Door mirror switch

[Jamie Brookes]

Hi all,

Apologies for asking a very basic question, but I need to take the mirror switch off my SC to clean the contacts. Both mirrors only operate L/R but not U/D. I’m hoping it’s just the switch.

The question is simply, is the switch a push-fit which I can just prise out with a couple of flat blades on either side? 

many thanks,

Jamie

[Bob King]

Never taken one out but looking at this used one ,it does look like a push fit .

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284594414761

[Jamie Brookes]

Thanks

[Richard Lawn]

Common problem - it's not the switch it's the mirrors. The up and down movement fails due to the linkage of mirror movement to engaging reverse gear. They thought it was a good idea to aid visibility while reversing. Up/down adjustment is hardly ever needed, I've easily managed to live 8 years without it. The alternative for perfection is 2 new mirror units at several hundred pounds each (plus fitting) and unless is disconnected from reverse selection will likely fail again. 

[Neil E]

10 hours ago, Richard Lawn said:

Common problem - it's not the switch it's the mirrors. The up and down movement fails due to the linkage of mirror movement to engaging reverse gear. They thought it was a good idea to aid visibility while reversing. Up/down adjustment is hardly ever needed, I've easily managed to live 8 years without it. The alternative for perfection is 2 new mirror units at several hundred pounds each (plus fitting) and unless is disconnected from reverse selection will likely fail again. 

I wonder if it fails due to lack of use? I don't have to manually adjust the mirrors very often but use the auto dipping function a lot (on all 3 cars) and I don't recall a single failure. They might need manually realigning after a thorough wash and polish where the glass just needs to be re-centred but otherwise I've found them to be useful and reliable.

[Jamie Brookes]

Thanks for the extra info. I will take both the switch and/or the mirrors apart and see where the problem lies. I don’t like it when things don’t work, even if not required too often. Also, I fear I may have to let SWMBO drive the car, and she is a good deal shorter than me so will need the mirror U/D adjustment. Still, this could be a good excuse to stop her driving it🤔

[2Tanks]

Do the wing mirrors fold in Jamie?
The wing mirrors do an awful lot more than I was aware of.
If you have your rear view mirror set to auto mode, the wing mirrors also darken to avoid headlamp glare from behind.
If you have the rear window defog enabled they heat up to clear moisture. This also happens when you have your wipers running at temperatures less than 25*C / 77*F

[Glyn Jennings]

2 hours ago, 2Tanks said:

Do the wing mirrors fold in Jamie?
The wing mirrors do an awful lot more than I was aware of.
If you have your rear view mirror set to auto mode, the wing mirrors also darken to avoid headlamp glare from behind.
If you have the rear window defog enabled they heat up to clear moisture. This also happens when you have your wipers running at temperatures less than 25*C / 77*F

I maybe wrong but I would be surprised if the light reactive function is still operational after all these years. I had a BMW with that type of mirror and one got smashed by a careless van driver. A new mirror glass on  it’s own was £400 for a replacement. A good friend of mine who has worked for BMW for years said after a few years the chemical in the mirror eventually leaks out so they no longer work.  Hence I had a standard one fitted which was still £120.

[Neil E]

2 hours ago, Glyn Jennings said:

I maybe wrong but I would be surprised if the light reactive function is still operational after all these years. I had a BMW with that type of mirror and one got smashed by a careless van driver. A new mirror glass on  it’s own was £400 for a replacement. A good friend of mine who has worked for BMW for years said after a few years the chemical in the mirror eventually leaks out so they no longer work.  Hence I had a standard one fitted which was still £120.

  Interesting, pretty sure it works correctly on the GS as the outline on the mirrors is very noticeable but not sure about the other 2. 

[2Tanks]

 

[Jamie Brookes]

Thanks for extra info Kev. Yes, my wing mirrors fold in but I have not tested the other functions. As an update, I stripped the driver’s side mirror and swapped the motors over between L/R and U/D to check whether it was a motor or switch/wiring issue. Turns out one of the motors was unresponsive, but I sprayed it internally as best I could with DWF and it came back to life. So all-told a fairly simple job, although I spent quite a long time trying to work out how to remove the mirror housing without breaking any of the securing tabs. Hopefully the passenger side can be resolved in the same way.

[Jamie Brookes]

Second update - the passenger side was resolved in exactly the same manner, with a spray of DWF to the ‘defective’ motor. The cogs and worm gears were in excellent shape, and well greased, on both mirrors so I really don’t understand what stopped the U/D motors from working, nor do I understand why they came back to life with a squirt of DWF. Anyway, hopefully this approach might be of use to others who assume that their mirrors cannot be salvaged without buying a costly replacement.