Help! My rearview mirror fell off!

[honeygirl1971]

I am hoping that someone on the BB will have some good advice for me. I went out to my car today, and my rearview mirror was sitting on the seat.Luckily, it did not break, but it somehow just unattached itself from the window. There's a flat metal plate on the base that appears to have been attached to the window, perhaps with some kind of epoxy (there's a flat metal plate-shaped spot on the window). My father suggested I try using Pliobond to reattach it, but that does not seem to work (unless I am doing it wrong)--the mirror is too heavy and there's no way to brace the thing and hold it while the cement dries--and I can only hold it there so long, you know? Anyway, this is very frustrating b/c I need to use the car a lot this week and it's very unsafe this way (not to mention illegal), especially since there's no passenger side mirror (didn't come with one). Does anybody have any suggestions? Or know where I could take it to be re-attached quickly?

It's been a frustrating couple of days for me. I cut my finger really badly cooking yesterday evening, which has made it more difficult to do some things I need to do around the house, and now I'm trying to deal with this stupid car stuff. No major crises, but these little things can be very frustrating. :(

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[LaraW]

I would try calling an auto body shop. Maybe they could squeeze you in to get it fixed or else tell you how to fix it.

Sorry that happened to you! DH had a car that the rear view mirror fell off several times and he used epoxy to reglue it. I don't know how he braced it or if he just held it there or what.

[lisas3575]

They make a glue specifically for this. Look in your auto parts store. The instructions are on the package, just make sure to read through them before you start. It's easy! :)

[honeygirl1971]

Hmm, okay, I guess that's what I'll be trying to do tomorrow!

I found an article on the internet about this here (http://popularmechanics.com/automotive/sub_care_sat/1999/4/rearview_mirror/index2.phtml), but I'm not totally sure about how to separate the mirror from the base...but maybe, hopefully, it won't be too difficult.

[mcraig13]

It took us years to figure this out. The mirror fell off several times. I used Super Glue, Epoxy etc. and held the mirror for forever to get it to stay. Finally I made DH ask the guys at the car place. He's pretty inept and so is used to making a fool of himself. That little metal plate that attaches to the glass comes out of the mirror. Actually when DH took the mirror into the car place--they had to pry it out--lots of glue I guess. Once you get that out you can super glue--or use epoxy--it back to the glass at the same place. Clean your glass first--scrape off the old glue with a razor blade or something. The little thingie should stick without a lot of holding. Let it dry--whatever the glue directions say--then you can put your mirror back on the thingie. I hope this makes sense. We finally got this about a year ago. The mirror fell off againd the other day. Was back on in no time. Good luck!!!

[honeygirl1971]

mcraig-Thank you so much for the details. I totally appreciate it! I am going to go look for the correct adhesive etc., and then I will do what you said.

You know, sometimes it really sucks being a woman living alone. Sometime I feel empowered by these things, other times I think, ****, I need a man to fix this for me! Not cool, I know, but still...

Thanks to everyone who replied to my panicky message--it's been a HUGE help to me! :D

[Beth]

We had one car where the rearview mirror seemed to fall off once each summer suring a really hot spell. We got to the point where we kept a thing of the glue on hand.

This is an easy thing to do yourself, but do be careful about putting hte mirror back inthe right place (you can mark the spot where the old glue is on the outside of the windsheild with a crayon that will wipe off after you are done. The other MAJOR important thing is to make sure you glue the right side of the button onto the windshield. Otherwise, there is no way that thing is going on there and may be no way to get the button off without breaking your windsheild. I had that happen once -- but it was my dad who did it that time! LOL He broke the windsheild and told me to go get it fixed -- I had glass coverage on my auto policy. He was an insurance agent too. LOL check the button -- or mark it before you take the mirror off the button (all you usually need is a screwdriver -- it's one screw. If in doubt, test it again before gluing.

You can find the glue at Target and Walmart too. I have usually spent $1-2 for it,and its strictly a one use item. It will have two little tubes -- an activator and the glue. Just follow the instructions like mcraig13 said, and be careful to glue the right side.

And BTW, FTR, the first time I was faced with this problem, I was a single woman living away from home and I did it myself -- no problem. You can too. Then you can joing me for tile class. We'll work on some patterns and work up to inlays. Have a good moisturizer handy -- the grout is very drying. :D

[mcraig13]

Good advice from Beth about marking the spot and putting the button on the right way. I can see this happening to me.

Re. the man thing. Sometimes it just doesn't help--DH is totally inept at fixing anything!!!!!

