Melting side rear view mirrors?

Is there a thread on the side rear view mirrors that the plastic case melts?

 

I just searched it and came up with nothing.

 

I'm sure it could melt if heated enough. Are yours melting? It would take a great deal of heat in order for that to happen. The sun isn't going to do it if that is what you are thinking. It is more than likely ABS Plastic that has no real " melting point " as what you would see in a regular plastic material.

Its " glass transition " temperature is approximately 105 °C (221 °F). ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point.

105 degrees C is 221 degrees F.

 

Yes, both have I guess melted in the sun. I live in Southern California and my son also ha the car in Waco, TX when he was going to college. I have actually seen other Toyota side rear view mirrors while driving down the freeway, here's a pic.

 

Wow! That is F'ed up.

 

this worries me with the way our summer here was last year...

 

The sun did not do that.

Neither Southern California or Waco Texas get up over 212 Degrees F even in the worst summer sun. That was exposed to something very hot. Notice it didn't melt all over, mainly in one area. It looks like someone used a propane torch on it.

I have never seen any ABS Plastic melt in that way from the sun.

 

I live in Dallas Texas. Although I have a garage I don't park in it. My truck has 75k miles on it and has spent nearly every single day/night outside. My mirrors look just fine. This is honestly the first I've heard of this issue.

 

Heated mirrors gone wrong? maybe motor malfunction.

 

never seen or heard of that before.

But my guess is this ^

 

Do you park your truck in front of any glass buildings or something like that? ... reflective sun damage?

 

Usual wear and tear, it happened on both sides and each motor works fine. Like I said before. driving down the freeway here in SoCal I spotted another Toyota, not a Tacoma, with a similar mirror and it had the same warping.

 

I found this on the web

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012...ficient-windows-are-melting-her-toyota-prius/

 

Hmmm check with the dealership. Ive heard of a mirror heater mod. Maybe someone botched it.

 

I agree. Heat damage would just sag the housing and make it kinda glossy. That looks like aa actual burn to me.

 

That was obviously near a heat source besides the sun. I lived in El Paso for 2 1/2 years, never had any issues like that. Although, the Mercury Tracer I had at that time, had the Mercury emblem glued in the middle of the grill, and one day it just fell off from the heat.

Well, did some searching, and yes, there are a lot of cases of melting plastic on vehicles caused by energy efficient glass on buildings. Apparently, when cold, the double paned glass can become concave, concentrating the reflection into a beam of heat, just light a magnifying glass.

It is not from direct sunlight, but the reflection of the sun.

 

+1

That's not from the sun.
It's from a torch, or magnifying glass, or even a compressor exhaust.

If it were from the sun, then every black Tacoma in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas would have their badges falling off, and the grille melting in the same manner (same material).

 

This is interesting, although if its that hot, I would think there would be more damage than just melted plastics. Maybe bubbled paint, etc...

 

I agree. The ABS Plastic doesn't reach the Glass Transition Stage until it gets to ~ 105 degrees C or 212 Degrees F. There would be other damage to the vehicle if the reflection from a window were causing it. That mirror looks burned like a torch or some other concentrated heat source was applied just to that area of the mirror.

Gotta throw the old "Bull Shit Flag" on this story.