I was so proud and happy with myself even though this was a very simple DIY
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Ordering the ORVM: Source and cost
This was my first DIY on Panda to repair a part. I was not very confident but in the end everything worked out well. I suspect this is not anything major and pretty straightforward so, the risks were less. So anyway I’ll detail the events in this post.
So as from my above posts, it is known that I broke the LH side ORVM, mainly the mirror, the black cowl frame and turn indicator. I had asked the HASS for replacement/ repair estimate and they game me a rough figure of Rs. 7000/- which I felt was high. They also told me I could get the turn indicator and mirror separately, however, the black cowl frame is not available individually and the bent one cannot be repaired. Some pictures of the damage;
I checked boodmo and got to see the mirror cost about Rs.600/- and the turn indicator cost about Rs.1700/- and the entire assembly for around Rs. 6500/-. So I decided to search the secondhand market and from JustDial got a contact for an Amit Car Accessories, Kashmere Gate, New Delhi.
I called them up and the lady who answered the phone confirmed that they can get me the part, i.e., the entire assembly for Rs. 2600/- and ship it to me in Trivandrum, Kerala for an additional Rs. 200/-. She was upfront that the part is original but refurbished and I was ok with that. They said they will need the money upfront before placing an order to get the item.
However, I was skeptical of paying them and getting nothing in return. So I said that I will pay an advance of Rs. 1000/- and they can place an order for me and once she confirms the part has been received with photographs, I’ll send the remaining amount and they can courier it to me. She replied positively. So I paid the advance by the third week of July and got the pics in whatsapp by end of July.
It seemed to be the right part from the pictures and I paid the remaining amount and began the stressful wait for it to arrive. For all that I knew to save around Rs. 4000/-, I might have lost Rs. 2800/-.
On August 11th I received the item and it was almost great. I say almost because the white outer cover was pristine white rather than the creamy white of my car and it was an aftermarket part and really low quality and finishing. However, the remaining parts were original Hyundai. Also, the assembly had a flap cover from the bottom missing. Well, everything cant be perfect.
The colour mismatch
I sat on the replacement for a week because, one, I didn’t want to put the pristine white cover which will cause a colour mismatch, so was thinking about repainting Which will cost more money. Also I didn’t want the hole to be there from where the flap cover was missing. But the locks on the assembly were broken and I could not take the flap cover from Panda and put in the other one. Secondly I had to be out of the state for work for about a week or so and I thought to take Panda to a garage after that to get things sorted.
The repair process
During the break, I thought about why not use the required parts from the refurbished assembly to retain the old ORVM setup on Panda itself. So, with a whole lot of fear and optimism I decided to first disassemble the refurbished ORVM. The locks of the aftermarket cover snapped as soon as I started pulling it out, but I was not concerned as I was anyway not going to use it. Removed the mirror glass easily as I had done it earlier. Next, I started to remove screws and one by one I separated the black cowl frame and it came out without any problem. The turn indicator was another thing though. Even though it was original Hyundai part the wiring had been tampered with as I came to observe later.
Now I started on the ORVM on Panda. I removed the cover, mirror and screws and removed the black cowl frame and turn indicator. Now in the turn indicator on Panda, the wiring was clipped in and it snapped out. But the replacement in my hand did not have the socket but two wires coming out. So either I could cut of a very good pin from the ORVM wiring and join the wires or I could buy a new turn indicator. However, I decided to keep the pin and strip the wire just before the clip and join the leads and cover with electrical tape. This worked out quite well and I tested the system and it was working and I was relived. So I started putting thing back and it was all done in about 10 mins and it looked perfect to me.
I put back the broken parts back on the refurbished ORVM and kept it in store. That has a good working motor and other bits which I can use if ever needed.
Again tested the whole system and it was operating smoothly, the lights, movement of mirror and the opening/ closing of the mirror itself. I was so proud and happy with myself even though this was a very simple DIY. Now for some pictures of the finished work.
P.S.- I am not associated with Amit Car Accessories, Kashmere Gate, New Delhi and all I can say is that I am happy with the product I got from them at that price.
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