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Mirror Base Refurbishment DIY

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  • Mirror Base Refurbishment DIY

    It seems a common problem for the aluminium bases on our mirrors to oxidise, causing unsightly bubbling on an otherwise tidy car...




    I tackled this over the last few days, without too much bother at all. You just need time and patience.

    You will need;
    1. Allen Keys
    2. Torx keys
    3. An aerosol can of matched colour (Halfords can make one up for you for about £12)
    4. An aerosol can of acid etch primer (normal primer won't key to the alumium as well as this stuff)
    5. An aerosol can of clear lacquer
    5. Posidriv Screwdriver
    6. Flathead Screwdrivers
    7. Masking Tape
    8. Long Nosed Pliers


    Step 1 - Glass Removal

    This can be a bit fiddly, and requires you to push the top of the mirror in as far as it will go, so you can just about see underneath the bottom of the glass and into the guts of the mirror body.

    You the need to take a small flathead driver and try to ease the black clips of the mirror itself, off from the white mirror bracket. You will only be able to do the bottom 2;




    This picture shows the black clips to identify, and how they are constructed;




    This picture shows the mirror bracket you are trying to pop them off from - (note the 4 white studs the clips attach to);




    Once you have popped the bottom two off, get you hand behind the glass, and using appropriate force, try to pull the glass off from the top two. This will require some wriggling, as I could not access the top clips at all in the same manner I reached the bottom - the mirror simply does not move far inward enough at the bottom to allow a screwdriver in at the top.

    Once the glass is off, simply pull the two wires of the heated glass off. Use some long nose pliers if need be, and put the glass aside safe.

    Now the glass is off, you will see this;




    Undo the four screws (posidriv), this will release the motor mechanism and allow you access to the back of the motor unit.

    There are four terminals in the back - each wire can simply be pulled out using long nose pliers. You don't need to remember where they go, as the instructions of what goes where are moulded onto the back of the motor unit (as you can just make out in the picture);




    Once these have been removed, put the motor aside.

    Feed the heated mirror cable back into the stalk - this will make the daisy-chained connection from the +/- easier to pull through from the other side.




    Step 2 - Body Removal

    Pull out mirror toward you (away from the car) and twist.
    Passenger side you pull out and turn clockwise
    Driver's side you pull out and turn anti clockwise

    This will reveal two hex head (Allen head) bolts which simply unscrew.



    Pull the body away from the car, pull off the black rubber base, and gently pull the wires through;

    Note the two heated mirror cables that you have fed back through coming out; pull these with the main cable and it'll all come out easily...



    The body is now free!

    For protection against the elements (as the painting steps take days), I cleaned up the exposed wires, and taped them together. This will also make it easier to thread them back into the mirror upon reattachment.

    NOTE; Be sure to put a little insulation tape over each metal crimp though, else they will short if you start the car up

    I then covered the hole in the door with a plastic bag and taped it to the side of the car using masking tape, as snow was forecast and I didn't want unwanted moisture getting in;




    Whilst all the innards of the mirror were out, I cleaned them all up using G101;

    There are a couple of door components there too - ignore them!
    Last edited by -Keith-; 08-01-2010, 05:10 PM. Reason: Add photo

    Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

  • #2
    Step 3 - Prepping The Bases Ready For Paint

    You cannot actually separate the base from the mirror body, as the internal bracket will not fit out of the neck... (The ordinary Z3 mirrors are two-piece, so I believe they can be taken apart). On the ///M mirrors, we must just undo the 4 torx bolts that fix the bracket to the body, and then feed the bracket as far out through the neck as it can go. I found turning it 90 degrees allowed it come out the furthest.

    Once in a suitable position, tape the bracket in place, to stop it from moving around;

    These were taken at the end, when all finished and painted, but you can see how I did it;





    Once all bound in place with tape, mask off everything else except the base (I put a freezer bag over each body and taped the rest up), ready for prep.

    Using some heavy grit abrasive paper, I attacked the worst of the oxidisation, and then once I got down to the metal, I used varying degrees of wet and dry (200, 400, 800) until I had a smooth transition between paint and metal.

