Anyone Stripped A Wing Mirror

[NEILJ]

Back again with the sticky wing mirror problem. One day I will get this car fully functional I hope.

Well in the two and a half years I have had the car it has intermittently had the passenger side wing mirror not fully open out . It retracts fine but not the other way.

So I have come to the point where the only thing to consider is stripping it and clean and lubricate to see If that will sort it.

I have seen the step by step guide posted on here with all the pictures which is brilliant I must say but as ever I am really nervous about the first step of tugging at the base of the mirror to unclip it. I have looked to see if I can get a spare mirror glass just in case but there is another question. I can't see any OEM ones on the net has anyone ever bought one from Lexus or elsewhere. Has anyone ever done this procedure and can offer any tips and advice.

This is reminiscent of my radio removal where I could not get the control panel to budge but with the proper tools finally succeeded.

Any advice about the right tools etc would also be much appreciated thanks.

Again I suppose I have to bite the bullet and hope it doesn't crack.

Neilj

[scudney]

Have you tried spraying the back of the mirror with some WD40 usually does the trick

[NEILJ]

Scudney

Yes thanks have tried this one or two times and it worked for a while but now doesn't make much of a difference.
Could try again with a longer piece of pipe on the nozzle to reach in further and see what happens.

Neilj

[scudney]

Worth a try mate

[Verbout]

Grow some balls Neil and grab the bastid, pull it frigging off.

You can only break it or have to visit A&E with severe lacerations to your fingers,,,,,,,,,,, post pics if you do:lol:

[NEILJ]

Yes nice one vermouth but if I cracked the mirror my balls will fall off for sure.

No I would give it a go if I could get a replacement glass easily enough.

Perhaps that should be my first priority locating a new mirror. The price of a mirror glass for a fully functioning mirror would be a fair deal . Will as ever post my progress if there is any together with any disasters like a trip to A and E.

Neilj

[Verbout]

I've taken quite a few apart over the years, on different cars, never broke one.

You either grab them and pull, slide a lever at the bottom of the shell and then pull or prise it off with something like a wooden spoon.

You just need the confidence.

[NEILJ]

Verbout

Apologies in the last reply for getting your name wrong unless there is auto correct on here and it was changed to the nearest thing like vermouth.

Anyway thank you for your last encouraging reply. I have a proper set of the plastic trim removal tools I bought to get the heater controls out of the dash for the stereo fix so will try one of those perhaps one with the biggest blade to spread the load across the mirror. I have done another search on the net for an OEM replacement mirror glass and it looks like you have to buy the whole unit at £300 and that is unpainted. So that will encourage me to take the utmost care. I will update when I have pumped myself up to tackle it perhaps after a drink or two on new years eve and hope my baubbles don't drop off. Its always nice to hear that someone has actually tackled the job and succeeded so thanks again Verbout.

Neilj

[steveledzep]

I tackled this job on my last IS250. The original motive was to replace the puddle light bulbs with leds, but the passenger mirror wasn't fully performing.

When I got inside, I saw the gears of the mechanism all caked in crud and gunge !

I cleaned the parts with white spirit using an old toothbrush, dried it all, then sprayed with a silicon lubricant. Changed the bulbs too.

Yes, the initial dislodging of the mirror glass is nerve wrenching, but once over that everything went swimmingly.

It's all about a bit of confidence. All worked fine afterwards.

[NEILJ]

Steve

Thank you for your input to the topic. Could I ask did you use any tools or did you as others have suggested just get your fingers underneath and give a firm pull . As I said to Verbout I will try my trim removal tools. With each reply it is giving me more confidence to have a go I just think better to have a bit of fore knowledge before going ahead and so far all the replies have helped.

Like Scudney and Verbout all are doing their best to help which is what I like about this forum Unlike the Jaguar forum I used to go on when I owned one which was all about their cars they wanted to bragg about accompanied by stupid answers to your posts totally unhelpfull.

Thanks

Neilj

[Neil E]

Not sure if I am permitted to link to another resource but search google images and you can find the source of a very clear tutorial for removal and servicing of a Lexus SC430 door mirror with a complete strip down of it.

[steveledzep]

Didn't use tools Neil, fingers spread along the bottom of the mirror lens and gives better feedback than a piece of plastic ! Go on......you can do it !

[Verbout]

I think this is the link that Neil was talking about, with ropey pictures, woohoo.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc430-2nd-gen-2001-2010/710155-sc430-rear-view-mirror-motor-removal.html

[NEILJ]

Well chaps

Have tried to get the mirror to release, got my fingers behind it and applied as much pressure as I dared but no way did it budge. Then tried a couple of the plastic trim tools and could not get enough purchase so gave that one up. However an idea sprung to mind after Steves reply saying they get gunked up with oil and dirt. I have a hand held steam cleaner I bought for my Lidl tool collection which is quite a collection now. So got the nozzle in behind the mirror and gave it a few prolonged blasts but feeling how hot the mirror was getting at all times. Well the condensation dripped out down the door carrying with it traces of gunge which when dried was quite greasy. Left it to dry for an hour then tried the mirror and cycled it in and out and it all works fine again for the moment. So sorry chaps for now I have dodged the problem but will report on how long the bodge lasts.

