Auto dimming rear view mirror issue - looks like liquid insi

Hello, My C4s was parked outside in the sun on a very hot day (over 40 degree celcius) and when i got back to ot i noticed the rear view mirror stained i side. After looking around i understand that this is a common fault on multiple cars of the 2000s. I am wondering what will be the best solution to.this. i know there is a company in USA that fixes them but i ll have to send it and wait to have it back and works around 200 euros all said and done. Is there something similar available to Europe? I know people change them with some Audi parts but nowdays the prices are the same! Can i somehow convert it to a normal one? Or use one from a 997? What options have other people followed in this situation?

I had mine repaired here in the uk: https://www.mirrorjohn.com/ As an alternative a VW part fits also, I have one I used as a temporary measure while I got the original fixed, details here: http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=137717

I have used parts from mirrorjohn twice on E46 BMWs, not had a problem since. MC

Thanks guys! I ll drop mirror John an email! Does not look like an easy task on replacing the mirror yourself though. But seems they can fix it for you and ship it back. Am afraid of breaking the casing if i try that myself!

Tried to contact John, but got no email reply back. Any other options? Seems by googling the part numbers on the actual mirror, i get a number of similar mirrors, for Honda, VW and Golfs. Anyone found a good replacement?

mirror john is the only person I've ever seen mentioned when it comes to replacement mirrors. Not heard any bad reviews either. One thing to note is do not let it leak out, apparently the liquid is corrosive and makes a mess if it gets on your interior trim.

I ll try to contact him again then! I have already removed the mirror from the car because of being afraid of leaking. Cant really have it off for longer as probably it is against the law to go around without one!

Literally just repaired a 1999 Jag XJR rear view mirror with part from John. He's busy so it did take a couple of days to get an initial response to my query email. I did have one technical query about soldering and polarity and he responded within about 15 minutes. So he is there and working but you might have to give him a chance to respond!

He replied on the same day to my new email, so hopefully i ll have this sorted ASAP! Is it a big hassle to remove the old glass and put the new one in place? Am afraid of breaking plastics inside of it!

Not sure about the unit on the 996 - but based on the Jag one, it requires some bravery pills because the unit is bonded together and has to be prised apart and the plastic case is brittle. I started on the top side on the basis that gaining initial entry causes the most visible damage (from getting a screwdriver in to get started) which would be best hidden on the top side. The main drama is cracking the case open - after that, it's all fairly straight forward. John's website has a set of instructions on it (relating to a BMW unit but principles were identical) that is well worth a read through to help you orientate. Assuming the Porsche units are the same as the Jag one - it was held together by bonding so there's no internal clips to break as such.

Am trying to pry opent he mirror but am too afraid that i ll break it. Seems to brittle. Already done aome scuffs on it . I follow a guide found on here https://www.6speedonline.com/forums...assemble-fix-rattle-creaking.html#post3584448 Seems the thrill is too much for me to handle. In my search i found some people who replaced it with a Gentex one with homelink and some other functionality. Anyone used another type of replacement? As it seems that even if i replace the mirror with another one of the same type (liquid)) i will have the same issue in the future! So i ve been reading about lcd replacement mirrors, which will help in future proofing the mirror!

Seems i managed to open the casing of the mirror ; it was not held by clips as described in the link i had posted earlier) but was moulded together. Nevertheless now is scuffed a bit more than my liking (even though is on the top side which honestly would not be that visible) Also the inside of it looks different than the one in the link, and all the back-side of the mirror is double sided tape and the circuit board is stuck on that. Which will make separating it a bit of a hassle. After looking around the part numbers it seems that the same mirror assembly;y was being used by jags, acuras, peugeots of that era. And a lot of them are available on the bay for not that much money which make me want to change the whole assembly to another unscuffed one. (e.g. https://www.ebay.com/itm/99-08-ACUR...803838&hash=item48d1a5f37a:g:wfMAAOSwPNBdbnn7 ) Eventhough the above looks to have the same mounting type as the one in my car. I also found this tutorial: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/1094205-retrofitting-a-self-dimming-anti-dazzle-mirror.html which shows that somebody managed to change the mounting on the mirror to one from a boxster. Anyone ever managed to remove the mounting from the mirror? I mean that ball joint looks impossible to come out without breaking the assembly And if this is possible then you could use other newer mirrors anyway, which might have different mountings.

Thanks for this :thumbs: my rear view mirrior was leaking ink and I'd resigned myself to over £300, just ordered mine from MirrorJohn.