Door Mirrors
 

Both the hinges on both have my door mirrors have dissolved, I have found new one for about £245 each, which is not too bad but me being a Northerner, I have been looking at used but can't find ANY (well I can but they want silly money for them)

Anyone know of any good UK breakers or suppliers?

If they are electric folding then beware of used mirrors, a lot of them probably will not fold due to the very common internal corrosion. £245 seems a very good price for new, I bought a used one about 5 years ago and paid about £160 for it then !

I would buy used ones, but...
Are those parts that actually broke made of metal or plastic?
If it is the latter then, before installing the replacement, I would disassemble the thing and have made a 3d-scan of the bit that broke on the original ones.

They are the metal parts not plastic, I have not looked at fixing the broken ones as its not apparent how you get in without having to cut wires or risk braking the outer case, can they be serviced.

I am concerned about second hand as pointed out above- how long before these things turn into powder? Is it even possible to waxoil them?

The main problem with them is the metal is very cheap and nasty and after 20 years has turned to grit. The other problen is disassembly becomes very difficult due to the corrosion. I bought a used one fom the breakers in Liverpool that does Jag stuff on ebay and it was fine and is still working. I have also bought a new from Jag one as the drivers one was getting really bad on the fold, I think it cost about £290 with discount as the car was old. I bought new one last time because the price of second hand has rocketed and was only about £50 less than new. Make sure the one you get has all the options needed for your car, the easy way to check is to count the wires on the plug and make sure they match.

Any chance you could make couple of photos?

Cornishcat

To remove a door mirror and access wiring remove black plastic triangular cover

on the inside of the door and all will be revealed

I have removed them no problem, I was asking if you could actually disassemble the mirror unit itself, I am about to spend £500 on a pair I was hoping i could get inside to either upgrade or protect the components before they fail again. Will post some pictures very shortly

I posted pictures which may help you 9 years ago. Use the Search Function for this Forum and type "The Fun Begins" and the pictures are there.
"

Many Thanks

After closer inspection I think filling the black plastic housing with Waxoil, if I can keep the water away from the metal the new mirrors should last me out.
They should arrive tomorrow, so should have them fitted by the afternoon

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4efa8c1b66.jpg
Drivers side snapped at the braket
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...2f5e4c2b7d.jpg
Hinge failed on the passenger side
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...9fca78dd34.jpg
this was caked in a white crud

500 pounds sterling ? clearly the price of spare parts in UK is exorbitant ! In the USA those mirrors would cost less.

Yes Sterling, thats £245 each side, but its worth knowing that they still cost £245 back in 2007 when the car was new. I have ran an 1986 Series 3 from 1990 to date, the cost of parts have remained the same (other than oil, filters and belts etc)

Hi Jaroslav and cornishcat,
Firstly commiserations on living where salt on the roads creates a corrosive soup that dissolves metal. My car is ex-Japan where salt is not used, and is now in New Zealand where roads are not salted either. Both my mirrors are unaffected by corrosion, and I exercise them regularly to keep them free.
Speaking of the 3-D scanning, I would suggest that this is an excellent idea. The first problem, that the part is metal, not plastic, can be addressed by using a 3-D printer that prints metal solution to produce sintered metal parts. This can even be Titanium. The second problem, that the plastic part would be too weak, could be addressed by using some of the high-strength plastics now available for printing.
A final point is that by making a 3-D printed part, that could be the mould/mold in a lost-wax casting process. The waste of so many good mirrors for the lack of an alloy casting is terrible. Is there an expert here who could undertake this process. It could be profitable.
Best wishes for the disassembly!

Pete M