Yup call me a jessi if you like.

By the way Steve I notice your picture of the IS convertible and wondered how they compare to the SC as there are a few nice ones for sale on the trader at the moment and might be tempted to go have a look. The SC however hit me as pure quality the first time I sat in one so I wonder if the IS will impress as much. Ooooh keep mentioning IS no i mean Lexus IS and not.........

Neilj

[steveledzep]

Hi Jessi......er..I mean Neil !

I can't make a comparison as I have no experience of the SC.

Having said that, you don't get oodles of wood in the IS but I do find my SE-L luxurious.

The IS250C isn't a particularly quick car, you will miss your V8 I suspect.

Despite frameless doors and a sectional roof, I don't consider it much noisier than the IS250 saloon I had before.

I'm finding it difficult to trace and cure the rattles on the car. Sorted some out, but resigned to the fact that this model comes with some rattles as standard.

Let us know if you change :)

[NEILJ]

Thanks Steve for the appraisal on your IS . The SC'S woodwork is rather special and yes I would miss the V8. I think the creaks come with the folding roof as until the car gets warm from the heater it creaks all over the place especially around the back seats so your IS is no exception .

Back to the subject of mirrors I gave it another blast this afternoon and it left quite a grease slick down the door which I removed with some white spirit on a cloth. I hope it does the trick for a while we shall have to see but if it does prove a success then it turns out to be quite an unusual way to fix. Must try and fathom how to get the mirror to release though some time later for now.

I'll bet the other chaps are saying you did what! Arrrrrrrgh sorry chaps I will go sit up the corner.

Neilj

[alanc745]

Neilj, you were on the wrong Jaguar forum, you should have joined jaginfo, which was much more about helping each other out.

I have stayed on it & have still attended meetings in my IS 300h Fsport as the forum is as much about the members as the cars.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[NEILJ]

Reporting my steaming fix has only lasted a couple of days I suspect because it now needs lubrication.

I think the only way to go now is to strip it so back to fathoming how to get the mirror to unclip. At the moment I cannot get it to budge but will possibly have to try a bit more force. I have wondered if there are any lexus technicians on the forum as they must have to do this frequently. Like you have all said so far it's just go for it and hope for the best but surely there must be a more civilised way of doing it.

Have a stinking cold at the moment so will have to get back in the garage when I'm allowed and have another go.

Neilj

[NEILJ]

Just updating

Thought I would have another go at getting the mirror out. So as everyone describes I got both fingers on both hands under and gently increased the pressure until I thought something must give and it did the mirror unclipped without damage thank you thank you. So now just follow the instructions posted about the rest of the strip down which looks straight forward.

So the wuss has done it but thanks all for your encouragement.

I will finish off the post when I have stripped and cleaned everything and got it fully functional again.

Neilj

[Verbout]

Hooray.......... No breakage and no cost to the NHS?

Confidence, that's all you needed.

Make sure you look very closely how it works while the glass is off, then clean, clean, clean.

When you've done that grease, grease, grease with a suitable grease for the surfaces you encounter.

Good luck.

[steveledzep]

Well done Neil.

Once you've cleaned all the moving parts, I'd be reluctant to use any form of grease as a lubricant, it just attracts grime. Get a can of silicon lubricant spray, it's so slippery that hardly anything sticks to it. :)

[Verbout]

Well done Neil.

Once you've cleaned all the moving parts, I'd be reluctant to use any form of grease as a lubricant, it just attracts grime. Get a can of silicon lubricant spray, it's so slippery that hardly anything sticks to it. :)

"With a suitable grease for the surface you encounter" I would prefer to see the issue before recommending a specific lubricant.

[steveledzep]

" grease, grease, grease with a suitable grease for the surfaces you encounter. "

Your words, not mine Garry !

I speak from the experience of "de-greasing" the mirrors on my last IS250. The nylon mechanisms were caked with crud and grime adhering to the "grease"

Once cleaned and "lubricated" with a suitable lubricant everything was fine. Silicon spray proved to be the "suitable lubricant"

My current IS250C will get the treatment very soon.

I didn't want Neil to use a viscous grease compound as he'd find himself back at square one in time.

[Verbout]

Fair cop guvna', should have maybe used the word "lubricate"

[NEILJ]

Thanks chaps for your congratulations and I got there in the end.

Just to add the rest of the strip down was fairly straight forward although one of the plastic squeeze clips tucked up on the top right (left hand mirror) was tricky to get to release.

When I got the covers off it revealed lubricant that had gone hard and sticky which must have been causing the problem as Steve had mentioned in his reply it was gunked up. So cleaned it all off with white spirit and gave it a spray with silicone lubricant as I had that to hand. I did think about vaseline but thought in time that may go sticky too. Reassembled, cleaned up and tested the fix and all is well it cycled in and out no problem just hope it lasts a while now. Another procedure learned for the future and another daunting task for me at least conquered.

As ever you have all helped me to get this done so thank you. What next I wonder lets hope nothing for a while although this year it needs a cambelt but don't worry I am not attempting that one that will be one for the excellent mechanics I go to down the road. Can you imagine how long the post would be for a cambelt job oooh errr.

Neilj