Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Chief972]

So some idiot has decided to kick of my nearside wing mirror last night, managed to order a replacement for £36 just wondering if it's an easy swap and advice welcome. Thanks.

[TheBoy]

Yup, 3 screws, 1 connector, for the mirror itself.

Can't remember if doorcard has to come off for 1 of those 3 screws - plenty of guides if it does


If your car is an Elite, you need a mirror from an Elite if you wish to retain the memory function.

[Lizzie Zoom]

So some idiot has decided to kick of my nearside wing mirror last night, managed to order a replacement for £36 just wondering if it's an easy swap and advice welcome. Thanks.

Yes, very straightfoword.  You will need to loosen off the door card so you can reach the lower screw / bolt behind the plastic internal trim.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Yup, 3 screws, 1 connector, for the mirror itself.

Can't remember if doorcard has to come off for 1 of those 3 screws - plenty of guides if it does


If your car is an Elite, you need a mirror from an Elite if you wish to retain the memory function.

My 3.2 Elite has two screws and two bolts, with the door card needing to be loosened by removing the 5 screws holding it to the door frame.

[TheBoy]

Yup, 3 screws, 1 connector, for the mirror itself.

Can't remember if doorcard has to come off for 1 of those 3 screws - plenty of guides if it does


If your car is an Elite, you need a mirror from an Elite if you wish to retain the memory function.

My 3.2 Elite has two screws and two bolts, with the door card needing to be loosened by removing the 5 screws holding it to the door frame.

You're missing a screw then. The 2 M10 bolts are for holding the forward window guide in place.

[TheBoy]

You're missing a screw then.

Oh Lordy me, I hope Opti doesn't read that you're in need of a screw....

[Lizzie Zoom]

You're missing a screw then.

Oh Lordy me, I hope Opti doesn't read that you're in need of a screw....

 

[Chief972]

Thanks everyone will get it fitted when it comes Friday.

[Doctor Gollum]

Corner trim pops up and back, remove clips from the door and refit onto trim prior to reattaching.

Mirror screws all accessible without removing door card, lower rear one with care. Ten minute job including cuppa

[Lizzie Zoom]

Corner trim pops up and back, remove clips from the door and refit onto trim prior to reattaching.

Mirror screws all accessible without removing door card, lower rear one with care. Ten minute job including cuppa

No. The lower bolt and screw are behind the top edge of the door card. If you keep the card firmly in place, and not loosen it off, it is hard to get your screwdriver and spanner onto the fixings. Once you do and try and undo them they can/will easily fall down behind the card which then means you have to take the card right off anyway.  With the card loosened all is much easier and can be done quickly. 

[Doctor Gollum]

I am at a loss as to why you need to remove any bolts, let alone the window frame ones, to swap the mirror.

I know you can do it without removing the door card because I have done it.

Removing the door card complicates the job because it's almost impossible to remove it without trashing the upper locating rail.

[Lizzie Zoom]

I am at a loss as to why you need to remove any bolts, let alone the window frame ones, to swap the mirror.

I know you can do it without removing the door card because I have done it.

Removing the door card complicates the job because it's almost impossible to remove it without trashing the upper locating rail.

To start with I have not said about removing the door card; just taking the screws out around it's perimeter so you can just pull the card enough away from the door frame to easily access the bolts.

As far as the bolts go, on the three occasions I have changed my door mirrors on my 3.2, the last just one week ago, the mirror housing would not part from door before I had unbolted and removed them, with the screws needing to come out.

Maybe my late Omega is an exception, but this is what I have found on all the Omegas I have owned where this repair is required (5 times now)

[VXL V6]

I have a 90 degree screwdriver I use for that screw, I do the same and release the card slightly but not lift it off the top clips.

As said, no bolts need to be removed and I've probably swapped mirrors for better ones etc on all seven Omegas I've owned / still own over the last 11 years.

[Doctor Gollum]

Removing the screws and levering the door card aside unnecessarily stresses the plastic top rail and fourteen plus year old glue holding it to the door card.

Will say no more on it as it's starting to irk.

Andy, I use either one of those or a bit and a 6mm spanner

[Lizzie Zoom]

I have a 90 degree screwdriver I use for that screw, I do the same and release the card slightly but not lift it off the top clips.

