Inside Rear View Mirror Vibration
08-16-2005, 09:40 AM
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97 E320
Inside Rear View Mirror Vibration
I have a 97 E320 and the inside rear view mirror has a vibration that I can't get rid off. There is apparently no set screw to tighten the inside rear view mirror. The ball and socket arrangment appears to have a pressure fitting system that is suppose to hold the mirror tight and not allow any movement. Evidently, this has worn out on my car's rear view mirror. Every time I go over a bump the mirror moves or shakes. Has anyone had any experience in this problem and what are the possible solutions. Thanks.
08-16-2005, 06:43 PM
#2
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'96 S320 same but worse
My S320 rear view has broke on the inside. I have had it apart and is way cheap design. Be carfull not to make it worse My mirror is over $800 at the dealer and used is proving ard to find.
Rod
Rod
09-11-2005, 02:20 AM
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'96 SL600, '05 S55 AMG, '06 C230
The inside mirror in my '96 SL600 also vibrated badly. I was able to eliminate the vibration by carefully dismantling the mirror and adding a thick rubber "shim". Assuming your '97 is similar to the '96, the mirror housing snaps apart. If you have seen the infamous ball and socket arrangement, you probably got this far. Continue by completely disassembling the mirror from the housing. At this point, you will need 3 hands... I did.
You will see that the mirror itself is held in place by the outer housing and that it is supposed to rest on a plate within the mirror assembly. I could never, ever figure out what broke, but my mirror simply needed a very thick rubber shim to hold the mirror firmly against the inner plate. When this occurs and the housing is all snapped back together, the ball and socket arrangement is again tight.
I know the above is tough to explain, but if you really watch the mirror as it is disassembled, you should be able to see how the firmness of the mirror in place makes the whole thing work. Seems odd to me that MB would use a glass mirror as part of the mechanism to hold the assembly in place, but to my engineering mind, that's what it looked like.
Anyway, once disassembled, try different thicknesses of pliable household products (I'm not kidding!) to make your shim. I used a thick rubber pad about 1/4" thick (!) and a couple strips of 3M double-back tape to make a thick (about 3/8") shim. When using the tape, do NOT remove the backing - you only want the thickness, not the adhesion. You’ll probably have to disassemble and reassemble a couple of times as you find the right thickness shim.
Once you get the whole damn thing back together, you'll be surprised how efficient it works! I know it seems weird, but it works.
You will see that the mirror itself is held in place by the outer housing and that it is supposed to rest on a plate within the mirror assembly. I could never, ever figure out what broke, but my mirror simply needed a very thick rubber shim to hold the mirror firmly against the inner plate. When this occurs and the housing is all snapped back together, the ball and socket arrangement is again tight.
I know the above is tough to explain, but if you really watch the mirror as it is disassembled, you should be able to see how the firmness of the mirror in place makes the whole thing work. Seems odd to me that MB would use a glass mirror as part of the mechanism to hold the assembly in place, but to my engineering mind, that's what it looked like.
Anyway, once disassembled, try different thicknesses of pliable household products (I'm not kidding!) to make your shim. I used a thick rubber pad about 1/4" thick (!) and a couple strips of 3M double-back tape to make a thick (about 3/8") shim. When using the tape, do NOT remove the backing - you only want the thickness, not the adhesion. You’ll probably have to disassemble and reassemble a couple of times as you find the right thickness shim.
Once you get the whole damn thing back together, you'll be surprised how efficient it works! I know it seems weird, but it works.
