Heated Mirrors.

Just a point of frustration that I thought I would pass along to other owners. The heated mirror switch must be left on the L or R marks or appartently the heaters stays on. No lights to indicate it is on and thanks to my ignorance, I have two burned out mirrors...Trust that it will be covered under the bumper to bumper but we'll see..I'm sure the dealer told me that the rear window defroster had to be on for it to work but obviously that wasn't right..You think they would have put a light to indicate it was on, everything else is lite...

::sigh:: I had a 4 page thread on the vortex about this.

Dealers don't know jack. It's correct you MUST leave your mirrors in L or R or you will burn them out.

And yes they are covered under B2B.

If anybody is interested on the disalusion about how these things work then I'll give the thread to the vortex.

and as I said over there, there dosen't need to be a light. It's a lite control and you should look at it if you want to know what position, just like the temp controls and radio settings.

The symbol between the "L" and the "R" on the mirror switch is a picture of the mirror with heat.
VW should of put a little light in the instrument cluster to come on when your heated mirrors are on.
See ya,Michael.

I agree there should have been a bright light somewhere on the dash to indicate they were on...Another one of those simple little things that you would think they would have thought of especially if they have replaced a good number of these mirrors under warranty. My next challenge is to make sure my kids keep it in the right position once it's fixed....Tks for the response...

Did VW make a change in 2K1? My '00 has a "0" between "L" and "R" and that's where I leave it so the defrosters are off.

Guess thats why my mirrors never work leave in the center all time and have power windows. OH WELL, Thanks for the info.

When the dealer was showing me the 2k2 Jetta, I remember specifically asking the dealer if I should leave the knob pointing in the center. His response was you will burn out the heated mirrors. Thank god I did ask or I will be in the same situation as some VW owners with heated mirrors not working. Another thing I tend to do is not leave the heated seats on after the car is warm. I figure leaving the heated seats on for long periods of time will wear them out faster than just using them when it is really cold inside the car.

Wow thanks for telling me, but i am confused

I get into my car in the morning and switch the heated screen on and the mirror switch to L or R and the mirrors defrost rapidly. Once they are clear i switch it back to O, am i doing something very wrong here - i.e. if i put them in L or R why are they still demisting

For my 2k2 Jetta, the heated mirrors only work when the knob is pointing in between the L-R. The rear defroster has nothing to do with turning on the heated mirrors. Perhaps it is different in models in Europe or earlier models? What does the manual say?

I suppose that every dealer is a little different about this- when I bought my 2k1 Golf, my sales rep did the general walkthrough with the car, and he was very clear about keeping the mirror switch in the L or R position, to keep the heaters off.

I will double check the manual tonight and see but i could swear it said to defrost the rear screen must be on and the knob on either L or R...but i guess i would say that at this point ;-)

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ScoobyX:
Wow thanks for telling me, but i am confused

I get into my car in the morning and switch the heated screen on and the mirror switch to L or R and the mirrors defrost rapidly. Once they are clear i switch it back to O, am i doing something very wrong here - i.e. if i put them in L or R why are they still demisting<hr></blockquote>


They might have changed how it works. I know the center position is heat on 2001 and 2002 models.


This is a case of READ YOUR MANUAL!

I don't recall the exact wording in the owner's manual, but to me it wasn't clear when the mirror heat is on based on my read of the manual. But, one uncalibrated hand tells me that the heat is on when the knob is in the center position, which agrees with most posts on the forum for cars with power windows. VW dropped the ball on this,
as well as the stupid trunk latch design on the Jetta Wagon and Golf.

For the trunk, keep it simple with a mechanical latch which can be locked or unlocked, and when unlocked can either be latched(closed) or opened by pressing a button, lever etc. VW, you had it right on my parents 1962 bug and 1965 bus. My buddy's 1991 GTI has it right too. So much for advancement. Now we have a frustrating design, i.e. can't leave the trunk/hatch "unlocked" so that you can open without the key or without pushing button on drivers door and a design that is more likely to break.

On the mirrors, they should have done one of the following:

Provide a heater feature that times out after about 10 minutes (again my parents 1979 Plmouth Horizon (with VW 1.7 engine/4 speed manual) had that for the rear defrost, not complicated technology.

OR

Provide a dash light which indicates when it's on, along with a appropriate warning in the owners manual that leaving it in the middle position for longer than XX minutes will burn out the heater elements.

OR

Design them so they can be left on (even if inadvertenly) without them burning out.

I'm very pleased with the engine/trans/suspension and overall driving quality of this car, but the above two items, as well as a radio which apparently failed after less than 3000 miles has me wondering if I'd buy another one. Hopefully by the time I need a new car, Mercedes is back in this country with a nice diesel.

