Never seen or heard of anything like this, there's almost got to be some extenuating circumstances here because if it was a manufacturing defect you'd certainly see a lot more people complaining about this.

Any chance I could get the VIN as well so I can do some looking at what mirrors those are?

-Steve

 

PM's sent to both of you......thanks a bunch for looking into this!

 

You're welcome, Jimco!

Nick

 

Thanks for the PM, I didn't find anything odd looking at the VIN or warranty history.

I did do a little on line research and it seems as though there's been a fair number of issues with modern high efficiency glass causing issues such as melted siding and plastics on vehicles and even garbage cans, basically anything plastic.

Being in California I'd imagine you have no shortage of sunshine, any chance the truck is parked regularly near a building that might have efficiency glass in it?

The type of mirrors on your truck might be more prone to this than some others because for one they're black which absorbs heat and two the type of plastic used to produce mirrors like that tends to be a bit soft and pliable to begin with because in most cases it makes the mirror more durable across a wider range of temperatures,it has to survive 100 degree days in California but also has to survive -40 in Minnesota winters without becoming overly brittle.

Check out the links below, due to the lack of other complaints about these mirrors I really think there might be something to this theory.

http://www.nachi.org/low-e-windows.htm

http://www.wral.com/glare-from-energ...cles/13614716/

http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigat...259328151.html

http://www.dailytech.com/Green+on+Gr...ticle23866.htm

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-sce...138989939.html

http://www.houselogic.com/blog/windo...ding-to-melt/#.


-Steve

 

Thanks for those links Steve. I entirely understand that glass and how it could do exactly what they show it doing to surrounding materials. Unfortunately while my house is covered with the exact same glass and window technology, the truck sits under a tree in the shade facing away from any of the glass when it's home.

At work the truck sits exactly facing the windows of my office, of old school single pane glass built in the 80's. I've been there for over 12 years, parking daily (but not all day many days) in the same spot where my 2004 F150 FX4 used to sit with its black mirrors unharmed for over 7 years.

I'm still bewildered.....

 

I'm at a loss as well, like I said I've never seen anything like this and I've been doing Ford parts for over 20 years with the last ten being working with you guys on line so typically when there's an issue I hear about it.

Good luck, if you can't get it warrantied and need the best price possible on OEM replacements please let me know.

-Steve

 

ok - but he has similar "affects" on both mirrors. The mirrors were molded in different cavities (possibly different tools), by a sub supplier to Ford. For these 2 mirrors to have a similar affect then we must assume they were molded at the same time and had something go wrong during the molding. The odds of these 2 mirrors being injected at the same time (assuming a 1+1 symetric tool that forms both a RH and LH mirror at the same time) are astronomical. During handling and sub assembly they were surely mixed from different runs.

No one else has posted online about their mirrors having this "affect".

So this is the working theory:
the parts were mis-formed at the supplier, and only 2 parts have failed (if it were more then we'd see complaints and Ford service wouldn't reject the claim), both parts were assembled to the same truck, and both parts failed in the same manner.

Sorry, I'm just not buying it. I mean no offense (I'm not the one calling names after all) but I have to call it like I see it.

 

And note that I never accused the OP of lying. Maybe someone else damaged the truck without his knowledge.

Its a work truck - how many people drive it?
Where is it parked? Maybe someone nearby hit the mirror while driving past?

 

I don't think it sounds like you're accusing anyone of lying, I pretty much agree with your assessment of the chances it's a design/material/manufacturing issue. My opinion is that it almost has to be related to an environmental issue or something else that happened to the truck.

I said it before, if the mirrors themselves were an issue a lot more people would be chiming in. They aren't.

-Steve

 

It almost looks like pry marks as if someone was trying to steal the caps.

 

mkosu04, applying your earlier observation, with which I totally agree, of similar "affects" on both mirrors ruling out coincidental effects also invalidates both of the above imo. Also, that doesn't look like pry damage to me. I'd expect cracks in that case, not a smooth melting look. Likewise in the case of collision damage I'd expect cracks or breaking, not the smooth melted look. And broken or cracked mirror glass.

Personally, my first suspicion prompts a question. Are they both power mirrors ? It looks to me like an electrical overheat issue affecting both sides over time, above the motor in the case of the top damage, and where the wire may be pinched in the arm for the other damage.

 

The plastic these are made out of is quite soft, it doesn't crack at least it won't crack except in EXTREMELY cold conditions.

There's no way that the wiring or motors in the mirrors could generate anywhere near enough heat to do that, you'd have blown fuses and smoked wiring harnesses before that could happen.

-Steve

 

Thanks for the info Steve, not familiar with the plastic used so I figured it wouldn't just stretch like that if pried or hit. Still, who pries one side, fails, then does exactly the same on the other side, in two places in both cases ? Could happen I guess. And if hit why no other damage ?

I'd still not rule out electrical. Especially if the plastic is that soft it wouldn't take much added heat on a warm day. I've seen very high heat generated and not pop a bad fuse. Yes the wiring was later found to show signs of cooked insulation too, but that had to be looked for. And if it is electrical the first thing to look at is the fuse since it's affecting both sides equally. The wrong fuse, a bad fuse, or no fuse (yes, I've seen people jump a fuse with anything handy... a wire, a screw, a coin... and then forget to replace it asap).

Still, it would require steady current to the motor for a time. Armrest switches right ? Perhaps the owner leans on the switches while driving without realizing. Or a pet stands on them while riding. Or the kids were playing with them. The OP did say this happened slowly over time didn't they ? Or was I reading between the lines ?

Still, this is all just guessing games when trying to remote diagnose.

Another thought just hit me, since we're guessing, some tow mirror extensions I've seen look like they hook on with small tabs * I wonder if that could be the culprit ? If the plastic is soft the extra weight, especially at highway wind speed stress might stretch the plastic. But then we're back to there would be a lot more than one such complaint if that was the case since they're a pretty common item.

* EDIT: Though they clip on over the front of the whole mirror don't they ? Not the seam. Guess that rules that guess out ?

 

Would an XL have heated mirrors? If yes, and in his climate, would the heaters cause this melting if they were stck on?

Green Gem

 

XL should not have heated mirrors and I seriously doubt that they could generate that kind of heat even if they were. Besides the fact that there's damage right where the mirrors bolt to the door as well as on top of the mirrors.

I've seen aftermarket light bulbs melt headlight and fog lamp housings but that also causes damage to the sockets and wiring as well.

-Steve