FAQ: Side Mirror Problems (heated, auto-dimming, tilt)

Either that or it already happened and the previous owner replaced it. It's kinda hard to believe mine is still in as good a shape as it is when everyone else is having so much trouble.

But my rims and center caps are holding up too - maybe I'm more special than youse guys eh?

EDIT: We've now confirmed that '95 thru '97 electrochromic mirrors do not have a heating element on the back.
'98 & '99 can have both auto-dim and defog - but they tend to cook the liquid crystal juice more often...

PS - Speaking of the mirror-faces, the factory replacement procedure does work, but follow it
exactly (and slowly, and gently,) and cut yourself a smooth, thick flat 2x3" piece of wood for the last step.

Eldo wrote:

Hi guys,

I've been away for quite a bit and just came upon this thread. I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but I honestly don't think that any of these cars came with both heated and dimming mirrors...

First of all, I think that a liquid crystal and a 140-degree heater are mutually exclusive just on general principles... After all, if people think that their dimming mirrors are more prone to failure when they are parked a lot in hot climates/direct sun, cooking them with electric heat would just be asking for trouble.

Secondly, my '97 has every option but moonroof, and I've had the driver's mirror out of the housing so I could clean the dimmer contacts... Those 2 dimmer wires are the only wires that attach to the back of the glass.

Finally, I've looked in the '97, '98 and '99 shop manuals and there is no mention of mirror heat, nor any schematics that show it.

Like I said, I'm not posting just for the sadistic joy of it, I just want to make sure that everyone has as much info as possible and isn't possibly operating on a false premise...

Mark

PS - Speaking of the manuals, their mirror-face replacement procedure does work, but follow it exactly (and slowly, and gently) and cut yourself a good, smooth, flat 2x3x2" piece of wood for the last step.

Sorry to inform you that many of these did indeed have dimming AND heat, mine included. I'm just trying to get a new replacement for what's existing and broken. To my knowledge MOST of them had dimming (if not all), and heat was optional, usually coming with the heated seat option.

Is there any way to tighten the side mirror without taking the entire door panel off? My driver side mirror is loose and I can hear it moving while driving. I see there are a couple of screws near the mirror when you open the door, but don't know if those would help or not. Thanks.

This may help you out, Steve:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/exterior-f12/write-up-exterior-mirror-disassembly-t3900.htm

Awesome thanks man.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

the black frame around the mirror is b/c of the dimming mechanism. i have that on mine, but i dont have heated mirrors.

What do you mean? Can you expand on the black frame a bit Matthew?

If I just want to tighten the mirror because its loose do I still need to remove the door panel?

If you are talking about the mirror housing (painted same color as the car) being loose then you need to pull the door panel to tighten the screws/bolts that are holding it on to your door.
If you mean the mirror itself then that's different.

Yea its the mirror housing that's loose. Do you know if this is a quick fix or no?

You won't know until you remove the door panel and have a look at why it is loose.
There is a write up on here somewhere about removing the door panel.
I suggest you use it as it will save you time and help prevent breaking any plastic in the process.
It really is simple once you read the procedure.
I have used it in the past and it didn't take very much to remove the panel and gain access to the door innards.

Good deal thanks.

So I noticed yesterday that my mirror on the drivers side has a white spot near the top. It moves when driving from side to side. . It's also gold in color and I've never noticed it changing colors. I'd love to find a replacement. Anywhere to get them? After reading this thread it looks like it's been nonfunctional since I got the car.

My driver's side has been amber since I got it! I thought it was suppose to be that way, but from what you guys say it looks like mine crapped out too. Took the glass of and it does have wires going to the mirror. Anyone find a source for these?

So far, no luck. We have only been able to locate the clear glass face to glue on top. I got absolutely 0 response trying to contact the manufacturers of the OEM mirrors.

I'm sorry to repeat myself, but I think that you've all found out that electrochromic mirrors and mirror heaters are not a good mix... Those of us who have dimming-only mirrors don't seem to have this problem. The best move would be to decide which feature you want more, and buy a heat-only or dimming-only replacement. They're quick & easy to pop off at a wrecking yard, if the dealer can't find them from GM or one of the aftermarket companies that they sell their inventory to ((that's where my dealer found my new $80 version of the $16 air-deflector (splash shield)...))

Eldo wrote:

I'm sorry to repeat myself, but I think that you've all found out that electrochromic mirrors and mirror heaters are not a good mix... Those of us who only dimming-only mirrors don't seem to have this problem.

I agree absolutely. But I would still like to get a new one for less than $400, and if it will last another 12 years, it's a nice feature.

Mine is not heated, just electrochromic and it died on me though.

Mine seems to be heated as well. Melts snow when rear defrost is on. It's just permanently an orangish red color now.

Mine was just dimming, not heated and it turned amber. I ended up with a mirror off a riv that had neither heat nor dimming feature. Beats the amber mirror.

I'm not going to bother doing anything to mine. Doesn't really bother me too much, besides the little air bubble in it.

Regarding the mirrors, it doesn't matter if they're heated or not. The summer heat will cook the liquid - that's when mine leaked out.

The mirror on my 97 was cooked, no heat, just dimmable.

If the heated and dimming mirrors fail you can get a dimming mirror all day long at the junk yards and say the heck with the heater or if you want to keep the working heater and forgo the auto dim feature, it is even cheaper. Just buy the pre-cut mirrors to glue over your existing one for less than $20.00 shipped and you still have heated mirrors. (provided the heating element still works.) My experience is the heaters work for a long time, it is the auto-dimming feature that bleeds liquid out of the mirror. They have always failed in the summer time, curious about that fact.???
It's up to personal preference and how much money the repair is worth to you.
There are options.

They always fail in summer because that's when the glass gets most hot. The mirror heaters are not the primary reason for failure - they don't make the mirror surface hot enough. All the exterior dimming mirrors are defective.