    Make sure you get rid of every single bit off oxidised aluminium (the white milky stuff), else it'll come back.




    De-grease the surface, and the allow it to dry thoroughly - again, any trapped moisture will allow the bubbling to return.

    Once thoroughly degreased and dry, you can get on with the painting.


    Step 4 - Paint

    You must use acid etch primer to allow a good key to the aluminium.

    Do one good layer of primer, and allow to dry thoroughly for a good 8 hours - in front of a heater would be even better.

    Then use very fine (800 and 1200 grit) wet and dry paper with water to smooth the primed surface - the smoother you make each layer of paint, the better the end result will be.

    Once done, dry thoroughly and repeat with a second coat of primer. Again, allow to dry bone dry, so that you can wet and dry it smooth once more - this time make sure it has a very smooth finish, as paint is next.

    After smoothing;




    OK. Now the tricky bit, where you will make or break the final finish - Paint!

    What works best for me is a light, constant spray. Have a few trial sprays with the can, just to get used to the feel of the paint can and nozzle.

    Once you've nailed the fine spray, whilst holding the mirror in one hand make passes with the spray can, whilst rotating the mirror to ensure all surfaces are evenly covered.

    Don't spray on too heavy, else the paint will, run, drip and get air bubbles in it - if this happens, you will have to leave it to dry thoroughly for a day, just so you can sand it back down and start again.

    Once you have done one coast, allow to harden overnight.

    Lightly sand with very fine wet and dry (1200/1500) using water to lubricate. This will be the last time you sand the surface, so what you do here will determine the final finish. Degrease and dry thoroughly.

    Now for the second and final coat of paint. Repeat the step above with regard to spraying - light spray, nice and even, make sure everything is covered.

    Allow to dry in front of a gentle heater, or overnight.

    Final stage; lacquer. This is much easier than paint, but the same rules apply as if it were paint - make it nice and even, covering everything.

    Repeat for a second coat, allow to dry overnight - this was the final coat, and must be left to dry thoroughly, else handling it too early may leave fingerprints in the soft bottom layers of paint/lacquer.

    You should be left with an immaculate finish like this;








    Happy?

    Now, remove all masking and if you want, apply a coat of wax.

    Realign the bracket in the mirror body, and replace the four torx screws.


    Step 5 - Refitting Mirrors

    Same as reversal.

    1. Feed cables through the rubber base and into the mirror.
    2. Fit rubber base to the bottom of the mirror, align, and tighten the two hex bolts attaching the mirror to the car nice and tight.
    3. Pull mirror outward, and swivel back to the original position.
    4. Re-terminate the wires into the motor unit using the long nose pliers.
    5. Screw motor unit onto body.
    6. Attach heated mirror wires.
    7. Push mirror back onto clips (can be tricky, but persist).

    Polish everything up, and admire your 'as-new' bases.

    Note the snow in the background... I cleaned the car with hot water before I reassembled, as snow was totally covering the car! Was absolutely frozen by the end of it all!







    Hope you have found this guide helpful, and saved a few quid doing it yourself.

    Keith.
    Last edited by -Keith-; 08-01-2010, 03:48 PM.

    Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

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    • #3
      Excellent job done/write-up/pics - thanks - might even have a go at mine at some point, tho' only a little bubbling.
      -------------------------
      Ex Ex Ex: 1998 M Coupé, Estoril/Estoril+Black. HK+ MD+CD Changer, roof, side bags, lamp wash.
      Ex Ex: 1998 M3 Evo Coupé, Estoril / Blk with all the toys.
      Ex: 2004 Z4 3.0i, Silver / blk with no roof.
      Now: 2003 M3 CSL, Silver Grey, lots of carbon fibre.

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      • #4
        Thanks Keith, you're an asset to the forum!

        Do you wet & dry the final paint surface before lacquering? I assume you do but you didn't mention?

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        • #5
          Thanks buddy

          No - you do not wet and dry the final layer of paint - you don't want to disturb it. If you have wet and dried all previous layers of primer/paint, the surface will be smooth enough to take one final layer of paint without taking on the 'orange-peel' appearance. The subsequent layers of lacquer will take up any uneveness, and give a smooth finish similar to that of the original paint finish.

          Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

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          • #6
            Originally posted by -Keith- View Post
            Thanks buddy

            No - you do not wet and dry the final layer of paint - you don't want to disturb it. If you have wet and dried all previous layers of primer/paint, the surface will be smooth enough to take one final layer of paint without taking on the 'orange-peel' appearance. The subsequent layers of lacquer will take up any uneveness, and give a smooth finish similar to that of the original paint finish.
            Ah right, thanks!

            Comment


            • #7
              Keith

              Out of interest what kind of paints were you using ?
              Col N.
              Life is not a rehearsal !

              Porsche Cayenne S
              ex Audi S4 Avant
              ex 2001 S54 Titanium, Black
              ex Porsche 968

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              • #8
                Originally posted by ZiggyCol View Post
                Keith

                Out of interest what kind of paints were you using ?
                What kind of paints?

                -Grey Acid Etch Primer
                -Halfords Bespoke Colour Match - you just go in with your paint code, and they make it up for you
                -Clear Lacquer

                All aerosol.

                Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

                Comment


                • #9
                  I'll set up a "knowledge base" forum.

                  If anyone knows of other posts that they'd like to see added, please PM me.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Yeti
                    Good write up with very useful pics and instructions.

                    If any mods read this thread, this is the type of thing that should be in a read only "How To" board somewhere within the forum. A How To board would remove the need to search the whole forum for things like this.
                    Great idea. We need our own Coupe specific DIY/'How To' section.

                    I've done the text already for a doorcard removal, and just need to add a couple photo's.

                    Originally posted by pdwarren View Post
                    I'll set up a "knowledge base" forum.

                    If anyone knows of other posts that they'd like to see added, please PM me.
                    Brilliant. This should become very useful.

                    Ex-Dakar MC Owner - Gone But Not Forgotten

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Very good write up , one question though , is it neccesary to remove the mirror glass etc ?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I think to do a good refurb you will need to remove the whole mirror from the car, I recently removed mine and after 11 years on the car they came off easily - the main thing to remember is lift the mirror slightly
                        as you rotate otherwise the mirror base assembly can snap. The mirror glass is just help in with plastic clips and as per Keiths instructions will come off with a bit of force.
                        Last edited by Dave P; 31-07-2011, 09:18 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          How much aprox should the materials cost (primer, lacquer and colour) ?
                          Some nasty bubbling on my drivers side mirror, its really doing my head in, do 't like looking in that mirror!
                          I was quoted £90 by a local spray shop, but i would need to take it off and put it back on for that, i will see if they will lower the price if i do most of the prep work too, otherwise, if the stuff doesn't cost too much, im tempted to give it a go.
                          Last edited by Steely; 03-08-2011, 12:10 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Steely View Post
                            How much aprox should the materials cost (primer, lacquer and colour) ?
                            Some nasty bubbling on my drivers side mirror, its really doing my head in, do 't like looking in that mirror!
                            I was quoted £90 by a local spray shop, but i would need to take it off and put it back on for that, i will see if they will lower the price if i do most of the prep work too, otherwise, if the stuff doesn't cost too much, im tempted to give it a go.
                            I would think you can spend £50 on materials (acid etch primer/top coat/lacquer/sandpaper etc) - I paid £100 for both mirrors to be painted from a bodyshop but these were new and didnt need much prep work.
                            If you do remove the mirrors yourself dont be tempted to turn them back into the closed position as its difficult to move them back when off the car.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Slightly off topic... is the passenger side mirror heated or is it just the driver's side?

                              I ask because I removed the passenger side at weekend to investigate why the electronic adjustment wasn't working. Mine only has the small loom with the 4 wires contained in it - not the 2 black ones that are separate to that loom shown in Keith's photo here:



                              Oh, and what a hack job a previous owner has done of the mirror wiring - amazes me why people don't fix simple things like this properly. No soldering or connectors, no shrink wrap, just twisted together and a pathetic, half-hearted stab with insulating tape
                              Not actually in the least bit fat

                              2000 S50 Titanium Silver / Black
                              ACS Suspension, Exhaust & Type III Wheels
                              Simota carbon air intake | Strong Strut Front Brace

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