outside mirrors heating up

2000 A6

Just got the car back from the body shop after repairing the front end
(ran into a wide-screen TV going down the interstate. it was only doing
70 and I was doing 75!) and noticed that the drivers side mirror (they
had to take the door apart to do some adjusting) was **HOT** to the
touch. Passenger side mirror was cool, so I thought that they had
screwed up the wiring somewhere. Took it back to the shop and they
swear that all is well.

Is this normal? Never really paid much attention to the outside mirrors
before. Just wiped them clean now and then. Didn't notice that they
were ever warm, much less HOT.

How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?

On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:34:38 -0600, Merle Fritz > wrote:

>2000 A6
>
>Just got the car back from the body shop after repairing the front end
>(ran into a wide-screen TV going down the interstate. it was only doing
>70 and I was doing 75!) and noticed that the drivers side mirror (they
>had to take the door apart to do some adjusting) was **HOT** to the
>touch. Passenger side mirror was cool, so I thought that they had
>screwed up the wiring somewhere. Took it back to the shop and they
>swear that all is well.
>
>Is this normal? Never really paid much attention to the outside mirrors
>before. Just wiped them clean now and then. Didn't notice that they
>were ever warm, much less HOT.
>
>How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
>or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?

I'm pretty sure there's nothing automatic about the mirror heaters, they are
controlled by the same switch as the rear window defogger. And they surely
should not be *hot* to the touch - warm, maybe, but not hot.

They effed something up.

/daytripper
'00 s4 6spd

"Merle Fritz" > wrote in message
...
> 2000 A6
>
> Just got the car back from the body shop after repairing the front end
> (ran into a wide-screen TV going down the interstate. it was only doing
> 70 and I was doing 75!) and noticed that the drivers side mirror (they had
> to take the door apart to do some adjusting) was **HOT** to the touch.
> Passenger side mirror was cool, so I thought that they had screwed up the
> wiring somewhere. Took it back to the shop and they swear that all is
> well.
>
> Is this normal? Never really paid much attention to the outside mirrors
> before. Just wiped them clean now and then. Didn't notice that they were
> ever warm, much less HOT.
>
> How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
> or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?

Mine are NOT controlled by the rear window heater switch, they are on all
the time......as far as I can tell. With the later mirrors there's an
onboard thermostat that controls their temperature. Earlier heated mirrors
overheated and burnt out. Mine did and I replaced them with the newer type
about 2 years back and they been OK since.

dj
A4 2.4 SE 1997

"Merle Fritz" > wrote in message
...
> 2000 A6
>
> Just got the car back from the body shop after repairing the front end
> (ran into a wide-screen TV going down the interstate. it was only doing
> 70 and I was doing 75!) and noticed that the drivers side mirror (they had
> to take the door apart to do some adjusting) was **HOT** to the touch.
> Passenger side mirror was cool, so I thought that they had screwed up the
> wiring somewhere. Took it back to the shop and they swear that all is
> well.
>
> Is this normal? Never really paid much attention to the outside mirrors
> before. Just wiped them clean now and then. Didn't notice that they were
> ever warm, much less HOT.
>
> How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
> or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?

forgot to say, if your passenger side is not warm/hot then I would think its
U/S.

does it defrost on those frosty days........

On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:11:40 -0500, daytripper
> wrote:

>On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:34:38 -0600, Merle Fritz > wrote:

>>How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
>>or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?
>
>I'm pretty sure there's nothing automatic about the mirror heaters, they are
>controlled by the same switch as the rear window defogger.

Not on an A6, no.
They switch on automagically below a certain outside temperature.

>And they surely
>should not be *hot* to the touch - warm, maybe, but not hot.

All depends on perception. Yes, they should not be so hot, that you
can't touch them. But they should feel pretty warm. The glass at
least..

What would bother me is: BOTH should do that.

W.

Wolfgang Pawlinetz wrote:
> On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:11:40 -0500, daytripper
> > wrote:
>
>
>>On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:34:38 -0600, Merle Fritz > wrote:
>
>
>>>How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
>>>or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?
>>
>>I'm pretty sure there's nothing automatic about the mirror heaters, they are
>>controlled by the same switch as the rear window defogger.
>
>
> Not on an A6, no.
> They switch on automagically below a certain outside temperature.

As they do on the A3.

Lez Pawl wrote:
> "Merle Fritz" > wrote in message
> ...
>> 2000 A6
>>
>> Just got the car back from the body shop after repairing the front end
>> (ran into a wide-screen TV going down the interstate. it was only doing
>> 70 and I was doing 75!) and noticed that the drivers side mirror (they had
>> to take the door apart to do some adjusting) was **HOT** to the touch.
>> Passenger side mirror was cool, so I thought that they had screwed up the
>> wiring somewhere. Took it back to the shop and they swear that all is
>> well.
>>
>> Is this normal? Never really paid much attention to the outside mirrors
>> before. Just wiped them clean now and then. Didn't notice that they were
>> ever warm, much less HOT.
>>
>> How do the mirrors work? Does a thermostat turn on the heating element,
>> or does it come on when you start the car, or just when?
>
> forgot to say, if your passenger side is not warm/hot then I would think its
> U/S.
>
> does it defrost on those frosty days........
>
>
Consensus seems to be that the collision repair shop screwed up. I
can't find anything so I'm reduced to taking it to my local wizard. If
both mirrors did it, I wouldn't be quite as worried. But!!!