Very nice write up and description of a common failure to our cars.
I have been meaning to contact someone at radar-mirror to take care of my rear view which has had the bubble since LAST summer. I need to send it in before it gets very hot here in SoCal so I do not risk the liquid spilling out. If I were to send a mirror out on say, a Thursday from Southern California, when would I expect it fixed and returned?

 

The repair takes one business day ground shipping to socal is usually 3 days. (We're in Dallas). Expedited shipping is available upon request.

 

Very interesting.

 

Can you repair the wing mirrors too as one of mine looks like it has a bubble.

 

I think the answer to that question is no. Right? It may be something to look into for guys, though. I would want my side mirror repaired, too. Two customers already :biggrin:

 

Cool, thanks for taking the time to explain how this works

 

Side Mirrow doesn't fold all the way out.


I have a 2001 BMW M5 Side Mirrow that folds all the way out when you hit the retraction button. Can it be fixed and probably how much to fix? My email address is jgoodacre@sbcglobal.net Jim

 

My mirror has been stuck in UK customs since the 26th. :grrrr:

Scott turned it round very quickly but the civil service strike in the UK has not helped it getting back to me.

 

My mirror has been stuck in UK customs since the 26th. :grrrr:

Scott turned it round very quickly but the civil service strike in the UK has not helped it getting back to me.

Did Customs charge you anything Richard?

Scott, Can I take the mirror (glass) out and ship that to you? That way I can fix a mirror of some sort to the plastic housing whilst it's with you?

Steve

 

Does your repair replace anything on the customer's mirror beyond the gel (e.g. glass)?

Does your repair improve on the factory/original (e.g. better gel, better sealing)?

For those of us without this problem (yet), can you comment as to whether there is a "right" or "wrong" way to grab/adjust the mirror?

Is the factory gel also corrosive to human skin?

Thanks.

 

Does your repair replace anything on the customer's mirror beyond the gel (e.g. glass)?

Does your repair improve on the factory/original (e.g. better gel, better sealing)?

For those of us without this problem (yet), can you comment as to whether there is a "right" or "wrong" way to grab/adjust the mirror?

Is the factory gel also corrosive to human skin?

Thanks.

At the moment we just replace the glass - in most cases this is all that's needed. We're working on acquiring extra cases so we can replace them if needed but that is going to take some time. The replacement glass we use is produced by a different company and *shouldn't* experience failure. If anyone has an issue with a mirror we repaired ship it back and we'll fix it for free for as long as you own the car. Grabbing the mirror should have no effect on what happens to the glass.. the only factor we know contributes to the failure is having the car sit outside in very hot temperatures. My guess is you probably don't want the gel on your skin.

Can we have both the auto dim and radar output in the same mirror. I live where detectors are not suppose to be?

Yes! If your mirror has failed and you want to upgrade to a mirror with a display we will apply the cost of the repair toward an integrated display.

 

Can we have both the auto dim and radar output in the same mirror. I live where detectors are not suppose to be?

 

This is what I have, but it's stuck in customs.

 

email sent and I just removed my mirror... no sign of leaking but the bubble covers almost the entire mirror

 

How much are you charging for the fix?

 

It's $89

 

I can certainly vouch for radar-mirror.com as I have recently received my repaired mirror. My mirror works as it did before the repair, and there is no evidence at all that the body of the mirror was opened. Very clean repair, and very swift service.

 

Can you guys repair the side view mirrors? Mine has a small crack on the side of it and now I have a bubble which is getting bigger and bigger.

 

Sorry we can't repair the side mirrors.

Mine does not have any bubbles, but it does not appear to dim at night. How can I verify if it's working and not just my eyes?

There's an easy way to test the mirror to see if it's working, there's a hole on the back of the mirror that gives access to a light sensor. Make sure the ignition is ON. Cover the hole to block any light from entering and then shine a light at the sensor on the front of the mirror (bottom center). You should see the mirror immediately darken. Make sure you also check the fuse that powers the mirror and make sure it isn't blown.

 

Mine does not have any bubbles, but it does not appear to dim at night. How can I verify if it's working and not just my eyes?

 

There's an easy way to test the mirror to see if it's working, there's a hole on the back of the mirror that gives access to a light sensor. Make sure the ignition is ON. Cover the hole to block any light from entering and then shine a light at the sensor on the front of the mirror (bottom center). You should see the mirror immediately darken. Make sure you also check the fuse that powers the mirror and make sure it isn't blown.

I might be your next customer. After reading this thread for the 1st time last night I was comparing my side mirror to my rearview driving home last night. Side mirror seems darker. I was using my cellphone screen (white) in the parking garage before I left trying to trick it (rearview) into darkening. No go. I may have tested it wrong though. Will retry soon.

