Recently the rear view mirror (auto dimming) cracked and died. I suspect the introduction of the car to SE Wa state's high dry temps from it's original wet cool home in Portland may have been at fault. Anyway the question I have is how do I remove the mirror assembly to send it out for rebuild? BTW a LOT cheaper than a used one from a breaker. Thanks for any insight.

 

* Disconnect battery ground.
* Rotate mirror stem approx 1/4 turn clockwise to release stem from spring contact on windscreen boss.
* Disconnect mirror harness
* To refit, locate mirror stem base on windscreen boss with stem parallel to top of windscreen, i.e., 1/4 turn displaced from normal position; apply firmly over boss and turn anti-clockwise to lock stem on windscreen boss.
* Reconnect mirror harness.

 

Found a fellow in Tx that is rebuilding mine as I write this. $89.00USD. Surely does beat the breakers price for a used one ($260-$309)
Thanks to Caldercay for the response. My 1995 X300 wiring harness disconnects in the overhead console. My service manual shows the harness connections in the mirror stem itself, wrong!

 

I learned this from a thread in the XK8 forum... the company that handles the repairs for Magna-Donnelly is called Sybesma Electronics.

All of the information relating to my experience below is a direct result of what I learned from a thread started by GordoCatCar, so all credit goes to him.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk8-xkr-17/auto-dimming-rearveiw-mirror-replacement-17719/

I was able to have mine repaired with the upgraded 'gel' insert that is supposed to be an improvement over the old 'liquid' for $95 shipped back to Texas (I did have to pay to ship mine to them too, don't remember the cost).

Mine is a Donnelly mirror, marked I E8 011530. It has 3 wires coming out of it (1 black, 1 white, 1 grey) and the wires terminate into a yellow plug that has 4 small openings.

Email: orders@sybesmas.com

This is what I received in reply to my inquiry:
________________________________________
" Thank you for the order. Unfortunately, we do not have the plastics in house to build you a mirror as a pre-exchange. However, if you would like to send your mirror into us, as a repair and return, we will gladly exchange out the defective glass cell. The cost for repair is $95 (including shipping/handling) which will be retained up front prior to the repair. Customers in Canada will be charged $120. Please be advised that, to repair your mirror, we must open the plastics in your mirror. In the rare instance your plastics break beyond repair, Sybesma's will make every effort to find a comparable replacement but no guarantees are made. If unit does break, $15 will be retained as a bench fee and $80 refunded. (If you would like your mirror shipped back, an additional $16 in shipping/handling charges will apply) (Canadian shipping varies for return) Please send your mirror along with contact info (or the initial order form sent) stating you would like the mirror repaired and returned.
Please note that we no longer are able to get glass cells for the jag mirrors with the button slide auto dim feature.

Warmest Regards,
Sybesma's Electronics
581 Ottawa Ave
Ste 100
Holland, MI49423
800-456-4265
__________________________________________________ __


Glad to hear yours is being fixed, but I thought this might help the next person avoid spending $150 on a used one.

-Hugh

 

Check out radar-mirror.com located in Frisco Texas. Have not received mine back yet so will be interesting to see what I get back. $89.00

 

Received my mirror in great shape from rebuild at radar-com in Frisco Texas. Looks good but haven't checked the function as yet but at lest I have a mirror that I can see with.May thanks to Scott Wheeler of radar-mirror.com.