Mirror switch Fix

[Prince_Polaris]

Okay, some of you might remember me throwing a fit about my janky mirror switch that didn't work well! After a lot of attempted percussive maintence, I found a way to fix it!

Boy, being an IT guy is helpful for these little things

So, this is the imgur album but I'm gonna explain it in more length here, and I was inspired by this thread.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, she's removed from the door! Just slip a knife behind the round black bit, and pop it right out.

Next, pop it in half. The big clip looking thing on the top is NOT what you need to work on just yet, you want to get the smaller, side clips to get it in half. Now, the clear plastic bit can just be ignored, though mine seems to have lube in the shafts of the black parts, so if yours is dry or stuff, perhaps lube it. The other part is what we're cleaning.

Look at all that dirt! The rounded, inner tabs of the large metal bits are where the contacts are, so pay special attention to that area.

They meet up with the tabs on the bottom half, and one of them has two tabs- I don't know why but clean both just to be sure?

Now we get to play with the big tab! Pop that baby out and take apart the bottom half, now.

Now give 'em a bath, I used Isopropyl alcohol but it didn't seem to do much- I ended up just going at all the metal parts with a knife....

After scraping them both so much that I almost cramped my hand, they're a heck of a lot cleaner than before!

And now, slap it back together! I'm taking it back out to my car tomorrow to see how she works, if not, I'll try some other methods of cleaning it...

But hey, I'd rather fiddle with tiny metal contacts than spend $45 or $50 on a whole new switch, there's just something about that satisfaction of fixing something yourself

 

[1955moose]

I agree. It all depends on parts price of new part. But pulling something apart and fixing it is not only rewarding mentally, but also kinda tribal in lack of better words! Sometimes it works, and sometimes you make it worse. But that's half the fun in it. I've always been an Audiophile throughout my life, so playing with electronics is kinda fun. I've taken apart systems and don't even know what I've done some times, but everything started working right again. Ah the magic of electronics! It's supposed to be a science, but it can be a little witchcraft too. Especially around October!

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[Prince_Polaris]

I agree. It all depends on parts price of new part. But pulling something apart and fixing it is not only rewarding mentally, but also kinda tribal in lack of better words! Sometimes it works, and sometimes you make it worse. But that's half the fun in it. I've always been an Audiophile throughout my life, so playing with electronics is kinda fun. I've taken apart systems and don't even know what I've done some times, but everything started working right again. Ah the magic of electronics! It's supposed to be a science, but it can be a little witchcraft too. Especially around October!

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

Heh, I used to love taking apart radios and stuff as a kid, my dad's old boombox, clock radios, and so on... course, most of those were broken, and my attempts to fix them didn't help, but sticking rubber bands onto cassette deck pulleys was fun!

 

[1955moose]

Yeah as a kid I used to mess around adjusting the little pot frequency adjusters on my portable radios. Sometimes I'd crack things, or sometimes I'd tweak something and it sounded better. Hard to believe when I was only 7 or 8, I stripped down my bicycle. Putting it back together was another matter. I never had money to pay for fixing my broken bikes/cars/ motorcycles, was how I got started wrenching on stuff. Kinda fun when playing with car stereo, and you get something that you read or heard about and wow what a difference in sound. Sometimes without any or little expense.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[johnboneske]

Its always rewarding fixing stuff yourself. I am by far from financially well off, but got asked a question a few years ago as to why do I fix everything myself. I gave a very simple answer. Because then I have more money to waste on other things l don't need... Since I save alot of money fixing things myself. I can't imagine having to pay someone to fix my stuff, and who says they get it right or fix it properly?

 

[Prince_Polaris]

So it's fixed now! Pay close attention to the small metal tabs on the lower part and the metal pads in the center, turns out, bending the tabs upwards and cleaning the pads is what finally fixed it in the end, though cleaning the metal was a huge part too!

 

[Prince_Polaris]

OH YEAH THERE'S ONE OTHER THING! The part with the pins that actually go into the plug in your door, that comes off of the plastic part with the tabs that I posted right up there, I'd recommend making sure its connections are good too ^

 

[1955moose]

Sounds like taking apart a volume control on a stereo. We used to that all the time and clean the carbon off that would build up on the chrome plates. We'd sometimes break a tab pulling apart, or reassembly. But the volume wasn't scratchy anymore. Well at least for 6 months or so!

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[Prince_Polaris]

Sounds like taking apart a volume control on a stereo. We used to that all the time and clean the carbon off that would build up on the chrome plates. We'd sometimes break a tab pulling apart, or reassembly. But the volume wasn't scratchy anymore. Well at least for 6 months or so!

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

Boy, scratchy volume knobs and sliders on old stereos are so annoying, I wish I'd known how to fix them back when I actually used to use those!