More work done on the car so time to share. This time I needed to replace a power mirror. The current one will move left and right but not up and down. In order to replace the mirror I had to remove the whole door panel. Let’s get started.
New mirror with wiring harness:
Door panel:
First the plastic trim around the handle has to come off. Using a screwdriver I pushed up on the inside and pulled out on the edges:
Here is a picture of it out so you can see the tabs that held it in place:
Next I needed to unplug the power mirror and lock switch. In order to do that the plastic insert they are in needed to be removed from the door. Again the handy screwdriver was put to work:
It pulls up and slides out, then there are two plugs that need to be removed, one for the window and one for the lock:
Tada!
Next there is a small panel behind the arm rest that pops off using a screwdriver:
Behind that panel was hiding two torx screws. Lucky for me I bought a bit set when I did the MAF sensor on my truck, I love having the tools I need on hand!
Once those are out then there are two more pins in the side of the door:
Use a small punch or screwdriver to push in the center of them:
Once the centers are pressed in you can pull them out, this is what they look like:
That center piece was actually pulled out as I took that picture when it was time to reinsert them.
Now all that’s left is to pop the door panel off. There is a door panel removal tool that you can buy, or just grab a chisel or putty knife and slide it in between the panel and the door frame. You are basically prying it out and popping loose the tabs that hold the panel in place:
This is why the whole panel has to be removed. This small section covers the bolts of the mirror, but the wiring harness plugs in behind the panel:
Once all of the tabs are loose the panel slides right up and off of the door:
There’s the harness plug, too bad they didn’t have it connect behind the smaller section:
And here are the three bolts that hold the mirror in place
Once those are removed the mirror pulls right out:
Reverse all of the steps and everything is put back together.
Now the fun part, I installed the new mirror and plugged it in and tested it before I put everything back together. This mirror also didn’t move up or down… so I guess after all that it is a wiring issue somewhere. I was wondering when my first one was going to pop up. Not sure when I’ll have the time to look into that or if I ever will since the horizontal motion is more important than the vertical (to me). But hey, at least I learned a little more and got to share with you fine people!
