Exact same thing happened to my passenger mirror. My mechanic took it appart, fixed a few cables and the mirror was back as new again.

The dealer, of course, wanted to replace the whole mirror and also implied that the motor might be gone. Not true! The motor was perfect, the mirror smoked because the cables made contact.

Labor here is not too expensive and it took my tech guy about 25 minutes to fix, for which he charged me about US$30.00. He says the problem is not the biodegradable wiring but the folding motion of the mirror and the way the cables are laid out on the housing (a design flaw).

He also recommends to leave the cables a little looser than they are originally fitted so the problem will not reoccur. Although, be sure NOT to leave the cables too loose or the mirror will not open all the way as it should. Finally, it is a good idea to lubricate the whole housing hinges with the same grease recommended for the sunroof.

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]