Looking for advice from the group.

New 2026 GLE450, <3k miles. One day all the sudden we noticed right side mirror housing plastic was bubbled up and the plastic trim on car also bulged, likely from heat.

No idea how it happened. Seems most likely from sun damage (?), but this car is parked in our driveway 90% of the time, and i have went out mid-day to check and concluded it's essentially impossible for the sun to hit the mirror at an angle that would cause this, nor is there any reflection from nearby houses. Has anyone ever experienced something like this?

We've parked our previous car in the same driveway spot for 7+ years without issues. Nonetheless, local dealer said MB denied the replacement of those parts under warranty, but they are willing to replace the mirror housing on good will. Which I do appreciate, but the trim piece was not included in this, and from the looks of it, the trim is part of the mirror assembly (i.e. might have to replace the entire mirror??).

What would you do? I'm concerned the bulge on the trim piece would allow water to get in - so I would like to replace it but not at the expense of replacing the entire mirror... would insurance cover something like this?

Just had AC compressor (faulty) replaced a few weeks ago. Hopefully our "bad luck" ends here lol...

 

I really doubt that damage is from the sun. I think it would start to bleach out the color first and not be so localized.

Im stumped.

 

You and me both... I was thinking maybe some electronic elements inside the trim shorted or something and produced excessive heat, but that seems like a stretch as I don't know what would be in there. And the mirror related functions all seem to work fine (adjusting, folding).

 

Wouldn’t the warranty cover this?

 

Not according to my local dealer. They said MB declined their warranty claim because this is resulted from external.

 

That's definitely heat damage, could be the sun reflecting off the mirror but it's a fluke. The comment that sun damage would first bleach the color doesn't hold true here because that would be UV damage and is a very slow process.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if some yokel used a hot pressure washer. Look for more localized damage.

 

I don't think we will get to the bottom of the true cause...

Anyways, I looked up the part, unfortunately it is all one assembly: https://classicparts.mbusa.com/oem-p...ght-1678109201

Dealer quoted me total of $2.7k lol, a quick google search indicated the need of removing door panel to replace it

I think I will ask for a second opinion from another local MB dealer and if all else fails, talk with insurance, or just replace it myself or thru indy shops?

 

This exact same issue was seen within the Honda Passports also, where the plastic in the outside mirrors, showed this kind of damage. Almost looked melted. Essentially, sun damage that occurs when parking outside, and probably related to the specific plastic formulation used in the mirror casing's construction.

 

This bro had the same problem and the melting even looks the same except it was on the front grille. I remembered this thread from a couple years ago and found it. I think it has to be a weird reflection off some glass or something close by that caused it. I think that was the same assumption and explanation in this thread. Check it out. Very interesting.

https://mbworld.org/forums/gle63s-gl...amg-grill.html

 

This isn't common but it does happen and Mercedes isn't the only Make with this random issue.

https://www.f150forum.com/f2/trim-me...mirror-411499/

https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaSupport/s/OcyA296AOD

https://www.reddit.com/r/rav4club/s/AtPM5QZSYX

 

Space Lasers..............

 

I still vote for hot water through a pressure washer.
I've seen that damage and it looks similar.
It can happen to any Chrome plated plastic on any brand.

 

Very interesting read indeed...

I think it must have occurred when parked at other places as our driveway orientation wouldn't make sense for sunlight to be reflected into the mirror.

Why would a hot water through pressure washer be used on the car though?

 

That's certainly the most likely cause, for now!

Bummer though that this happened on a 3000 mile new car and from the looks of it we'd have to be the one spending $$$ fixing it...

 

At least it's in an area that's hardly noticeable. Maybe you can simply sand down the bubbles with various sandpaper grits.

 

It used to be common when cars were shipped covered with preservatives, the modern day equivalent of cosmoline. Boilers on the spray machine - unusual today.
Unlikely, but that's what it can look like.

 

Y'all are not gonna believe this...

I took the car to another local dealer for a second opinion. They were very thorough and detail oriented, looked over the car and found that even the mirror housings on both passenger and driver side are slightly deformed! It's really hard to show in the picture but I attached one for the passenger side mirror, you can tell by the deformed reflection where the arrow is pointed at. Obvious if you run your fingers over it though.

They are following up with MB to see if these can get covered. BTW, previous dealer wanted $2700 total for replacing on side mirror assembly 😬

 

I'm surprised their giving you any grief on a newer car. Still on warranty. Also removing a door card and replacing the mirror is hardly $2700 even with the labor time. The only explanation I can think of is the mirror assembly is sold as a unit.

 

The mirror assembly is indeed sold as a unit.

Idk man, I think this other dealership might be able to convince MB. Fingers crossed...