Cheap Repair Saab 9-5 Power-Fold Mirror

Thanks to the large global community of Saab enthusiasts, we often have the opportunity to save on car repairs by following the do-it-yourself instructions that can be found on specialized Internet groups. One such instruction was recently published by Stuart Bell, and the instruction was related to the problem that the mirror would only half-fold and then not open back up at all, when you press the appropriate mirror folding button.

Stuart’s solution is very simple and cheap because he found the cause of the problem and explained how to replace it if this function does not work properly on your Saab 9-5 model. In this DIY section of ours, we try to collect as many DIY contributions as possible made by Saab connoisseurs around the world, so that all owners of these rare cars can now only make repairs to their Saabs. That is why we invite all those who have similar experiences and solutions to appropriate problems to contact us to publish solutions that will help everyone.

To return to this problem, in his video, Stewart explained what the source of the problem is and how to solve it – When pressing the power fold mirror button, the mirrors move a little (couple of millimeters) and then stop:

The solution is actually to replace the fuse! The only part you need is a 60 pence resettable fuse! Buy 10 or more for 30p. These are self-resetting fuses, not your standard one-off break fuses. They allow power to run for a specific period of time before cutting it. The fact that yours move a little indicates that this poly fuse is no longer functioning properly, so replacing this will likely resolve your problem.

For those Saab automobile owners who are not accustomed to repairs or are beginners, or not so experienced in car repairs and parts replacement will also wonder how to take the mirror unit off the car’s body and how to put it back. This video here explains that – This video was also made by one of the Saab owners who also likes to make repairs on his car himself:

The most difficult part of this job seems to be to get access to the fuse, i.e. remove the plastic box cover and then saw away the resin around the fuse; all of that without the saw slippping off and cutting off or damaging the other cables (not mentioning the risk of injuring your fingers).

Also, another Saab practitioner Arndt Mitwer added a couple of good tips on how to do this process without any problems.

1. Getting the mirror glass off the mirror is difficult. A screwdriver might be too thick; better use a thinner tool to get off this metal round spring, you might need to try from various sides. With the first mirror, the glass broke while I tried to get it off, but not with the second mirror.
2. We did not do the sawing/cutting job shown in your video. Instead, a friend of mine who is experienced in soldering pinched off the old fuse with pliers and soldered the new fuse (with legs cut short) onto the legs of the old fuse. Then he cleaned the area with alcohol and put a layer of two-part epoxy glue on top of it, followed by insulation tape.
3. Getting the plastic mirror cover (back side of the mirror) on and off is tricky. It is held by four double clips which are easy to damage when taking them off and pushing them back on.