[honeygirl1971]

Okay, so I got the adhesive, and I scraped off the old glue and marked the spot (with a lipliner! couldn't think of anything else LOL), but now I'm at an impasse b/c I cannot for the life of me remove the baseplate from the mirror. The guys at the auto parts place tried with a screwdriver to no avail. The thing on the internet said to use an Allen wrench, but that doesn't seem to work either, unless I am doing it wrong. So, I'm not sure what to do at this point--there's no way I can hold the thing in place while the glue sets, and the metal plate just won't budge. Ideas?
:confused:

[mcraig13]

Assuming it is like mine I can't see how an Allen wrench would work. I didn't see the guy at the auto place get ours out but DH says that HE THINKS he used a screwdriver. I'm wondering if something like a table knife--flatter, thinner than a screwdriver--might work. This is actually the same problem we had.

[Beth]

Oh, I remember one that used an Allen wrench. There are metric and standard sizes and you could have the wrong size, but have it be close enough that it seems like it should -- does the screw have that type of end on it? It could require some other kind of tool -- car manufacturers can be that way. You could call or take it to a dealer.

Is it possible too much glue was used the last time and the thing is glued together? In which case you might have to hold the thing until it's set (could be a while). Or get a new mirror. Good luck. It's always the little things. ;)

[gianttrev]

mcraig13

What make and model of car? Maybe there is a site that gives tricks on removing the base from the mirror. I had an old Volvo that had to use a #1 phillips to remove the mirror, and my mother's 1981 Ford Fairmont used to just slide on and off.

Hope the finger cut is healing fine.

[gianttrev]

I'm sorry, that should read Honeygirl, what make and model... blah blah blah.

[TamiKnight]

Just another vote for the glue from the auto parts store. Every single car we've had--new, old, whatever--loses the mirror on some 115+ degree day. After reattaching following directions with the "special" glue, they've always stayed put--never had to reattach one!

[kirkbyky]

I got rearended a few weeks ago and it popped off my mirror from the windshield (He hit me pretty hard). I didn't have to glue mine on at all, it just slid back on (there's a grooved edge on both the metal piece imbedded in the windshield glass and a 'channel' in the 'socket' of the mirror base. I just put the mirror base up on the windshield flat against the glass above the metal 'plug' and slid it down over it to reattach. It took me a while to figure out how to get it back on--I'm glad that I didn't have to do a glue hunt!

Good Luck.

Kyle

[scrappycat]

You've probably all ready reattached your mirror, but this has happened to me a few times. They said that a lot of mirror pop off in the summer because of the heat. I went to a glass shop, the kind of places that replace windshields, and they put my mirror back on for free! It took them only 5 minutes. I've gone to several places and they've all done them for free, so try some windshield repair places.
Pam

[honeygirl1971]

Nope, I'm still mirror-less. After fiddling with the darned thing for hours yesterday I finally gave up. I went to two hardware stores and one car supply, and no one was able to get that stupid metal plate off. Finally one of the hardware guys said, "You're going to have to call Ford." (It's a Ford Escort). I know it would be easy to glue the thing back on, but since getting that metal plate off is the first step I'm kind of at a loss. It was a very frustrating weekend--obviously only minor problems, but I just couldn't get the stuff done that I needed to get done, you know?

I appreciate all the responses, though, and I've learned a lot. My finger is still pretty painful, but at least it stopped bleeding finally. I think it's making me crabby, though! :o

Thanks again for all the responses, you're all terrific! :)

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by honeygirl1971
Nope, I'm still mirror-less. After fiddling with the darned thing for hours yesterday I finally gave up. I went to two hardware stores and one car supply, and no one was able to get that stupid metal plate off.

We never could get our plate off either, so we just glued the whole mirror back on. It took a minute or so of holding it in place because of the weight, but it worked.

[honeygirl1971]

Hmm, maybe I'll have to try that before I call Ford...

[ChristieinMB]

Hmmm mine just fell off yesterday. I thought our dog knocked it off as she was romping in the car waiting for us to get in. We were in very hot weather so maybe it wasn't her after all and just the heat.
I am going by a glass shop this morning, I'm not a fixer, I just pay a little and save my sanity!:D
Christie

[BarbaraL]

The rearview mirror on the car I had before this one fell off once. The guys at the repair shop I patronize said it wasn't unusual, and glued it back on for me. I don't think they even charged me for it (both my husband and I have used them for years). It might be worth your time to ask at your local repair shop how much they'd charge; they probably wouldn't charge much, and you'll have the peace of mind of knowing it was fixed by professionals.

