I performed a cursory inspection of my 420SEL's exterior mirrors, but can't figure out how they're attached to the vehicle's frame. (Both are somewhat wobbly, the passenger side especially...)

Any help here will be appreciated--as always!

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Eric

1991 560SEL-Euro (214,000 miles)
1989 420SEL (Retired from daily use at 325,000 miles; Use as donor vehicle)

They are mounted with screws which are accessed from the inner door side, behind a triangular plastic cover plate. I doubt yours have simply come loose, they may be disengaged, a feature which keeps them from being broken off upon impact with another stationary object. Try pushing them back into their sockets but if they have been hit hard enough they could have had some of the internal linkages broken wich willl require the entire mirrors to be replaced.

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Chas

Had a 380SL, 450SL, 380SEL, 420SEL, 500SEL

Got a Euro 500SEC right now.

Don't know how I didn't realize that these plastic covers concealed the mounting screws... Thanks for revealing what should have been obvious. (In my 420's case, it was indeed just loose fasteners: on both sides, the top screw of the three needed significant retorquing.)

And it makes sense too--given a nearly 15 year old car. Between daily expansion and contraction (in and out of the garage) and variations in humidity, it seems virtually inevitable that some slackening will eventually occur. Once started, vibration, air pressure, and gravity conspired to exacerbate the problem.

Thanks again for pointing me toward this easy fix.

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Eric

1991 560SEL-Euro (214,000 miles)
1989 420SEL (Retired from daily use at 325,000 miles; Use as donor vehicle)