As said, no bolts need to be removed and I've probably swapped mirrors for better ones etc on all seven Omegas I've owned / still own over the last 11 years.

With you now informing me that no bolts need to be removed I am scratching my head. Why did I have to remove two bolts, one of a greater length than the other, along with two screws. As I stated I have changed over a number of these units, but now I am doubting myself!!

Only last week did I do the last one and the mirror unit would not free itself from the door frame until I not only unscrewed two cross head screws, plus the two bolts. I must investigate this to understand what the situation was on my car. With two of you at least stating no bolts are involved I must either be going mad or for some reason the unit would not free itself as it should have done.

Very odd

[Lizzie Zoom]

Removing the screws and levering the door card aside unnecessarily stresses the plastic top rail and fourteen plus year old glue holding it to the door card.

Will say no more on it as it's starting to irk.

Andy, I use either one of those or a bit and a 6mm spanner

Why is it "starting to irk" you?

What is your problem?  I know you have an evil character in your avatar, and you have adopted it's name, but more than once now I have noticed how rude and abrupt your comments are to me along with what I perceive is a certain dismissive attitude. As though you want to play a devil like character.

I , like any other member on this site, can only state what I have experienced and what I have learnt in my life, along with my opinions, even if ithose are wrong. I am the first to admit to making mistakes, which actually we all make. On this Forum we used to share our experiences, our challenges, with often laughing and joking until our sides split. But that was in the days that perhaps you cannot remember, when SCORES of members were signed in and actively posting. Yes there were clashes of personality, but mostly we laughed at out stupidity, and did not fear any backlash. We simply talked things through.


I have just returned (I previously had 19,000 posts) for the benefit of my Omega. I do not want to clash with anyone, but already I think perhaps I, especially as a woman, should not post on this boys club site.  But no, I assure you I am not that easily put off and I can stand my ground, and will no matter how objectionable someone is.  I did not experience 38 years of dealing with criminals, and with 25 years in a senior business manager role, without becoming toughened. I also have an extensive 47 years of car mechanics experience behind me. But I can do without pathetic little comments because your opinions are being challenged.

This is only a car forum, so live and let live. There is no need for rudeness. I will say sorry if I am wrong, as I may be on this thread judging by the valuable feedback received, but I expect the same from others and hope this forum will once more reflect a feeling of joviality that it once did.

I hope you can take these comments as positive feedback.

[dbug]

Removing the screws and levering the door card aside unnecessarily stresses the plastic top rail and fourteen plus year old glue holding it to the door card.

Will say no more on it as it's starting to irk.

Andy, I use either one of those or a bit and a 6mm spanner

Why is it "starting to irk" you?

What is your problem?  I know you have an evil character in your avatar, and you have adopted it's name, but more than once now I have noticed how rude and abrupt your comments are to me along with what I perceive is a certain dismissive attitude. As though you want to play a devil like character.

I , like any other member on this site, can only state what I have experienced and what I have learnt in my life, along with my opinions, even if ithose are wrong. I am the first to admit to making mistakes, which actually we all make. On this Forum we used to share our experiences, our challenges, with often laughing and joking until our sides split. But that was in the days that perhaps you cannot remember, when SCORES of members were signed in and actively posting. Yes there were clashes of personality, but mostly we laughed at out stupidity, and did not fear any backlash. We simply talked things through.


I have just returned (I previously had 19,000 posts) for the benefit of my Omega. I do not want to clash with anyone, but already I think perhaps I, especially as a woman, should not post on this boys club site.  But no, I assure you I am not that easily put off and I can stand my ground, and will no matter how objectionable someone is.  I did not experience 38 years of dealing with criminals, and with 25 years in a senior business manager role, without becoming toughened. I also have an extensive 47 years of car mechanics experience behind me. But I can do without pathetic little comments because your opinions are being challenged.

This is only a car forum, so live and let live. There is no need for rudeness. I will say sorry if I am wrong, as I may be on this thread judging by the valuable feedback received, but I expect the same from others and hope this forum will once more reflect a feeling of joviality that it once did.

I hope you can take these comments as positive feedback.

 

Nicely put Lizzie - rude little boys need putting in their place from time to time 

[johnnydog]

Well said Lizzie!

