Remounting your rear-view mirror

HelladamnleetHelladamnleet Banned
edited September 2010 in Spurious Generalities
Let's face it, over time things start to go bad, and one of the things we don't think about until it happens is the glue holding our rearview mirror DOES get old, and eventually it may fall down, which causes many problems, such as:
  • Creating a blind spot
  • Making it difficult to see who is behind you
  • Making it harder to back up
  • The ILLEGALITY of it. You WILL get pulled over sooner or later

Remounting it is fairly easy if you know what you are doing, and have plenty of patience.

The first thing you need to do is determine if you have the original bracket, or if you need a new one. In my case, I had the original bracket, but I opted to go with a new, plastic, bracket, as the glue I chose would stick better, and it had holes in it for a better central seal.

Once you have your bracket of choice, you need to get glue. There IS a glue sold as "rear-view mirror adhesive", but the 3 tubes of it I've acquired have all been dry and unusable, so I get automotive adhesive from wal*mart. It hold up to 465 psi, and is more than fine for holding my mirror up.

Your next step is to scrape the old adhesive off of the windshield and clean the area to ensure that the new bracket will have the best possible seal.

After prepping the area you simply apply the glue to the back of the bracket, and stick it on pointy side up, making sure the bracket is facing the correct way so the mirror can later be applied.

That's all there is to it! Just remember to BE PATIENT! It's frustrating not having a mirror, but it's more frustrating if you try to mount it too early, and end up having to start over from scratch. I put a bead of silicone around the bracket for an extra hold, and when my mirror is up I'm planning on putting a bead of silicone around it's bracket also for an extra seal over time.

Added to CMS by Trx100

Comments

  • edited September 2010
    Interesting guide bro. This happened to my mom a few years ago, I remember she was driving along and it just fell off and went somewhere in the foot-well. Great stuff!
  • HelladamnleetHelladamnleet Banned
    edited September 2010
    Yeah, technically I could have had mine put on professionally since I purchased the car from a dealership, but I figured it wasn't worth the time when I needed my car ASAP.
  • HelladamnleetHelladamnleet Banned
    edited September 2010
    You probably would have spent about that on the glue anyway. I stole it, but it was still like $10.
  • GumboGumbo Regular
    edited September 2010
    I don't drive with a rear view. I have a spare tire mounted behind the back window in my pickup, that blocks the view out. Never been pulled over for that, or the tach I duct-taped to my dash. Or the bondo side panels, or the spraypaint. Or... The truck box that is fixed on with a few 2x4s, and held together by tie-downs.

    Is it really illegal to drive without one? I mean, 18 wheelers, trucks with campers, trailers, boats, etc can't see out back that way.
  • edited September 2010
    That's what I thought. Most big vehicles aren't able to see out the back anyway, and a lot of cars and trucks have shit covering the rear window. Side mirrors FTW.
  • edited September 2010
    Use tape until you can get it properly fixed.

    If you don't get it professionally fixed, super-glue is probably the best solution. Usually is.
  • edited September 2010
    Use tape until you can get it properly fixed.

    If you don't get it professionally fixed, super-glue is probably the best solution. Usually is.

    Yeah. When my mom's mirror fell off, she used super glue. It held for quite a while, but I think it fell off a few times after that.
  • Tiny_Penis : (Tiny_Penis : ( Regular
    edited September 2010
    Mine fell off a little over a year ago and I still haven't put it back on. I tow a boat a lot and just never felt the need to put it back on since I never use it.......this guide has inspired me to get off my ass and install it back on.

    Thanks main
  • HelladamnleetHelladamnleet Banned
    edited September 2010
    Just remember that it will take a LONG ASS TIME for the glue to dry enough to put it on.
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