Hello everyone-
Been looking at my rear view mirror trim for awhile now and wondering...was the tan color original to 240's with light color roof liner? Seems like an odd match to me, like maybe black would have been better choice. Far as I know mine was never replaced or tinkered with and I've always been curious....

My 93 240 is the same as your always wondered about it

They WERE white... once... The plastic's just degrading. These are easy to break and hard to get back on right. If the color is bugging you, I'd find a SEM or Krylon vinyl paint that's closer to white, and mask everything and give it a repaint, in place. MASK EVERYTHING! Meaning the windshield, the mirror, the dash, etc. The overspray will stick to everything.

The tabs on this piece hold very tightly, and the plastic is extremely likely to crack if removed.

Good luck with it.

--Rob

Removing the mirror is not intuitive. You grasp the mirror firmly and yank it down. A ball and spring joint hold it in place, yet allow it to break loose in a collision. The trim comes off of the mirror easily once you have the whole mess in your hands and can see how the clips work -- but the plastic does look brittle.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

"The tiniest breed of cat is the Singapore street cat which lives in the drains in Singapore." -Uncanny Cats

Well you know, that plastic' 20 years old now. Seems like it degrades with the heat/age/UV/moisture/whatever exposure.

I haven't seen a good one in quite a while, and I broke 2 this year. The removal of the mirror to get this off requires a STRONG JERK. (Not implying anything...)

I have found it almost impossible to get them off and back on without breaking the trim. Which is a shame because it's very visible to driver and passenger. They all seem yellowed like this one.

Reminds me of the hatch hinge covers in my VW bus- terrible brittle white plastic. It will give you splinters in your hand as it cracks and crumbles. All I can suggest if taking a mirror out is, go get a junkyard one first, and steal the trim off that one.

I agree in principle about painting in the car- but I like to give folks ideas to solve problems with the best chance of success. I hate to have to add safety precautions with every suggestion, but I will say, do not be foolish and paint with the doors closed if you try my suggestion. Fumes are hazardous and may make you sick, light-headed, "high", or cause lasting nervous system damage.

--Rob

Exactly. Do not ever try to remove that trim piece with the mirror in place, and don't spray paint in the car. Grab the mirror, yank with confidence, and carefully remove the piece from the back. Even still, I have broken clips in the past.

All I've seen were that color, but doesn't mean its original. I painted mine black, it looks better.

Personally I've not seen a white one (or a shade to match the headliner). Perhaps they are designed like that or the white ones all turn yellow shortly. I removed mine with the intention to paint it white, but it was so old that it broke and crumbled (the hooks that keep it attached are pretty strong so the main body might break before they come off when you try to pry it off). I found a good one in a junkyard, yellow as well, and painted it black actually. I think it looks nice (but I also have black handles on the sides).

How do you take these off if i remember you twist the whole mirror around and it comes off with the mirror.?

Some people seem to say so. I haven't tried. The mirror assembly seemed to be bolted on, but I could be wrong.

The plastic cover comes off by just prying it off with a long screwdriver, but if it's brittle, it will probably break.

Mine cracked when I took it off but the better one from the junkyard didn't, but I was very careful.

I used the Krylon Fusion sating paint to paint it black. That paint works great with plastics, but I'll say it's a bit too glossy to match the Volvo interior well (I also repainted a junkyard glovebox with it). It's also a dust magnet, although that shouldn't be a problem for the mirror trim.