Heated Mirror Problem??

TDI

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Help !!!


Only the driver side one works, is it a fuse or something more sinister???

And boy did I need both of them to work this morning!!

Cheers!
 
same with mine - i'm adding it to my list ready for the stealer to have a look at.
 
[ QUOTE ]
simont said:
same with mine - i'm adding it to my list ready for the stealer to have a look at.

[/ QUOTE ]

Simont, Let us know the outcome, when the stealers have finished with your car!!

Ram, motor is 4 years old so no warranty anymore. Had a word with Parts Dept at local stealer. He said it could cost £22 to replace mirror or £189 depending on the type that is on the vehicle at the moment!!!
Cheers
 
Mate - you seem to have a problem many of us had had before. If you have one of the earlier A3's then it would have been fitted with the badly designed heated mirror glass which would stay on all the time, hence burn out after a couple of years!

The newer design have a thermostat built in which turns them off after a specified time/or particular temperature has been reached. I had to replace the glass on both sides to cure this problem so thats you're only choice I'm afraid. I paid around £20 for driver's side and £14 for passenger from Martyn at VAGparts.com. Just be sure to get the right shaped glass, as there are convex and concave mirror versions available.

Good luck!
Naresh
 
[ QUOTE ]
Naresh said:
Mate - you seem to have a problem many of us had had before.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cheers Naresh for the info, The local stealer has quoted me £20 for it. did you have a hard time replacing them, or was it a fairly easy to do??

Once again ta for the info.

Kishan. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Don't bother getting Audi to fit them, they simply clip n and off the mirror housing. Just adjust all the way down so they're facing the sky, then slip your hand under and gently give it a tug until you hear the mirror release from the clips! Fitting - just push back against the housing taking care not to break the glass.
 
Er - make sure you specify the heated mirrors not the standard ones! You'll need to unclip the two wires when removing them! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif

Best wishes,

Ram
 
Is there any way to tell if they have failed? If I pull them off and put a multimeter on them is it going to tell me anything useful if they've burned out? I assume they go open circuit afterwards and would have some finite resistance beforehand?

I'm just not convinced that mine are working and as it's a 97 I suspect it's got the old ones on that are not thermostated.

TIA.
 
Mark - its the best time now to see if they work or not with these frosty mornings. Start the car and feel the mirror glass with the back of your hand after 5 minutes - providing its cold enough outside. You will feel the mirror get hot and steam come off if the glass is wet/frosted!

I had the same problem you have a year ago and I too was getting paranoid if the heater elements worked or now but its so obvious when on you can definately tell the difference. If you feel no obvious heat then you'll be contacting VAG parts pretty soon just like I did. When working they really make a difference! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/groovy.gif
 
Thanks Naresh I'll try that in the morning. Wasn't sure just how warm they were supposed to get.

 
Funny enough im getting the same problem... how do u actually turn the heated mirrors on?? I defintely dont think mine work at all!! Looks like a visit to the local dealer!
 
Me too....

Never had a problem with this on any of my 20vs (5 cylinder) as they came on / off with the rear window. They were great cars allround because nothing used to go wrong. Still miss my last 90 20v sport - above 30mph it would have given my current 1.8t a good run for its money! Only had 70k on clock when I sold it.......
 
I don't think you do turn them on, think they are automatic. That is probably part of the problem with them not having thermostats in and burning out. Pretty sure mine weren't working this morning but it was about 8 deg C this morning so maybe it wasn't cold enough. They are easy to pop out though as I tried it when I got to work. Might try putting a multimeter on them any way and check I'm getting juice through and if there is any power drain. Got the kit, may as well use it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
MarkS said:
I don't think you do turn them on, think they are automatic.

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought that they would be switched on along with when the rear screen was switched on. Can anyone confirm this??

My car is on a 99 plate, if this helps clarify things!

Ta /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/froggie_red.gif
 
Do NOT work with rear window which is why early ones burnt out.
 
Just to clarify the questions raised. The heated mirrors turn on automatically with the ignition once it is cold enough outside (I think 5 degrees), and have nothing to do with the heated rear window switch, or position of the electric window switch. Basically if you get no apparent warm glass during a cold morning then they're knackered. When I replaced them the difference was amazing - in about 5 minutes the glass was completely clear from frost/moisture and you can see the steam rising from the glass!
 
I thought the manual said that they came on with the front demister????????
 
Thats what i thought /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Well my manual says they are heated when the ignition is switched on. May be different on the later cars after Audi found that the earlier cars were burning the elements out.
 
Drove in to work today and it's about 10'C, and the mirrors were definitely warm, so I think they probably come on with ignition - if they're thermostatically controlled, then by rights, there is no major reason they can't be fed power all the time, and trip in when it gets cold.
That said, it was raining when I drove in - so maybe they ARE linked in to the use of the wipers OR temperatures below a certain level.
 

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