I’ve got a '96 Volvo 850 with a mulched passenger side mirror (thank you mysterious person in the parking lot who didn’t leave a note…). The dealer wants to charge me $400 to replace it. Ouch. I can order a part online for about $100, but I need directions on how to install it myself. I can take the old mirror off, but need instructions on how to attach the wiring for the new one. It looks like I need to take the whole door panel off to attach the power/heat wiring for the mirror. Do I need to remove the door panel? If so, how?
I have no experience with this car specifically, but side views are usually a pain in the butt. The wiring’s probably the least of your problems, as it’ll probably be just a plugin connector, though the cheapo internet part might require you to splice on the old one. The trouble is that you probably do indeed have to remove the inner door panel to do this which can be really difficult, especially on cars with a lot of electrical gizmos in the door. What really complicates things is that most service manuals don’t cover the procedure so you usually have to feel your way through it.
I’d really say if you’re not mechanically adventuresome and comfortable with the possibility that the door panel might never be quite right again, I’d start pricing the job around at independent body shops.
http://www.autozone.com/shopping/repairGuide.htm?pageId=0900c1528008cb91
http://www.autozone.com/shopping/repairGuide.htm?pageId=0900c1528008cbea
Here’s the instructions for removing the door panel and installing the mirror.
Tester
Hmm… that one actually looks pretty easy. Nevermind!