markjmills

Hi, all:

I searched the forums, but didn't find any info on my specific problem. The lighted mirror assembly from the passenger-side sun visor has popped out of the visor (happened one morning for no discernible reason, except perhaps from age), and I cannot get it to stay in place. If I flip the visor down, the mirror assembly simply dangles by the wires powering the mirror light.

There are no tangs or clips that I can see or feel, so it appears as though it's held in with a simple pressure fit, but no amount of reasonable pressure is making it stay in place - if I press in the bottom the top pops out, press in the top and the bottom pops. I've tried straight in, angled in, mirror cover open, mirror cover closed, coming in from the side...nothing is working.

The inside of the visor has a few globs of a blue (perhaps once sticky, but now completely dried) substance, as well as dried globs of a yellowish substance. Could either the blue stuff or yellowish stuff be an adhesive that failed? If adhesvies are required to hold the mirror in place, does anyone know what the right adhesive might be? If neither adhesives nor pressure secure the mirror's placement, what does hold it in?

I appreciate any help and advice -- this is driving me nuts!

Thanks, Mark

stormtigers

Damn I got all excited when I saw your post but sank when I saw no replies. I have same problem Mark !
I am thinking maybe just a dab or too of contact adhesive - but worried might never get it back out again ! Hahahahhaahah

Shoomakan

Use adhesive. Why would you even WANT to get it back out, unless the light bulb fails? So be safe and change it anyway, then stick it back in.

No known modification in W124 history has anything to do with the little light. :P

stormtigers

You just might have something there !!!!!

markjmills

Stormtigers, I agree - these little things can be very frustrating, especially when you're not sure how to proceed and just can't find the answer easily. I did get a reply that sounded definitive on another MB forum. I followed the instructions, just checked the repair this morning, and the problem is fixed. Shoomakan, who just replied here, is right too - adhesive does the trick for this particular model lacking the fixing retainers. The yellowish blobs I noted in the visor are dried adhesive. Lynns, a moderator at the other forum [who should get all the credit for this fix! ], advised using silicone, and then painter's tape to secure the assembly in place until the silicone cures, about 24 hours.

I bought a small tube (c. $3) of exterior silicone from Home Depot - exterior because it appears to have a broader effective temperature range than the interior-use version, and our car interiors can get awfully hot. I peeled away the yellow blobs from the visor to clean up the surface; there were about 8 of them, and, using fingernails, they came up fairly easily without ruining the material, so no need for mineral spirits or the like to soften them first. That left a clean visor cut-out. Then globs of the clear silicone were squeezed out into the same spots from which the old stuff had been removed, the mirror assembly was pressed in, and, using lots of painter's tape, I wrapped the whole visor like a mummy. Didn't even have to remove the visor from the car.

I waited 36 hours before unwrapping, a little extra margin to be sure the silicone had cured completely, and then held my breath as I removed the tape. Job done - it's in there to stay, and won't come out unless I purposefully make an effort to remove it. I should have used a bit more care making sure the assembly was evenly seated; I tried, but the top of the visor didn't seat 100% (perhaps I applied a little more pressure to the bottom than to the top?), but the edge sticks out only about 1/16th of an inch, just detectable with a fingertip and not visible in use...I just like to be perfect.

So now, if anyone else has the same issue, a search here can help them solve the problem, too. I love this place - think how many man-centuries of knowledge exist in this site!

Cheers, Mark

autounion

Okay, so this is fixed. Now, how about a mod to stop the sunvisor swinging back from the door and whacking you in the head ...

Kevin

markjmills

Obviously you're not wearing the MB-approved Sun Visor Protection Helmet!

stormtigers

JA JA UND YOU NICHT BIN CONZENTRATING ON VERE YOU ARE GOINK BECAUZ DER SONNEN VISSOR IST FLAPPINK IN DER MIDDLE OFF NOWHERE !