Help with replacing car rear view mirrors

[jgradyc]

I promised a friend I'd replace the inside and driver's side mirrors on her 99 Mercedes SLK230. Here's the problem. For the inside mirror, the manual says, "Insert a 5mm iron round in the slot and rotate the base 90 degrees left or right. I've tried that with a 5m hex wrench, but it won't budge. I'm afraid to exert a lot of pressure because I don't want to break the windshield. I don't know what the 5mm round is supposed to do. You can see the little notch in the slot, but I can't feel it move up or down when I push on it. 

So... two questions. How can i get this inside mirror off?  Or...

How can I cut and glue a mirror over the old mirror?  A friend suggested that. It never occurred to me.

By the way, the dealership quoted the owner $400 to replace the inside rear view mirror!

Edited May 26, 2017 by jgradyc

[bersaguy]

Does it have the auto dimming feature on the mirror? If so this article may help some.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Mercedes-SLK230/102-INTERIOR-Rearview_Mirror_Removal/102-INTERIOR-Rearview_Mirror_Removal.htm

Edited May 26, 2017 by bersaguy

[jgradyc]

Thanks, Bersaguy, I knew someone here would be able to help. I tried a star-point screwdriver that's 5mm wide and sure enough, when I wiggled it back and forth, was able to twist it 90 degrees and the mirror came off.  I think I just couldn't get enough leverage using a tiny hex wrench. Now I need to remove the old mirror mount or find an auto dimming model at PullaPart down the road from me. I headed out now..

[bersaguy]

8 minutes ago, jgradyc said:

Thanks, Bersaguy, I knew someone here would be able to help. I tried a star-point screwdriver that's 5mm wide and sure enough, when I wiggled it back and forth, was able to twist it 90 degrees and the mirror came off.  I think I just couldn't get enough leverage using a tiny hex wrench. Now I need to remove the old mirror mount or find an auto dimming model at PullaPart down the road from me. I headed out now..

Glad I could help. Hope you can find an auto dimmer at salvage yard and that is probably why the dealer wanted 400 bucks to do a 30 minute job. They were adding the price of a new mirror probably.

[jgradyc]

I didn't find a Mercedes with auto dimmer, but I found the VW Passat mirror will fit on the same mount... upside down.  I think I'll remove the old mount and install a universal mirror mount and mirror. 

By the way, it was really fun to walk through the salvage yard. If you have some mechanical skills you can pull your own part and save a ton of money. 

[jgradyc]

And here's the VW mirror in the Mercedes. It not as big as it looks. It's only an inch wider than the old mirror.  

[hipower]

Good job!