Out side mirror defrost/de-ice kaput
12-16-2018, 11:46 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Out side mirror defrost/de-ice kaput
one issue my “new to me” 957 S is experiencing are outside mirrors not de-icing. Could not find any info in the owners manual on that function. What I am doing is turning the **** to the 12:00 position and nothing. Looking at the fuse charts on-line and in the manual, could not find a fuse/s. That takes me to the following conclusions: they are burnt out, or they are fused through another device like the rear window defroster, which does work.
Any my thoughts on how they are powered and if they do burn out, if the PO left them on full time, will the heating elements go south? This is not critical in Seattle, but would be nice to have instead of putting plast bags over the mirrors.
Any my thoughts on how they are powered and if they do burn out, if the PO left them on full time, will the heating elements go south? This is not critical in Seattle, but would be nice to have instead of putting plast bags over the mirrors.
12-23-2018, 08:19 PM
#3
My right side mirror's heating element failed a while ago. I don't know if leaving it on causes it to fail or not.
1) I would scan the car to make sure that there's no codes and the computer systems aren't disabling it for whatever reason
2) Next I'd remove the mirror that isn't working (I believe they just pry off but maybe confirm that before you break one) and check for corrosion on the contacts. If its present, clean it and check to see if that fixes it.
3) If it still isn't working, remove the mirror again and use a multi-meter to check the resistance of the heating elements. It should measure at around 20 ohms if the heating element is fine. As an example - my working mirror measured around 18 ohms and the failed one measured around 150 ohms.
I think the replacement mirror is about $100
Edit: While you have the mirror off, don't forget to check the voltage on the car's side to make sure you're getting power. Should just be battery voltage.
1) I would scan the car to make sure that there's no codes and the computer systems aren't disabling it for whatever reason
2) Next I'd remove the mirror that isn't working (I believe they just pry off but maybe confirm that before you break one) and check for corrosion on the contacts. If its present, clean it and check to see if that fixes it.
3) If it still isn't working, remove the mirror again and use a multi-meter to check the resistance of the heating elements. It should measure at around 20 ohms if the heating element is fine. As an example - my working mirror measured around 18 ohms and the failed one measured around 150 ohms.
I think the replacement mirror is about $100
Edit: While you have the mirror off, don't forget to check the voltage on the car's side to make sure you're getting power. Should just be battery voltage.