Re: sideview mirror (was: Re: Audi Parts.get hosed call Shokan)

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Rose <pjrose@servtech.com>
To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Wednesday, April 29, 1998 11:30 AM
Subject: sideview mirror (was: Re: Audi Parts.get hosed call Shokan)


[snip]
>I've wondered about the glass for heated side-mirrors. Aside from shape, is
>it just an ordinary mirror glass, or does it have something special (i.e.,
>permanently bonded) on the backside for the heater element?
>
>Phil Rose Rochester, NY
>'89 100
>'91 200q pjrose@servtech.com
>
Phil;

    The older heated mirrors ('86-'88) had the heating elements in an
aluminium plate which was bonded to the glass.
    The newer heated mirrors (running change '89 - '91) have the heating
elements in a plastic (what else?) plate bonded to the glass. These mirrors
fail by corrosion which eats the silvering and releases the glass from the
plastic plate.
    The older mirrors appear to be more durable.
    The mirror glass mounting system is different for the two types. The
older glass is mounted with a rotating locking ring (good engineering). The
newer mirrors are clipped on to the mechanism with 4 plastic clips (p*ss
poor engineering). The Bentley says to pry them off. If you are not careful
when you do this, you will break the adjusting mechanism.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  251k km