Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 02:25:57 -0600
Reply-To: Budd Premack <bpremack@WAVETECH.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Budd Premack <bpremack@WAVETECH.NET>
Subject: Fw: Fw: Breakdown on the side of the door (Broken power
mirror)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Charles "Luke" Lukey wrote on 12-5-98 at 5:45 PM:
>> The passenger's side mirror on my '88 Wolfsburg Ed Vanagon is laid flat
>> against the door glass. It moves back and forth freely. The Bentley
>> manual does not cover this; the dealer wants nearly $300 for a new mirror
>>
>> What's broken here?
BTDT!
If the mirror is not just loose, but has been broken off in its internal
housing mounting bracket, do the following:
1. Remove door panel and disconnect electrical connections, label them.
2. Remove mirror glass from mirror housing (by counterclockwise movement of
2 metal tabs on each side and just behind mirror glass).
3. Remove electical connections from inside of mirror housing, label them.
4. Remove exterior mirror housing and broken internal bracket (inner
housing) from door.
5. Examine broken bracket which is now evident for all to see. It is
tempting to try and glue, solder, or weld it back together, but these
techniques will likely cause more trouble. If you are proficient in welding
and working with various unknown metal alloys, of course you will want to
repair the broken intermal bracket by some sort of alchemy. The rest of us
will have to plod on.
6. Obtain bolt (about 2" long) to be used to structurally re-engineer inner
bracket housing.
7. Drill appropriate hole through outer mirror housing (near bottom of
vertical shaft, so that it will (when re-assembled) bisect inner (broken)
bracket housing. This hole should form a diameter, passing through the
center point of the outer mirror housing. It should be horizontal (when
viewed from re-assembled perspective).
8. Hold outer mirror housing over remainder of inner bracket housing,
properly oriented spacially, so that it looks like new again, except that
your hands are holding the two pieces together, rather than some internal
original structure.
9. Drill to extend previously drilled hole through the inner bracket
housing.
10. Insert bolt through outer and inner housings, and tighten nut onto
opposite end (with your choice of washer, of course).
Don't give up; you're almost done! You have now repaired the broken
internal bracket housing.
11.Carefully thread wiring back through internal bracket and into door
panel. (You may need to fish wires to do this, as your new support bolt is
in the way.)
12.Re-attach the mirror housing to the outside of the door.
13. Re-attach electrical connections to back of mirror glass.
14.Replace mirror into mirror housing and secure by moving tabs clockwise.
Check to assure that mirror glass is really secure!
15.Re-attach electrical connections inside door panel, and replace door
panel.
16. Check for proper operation of mirror adjustment motor. If it doesn't
work right, verify that all wires were properly connected.
17. Stand back and admire your work.
18. Send $ 300 to the Vanagon List Fund (see www.Vanagon.com)
Note: If you have always wished that you had a greater range of movement of
the mirror adjustments, take this opportunity to accomplish this by
carefully sawing off an equal sized length from each of the 4 plastic stop
tabs that keep each mirror from greater movement. (This last procedure is
covered in Bentley, at p.66.3 and can be done after step 5 in the above
procedure.
This entire process is actually easier than it may seem after reading it.
As in many things, a picture really is worth ...
This has been written from my memory of a fine spring day not so long ago.
If the procedure, as well as other facets, have become clouded by time, rest
assured that they all are substantially accurate, or at least as accurate as
I remember them.
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