# New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases!



## Canadian Lurker (Nov 11, 2006)

So, I was washing the car the other day and noticed what I thought was a large bird dropping on the base of the driver's side mirror. Gave it a blast of water and it didn't seem to budge....looked a bit closer and thought that it was an odd spot for a bird dropping (leading edge of the black base)....then realized that the black coating was coming off of the metal behind it. It's probably about the size of a Loonie (silver dollar).
I dropped by the Dealer to show it to them and to ask about ordering it in for me. The service writer pulls up a work order from earlier in the week where another Eos had the same problem, and she said that the part was on back-order. We went out to look at it and she pointed out that the passenger side had started to bubble and was going to need replacing too!!
You might want to check and see if this has happened to your Eos too. Inspect the black plastic coating that covers the base of the mirror and connects it to the door. If any of the black coating has come off or is bubbled up like a rust spot, then you have an issue.








Now just going to have to wait out the back-order before it can be fixed.
JJ


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

I have not seen that problem on mine. But, then I replaced them with the European blue tinted mirrors within a month of purchasing my Eos...


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Canadian Lurker)*

I'll have a look later today
Kevin


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## Canadian Lurker (Nov 11, 2006)

*Re: (owr084)*


_Quote, originally posted by *owr084* »_I have not seen that problem on mine. But, then I replaced them with the European blue tinted mirrors within a month of purchasing my Eos...

Sorry to be so vague. It's not the mirror glass itself, nor the top part of the housing....it's the bottom part that attaches the whole thing to the car.
Hope that helps clarify.








JJ


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## owr084 (Nov 15, 2004)

*Re: (Canadian Lurker)*

Pictures would help!


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: (owr084)*


_Quote, originally posted by *owr084* »_Pictures would help!

A picture is worth a thousands posts...








Kevin


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## just4fun (Oct 29, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Canadian Lurker)*

Just finished detailing the vehicles and had a real close look at the Eos. No evidence of any problem developing in the area(s) around the base of the mirrors. At least, not yet anyway.
Kevin


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## vweosdriver (Oct 30, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Canadian Lurker)*

Mine are OK.


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## Bster67 (Nov 2, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (vweosdriver)*

Both of my mirrors have this issue. I thought it was just white salt residue on the black part of the mirrors this winter but when i tried to wash it off more of the coating just chipped away. It seems like the black coating is a plastic over metal.
I will try to take a few photos in the next day or two and post them. As soon as I have a free day, I am going to take it in to see about getting the mirrors replaced.


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## Bster67 (Nov 2, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Bster67)*

Photos of the problem as promised:


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## mark_d_drake (Aug 17, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Bster67)*

Definitley looks something VW should deal with. No sign of this on my car, Jan 07 Delivery, and exposed to the (Nrth CA) elements 24x7x365.


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## Canadian Lurker (Nov 11, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Bster67)*

Thanks for the pics, Laura. The second last pic is pretty much what my driver's side looks like. The other side is just in the very early stages of bubbling up a bit.
The dealer was OK with ordering the parts. My concern will be how long the new ones will last if the root cause hasn't been addressed!!??!! Not to mention how long they'll be on back-order before they come in.
JJ


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## andythai (Dec 26, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Canadian Lurker)*

Hi to all from very hot Cyprus, Ive had exactly the same problem with my EOS and the black bit of the mirror was replaced by VW Cyprus. The only thing they asked me was what type of shampoo I use to wash the car. They said it was a type of corrosion. But I must admit they acted very quickly and the whole issue was seen to the same day,I just hope it doesnt happen again.


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## Bster67 (Nov 2, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (andythai)*

An update on this situation...
I took my car in for the 40,000 mile service yesterday and had them look at my corroding mirror bases as well. The service manager told me that this is the 2nd Eos she has seen with the problem. She took photos of the first car and sent them in. Her rep told her that it is a common problem in the northern US because of the hard winters, road salt, etc. But if that is the case, I would think our friends in Canada might have this problem as well. At any rate, they are ordering a new set for me.
She also pointed out that the mirrors on the 2009s are different. I saw an one on the lot and didn't like the look of the more "pointy" side mirrors on the Eos (there was a photo in another recent post).


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## pacemaker1000 (Apr 28, 2007)

same problem here in uk
will ne asking dealer to order new ones
if only i could trust them to fit them properly :-(


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## cjboffoli (Sep 22, 2007)

*Re: (pacemaker1000)*

FYI a Loonie is about the same size as an American quarter or one of our newer Golden dollars. The "silver" dollars of old are much bigger.


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## Tuppin (Jul 31, 2008)

*Re: (cjboffoli)*

looks like the kind of thing that would start to develop after moisture gets under that plastic outer coating. I looked at it and thought the whole thing was plastic. Could moving the mirrors make it worse....possibly cause a break in the coating allowing moisture to penetrate?
I'm hoping perhaps this is an early model issue!!


