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Car wing mirror: function, replacement cost and repairs
The most frequent cause of defective mirror glass is side mirrors that have been hit. Due to their laterally offset position, the exterior mirrors suffer particularly badly in the event of a collision. Even a small bump is enough to break or shatter the glass. The car wash can also cause damage to the housing or mirror glass if the car is too wide or not parked exactly in the middle.
Function of the exterior mirrors
The driver basically has their eyes on the road in front of them. Therefore they can also see the area next to and behind the car. In order to aid the driver’s fvisibility the car has an inside rear view mirror and two outside mirrors. These reduce blind spots and help when changing lanes and parking. For protection when parking the car, the exterior mirrors can usually be folded or do so automatically. The exterior mirror is adjustable so that the driver can optimally adjust the mirror to his or her sitting position in the car.
Special functions of the side mirrors
Contemporary car wing mirrors have more functions than just expanding your field of vision. They are usually heated and can clear themselves of ice. Many modern cars also have dimming and electrically adjustable side mirrors. Some manufacturers also install mirrors that automatically fold when the car is parked. In addition, the sensors for the lane change warning system are often installed in the exterior mirror. All this technology increases the cost of replacing the entire exterior mirrors.
Consequences of a broken mirror glass
The exterior mirrors are important for the road safety of the car and driving with broken mirrors can also be punished by the police with a fine. Remember, a broken mirror is enough for your car to not pass its MOT. You can also get into legal trouble if you are involved in an accident with a defective mirror, so it's better to replace the cracked glass straight away.
ALKAR Wing mirror
Right, Control: cable pull, Convex, for left-hand/right-hand drive vehicles
Article number: 6165853
£ 32,79
price incl. 20% VAT, excl. delivery costs
TYC Cover, outside mirror
Right, Housing Colour: black
Article number: 336-0071-2
£ 14,32
price incl. 20% VAT, excl. delivery costs
Article number: 6343283
£ 4,21
price incl. 20% VAT, excl. delivery costs
Article number: MER-MR-004
£ 13,22
price incl. 20% VAT, excl. delivery costs
TYC Cover, outside mirror
Left, primed
Article number: 338-0042-2
£ 26,07
price incl. 20% VAT, excl. delivery costs
Wing mirror repair
So what should you do if your wing mirror is damaged? When you realise that the cost to replace a wing mirror is about £150-£345 per mirror, it's more economical to do this yourself. Changing the wing mirror is not difficult, but you should have a little experience with repairs. If you're not sure, get a professional to help you.
First sit in your car and roll down the windows. This will help you to change the exterior mirror. Now you need to find out where the mirror's connector is. You may have to remove the interior door panel of your vehicle to access the connector. To do this, remove the door handle with the aid of a small screwdriver. The screws that secure the door trim are hidden behind the handle. Once all the screws have been loosened, simply pull off the door trim. This requires a bit of elbow grease.
Now the connector of the exterior mirror is exposed and you can simply pull it off and detach it from the door. Then open the screws that secure your mirror. There are usually one, two, or three of them. Hold the mirror firmly therefore it won't fall off and damage your paintwork. The best thing to do is to ask a friend to help you with the work. After the old mirror is removed, the new mirror comes into play. Now repeat all the steps in reverse order: screw on the new mirror, lay the plug cable correctly, connect the plug and refit the door trim.
How to replace the side mirror glass
Perhaps you don’t need to replace the entire mirror. If it’s only the glass that is broken, this is easy to repair as well.The mirror does not need to be removed for replacement. Sit in the car and adjust the mirrors so that you can reach behind the glass with your fingers without any problems. This will probably require the widest adjustment. If the position of the mirror cannot be adjusted that far, you will need a screwdriver to help you later. Now you can reach behind the glass. If the opening is large enough, you should be able to feel a rim of plastic around the mirror. Snap the glass into this. Now apply light pressure to the mirror glass and see if it moves. If it does not, increase your pressure until you hear a clear click.
Since the mirror is only attached to the suspension by small brackets, the glass can usually be easily removed. If you do not have enough space to reach behind the glass with your fingers, push the screwdriver into the gap and lift from all sides until the glass falls out of the mounting.
If your car has a mirror heater like the Audi E-tron wing mirrors, you must now disconnect the cables leading to it. As these are simple plug-in contacts, this is very easy. However, you should mark or remember the position of the plugs so that you can connect them correctly to the new glass so it is best to reconnect them immediately. Once you have done this, place the new wing mirror glass on the mounting and press against it with both hands on the left and right. Again, the click indicates that the mirror is fitted correctly.
Test the function of the mirror glass
Now move the mirror back to the desired position and switch on the mirror heating. If the glass is warm, this part of the repair was successful. Move the mirror in other directions to make sure that it does not touch anything and that the glass is in the correct position. If the mirror can be turned freely in all directions, you have completed the change of the mirror glass.
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