Most larger vehicles these days have mirrors that can fold in. These are pretty common on SUVs and trucks from many different brands. The main reason for this is that by being able to fold the mirrors in, it can help you get into tighter spaces.
For some, their garage wasn’t made for a big vehicle, and being able to fold the mirrors in gives just enough space to fit the vehicle into the garage. On older vehicles the folding mirrors were manual, but on newer ones, it is now a powered function.
What do you do if your power folding mirrors stop working right though? Well, the answer is you have to reset them. In this article, we will look at how to reset power folding mirrors, and also look at some other problems that might be going on with your power folding mirrors if resetting them doesn’t work.
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So, before getting into how to reset power folding mirrors, we are first going to look at why you might need to reset them. There are a view reasons, and some reasons require a different kind of resetting than other reasons. The first reason why you might need to reset the mirror is if it is not folding in and out. The next reason is if something blocks their path while folding. The third reason is if they get manually folded or unfolded, and the last reason is if they vibrate while driving.
If loud noises happen while folding or they struggle to fold properly, then you might have to do more than just rest them. If they will not fold or make sounds while folding after resetting, then your problem is deeper. We will cover the deeper problem later, but first, we will get into how to reset your power folding mirrors.
So, depending on the vehicle you have, you might have to do different things to get the power folding mirrors to reset. The easiest though you can reset on your own, some vehicles you might need a special tool to reset them which means going to a shop or dealer. Before paying out money though to reset your power folding mirrors, you should try to reset them yourself.
For some power folding mirrors, all you have to do to reset them is to use the buttons on your vehicle and fold the mirrors all the way in and then back out. The controls you need are a little button that you push to the left or the right to select the mirror, and then an arrow button that moves the mirror in or out. You will want to move the mirror all the way in first and then all the way out. A popping sound might occur, especially if you are resetting the mirrors because they were manually folded. For the simplest of problems, this will reset the mirrors back to the correct position. This simple method of resetting doesn’t always work though.
If this method doesn’t work, or if your vehicle doesn’t have these controls, then you might have to reset the mirrors with a scan tool. Some vehicles have a computer function to reset the mirrors. Depending on the coding of the system you might be able to use a scan tool that you have depending on how good of one it is, but for others, you will need a special scan tool from the manufacturer which means going to a shop. With the scan tool, you hook it to the OBD2 port and scroll thru to the mirror reset option with the buttons. The website AutoGuysLand.com also recommend top 5 best obd2 scanner, you should find suitable one. Once their you press it and if it will work with your vehicle, then it will move the mirrors to the proper position. If it doesn’t work though, then you will most likely have to go to a dealership to reset them.
What if these two methods for resetting the power mirrors don’t work though? What if there is still one stuck or one that won’t fold? Well, then your problem might be something else that can’t be fixed with resetting. The main two things that could be wrong is that the motor for the power mirror has gone bad, or that gear inside the mechanism has broken. On a lot of vehicles, the motor that they use is cheap and the gears are plastic. This means that if you use the folding mirror option a lot of your vehicle that it could have worn out and broken. To find out if it has you will need to take apart the assembly.
When you take apart the assembly for your power folding mirrors, it will be pretty obvious if a gear is broke. You will find plastic pieces scattered about. If you don’t find any broken gears, then you should test the motor. To test the motor all you have to do is disconnect it and then connect the wires to a 9v battery. The motor should try to run if it is working. Also, check the fuse to the motor if you don’t find any problems with the assembly itself. If these things are working, then you should put it back together and will have to have someone else look at it. If the motor is not working, however, or there are broken gears, then you can replace them. If you are replacing the gears, it is best to buy metal replacements, so you don’t have to worry about them breaking again and your power folding mirrors stop working again.
So, now you know how to reset power folding mirrors and also what else could be wrong if resetting the mirrors doesn’t work. You also know the reasons you might need to reset your power folding mirrors. Having power folding mirrors is nice because that means you can fit your larger vehicle into tighter spots or fold them in so you don’t have to worry about your vehicle getting damaged. However, if they stop folding properly it can be annoying till you get them to reset or fixed. Luckily now you know the steps to take to reset your power folding mirrors or where to take your vehicle to have it done.
my problem is the passenger mirror folds ok but when you try to unfold it goes beyond its normal position car is lexus rx300 2003