Tag Archives: indicator

How to replace the door mirror indicator on a Mercedes SLK 230 (R170)

I have written before about DIY fixes for the SLK – mainly because there are people out there (and YouTube videos) that say its really difficult.

A few years ago (actually, it was 2010), my wife broke the nearside (passenger) indicator on the SLK. I have put off repairing it as I thought it was expensive and difficult.

This week it failed the MOT because the broken indicator was filling with algae and the LEDs were no longer orange. It appears that the orange colouring has worn off. As long as the indicators were orange, it didn’t matter that the lens was broken.SLK R170 Passenger Door Mirror Indicator Repair

I bought the part from PFS Parts Ltd www.partsformercedes-benz.com. It was about £25.

Firstly, use the electric adjuster to move the mirror glass as far down and to the left as you can. This will expose a small gap between the top of the glass and the plastic surround. In the gap you will see a small wire clip. Remove it with a small flat-bladed screwdriver.

Next, lever the mirror glass out. It’s only clipped in. Scarey though…

SLK R170 Passenger Door Mirror Indicator RepairAlso, put something soft (softer than concrete anyway) on the ground just in case you drop any of the expensive plastic and glass bits.

SLK R170 Passenger Door Mirror Indicator RepairUsing a Torx 10 screwdriver, remove the six screws that hold everything together and remove the motor and the covers.

SLK R170 Door Mirror Glass Removal

Mirror glass removed

… and the motor

SLK R170 Passenger Door Mirror Indicator Repair

Motor removed

… and the front and rear plastic covers (no photo…sorry, got carried away and forgot – damned if I’m going to take it all apart again!)

Ten seconds to take out the old and put in the new indicator unit. It is clamped by the screws already noted and there are only two wires to connect.

Screw it all back together.

Job done.

£25 + 30 minutes.

Triumph Tiger 1050 Indicators

If you’ve got an old-ish 1050 Triumph, be it Tiger, Sprint or Speed, take a look at the design of your indicators.  Do they look like this?

old style Triumph indicatorRound, opaque, old fashioned?

Then try these!

new style triumph indicatorSharp, clear, new.

These are the new style indicators fitted to the more recent models and are a direct replacement. They can be bought on eBay quite cheaply as people fit LED indicators to their new bikes and flog these off. I picked up a set of 4 (from a Speed Triple) for £20 – they are £26 each from your friendly dealer.

Fitting couldn’t be more easy:

  • Undo the single (rear) screw that holds the lens on the indicator
  • Remove the lens and pop out the reflector
  • Remove old unit by unclipping the two wires
  • Slide the plastic housing off the flexi-mounting, leaving the wiring intact
  • Slide on the new triangular housing, feeding the wires through
  • Clip wires onto the new reflector (doesn’t matter which way)
  • Fit new lens with single (front) screw

Job done. Sparkly-looking new indicators!