I want to remove the interior mirror of my 1995 X300. I've researched it on this forum and it seems there are different removal methods described for different models. Also dire warnings of windscreen cracking!
From what I can see of my mirror, it seems to be the type that twists off the holder which is bonded to the screen. Indeed I find I can partly twist the mirror on its holder although I haven't attempted a fuller turn at the time.
I have attached a photo to assist identification of my setup, so I'd appreciate it if it could be confirmed that all I need to do is twist the mirror from the bracket bonded to the screen to remove the mirror.
Incidentally, when/if the mirror assembly is removed is it then possible to the remove the mirror itself from the stem at the ball joint or is this a step too far?
Thanks.

 

Hi biffta,

You should be able to twist the mirror about 45 degrees while pulling downward and it should come right off of the windshield mount. Below is a link to photos of how I did it in our '93 XJ40, and I just did it in exactly the same way on our '04 X350, except I did not have to remove the overhead console (the X350 setup looks a lot like your X300):

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

Once you have the mirror off of the windshield, it is possible to disconnect the mirror from the stem. I just did this on our BMW using a ball joint fork or separator like this:


I inserted one tine or prong of the fork on each side of the ball stem and gently pried up until the stem popped out. The real problems began when I needed to press the stem ball back into a (different) mirror. The first time I tried it on an old mirror I did not intend to use, things went well. But when I pulled the stem out of the old mirror and pressed it into the newer mirror I wanted to use, the manual dimming mechanism inside the mirror popped free from its clips inside the mirror, necessitating a lot of tedious diagnosis and a custom-made tool to reattach the mechanism.

If your mirror is the electrical photochromic type, the ball socket is probably rigidly fixed and you should be able to carefully press the stem in without any problems, but I would recommend that you place the mirror face down on the edge of a table (perhaps with a towel or piece of corrugated cardboard to protect the plastic of the mirror frame) and slowly but firmly press the ball into the socket. After my problems with the manual dimming mechanism, I used a soft-jawed Quick Grip clamp to help regulate the pressure on the stem as I pressed it into the mirror. I hooked one jaw of the clamp under the ledge of the table top, and placed the other jaw on a bend in the stem where it could apply pressure:




Note that for our BMW I had three old photochromic mirrors to use as parts, and I discovered that the ball and socket diameters were not all the same, so the ball on the stem of one mirror would not necessarily fit tightly in the socket of another mirror.

I hope this info helps. Let me know if you run into any difficulties.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks so much for such a full and comprehensive response. Really appreciated.
Thanks again.