Whilst I am not involved in this topic, I feel Lizzie is right in what she says.
I am a member of three car forums, and they provide invaluable information to owners and to those less knowledgable about issues / problems / experiences with their cars. The more passionate owners actually join these forums and sometimes contribute with these experiences.
I have found that not all forum members respect the fact that many owners are not experienced with many issues to do with their car, and unfortunately the sometimes abrupt or curt replies, combined with proper sarcasm, can sometimes dissuade people from actually participating in forums. I'm not against friendly banter, and enjoy the humour, but it appears that some members on certain forums, especially those with a little knowledge, sometimes put down others unnecessarily, whether unwittingly or not. There is no place on a forum for such responses.
Owners join the forums to gain knowledge from the experience of others, and share their experiences, not to be humiliated or criticised.
I am not saying this specifically about this forum, as it happens on others I am a member of, but some more than others.
I sympathise with Lizzies comments.
This forum is still however an interesting and informative place to be!

[biggriffin]

I am at a loss as to why you need to remove any bolts, let alone the window frame ones, to swap the mirror.

I know you can do it without removing the door card because I have done it.

Removing the door card complicates the job because it's almost impossible to remove it without trashing the upper locating rail.

To start with I have not said about removing the door card; just taking the screws out around it's perimeter so you can just pull the card enough away from the door frame to easily access the bolts.

As far as the bolts go, on the three occasions I have changed my door mirrors on my 3.2, the last just one week ago, the mirror housing would not part from door before I had unbolted and removed them, with the screws needing to come out.

Maybe my late Omega is an exception, but this is what I have found on all the Omegas I have owned where this  is replacement (5 times now)

Is that because as a girly, you cannot judge how big or wide something is,, lord Opti mode off.

[terry paget]

I harvest door mirrors off Omegas as I scrap them, but find as often as nor one of the three locating screws is rusted solid, and eventually breaks off in the mirror, making it useless. I suppose in 15 year old cars this is to be expected.

[zirk]

So some idiot has decided to kick of my nearside wing mirror last night, managed to order a replacement for £36 just wondering if it's an easy swap and advice welcome. Thanks.

Bet you wished you hadn't asked now, 

[TheBoy]

especially as a woman, should not post on this boys club site

LZ, I don't thing DG is sexist, just equally short to everyone. I'm sure its not intended, but I find it frequently rude as well.

Now that Lord opti fella, he thinks the fairer sex are purely their for his enjoyment .  Especially his sister-in-law...


Back to your bolts, assuming no mongrel has previously been in there, replacing a screw with a bolt, as said, its definitely 3 screws for the mirror, and one electrical connector.  The 2 bolts are purely for window guide, and are unconnected with the mirror.  That's the same for PFL, MFL and FL cars.

As Terry Paget points out, its not unheard of for the screws to be seized solid, and to shear on removal.  Because of this seizing, its essential that the right, perfect screwdriver is used to avoid trashing the head.  On refit, a dab of grease to the thread should stop further seizing should it need replacement in the future.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I thought last night it was just me going through a female tantrum .  I feel much better now!!

As for the ruddy door mirror fixings, I really thought I was going mad. Everyone was coming back to me and making me question what I have actually seen and done when replacing Omega door mirrors amoungst others.  Trouble is I think I was wrong!!

However check my photos out and I think you MAY see where I was coming from:

This is the scene that greets me when I remove the trim to reveal two BOLTS and two SCREWS, although as I was saying, 1 each of these is hidden tightly behind the top half of the door card -


I illustrate here with my finger where those two fixings are, with one screw underneath my finger, and my need (I thought) to loosen off the door card by just removing 5 fixing screws around it's perimeter.  I just couldn't and cannot now, get my finger down there to hold the fixings let alone unscrew them.  Indeed when I did initially try that, a screw fell down behind the door card and at that point I decided to loosen it off.



Now I am not going to once again remove one of these damn mirrors, but I swear when I tried to remove mine this time ALL bolts and screws had to be removed before the mirror unit would free itself from the door frame. Why I now do not know.  It is clear from what others have said I need not have, but at that point in time I felt I had to!!! I cannot explain that one......spooky!!


I do not mind admitting when I am wrong, and I was on this occasion, but why I encountered what I did, after 47 years of car mechanics, I still do not know.  I have been looking at this on the car this morning, and the six spare units I have, and still are no wiser.

