HOW TO: Replace Signal Indicator in W169/W245 Door Mirror

[wongl]

The signal indicator on my face lift W245 failed a second time having been replaced by the previous owner a little over a year ago. Being based in Hong Kong, I suspect the replacement indicator fitted by the previous owner wasn't a genuine MB part and decided to do the job a second time myself, this time using an original MB part sourced from the UK.

To my surprise, a genuine replacement MB signal bar from eBay costs circa £30 which seems a lot of money for what is essentially a simple bank of LEDs. Further, I was unable to find any HowTo guides on the removal of the door mirror cover on the internet for either the W169 or the W245 (since these two Mercedes models share the same door mirror parts). I know from past experience, while upgrading my UK W169 with folding door mirrors, that removing the mirror covers can be extremely tricky (see Folding Mirror Retrofit on Classic W169) - so I decided to source a cheap second hand W169 door mirror from eBay to use as a training/practice mirror and also use the signal bar as a donor to my W245. The photos in this HowTo was taken using the donor mirror during my practice run...

#1 Prise off the mirror glass which is held on by 4 small clips the motor housing
#2 Remove the two electrical connectors to the mirror glass and put the glass away safely
#3 Using a Torx T10 screwdriver remove the 3 screws holding the mirror motor housing (for this illustration I have unplug the motor housing but in practice this can be left in place)
#4 With the mirror housing out of the way the mirror cover clips can be seen. Using a flat blad screwdriver, gently prise the (five) clips to remove the upper painted housing. Note on the photo shown, one of the clips on the upper left hand side broke off leaving only 4 clips in the photo
#5 Using the flat blade screwdriver prise the two black clips to ease off the lower black housing to create a gap so the mirror signal bar can slide out of the mirror assemble
#6 Remove the wiring from the mirror signal bar and replace with new part
#7 Fitting is a reversal of the above steps

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[GLK]

Great write up Lawrence, very useful

I'm about to embark on folding mirrors retrofit, including upgrade to the facelift ones.
Are these cheaper in HK? - the UK prices are ridiculous: some are listed for more than a brand new would cost, and won't accept offers.
Out of half a dozen currently on eBay, only a couple are the folding type, the rest is 7-pin ...

 

[wongl]

Keep looking, most are priced ambitiously, but there are reasonably priced ones from time to time. Don't forget to look at the official MB recycle parts centre in Germany. They will ship to the UK with extremely reasonable shipping rates. It can be difficult to navigate if you don't read German.

Here is a pre-facelift W169/W245 folding mirror currently on ebay - I wonder if anyone has tried to transplant the folding mechanism between the pre-facelift to the post-facelift mirrors?

Mercedes A Class Wing Mirror Right Side W169 O/S Silver Wing Mirror 2005 | eBay

 

[GLK]

Thanks, I'll have a look if you got a link handy?

Yes, I thought about swapping the folding mechanism over, but it's a huge gamble and perhaps, getting a new pair from MB Edinburgh or Newcastle, with a reasonable discount is the way to go.

 

[SmudgerSmith]

Just tacking on to this thread. Any ideas how to remove the entire mirror wiring loom? I have stripped the mirror down but roadblocked by a big spring and can't see a way of getting the wiring out. I think I need to replace the lot! All help is really appreciated .