2002 Mercedes SLK 230
(R170 Chassis)

My side view mirror on the driver’s side was flopping left and right.  I could hear the motor running, but it wasn’t connected to the mirror.

To remove the mirror, start by moving it all the way down and left.  You can now pull the top-right side out and insert a small screw driver.  Push down and away from the mirror to release the wire spring:

Pull out the wire spring with small needle nose pliers.  This will release the mirror.

Remove three Torx T10 screws that hold the mirror motor to the mirror housing:

Unplug the connector from the mirror motor to remove it. Install the new motor by connecting the wires and the three Torx screws.

To replace the mirror, reinsert the wire spring as shown below.  Make sure the “Ω” at the spring’s center is pointing toward the back of the mirror — otherwise you’ll see it after the mirror is installed.

The mirror just snaps nicely back into its housing.

Afterwards, I took the old mirror motor apart and realized that it could have easily been repaired!  The tiny ball joint which performs the right/left motion just needed to be popped back into the base plate.

Updated: March 2018
Contact: GerdHoeren at Gmail dot com