2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

“Visibility summary: vehicle type is 2002 mercedes benz slk230 (r170 model). The inside rear view mirror is an electrochromic self dimming mirror that has no manual backup. The mirrors fail losing their ability to provide dimming against rear approaching headlights causing the driver to either be blinded or to have to turn the mirror up and have no rear view capability. I know of many documented cases of these mirrors failing including my own. Some fail by just quitting working while others leak the internal fluid.”

“Visual impairment due to lava lamp/ distorted bubble effect in auto-dimming rearview and side mirror. I never realized so many other people were having this problem and didn't realize that this website existed. I would have filed my complaint a long time ago. I've never heard of replace a rearview mirror before. One day I was driving and I noticed there was a bubble in the middle of my tiny mirror. It kept getting larger and didn't go away on its own. Naively, I thought it was just the outside humidity but I should have known better. This mirror costs way too much for the terrible performance.”

“Mb should recall rearview mirrors for 1998-2003 SLK. Looking at articles over the internet, lots of SLK owners have experienced this problem, so this is a known common issue for the car. The problem is that the rearview has an auto dim feature, and this mirror usually leaks making the mirror very dark where your cannot use it anymore.”

“The auto dimming rear view mirror turned black and I cannot see out of it dealer wants like $800 to replace it. There are many people on the forums with the same problem, also the auto dimming drivers side mirror has a similar problem and can't see out of that either, again many people on the forums complain about this too. At one time the manufacturer of the mirror was sending free replacements since there were some quality control problems, but no more.”

“The inside rear view and the exterior rear view mirrors in my 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK 32 amg (r170 model) are electro chromic self-dimming mirrors that have no manual backup. The mirrors contained a fluid which leaked out causing the self-dimming mirror to fail to provide dimming against rear approaching headlights resulting in the driver to either be blinded or to have to turn the mirrors away which greatly eliminates rear view capability in the interior. There are many documented cases of these mirrors failing in various makes and models as a result of usually from the internal fluid leaking. …”