For the last year now, I've been having an issue with my passenger wing mirror not always folding out when I unlock the car. Initially, it was a random failure, but now it NEVER folds out. Once I've started the engine, I can manually hold the left + right mirror selection buttons and manually fold back in the wing mirrors, then unfold them and usually this resolves the issue. That is unless it is a very hot or cold day, in which case it seems to "stick". On the odd hot day (this is England after all), I've had to lean over and give the wing mirror a helping had while pushing the buttons - not an easy task and prone to tweaking a muscle through over stretching .

I've been told by the servicing agent, that this is a common problem with older XK's and is due to the aluminium cogs "rusting" or whatever aluminium does (it seems to produce a fine white powder). He (and I) have tried spraying in lubricate under the glass from time to time. His only suggestion is to replace it with a brand new mirror, which seems excessive to me!

Is there any way to remove the plastic from underneath the mirror, or the mirror itself to access the gearing mechanism? It may be possible to clean it up and give it a proper lubrication, hence giving it a new lease of life. Obviously, if the issue turns out to be worn parts, this won't be possible.

It's strange how I only have the problem with the passenger mirror, not the driver mirror, which has never failed to respond to opening or folding!

Thanks.

 

It looks like the mirror motors are replaceable if that is the cause of the issue :

OUTSIDE MIRRORS for 2007 Jaguar XK.

You might want to test the voltages on the connection to the motor before buying a new one to rule out a wiring issue.

 

Thanks SeanU, but I don't think it is the motors as the folding function ALWAYS works manually, apart from the odd bit of sticking. I'm sure it's the gearing mechanism being clogged up and needed lubrication, but how to get access to it?
Are there any instructions anywhere on how to take the wing mirror apart?

 

......plus, I suspect that motor shown in the diagram is to adjust the position of the mirror glass and doesn't relate to the folding of the whole mirror.

 

Sorry for that, it looks like they only sell the full mirror with the folding motor as a unit. Does the mirror make any noise when it is trying to open or close?

You may be able to find info from other sources... check out this video :

 

SeanU, while the video is interesting, the S Type wing mirror is different to the one on my XKR.

There does appear to be an access point under the mechanism, but I don't know how to open it and don't want to cause any damage.

I'm sure if there's a technique (pull down and forward or something like that), it would make it easier, but currently I'm unable to remove it.

I'm sure this would give access to the folding mechanism and allow it to be cleaned and lubricated.

Paul.

 

I had my passenger wing mirror fitted yesterday by the guy who looks after my car. I didn't do it myself in the end as he only charged £30 so thought I'd let him go ahead as I was likely to break something!

Here's a photo of the new wing mirror:

New passenger wing mirror


And here's the old, corroded mirror:


Old wing mirror

It's not really surprising the thing started to come loose. There was a pile of aluminium dust on the floor when he had finished! I appreciate the car is 12 years old, but this is really poor. It makes me wonder what's going on around the rest of the car that I can't see!

I will be looking to replace the drivers mirror as well if I can find one at the right price.

 

 

The day after having the wing mirror replaced, I was driving to work and noticed a very annoying rattle. Now, there has always been an issue with the glove box rattling, but this was louder than usual. Eventually, I determined it was definitely coming from the passenger door and it looked like the mesh over the tweeter was loose, so i touched it and it pushed through to the inside of the door! This is the triangular part of trim that fits over the wing mirror fixings on the inside of the door. Anyway, I decided to take this trim off and so levered it carefully only for a tab to break off. Why oh why do they have to use crappy pieces of plastic on these fittings.

So, this trim comprises of:

- An elongated triangular piece of matt black trim, which clips in place. It has two large metal clips and two smaller plastic clips on the inside. One of these plastic clips was already broken, leaving only part of it intact and the other is what snapped off when I removed it! I suspect the two large metal clips will be enough to hold it in place.
- This trim has a round hole for the tweeter. Clipped into the hole is a round plastic bezel to which the tweeter is attached with, you guessed it, a couple of plastic clips! The round plastic bezel itself clips into the triangular trim using three clips; one of which broke off. Not sure when, but I found it and so attempted to glue it back on although this round bezel fits fairly firmly without the third clip!
- The tweeter mesh cover pushes into the round bezel and then the tweeter clips into the bezel using two clips, one of which has broken off, so the tweeter hangs loose and I assume this is what was vibrating and causing the rattling sound.

After googling, it appears the round bezel that attaches the tweeter to the triangular trim isn't available separately, so I decided to botch it all together using 2 part Araldite. TBH I'm just tired of cheap, nasty plastic components being used on a so called prestige car and given that I've decided to get rid, I just want the tweeter to fix to the trim and stop rattling. By gluing it, it means the tweeter can't be removed/replaced without also replacing the trim, but I don't care.

So, my concerns over breaking clips etc when doing it myself appear to have come true even though someone else did the job for me! You have been warned. Be very careful removing this trim as it uses badly designed plastic tabs to hold it and the tweeter in place.

 

One thing Jaguar is legendary for is not quite caring where water pools.
They were called Rust Buckets because Jaguar actually built buckets inside the car.

I can explain the problem easier by first providing the solution.
Blow dry your car with a leaf blower. The objective is not to get the water out, that happens with simple evaporation. What you are doing is flushing the salts and minerals that buildup from letting a pool evaporate, this is how salt is made.
Blow the mirrors, hood vents if you have them, under the spoiler is the worst of the worst. You will find your antenna is going to be horribly corroded when you take that spoiler off.
Keep in mind you dont have to drive in an area where they put salt on the roads, or live by the sea, tap water has minerals as does the car soap.