Later

This is so weird. My manual doesn't really address the issue. So I have played with it when cold.... The mirrors get hot in either position when the rear defoster is on and does nothing when it is off. No matter if it is l/r/ or o...... Something strange here in VW land.

Michael

Just ran out and checked my 2001 NB. Both rear veiw mirrors are heated when the joystick is in neutral position. In L or R the heaters are off. They heat without the rear window defogger on. The neutral position has a picture of a small mirror with heating elements running thru it. My owners manuel states, If you move joystick to position (shows a pic of the mirror with heat element), the mirrors will be electrically heated, regardless if rear window defroster is on or not. Hope this helps, on my car switch must be in either L or R to be turned OFF.

Looks likes the design changed for 2001 on...What a poor design when you consider how many people play with that button with the ulimate result being burned out mirrors..What is really disappointing is that it appears prior to the above models, a light was on the dash to warn of their use..You think they would have thought of this eh...Anyone know if Volkswagen monitor these posts to get an idea of what the owner thinks of their cars?

Well this explains why mine dont work. Obviously burnt out as I have had them on for the last 9 months and only started needing them recently and realized something was wrong. I thought they went on with the rear defroster as well.
Anyone know how much they cost to replace?

Dammit, now I have to check my mirrors, I have a 2K jetta, and the switch has always been in the middle position. So mine are probably blown too

Strange thing is however, I never have foggy mirrors...dammit I gotta check...this sucks

Radman, are you sure they're dead? If you have a 2K Golf (like mine) and you have the L, R, and 0, and you've left it on 0 all this time, I would try switching the knob to L(or R), and then turning on the rear window defrost(w/ the dash button), and see what happens w/ the mirrors. I rarely use mine, so mine could be dead, too, but that's how I thought the 2K mirror heaters worked...

Given what everyone has said, the only people that need to worry is the 2001& 2002 model owners..Radman I would guess your ok unless you have been driving around with the rear defroster on...

ok one more time for us morons.
i have a 2000 jetta. l & r w/the squiggly lines in the center. now, if i select a side (l or r) the defrost is off??? if i put the knob in the center it's on?

that's not even in the damn manual. thanks dudes

Just after getting my 2K1 Jetta, I drove around for almost 2 wks in the center position (on) until I saw a post advising to leave in either the L or R (off) positions. Luckily I didn't burn-out the elements.

Seeing this new thread, now wondering if I paid extra to get a "bad" switch design with two "off" positions when only one is needed.

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: rmwong ]</p>

Cocca if you have it in the middle it is on..!

My 2002 Jetta Wagon has a picture of the heated mirror on the centered position, between the L and R. That is when the heater is on. If you leave it on L or R the heater element is off.

My wife has a 1999 Passat with a similar switch. I broke it off (Be careful, they are pretty flimsy, and you have to pull the door panel to change it). The bentley CD gave great directions to replace the entire unit, and it was not too expensive from the stealership... But, the main reason for my posting...
The replacement switch rotates 360 degrees, and has a picture of the mirror with a small arrow underneath it on the position that is 180 degrees from the heated element position. This is probably a position designed to tilt the mirrors down for backing up?? Although it doesn't do that in her car.

Powewr mirrors which are heated are activated by the joystick control position.

Manual mirrors which are heated are actived by the rear defroster switch.

I believe this is the correct information.

If your VW is a 2000 or older with power mirrors your heated mirrors are "OFF" in the middle position. To turn on the heat, turn your power mirror switch to L or R and turn on your rear defrost switch.

If your VW is a 2001 or newer, your heated mirrors are "ON" all the time with the switch in the middle position.

See ya, Michael.

This is a pretty dumb design. I am completely aware of it and I still once in a while find that I've been driving around for a couple of days and forgot to turn the heaters off.

Something should indicate to the driver that the heaters are on, or the heaters should be designed with an indefinite life in the on position.

Well I think this subject has been pretty well thrashed out now hasn't it.....

I have a 2001 GT Tdi 115 - hope this helps

I read my manual

1) For UK/ European cars the heated mirrors are activated by by switching on the rear screen demister (regardless of knob position) regardless of whether the mirrors are electrically operated or not (i.e not just for mechanical mirrors as posted by someone earlier)

2) For cars exported to countries with "colder climates" (wording per manual), they are activated by having it on O or the heated logo (as applicable)

Regards

Sunil

[ January 11, 2002: Message edited by: ScoobyX ]</p>

DNDKK thanks. hey, whatever happened to the Winnepeg Jets ! ! ! ?

signed,
#2 Devils fan.