HOW TO: W211 Door Mirror

[fast_eddie]

Hi Keith,

it might be worth pushing the retaining clip (as mentioned in the early posts, the bit you poke with the screwdriver) slightly "outwards", i.e. away from the body of the car, before pushing the cover back into place.

I did this when I retro-fitted my folding mirrors - just a little push out will put some spring back into the clips. It sounds like they're just not fully catching, the covers should click into place when pushed far enough onto the mirror.

Cheers,
Eddie

 

[corned]

Cheers, Eddie!

That had crossed my mind, but I was reluctant to try it in case I broke the metal clip or other adjacent bits.

I'll give it a go! Thanks again.

 

[djcheung]

Hi all,

I have a similar problem on my 03' W211.
It is the driver side mirror.
The entry/ambient light is not working.
I have checked the bulb and it is ok.
Everything else work.
There is kind of voltage across the bulb terminal.
Should the voltage be 12v? It is kind of between 6-10v.
What else should I test?
I tried tested the cables that go into the controller on the door but not too sure which plug/connector I should be testing.
Please help

Thanks
David.

 

[kjgood]

i have the same

anyone hazard a guess what a garage will charge to repair this?

 

[bigjim]

Remove the cover from the top of the doorcard to get at the plug in the ecu. Only prob you will have is....all the wires that break seem to be BLACK and I'll be taking bets there will be more than one broken. Just hope that they are broken at different points so you can match up the different length ends.

Would somebody be kind enough to photograph the cover from the top of the doorcard so I can see what I'm supposed to be doing?

Thanks in advance.

Jim

 

[Druk]

Fingernails behind the trailing edge and gently pull off...

There are four plastic spring clips hold it on...

And inside......voila!

 

[bigjim]

Many thanks Druk - much appreciated.

 

[Alps]

mb changed the whole mirror assembly on mine (as it was under waranty) when it would not move the mirror to the left, im sure it was just a broken wire.

 

[Druk]

mb changed the whole mirror assembly on mine (as it was under waranty) when it would not move the mirror to the left, im sure it was just a broken wire.

afaik MB change the mirror regardless. They're fitters, not engineers.

 

[davidjpowell]

afaik MB change the mirror regardless. They're fitters, not engineers.

When I rang them about mine, they did suggest that they would repair it, before I went DIY.

 

[Timmy M]

I have just done this job on my passenger mirror.. Guys the instructions were spot on although I did just solder the breaks which were almost identical to DJP's really usefull thanks Guys

 

[rascalmaster]

mb changed the whole mirror assembly on mine (as it was under waranty) when it would not move the mirror to the left, im sure it was just a broken wire.

mine is off to the stealer, because my driver side mirror wont fold or unfold electrically now...
it was an intermittent fault at first but now i have to resort to manualmatic mode!
i think some gears must have gone because i have heard the motor whirring away as if trying to work the mirror...

 

[rascalmaster]

Yup; MB are going to change mine as well (mentioned something about a new frame) under warranty...

 

[BlackC180]

Door mirror problem

Thanks for all the useful advice on the door mirror indicator fixes. I followed the advice and found all of the wires on the nearside broken. Then I took the car for MOT and it failed as the mirror was not secure. I can't work out what the problem is. It just slides off now without much effort. Can someone please help!!??

 

[djcheung]

Hi BlackC180,

It is most likely that the little spring clip ( first photo on page 1 of this thread posted by druk - at the end of the screw driver) is stuck down.
Release the spring clip so it will catch the mirror cover when you push it back in and that should fix the problem.

David.

 

[bigjim]

The four black wires going into the indicator are all broken. At the plug end they are all numbered but unfortunately where the breaks have occurred they obviously aren't numbered. Does it matter what order I reconnect the wires?

TIA

Jim

 

[bigjim]

Just spent some time doing some advanced electrical diagnosis.....well 'trial and error'. Yes, it does matter what order they go back on. two are for the indicator (1 & 2) and the other pair is for the courtesy light (3 & 4)

I hope that helps someone.

 

[minesht]

Hi,

I have looked and can't find any mention of the core thickness of the wire being used. Maplin have flexible wire in 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25mm varieties and I wanted to know which one to buy so I have everything I need at hand before I start the repair.

Can anyone let me know what they used?

One suggestions that I will try and let you know if it works:
Crimp butt connectors (heat shrink variety)
I have seen some that can crimp into 0.25mm wire, so if I can use wire of this thickness, it will mean no soldering is required, I just have to remember where I saw these.

Also, I am sure you have seen this but there is no mention in this post

Repairing the wing mirror indicator on a 211 - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums

brilliant tutorial and I would ask the question about the wire thickness there, but they wasn't money to be a member of their forum and I am an Indian Merc driver (so very frugal)

Thanks for posting all the great pics, I hope that with these the re-wire will be really easy.

 

[mct_cars]

Just a bit of advice for W211 owners..... switch your auto fold off, as this will eventually happen to them all. It's a (relatively) easy fix but a PITA anyway and can be avoided by not folding the mirrors!

 

[John]

Minesh, you didn't once have a blue 328i saloon BMW did you?

Just a bit of advice for W211 owners..... switch your auto fold off, as this will eventually happen to them all. It's a (relatively) easy fix but a PITA anyway and can be avoided by not folding the mirrors!

I've started doing this since the last time it was mentioned (probably by you).

I don't need the mirrors folding in all the time and will just use them if needed.

My worry is if they are not 'exercised', will they then die when I next try them.