Fun With Mirrors

[Strife]

Poetry:

The most expensive thing you can get for free

is a US subscription to the EPC

Anyway, my care package came in from a dealer that gives good MBCA discounts, and I got in my mirror caps. These are the rubber boots that connect the mirror to the door, that you have to put Back-To-Black on every few weeks or they turn steel gray.

Both mirrors present a challenge, but the RH motorized/heated mirrors are worse, because they are more visible and their connectors won't fit through the hole in the cap. you have to keep track of the wire numbering and disassemble the connector (magnifying glass recommended, small hooks unlatch and a cover pops off) before you can do this. You have to push the pins back through the connector with needlenose pliers to completely remove the wiring.

While I was in there, I also removed the motor after popping the glass off, and lubed it thoroughly with synthetic grease, as well as the ball/socket joints for the mirror. I brought a spare window motor assembly back to life and working 100% by working lubrication into the "screw jacks" and related parts.

The mirror really does pop off by using a sturdy, wide-bladed (WIDE-BLADED, like 2") wedge from the outside edge of the assembly, just like shown in the shop manual. If you use a narrow tool (like a screwdriver) you will probably break the mirror, and they are expensive. Note that I wrote, "pop". I would remove the assembly FIRST and do this on the floor, so that you don't drop/break the mirror!

When I finished, except for a few knicks on the front of the mirror assembly, I have SL mirrors that look and work pretty close to new. Have you checked the list price on these recently? I bought a few shot mirrors on eBay cheap just so I would have die-case mirror back cores to get rechromed, as spares.

[roncor]

Steve, You are right on about the EPC being an expensive hobby. My parts guy and I are now on a first name basis!

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge on the mirror fix.

[coleyjf]

Hi Strife

Just reading this thread and an idea came to me - flash of light as they say - You've got a LHD 107 car with electric controls on the RH mirror I'VE got a UK RHD 107 with the motorised morror on the LHside.

It seems an idea for someone to put the 2 together UK and US/European and get motorised mirrors on BOTH SIDES! ( needs a bit of thought on the controls but a (disctreet!) switch to change from R to L motors and leave the actual adjustment controls in situ might be ideal.)

Not sure if it's worth the effort but I've always thought it was a shame that only one is motorised - can't have been to save weight!!!!! can it - surely not.

Cheers

Jim

[Strife]

Originally Posted by coleyjf

Hi Strife

Just reading this thread and an idea came to me - flash of light as they say - You've got a LHD 107 car with electric controls on the RH mirror I'VE got a UK RHD 107 with the motorised morror on the LHside.

It seems an idea for someone to put the 2 together UK and US/European and get motorised mirrors on BOTH SIDES! ( needs a bit of thought on the controls but a (disctreet!) switch to change from R to L motors and leave the actual adjustment controls in situ might be ideal.)

Not sure if it's worth the effort but I've always thought it was a shame that only one is motorised - can't have been to save weight!!!!! can it - surely not.

Cheers

Jim

Actually, I've read that MB engineers were not enthused about putting a motorized mirror on a sports car, and definitely not enthused about putting a motor on the driver's side, period - the reasons being weight and complexity. It is sort of asinine that the drivers' side on modern cars has a motor when a cheap, simple, and essentially indestructible lever worked fine. But MB Marketing made them do it when they heard reports of potential customers saying "I'm paying USD 50K (in 1986) for this car, how come it doesn't have a motorized driver's mirror? Or power seats? Or a power top?".

Keep in mind that my first wife's 1991 Chrysler Le Baron convertible, which might have cost 15 or 16K pretty loaded, had power seats, top, and mirrors- and a glass, heated rear window and a real headliner. It wallowed like a pig and had the cowl shake of an Aeroflot jet aircraft, but it was a pretty comfy car for the money.

It might take some pretty fancy wiring (a multi-throw relay might help) to do the LH/RH mirror control swap with a small, simple switch. Also, even if you obtained a motor assembly for the (in your case) RH side (and I'm assuming the mounting holes are there for commonality of parts), the plastic on the back of the mirror glass itself is shaped differently and mounts to the assembly differently than the manual mirror does (of course, you could just go and get a US mirror assembly, but wow, is it expensive). The connector seems pretty unique and finding a mate for it (except from the dealer or a junk car) might be tough. It has to fit in the very confined spot behind the vacuum plated triangle.

It would be a heck of a lot of work and some money unless you have some good used parts resources, but it would be unique!

[coleyjf]

Hi Strife

Like I said - a flash of light - wouldn't do it myself anyway - I like my 107 original , but looking at the US maintenance CD's I've got, the US electric mirror would seem to fit where my manual "lever operated" RH mirror is mounted without too much fuss as it's the same "space", whether it would work the other way round in a US or European model I'm not sure though.

Anyway thanks for your original details on repair of the mirrors -funny though on several cars I've had the "Black" plastic parts on the mirror casings going grey (including my current Pugeot and my wife's Ford) but not on my 107 though - not needed "Back to Black" yet and it's done 110miles from new so it's been out in the "weather" quite a bit over the last 20 years. Perhaps those MB techies had prior knowledge of our awful UK weather and fitted a different plastic ( HA HA )

Cheers

Jim