I have a 2001 Jag. Last week the rear view mirror began to exhibit a large bubble in the middle of the glass. Later there were bubbles rising to the top of the mirror. Now about 5/6th of the mirror is fogged over and unusable. It is an auto dimming mirror, and if you press hard on the mirror face you can move the material inside around, also if you tip the mirror it shifts inside. Kinda cool to see but a real problem when trying to see behind you.
I can buy a replacement but am wondering if anyone can suggest a way to repair the present mirror?
Sounds like the glass has de-laminated, and now air has gotten into the electrochromic gel. I don’t really know of a good way to fix this, short of sending it to the factory and having them re-assemble it. My guess is this would cost you more than just getting a new mirror.
thanks, a new one is about $450. Like they say, anyone can afford a Jag, few can afford to keep them.
While that saying is true, you have to remember than Jaguar did not manufacture that mirror. It was likely sourced from the same company that makes them for all of the other car manufacturers, and it was just your bad fortune to have it de-laminate after 9 years.
Hmmmm…maybe I’m trading my car in just in time. I have an '02 Outback with one of these auto-dimming mirrors, and so far it works just fine, but…
One suggestion:
eBay
If you don’t see one, look next week. Eventually EVERYTHING ends up on eBay.
What makes this hard is I bought the car in January with 30720 original miles. Also original tires, so as soon as I started driving it more the tires seperated, then we discoverd the owner must had thought the brake pedal was the gas, the rotors and pads are shot so a little over a grand later, not too bad, this happened. auuugggggh. so I am ebaying to find one.
No matter how few miles were on the odometer, those tires were…old.
Generally speaking, tires need to be replaced after about 7 years, even if much tread is remaining. Over time, the rubber compound in the tread hardens, and you wind up with really poor traction in wet conditions. Ergo–very unsafe. And, as you found, the rigors of time can also take its toll internally on tires.
As to the brakes, the low odometer mileage suggests a car that was used essentially for short-run local driving, which tends to include a lot of braking. As a result, it is not surprising that the pads and rotors were shot.
My biggest concern would be sludging of the engine as a result of the type of use that it likely had prior to your ownership. The age of the car, coupled with the odometer mileage when you bought it, means that the car was driven less than 3,500 miles per year, on average. If the previous owner changed the oil on the basis of odometer mileage, rather than on the basis of elapsed time, it is very possible to have a significant build-up of oil sludge in the engine.
I would suggest having your mechanic remove a valve cover in order to look for signs of sludging. If it is detected, then you need to have him clean out the sludge–by hand, or with solvents, or both. Failure to clean out sludge can lead to very early failure of the timing chain and other components that depend on excellent lubrication.
The S-type takes the same mirror as it’s twin, the Lincoln LS. The Lincoln parts are less expensive than the Jaguar parts. You should be able to find one from a junk yard. I’ve got good working mirrors for around $20 that way before.
thank you, that will make it easier to score a good mirror
Take it to an auto glass shop. They can cut a replacement mirror that would glue over the top of the old. It would no longer be self dimming however, but it would be a lot cheaper fix!
found one yesterday from a Lincoln LS, half the cost of a “jag” mirror. Thanks everyone for the imput. rw
Bad idea. After a little while, the fluid in the mirror would start leaking out and it would ruin the interior underneath it. Also there would be no way to dim the glue on mirror because the auto mirror doesn’t have an provision to flip it up like non electronic mirrors do.
Glad to help…
Well I guess you already have fixed everything? Or if you really need a replacement then here’s a mirror you can check with me…