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## Steve_UK (Aug 30, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Canadian Lurker)*

Just noticed today that mine (January '07) have gone in exactly the same place and in the same way.
I will report this to the dealer tomorrow and see what it takes to get it sorted.


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## Benbike (Dec 27, 2006)

*Re: New Potential Defect/Issue - Check Your Mirror Bases! (Canadian Lurker)*

Can you move your mirror back and forth.
My mirror are not as ..rust.. as yours but they are stuck for good.
Some drunken guy in bicycle hit my mirror last week and it didn't move a bit.
The housing is broken as well as the mirror and cover


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## RehwinkelEOS (Nov 5, 2006)

Paint on the base of my passengermirroe peeled. It was about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. I suspect the driver mirror is going to peel. The paint seems rough but has not peeled yet


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: (RehwinkelEOS)*

How does this start?


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: (liquid stereo)*

I suspect by a stone hit. If you look at the picture above and the one of yours there appears to be stone damage on the painted portion of the mirror housing. I suspect if a stone were to damage the black powder coating of the mirror base water can get in and start corroding the metal underneath. I suspect it's only a matter of time before we all have this problem.


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## Canadian Lurker (Nov 11, 2006)

*Re: (solarflare)*

Agreed that it may be a stone chip allowing moisture to creep in behind the plastic coating. That said, I'm more inclined to think that there are quality control problems whereby the plastic coating doesn't properly adhere to the metal base right at the outset. Not a universal problem, but often enough to be fairly common. Once the first bubble cracks the plastic, the moisture then gets in and really accelerates it.


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: (solarflare)*

Is the Eos more prone to chips/hits in this area?


_Quote, originally posted by *solarflare* »_I suspect by a stone hit. If you look at the picture above and the one of yours there appears to be stone damage on the painted portion of the mirror housing. I suspect if a stone were to damage the black powder coating of the mirror base water can get in and start corroding the metal underneath. I suspect it's only a matter of time before we all have this problem.


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: (liquid stereo)*

I don't notice any chips from stones on mine (32,000 miles) but this is very dependent on where you drive.


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Where one drives?*

I'm not sure how its relevant but I drive in the city. I can see if maybe one drives on gravel roads but even then I imagine there would be a lot more obvious "damage" than the mirror base.
I've been driving in the same place for the past 11 years and neither a Jetta nor a 20th Anniversary Edition GTI exhibited anything like this.

_Quote, originally posted by *solarflare* »_I don't notice any chips from stones on mine (32,000 miles) but this is very dependent on where you drive.


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## solarflare (Mar 28, 2007)

*Re: Where one drives? (liquid stereo)*

Perhaps those models don't have the same type of mirror base. Most side mirrors that I've seen are plastic so wouldn't have this issue. 
After looking more closely at the pictures in this thread I'm inclined to agree with canadian lurker and that it may be a quality control issue. You can see some bubbling on the mirror base close to the window where a stone would be hard pressed to hit.


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: Where one drives? (solarflare)*

I'm thinking the same thing unless moisture or something got in from the bottom and then made its way "up there."

_Quote, originally posted by *solarflare* »_
After looking more closely at the pictures in this thread I'm inclined to agree with canadian lurker and that it may be a quality control issue. You can see some bubbling on the mirror base close to the window where a stone would be hard pressed to hit.


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Dealer has ordered replacements for both*

Stopped by the dealer this morning and the Service Manager took a look at it. She has seen it before. Photographs were taken and replacements were ordered.
Cheers http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Hotmoose (Aug 31, 2006)

*Re: Dealer has ordered replacements for both (liquid stereo)*

Same here in canada....Got it change last month.....


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Being changed as I type*

Dealer called yesterday and said the bases/parts had arrived. 
They're being swapped right now. Let's hope there are no
rattles or anything funky after the work is complete.
http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*All looks good*

The work was done without problems in 1.25 hours.
I hope it was a defect in the manufacture or process and that it was fixed.
Cheers!


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Spoke too soon*

The driver's side window is now pretty noisy.


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## minnvw (Oct 16, 2006)

*Re: Spoke too soon (liquid stereo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *liquid stereo* »_The driver's side window is now pretty noisy.


If they replaced the passenger side, why would the drivers side make noise now? I guess I don't follow that one.


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## liquid stereo (Feb 26, 2003)

*Re: Spoke too soon (minnvw)*

They replaced both. The driver's side had the same problem to a lesser degree/extent.

_Quote, originally posted by *minnvw* »_

If they replaced the passenger side, why would the drivers side make noise now? I guess I don't follow that one.


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## wanageeska (Aug 24, 2007)

Not quite related, but the interior black trim on my car, just below the rear passenger window started bubblign within months of ownership.. had i replaced under warrenty


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