Welp, rear view mirror #2 'sploded last night...

[Allgonquin]

I had kind of been expecting it to be honest, as a couple weeks ago I noticed a bit of black plastic shrapnel on the console. I drove the car last night, all was fine, but this afternoon when I went out to the garage to move it, I found this. And now many bits of black shrapnel all over, together with a few drops of gooey liquid, which is maybe from the fluid between the layers? Either that or the glue, which doesn't seem right.

This is the second mirror I've had, after the first similarly self-destructed. My car is and always has been garaged, so it's not UV related, it seems. Anyway, for once I had foresight and I have a box with the mirror kit (with compass!) from our resident specialist 2phast in the trunk, so I'll be doing this job in the near future.

 

[Jlaa]

Doh! Good thing you have the compass mirror at the ready …..avoiding mirror shrapnel is the exact reason I switched to a mirror compass a month ago! You’re not gonna use vampire taps are you?

 

[gsxr]

I can't explain the liquid either... but had the same experience in the past. Looks like there are some aftermarket no-name replacement mirrors available now, although OE and OEM (Ulo) are NLA. The 2Phast Homelink mirrors are the way to go, especially if you use the garage-door button functions.

Now I'm off to play with VampireTaps™. No, seriously, I am! Talk about coinkydink, @Jlaa...

 

[Allgonquin]

No vampire taps. Got it covered.

 

[2phast]

No vampire taps. Got it covered.View attachment 132439

Twist caps are really designed for solid core copper wire and are not the best choice for multi stranded copper wire. I would advise using the crimp caps included with your mirror for the most solid connection (assuming you don't want to use the 3M t-taps that are also included)

BTW, there is no electrochromic gel in the OEM mirror, as its not auto dimming. It is glued together and its not uncommon to see this old glue ooze out of the mirror.

 

[Allgonquin]

Hey 2 - it was my feeble attempt at humor! I've bought many a used car with "house wiring" features behind the dash or otherwise hidden which just make me shake my head. I'm an engineer and used to doing reasonably good quality work..... Interesting about the glue!

 

[Allgonquin]

New mirror installed and HomeLink working perfect with only one try at programming! Just for carnage-sake, here's a shot of the underside of the the old mirror after removal. One would think I ripped it off the car or pulled the dimmer flip lever out by the roots, but nope, after the level 1 'sploding noted above, more spontaneous destruction ensued, and it did this all by itself.

 

[2phast]

Wanna sell me the bracket off that broken mirror?

 

[Allgonquin]

Wanna sell me the bracket off that broken mirror?

It’s yours for postage. Shoot me a note with your address.

 

[disrupted]

Wanna sell me the bracket off that broken mirror?

I've got an extra bracket I've been saving for you. It's time for an auto dimming mirror for me. So as soon as I pull the trigger on one of your mirrors, you'll be receiving a bracket or two from me.

 

[2phast]

I've got an extra bracket I've been saving for you. It's time for an auto dimming mirror for me. So as soon as I pull the trigger on one of your mirrors, you'll be receiving a bracket or two from me.

Sounds good. Here are the mirrors I currently have available

Items for sale by 2phast | eBay

Shop eBay for great deals from 2phast!

www.ebay.com

 

[disrupted]

Sounds good. Here are the mirrors I currently have available

Items for sale by 2phast | eBay

Shop eBay for great deals from 2phast!

www.ebay.com

Just purchased!

 

[2phast]

Got it. Will get that ready for shipment early next week. I will email you install doc and video links.

 

[disrupted]

It's beautiful! Rubber on stalk is like new! Pics after installation....

 

[2phast]

It's beautiful! Rubber on stalk is like new! Pics after installation....

I do my best to refurbish and test all of the parts. Glad you like it.

 

[disrupted]

For your approval....

Finally installed! Mirror is wonderful, and installation was a snap. Hardest part is determing which wire to tap for switched power. I added a ring terminal to the ground wire, and just used the factory ground screw.

Just spent a week without the car. New in May 2020 fan bearing bracket (Febi) failed last Thursday. Picked up the last official MB bracket in the US on Friday morning. It was only about $30 more than the aftermarket part. Managed to replace it without cracking open the cooling system.

 

[disrupted]

I do my best to refurbish and test all of the parts. Glad you like it.

Used mirror brackets will be sent out next week.

 

[2phast]

For your approval....

Finally installed! Mirror is wonderful, and installation was a snap. Hardest part is determing which wire to tap for switched power. I added a ring terminal to the ground wire, and just used the factory ground screw.

Just spent a week without the car. New in May 2020 fan bearing bracket (Febi) failed last Thursday. Picked up the last official MB bracket in the US on Friday morning. It was only about $30 more than the aftermarket part. Managed to replace it without cracking open the cooling system.

Nice job. It's always best to use a VOM to determine your wire. I used to provide this information but the wiring colors are not consistent through the different models and years, so it made things even more confusing (the brown for ground is consistent though). The only switched 12 volt power is at the sunroof switch, so it narrows down your choices quite a bit.

 

[gsxr]

Ditto the above... use the switched +12v at the sunroof switch, and the ground location with screw near it.