Side Mirrors

If you ever have a need to service the side/wing mirrors on your Esprit, here is a simple explanation of how it all comes apart.

As you can see from the first image the mirror glass is simply double-sided tape mounted to a plastic backing.

To remove the mirror glass gently heat the glass area with a heat gun to softed the adhesive on the double sided tape and work the glass free.

Once the glass is removed, the three metallic tabs on the adjuster hub can be carefully bent straight and the plastic backing removed.

To adjust the mirror ratchet tension adjust the nut on the mounting post to the desired friction.

You'll notice the method used to electrically adjust the mirror is a series of four electromagnets that are activated by the position of the four-way trim switch. The electromagnets work against a friction fitting in the adjuster hub mountings.

On some of our cars, this is the view of the drivers mirror from the driving position…not an ideal placement for a mirror. The passenger side is more viewable, however, to improve off-side visibility, there is a project underway to locate a convex glass replacement for the passenger side.

Relocating the mirrors forward on the doors resolves this problem. We have noticed that some cars have their mirrors located forward, but are unsure if this was a factory or owner change.