[honeygirl1971]

Thanks. I finally broke down and called the big, local Ford repair center, since it did NOT work to glue the mirror back on without taking off the metal plate first (just too heavy, and the glue wouldn't cure fast enough). At first the woman on the phone was saying, "We may have to order you a new mirror." And I replied, "NO! This is a simple thing, or at least it SHOULD be, but the way the mirror is put together I can't do it myself. But it's NOT broken, so the guys in the shop should be able to do it pretty easily!" So finally she said okay, and told me to stop by around 1 today. So, hopefully, it really will be a simple thing.

I used to have a little repair shop in my neighborhood, and the guys there were really nice and did little things for free for me all the time. I also gave them a lot of business, since whenever I needed real repairs done I took it there too (and always got my gas there as well), but I really appreciated how good their service was. They always got stuff done right away, and I could walk to and from the place, which also made it SO much easier than the darned Ford place, which is a bit of a drive. But, sadly, my little repair shop closed and now there isn't a full-service one that close by. :(

[Leisa M]

That has happend to us. You can buy the epoxy at an auto store. Tell them what happend and they will help you gind the right stuff. Make sure that after putting the stuff and putting the mirror in place, on you tape the mirror up with masking tape or some heavy duty tape until the epoxy is dry.

The heat is what is doing it.

[gianttrev]

Honeygirl-

Look at this url: Do a find for "rear view" and you'll see it's listed on a service bulletin.

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/19/91191544.html

It doesn't mean anything to me, but it might mean something to the big bad dealer.

This bulletin is for 1991 Escort, but it might go across years. No harm in trying.

[honeygirl1971]

gianttrev--That is very interesting. I didn't know about those recalls either. Hmmm. I actually have the Pony, not the L4, but I'm sure much of this is similar. A repair guy once told me there is a design flaw in the A/C and that's why it constantly needs to be fixed (not just recharged, actually repaired, and it's very expensive). Also, it has some other quirks, like the "Check Coolant" light goes on and off for no particular reason--the repair guys told me it wasn't even worth repairing! People riding in my car sometimes notice it and say, "Oh no! Your 'Check Coolant' light is on!" And I say, "Oh, that thing. That's been on for years." LOL

As for the mirror, I finally took the darned thing into the huge Dealer/Service Center here and they told me that you need a special tool to remove that stupid metal plate. It figures. They said they would just do it for me if I wanted (for free--the guy was very nice), but at that point I was SO sick of fussing with it (it sucked up waaaaay too much time this w/e), I just said, "Can you just reattach the thing for me?" I had to pay them $25 to do it, but I just didn't want to fuss with it anymore. Plus, I would have had to make another trip to the auto supply for more adhesive, etc., and it just wasn't worth it. I was also concerned that it might be hard to get the thing back on the metal plate, even if I was successful gluing it to the window, too. So, it's back on now, but they told me I shouldn't touch it for 24 hours, because it still has to cure. Hopefully this is the end of it, at least for the time being!

So, my car is slightly less of a rolling death trap now than it was. Thanks for all the tips! I was stressing out and reading all the messages helped me think more clearly, plus I learned a bunch of stuff! :)

[gianttrev]

Armed with the service bulletin, maybe you can try to get the $25 back. Good luck with that.

If you want to be a real pain, dispute the charge... not that I advocate being a pain to Ford in any way whatsoever ;)

You know what Ford means right?

Found On Road Dead
Fixed Or Repaired Daily

or my favorite

F***er Only Runs Downhill

Now look what I started. :)

[Leisa M]

Originally posted by gianttrev
Armed with the service bulletin, maybe you can try to get the $25 back. Good luck with that.

If you want to be a real pain, dispute the charge... not that I advocate being a pain to Ford in any way whatsoever ;)

You know what Ford means right?

Found On Road Dead
Fixed Or Repaired Daily

or my favorite

F***er Only Runs Downhill

Now look what I started. :)

My DH likes the Fixed or Repaired Daliy. we only have Chevy, Olds or Buick

[honeygirl1971]

LOL :D

I have heard Fixed Or Repaired Daily, but the others are new to me!

[TamiKnight]

Originally posted by honeygirl1971
LOL :D

I have heard Fixed Or Repaired Daily, but the others are new to me!

Another one from my Dad was always:

F***ing Old Raunchy Dog, but Found On Road Dead was his favorite. We never owned a Ford, either.