c230 mirror --- damage or not? How to fix??

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mp@murklagoon.com - 18 Dec 2008 19:15 GMT

A close relative has a beautiful 1999 c230 with <> 30,000 miles on it.

However, while getting backed out of the garage there was an error in
judging distance and the passenger side mirror hit the garage door
..knocking the mirror backwards of course.

The mirror is hanging there, in the correct position while the vehicle
is sitting or being driven at lower city speeds, and the electronic
controls that work the mirror's adjustments work just fine. The
mirror itself, as much as I can see, does not appear damaged.

I cannot tell from looking at this whether the mirror is somehow just
dismounted from the vehicle and can be somehow reattached; or whether
the mirror must be replaced.

I mean, is the mirror designed to take this sort of hit by breaking
loose to later be reattached, or is it broken beyond repair.

This relative is very sad they 'broke the car'.

So educate me, please .. what should I do now? What should I expect.

Any advice will be appreciated ......

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Wan-ning Tan - 19 Dec 2008 05:09 GMT

As I mentioned before, the mirror folding mechanism allows folding both
ways, though it has much more tolerance toward the rear since that is
the norm when hitting something while driving.

The assembly allows folding toward front, only for a small degree.
Folding toward front is used to reveal the locking tabs of the shell and
the mounting screws.

Since it was hit while backing up, most likely the folding hinge is
broken. There is no way to repair the hinge. Like Les mentions, the
assembly is sold as a whole, around $350 if I remember right. I know it
because I have done the same mistake and went through the hassle trying
to find a cheaper solution, which did not exist.

You can try junkyard for a used assembly. But since W202 is not that
old, what I found was still around $100 to $200.

I would suggest finding a body shop in your case.

> A close relative has a beautiful 1999 c230 with <> 30,000 miles on it.
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> Any advice will be appreciated ......

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