Well, I fixed the mirror. I took off the plastic pieces to get to the post to take down the mirror, but couldn't get it down even then, so I disassembled the mirror in place. Just as described, the plastic piece holding the retaining pins had broken off. The whole mirror border must cost a dollar. I am here to tell you, you can't find any pieces of that mirror anywhere. Because Mercedes still wants 900 bucks for the whole mirror, every recycle parts place within a 100 miles is sold out of those babies. Anyway, only way to fix it was to "create" two new bases where the retaining pins would attach.

I drilled through the plastic molding and looped small wires through the molding. The retaining pins then went into this new "base" and held eveything in tightly. Everything remounted and working beautifully. Can't see anything externally from anywhere.

Thanks for all the help on the Mirror Dissassembly. Never would have been able to do it without the forum.

KG

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Ken G
96 S500 79K (great white whale)
98 E430 80K Sports Package (gray ghost)