Hey All -

Couple of questions related to replacing the door rear view mirrors, housing and all. Mine turned to aluminum dust and driver side nearly fell off. I MacGuyvered it together but now is time to replace.

It is difficult to tell when searching parts on ebay or other sites wether mirrors from other 350 / 358 cars actually fit mine. Ebay and sellers say they do, but one I wrote said a part that that I estimated should have fit according to SNG Barrett part number and VIN code for the item did not according to seller (eallauto).

SNG Barret part for my super v8 is C2C-39416. I realize too that one has to know what the exact specs of the mirror is (heated, power fold, etc).

so questions -
1. how closely do other mirrors actually match my car? Can one use a say -04, 05, 06, 07 VDP power fold etc as replacement? or other similar?

2. How can one use one's VIN to trace the original equipment listing for their car?

Thanks
Mike D.

 

Your door mirror is the same part no as my 2004 Vanden Plas which has the same door mirror features as your car. It is C2C39416 and it fits all XJ350/358 cars. You should know that this part no does NOT include the mirror glass and the chrome cover.
You can search part nos if you download the JEPC or electronic parts catalogue. See the " How Too" in the quick links.

 

If you take a few precautions, a used mirror assembly could resolve your issue and be less expensive.

When my passenger side mirror mezak alloy was cracked and within a whisker of dropping the mirror, to hang by the wiring like a pedulum, repeatedly bashing the clay barred, glazed, highly polished, lovingly waxed and ceramic sealed onyx paint. I drove home... slowly, lol, and ordered a used power folding mirror from an eBay seller. There were many to choose from available. A large percentage of used parts appear to be from 04’s, being the oldest x350’s out there. Regardless of outside appearance, many are as corroded as what they are replacing if not worse.

The first attemp failed miserably, and I had to send pics with the weather seal pulled back to expose the horror story underneath before the eBay vendor would accept a return -it came off a really nice 06 that was crashed. Most folks unfamiliar with these cars would never believe what goes on inside these mirrors from outside appearance. That Jaguar never did a recall or good faith upgrade and replacement campaign probably says more about Ford ownership than Jaguar. We are talking about a company that accepted actuarial statistics that showed it was cheaper to let dozens die in firey Pinto explosions than to fix the cars.

the second attempt was a major success with almost zero corrosion of the inner frame AND resolved my "dip mirror when reverse is selected" issue. Lessons learned:

• Look for cars from the south, or southwest. Top condition part was from Georgia, not from your neck of the woods.
• Make sure the seller will accept a hassle free return, and cover the shipping
• Be wary of ”power mirror" descriptions. They are all power. Must state power folding.
• Don't worry about color or chrome shell, since it's swappable

Since you repaired the frame, you have seen how its attached. Good luck whether you go new or used with the replacement. If you decide to get a used part, ​​​a good cleaning and lubrication as well as a corrosive inhibitor like fluid film can greatly extend the lifespan of this horribly sourced material. I would use Fluid film or another rust inhibitor on a new part, since they never corrected the the problem over the entire
​model run.

 

Hey Blairware -
Thanks for the detailed reply - sorry to be so long to say so. The thought of your mirror scratching up your exquisite paint job and finish is a horror movie in motion.

Intuitively I did think that many of the door mirrors on eBay might be just as corroded as mine. Your suggestions help solve the problem.

I would however like to learn more about the clay barr, glazed, polish,, wax, and ceramic seal procedure - your cars do look marvelous.

Thanks,
Mike D.

 

Six Rotors -

Thanks for the info -I did not realize that the C2C 39416 part did not include the mirror glass and the outer housing.

Not sure if I'll go used or new, we'll see.

Thanks again,
Mike D.

 

Mike,

it's true! I have been accused of being a slave to my car. That's one perspective but I see it as making it a joy to behold and worth every minute of time I put into making the most of my demanding Onyx Black finish that gets scratched by a fly landing on it LOL.

Thankfully, Jaguar did really good quality paintwork on X350. There's better factory paint jobs out there, but not many, but there are a LOT of terrible factory paint work. For a 12 year old car with 2 previous owners, I feel like I got a reasonably well treated car, garaged for the last 5 years (prior situation unknown) and SOME Mark's, scratches, and such, but overall great starting point. PO thought I was kidding when I described what I was going to do. So far several HUNDRED hours working on the finish.

but I digress... if you pick up a used, power folding mirror, try to a)determine if the car was in the south/southwest for most of its history and try to get one from a low miles example. Outside of that you are not likely to discover if it was garaged, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

See if the seller will pull back the rubber and take some pics or at least describe the situ.

Let me know if you are unsure or need a second opinion on one. Good luck!