Any POLITE comments are welcome

[Lizzie Zoom]

I am at a loss as to why you need to remove any bolts, let alone the window frame ones, to swap the mirror.

I know you can do it without removing the door card because I have done it.

Removing the door card complicates the job because it's almost impossible to remove it without trashing the upper locating rail.

To start with I have not said about removing the door card; just taking the screws out around it's perimeter so you can just pull the card enough away from the door frame to easily access the bolts.

As far as the bolts go, on the three occasions I have changed my door mirrors on my 3.2, the last just one week ago, the mirror housing would not part from door before I had unbolted and removed them, with the screws needing to come out.

Maybe my late Omega is an exception, but this is what I have found on all the Omegas I have owned where this  is replacement (5 times now)

Is that because as a girly, you cannot judge how big or wide something is,, lord Opti mode off.

Watch it!

No, you are right Biggriffen!  I keep on hitting the n/s mirror against my garage door frame, and that is why, yet again, last week I had to replace it.  It is also why I have six spare door mirror units!

I have now removed a large cupboard from my garage to give me the extra width I need.

[Doctor Gollum]

It's perfectly straight forward to swap the casings over of that's the only issue... applies to both body colour and black sections.

Btw, your nail varnish clashes with the car

[Chief972]

Thanks everyone managed to get it done in 10 minutes earlier. Removed the 2 door card screws closest to the mirror to allow access to 2 screws behind it them removed last screw at top easier than i expected. 😊

[Lizzie Zoom]

Thanks everyone managed to get it done in 10 minutes earlier. Removed the 2 door card screws closest to the mirror to allow access to 2 screws behind it them removed last screw at top easier than i expected. 😊

Good to hear that

At least I was partially right in what I was saying!    

[robson]

Nice to see you back Lizzie I thought we had lost you to BMW
Ron

[Lizzie Zoom]

Nice to see you back Lizzie I thought we had lost you to BMW
Ron

Hi Ron!  Yes back again.  I see your Omega around town every so often. I think there is about four around Ashford from my observations.

BMW? No, never.  I would always choose a Merc any day if my beastie gave up

[YZ250]

Thanks everyone managed to get it done in 10 minutes earlier. Removed the 2 door card screws closest to the mirror to allow access to 2 screws behind it them removed last screw at top easier than i expected. 😊

To the OP.
Glad you're sorted, that's what it's all about. 

I am the first to admit to making mistakes, which actually we all make.

To Lizzie.

This simply isn't true. My wife very often says "Oh, because you're so perfect, you never make mistakes".
I find it heart warming to know that she recognises this. 

[Lizzie Zoom]

Thanks everyone managed to get it done in 10 minutes earlier. Removed the 2 door card screws closest to the mirror to allow access to 2 screws behind it them removed last screw at top easier than i expected. 😊

To the OP.
Glad you're sorted, that's what it's all about. 

I am the first to admit to making mistakes, which actually we all make.

To Lizzie.

This simply isn't true. My wife very often says "Oh, because you're so perfect, you never make mistakes".
I find it heart warming to know that she recognises this. 

   

[TheBoy]

This simply isn't true. My wife very often says "Oh, because you're so perfect, you never make mistakes".
I find it heart warming to know that she recognises this. 

MrsTB says exactly the same to me, so she must be observant as well...

[Doctor Gollum]

This simply isn't true. My wife very often says "Oh, because you're so perfect, you never make mistakes".
I find it heart warming to know that she recognises this. 

MrsTB says exactly the same to me, so she must be observant as well...

Her tone suggests different 

[TheBoy]

This simply isn't true. My wife very often says "Oh, because you're so perfect, you never make mistakes".
I find it heart warming to know that she recognises this. 

MrsTB says exactly the same to me, so she must be observant as well...

Her tone suggests different 

She's from Oxford. Thus she's weird.  You can't take any tone as a sign of sarcasm...

[Doctor Gollum]

 

[Lazydocker]

This simply isn't true. My wife very often says "Oh, because you're so perfect, you never make mistakes".
I find it heart warming to know that she recognises this. 

MrsTB says exactly the same to me, so she must be observant as well...

Her tone suggests different 

She's from Oxford. Thus she's weird.  You can't take any tone as a sign of sarcasm...

Clearly feeling brace again today