But, you mention a fuse. Do you (or anyone) know which fuse it is? Also, do you (or anyone) know how the side-mirrors know to dim? Do they all run off the rearviews sensors? If they do I'm assuming the rearview can fail, but still pass the signals onto the side mirrors. Am i correct there?
I have no bubbles in my rearview. Didn't know they could fail without the bubble.

P.S. If anyone has a fully operational US passenger-side OEM mirror for a reasonable price please PM me.

 

Yes, customs did charge me 'something'! Basically import duty on the new parts (ValentineOne remote display and controls) and VAT on everything, plus a handling charge, the total was about £120 (I can find the exact figure if you want).

The replacement mirror works very well, I think it dims a little quicker than the OEM version and gets a little darker, but that's not a bad thing. The concealed display from the ValentineOne is excellent and totally removes any sign that the ValentineOne is installed - my absolute number one pet hate is wires and stuff attached to the dash and/or windscreen. I've currently only got it connected up to the torch (flash light) supply in the glove box, together with the remote control box. I'm going to install the controls in the dash somewhere probably in the cup holder strip above the lighter socket, or if it won't fit I'll re-use the TM controls that I removed, and free up the space used in the glove box when I get a little spare time.

 

Sounds interesting Richard. How does the ValentineOne work with the mirror etc...?

cheers

 

If we're doing a repair only I always describe this as "repair and return" in the hopes that duties will be waived. If there's something else I can do to help avoid uneccesary fees please let me know.

 

Can I return just the glass?

 

If you're comfortable replacing the glass yourself we can ship a new mirror cell. Be careful, the clips are fragile and if you don't have the correct tools you will break several of them.

 

I would like to get this done on my m5 and i live in dallas. can you email me remshot11@hotmail.com

 

Rear view mirror fixed!

I just had my rear view mirror fixed by Radar-Mirror.com. This is a wonderful service they provide and I highly recommend having Scott fix your rear view mirror if it has "melted." The cost is very reasonalbe ($99 includes shipping) and the turn around time is incredibly fast. Thank you very much for your all of your help.:goldcup:

The Green Beast

 

I know it's a little late, but a big :thumbsup: to RaceMX-M3 for a great service. I now have an A1 functioning Rear View Mirror.

Turn around was excellent, and saved me a fortune on buying a new one!

Also another big :thumbsup: to RichardP1 for helping me out in the interim!

Thanks Guys.

Steve

 

Has anybody found a repair agent for the auto dim wing mirrors?

 

Recently got my mirror back from Radar-Mirror. Turn-around time was great and mirror looks like new!

 

Can you pm me their contact details please

 

sales@radar-mirror.com

 

Works pretty well Alex.

It detects active Gatsos from about 3/4 mile away both front and rear, so gives plenty of warning.

With the V1 turned off you'd never know it was there. The rear head rests house the main detector unit

The mirror contains the remote display embedded on the right for the UK, normally it would be on the left. The small button to the right of the red alarm light is is the mute button on the remote display.

I mounted the remote control in the blank space to the right of the cup holders, I detached the controller from the main board and re-connected it up with wires, I think there were 10 wires in total, Scott now provides this service as well.

When you turn the V1 on the display lights up in the mirror

This then disappears and just leaves the letter 'U' in the display which indicates that the V1 has been set to Europe mode.

The background of the U display is not as bright as it shows in the photo, all you can see if the U itself, however IMO it would be better if the display was totally off or just displayed the . to indicate that it was active. I e-mailed Valentine Research and asked if it would be possible to add such a feature, they said that they would ask the software team but I never heard anything more.

The mirror still dims just as the original did, although I'd say it gets darker slightly sooner, you can see it start dipping as soon as the light starts to go even if there is no bright light source behind, but when it's fully dark it only dims when there is a bright light source behind.

The only minor problem I had was that the main control knob on the V1 was being pressed in by the padding in the head rest, this causes the V1 to enter setup mode on power up, so I stuck a piece of fuel hose over the controller to prevent this happening.

 

Email sent.

 

Thanks for the pics, it looks great. Dare I ask how much in total?

Cheers

 

The Valentine One was £399.99.
Replacement dimming glass, remote display and install on the right was $499.
Remote control for the V1 was $49
Install of the V1 in the rear head rest was $50 (usual price $100).
Shipping to the US was about £25.
Shipping back from the US was $40
Customs stung me for about £120.

So total of £544.99 and $638.

The £->$ exchange rate at the time was 1.59683 so $638 was £399.54, giving a grand total of £944.53.

I also replaced all three rear head rests as the leather on the back was dry and cracked from being in the sun, but that's not strictly an expense of doing this, it's just me being fussy, so I'll not include that!