Hi everyone
I accidentally bumped into my side mirror as I was running back to my car in a rush. It's one of those kinds that folds in and out when you unlock the car. Luckily it was a light bump, so I was able to manually unfold it back to its normal position. Then it struck me that the durability of the internal motor is something I haven't considered before. Since it still works, do manufacturers make them able to withstand lots of force?
Pretty new. Just got it last year :)
You'll be right. Plus, warranty is there in case you accidentlly fold it back "with passion".
For sure it is designed not to break when you are folding/unfolding the mirrors manually.
I've seen these motors working for years in quite harsh conditions when mirrors are often covered with ice and/or salt that is preventing them from folding properly.
However the feature itself if quite useless imho.
Survived on my 4x4. Survives anything.
Depends on who manufactured it. If Toyota, will last until the end of time. If something like a Haval, will only last until next week.
my car has manual folding mirrors. Can they be changed to power folding mirrors?
I'm sure I've seen MacGyver do that with several elastic bands and paperclips.
Thanks guys!
I have a 1 year old Mazda 3 where the passenger side power folding mirror has recently started acting up - doesn't fold all the way in/out without helping it with a light push. WD-40 fixes it for about a day before the issue starts again so it seems I'll have to take it in to the dealer. Not sure what model car you have but the gears on mine are plastic.
Hey, I am facing the same issue. Just recently purchased a 2017 Mazda SP25 GT from the original owner. Everything is good with the car except for the folding mirrors. Its not folding in fully. Right one is better compared to the left. Have tried to put some WD-40 today. Thought it will work magically after some time. But no fix as of now. Also the wet weather might be affecting it. I used the silicon version of WD-40, would that be an issue? How did you apply the WD-40?
What did you do since it didn't get fixed permanently by WD-40? I am out of warranty, so don't know how much it will cost me if I take it to the dealership.
There is no fix other than to get it replaced by the dealer. I'm not sure how much it would cost as both mine have been replaced under warranty. The new motor design is supposedly more resistant against water which is what's causing the issue to begin with.
You'll probably find the issue is worst the days following washing your car or heavy rain. It might help to leave the mirrors in the folded-out position for 24-48 hours after washing/heavy rain to help dry it out. It's not really a permanent solution, though.
Thanks for the reply. As you know the car prices are very high and I bought this SP25 GT with 38K on odo for around 23K. When you are paying this much, you feel like you have been betrayed by the seller for not fixing this issue before hand. Although the seller told me that he talked to his friend at the dealership and he agreed to look at it without any charges.
Fingers crossed this gets fixed soon, not a big thing, but still hurts.. :(
Also Sydney weather is not giving a chance to get this mirror dryed up.
Ive actually had most experience on this from Nissan… back to 1989 imports to current day and I havent seen a single failure.
Hey Guys, I was able to fix it using WD-40 now. Also the dry weather helped. So basically, you buy the basic WD-40 (More advanced Silicon one didn't work for me) and spray it to the back of mirror through the gap using provided straw. Wait for an hour and use the key buttons to unlock and lock. Sometimes, for the first few unlocks, you need to help the mirror open fully by gently pushing it. But then after almost 10 open and close, it starts to work normal.
This is a frustrating process, but what to do..
Issue - Mazda 3 SP25 GT Mirror not folding fully.
WD40 is a very light lubricant and will dry out quickly. It’s great for cleaning, not great for long term lubrication. You need to get something into the mechanism that will stay there longer.
What lubricant do you suggest?
Probably needs to be some sort of grease suited to plastics. Hard part is finding something you can get into the mechanism effectively. Not sure of the best product.
My ones on my pajero still work from 2007 and 220000kms
How old we talking?