Rearview mirror shake

[forrestjordan]

My outside rearview mirror is as solid as a rock and I can see just fine at 70+ mph.  The inside rearview mirror shakes at very slow speeds and higher speeds as well.  It makes it hard to tell what kind of car is coming up behind me.  If I put my hand on it and hold the whole mirror and post it does not shake.  The mirror and post is not loose and there does not seem to be anything to tighten up.  Nothing else in the car shakes.  What's up with this  .  Anybody else have this problem?
Forrest

[Jonny B]

Not sure if this is normal or not, so I will be curious to see other postings. My inside mirror does indeed vibrate at speed. It seems there is a sweet spot around 60 MPH, but that is a bit iffy. My car does have an issue with the injection pump (winter project) so that may be clouding what I report.

[Dash808]

Mine does not shake at any speed.   Clear as a 1080p HD TV. 
Not sure if this is normal or not, lol.

[waqas]

Although my [inside] rear view mirror is rock-solid, I have the same problem with my [outside] side view mirror. It vibrates ever so slightly that day-time vision is fine, but night-time vision is terrible. Headlights make little vibrating circles. I always thought the inner spring might be loose. Would be interested to know what's wrong.

[graphic66]

That is the early warning of a flex disc failure. You might want to check the flex disc.

[66andBlue]

.. I always thought the inner spring might be loose. ..

Waqas,
the inner spring is glued to a cork circle and most likely this has gone to pieces now.
Easy fix. Buy a sheet of thin cork (Hobby Lobby, or similar vendor), cut some circles of the correct diameter and glue them together with the spring ends embedded as shown. But you will also need new plastic gaskets around the mirror glass.  Tough to get the glass out without destroying them.
BTW, neither my inside nor my outside mirrors vibrate. Guess I am lucky!  

[Peter van Es]

Actually, there are some screws attaching your mirror to the upper frame that could be loose and by tightening them you can get the mirror rock solid again. I had that problem. It's easy to fix.

Read this page: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/Interior/RearviewMirror in the Technical Manual.

Remove mirror using instructions on that page. Check if screws need tightening. Tighten screws. Reinsert mirror. Drive to test.

Do this first... it's the easiest, and likely to solve it.

Peter

[hands_aus]

Hey Alfred
Can you show a picture of the exterior of the mirror that uses the spring you show.
thanks

The vibration indicates some imbalance of components of the drive line or it might be old rubber mounts (engine/transmission) causing the problem.

[66andBlue]

Hello Bob,
sorry I don't have one handy for posting at the moment but it is the standard (original) driver side mirror on a 230SL (LHD). "Triangular" shape, not the "rectangular" 280SL mirror.

[pfraud]

I just fixed my mirror yesterday because the glass had inadvertently dropped out of his normal position.
Never seen any shake trouble in it.

I made some pictures, thinking it could help any of us. Bingo.

Well it seems that my mirror is different than the others? I have cork only in my bottles. 

[66andBlue]

Well it seems that my mirror is different than the others? I have cork only in my bottles. 

.. and you should be happy about this! 
The cork is in the outside mirrors, not the inside rear view mirror.

[thelews]

I just fixed my mirror yesterday because the glass had inadvertently dropped out of his normal position.
Never seen any shake trouble in it.

I made some pictures, thinking it could help any of us. Bingo.

Well it seems that my mirror is different than the others? I have cork only in my bottles.  

My early 250 SL mirror looks like yours.  Since I got the car, it bugged me seeing the fogging and what looking like masking tape haze at the four corners.  Also, it tended to vibrate at speed.  I figured it needed resilvering or something and decided it should be a winter project.

Well, yesterday, sat in the car, saw it before I was going to leave and pulled it off the windscreen to have a look.  Popped it apart on the bench and lo and behold, a cleaning of the mirror and interior glass and she was good as new.  Tightened up the tensioner to the arm on the backside, reassembled and repositioned in the car.  Beautiful!  Clear as a bell and much steadier.  Didn't get a chance to get on the freeway to further test mirror shake.  About a 1/2 hour job working carefully.  10 minutes if you know what you're doing.

[Bob G ✝︎]

Well hear the fix for the rear view mirror" what is  behine me doesnnotta matter. Canon Ball rally. One of the most  unforgettable line in in the  movie.

Bob Geco

[bpossel]

Hello  !

Has anyone taken apart the later, plastic version, rear view mirror and cleaned the glass (or replaced the mirror)?

Is it possible to take apart the later version?

Thank you!
Bob 

[w113dude]

Has anyone taken apart the later, plastic version, rear view mirror and cleaned the glass (or replaced the mirror)?
Is it possible to take apart the later version?


Hi Bob,

The black mirrors can not be taken apart, I have tried it, it has to be replaced completely.

Shaun