Should I worry?

[verytalldave]

My door mirrors are set to fold/unfold when the drivers door is locked or unlocked and opened - depending.

My question is, now its winter and looks like snow this year at some point. What is the effect on an auto folding door mirror trying to unfold when its encrusted with a full nights frozen snow and ice preventing it from opening out.
With the motor get damaged? Or will it sense an obstruction and simply stop?
I was thinking of turning off this function on the steering wheel anyway until next spring just incase.
Advice/opinions please.

 

[st13phil]

Must admit I did have similar concerns about the folding mirrors on my W204. However, they've been frozen solid a couple of mornings this year already and apart from the fact that they didn't open out when I initially opened the driver's door they don't seem to have come to any harm. Not sure what failsafe device MB use (could be a mechanical torque limiter on the motor or an electrical overload sensor) but the absence of smoke or broken gear tooth debris seems to suggest it's not a problem

Actually, the one thing that p*sses me off is if I've driven home with the wipers on one of the rain-sensing positions and it's stopped raining before I get home so the wipers stop. I then get out of the car inadvertantly leaving them switched on as rain-sensing and the first thing that happens when I switch on the ignition next morning is that they sweep the ice-covered screen Why MB can't use the same logic that VW use in that the rain-sensing feature is disabled when you turn the ignition off and can only be re-armed by first returning the wiper switch to the off position is beyond me

 

[Dryce]

Why MB can't use the same logic that VW use in that the rain-sensing feature is disabled when you turn the ignition off and can only be re-armed by first returning the wiper switch to the off position is beyond me

'cos there's lazy beggars like me around who leave everything on auto and almost never touch any of the dash controls and just let the car get on with it.

 

[mr. shr]

Actually, the one thing that p*sses me off is if I've driven home with the wipers on one of the rain-sensing positions.......

How many positions are there?

Both my cars only have one each.

 

[verytalldave]

On my W203, just the one.

 

[portzy]

Just disabled my auto folding mirrors. I'm certain there is some form of protection but you never know.

Portzy.

 

[rf065]

My door mirrors are set to fold/unfold when the drivers door is locked or unlocked and opened - depending.

My question is, now its winter and looks like snow this year at some point. What is the effect on an auto folding door mirror trying to unfold when its encrusted with a full nights frozen snow and ice preventing it from opening out.
With the motor get damaged? Or will it sense an obstruction and simply stop?
I was thinking of turning off this function on the steering wheel anyway until next spring just incase.
Advice/opinions please.

I came to the conclusion some time ago, that MB think about every eventuallity, and I trust the mirrors will be fine, snow, frost or whatever.
Mine has sat out every night for the last 2 years through all weathers, minus 7C on Sunday morning & they unfolded without any drama. Looking at my mirrors, they seem to have been designed to stop snow or ice entering the casing while still allowing moisture inside to drain out.

Russ

 

[st13phil]

How many positions are there?

Both my cars only have one each.

Two on the W204: low sensitivity and high sensitivity. Mind you, on the lowest sensitivity setting the screen often gets close to opaque before the wipers kick in again

 

[st13phil]

'cos there's lazy beggars like me around who leave everything on auto and almost never touch any of the dash controls and just let the car get on with it.

That's my point: I'm lazy too and just leave it to get on with what it does. But when there's frost or ice on the screen the next day it costs me a set of wiper blades - which the VW didn't.