia from the vent mechanism and swapped it to the new one. Then we pressed the entire assembly back into the dash.
In total, we spent about 15 minutes on this fix, which will be well worth it when the Florida heat returns.
Cool! ... I'll walk myself out.
Hmm, now I'm trying to remember if my E90 still has these tabs or if I've been blissfully ignorant that they are missing.
I went the "just replace the tab" route. Quick and easy: Replacement tabs
06 330i, 367,000 km and almost twenty years old but they are all still there. Maybe they've been replaced at some point but I doubt it. Now I'll touch one on my drive home and it'll fall apart on me.
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