Windshield Mirror Removal
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New User
Joined: Dec 2003
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Windshield Mirror Removal
Any ideas how to remove the windshield mirror? Rather than having a standard set screw to hold it to the metal button (glued on the windshield), it has a metal clip that wraps around the whole assembly. I have tried prying the clip off, but am afraid to exhert too much force. How do I get the mirror off the metal mounting button?
Thanx!
Thanx!
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,157
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From: Central Kali
Welcome to FTE. I have not seen one like that. It would seem that without a set screw it would be too loose. Maybe you could knock the whole works off with a block of wood and then look at it.
Junior User
Joined: Dec 2003
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Freight Train is right. However, it is a little awkward working on it while the tab is still attached to the windshield. It is really a spring that you need to pry up with the screwdriver blade. It holds the mirror to the tab with spring pressure, usually the end is seated into a dimple in the tab. If you want to remove the mirror with the tab attached, work a razor blade between the windshield and the tab while gently cutting through the adhesive. Key word here is gently.
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New User
Joined: Dec 2003
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I managed to borrow a shop manual...sometimes we look for complicated methods to do something easy....the manual says to place the mirror in the full down position and just snap it off the mount! SOunds too easy....watch me crack the darned windshield!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: savannah,ga
if you heat the widshield at the point of attachment with a lighter the glue will soften and the metal tab will pull off easily
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FTE Leadership Emeritus
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From: 3rd Rock
Mine keeps falling off have bought the kits to glue back on (x4) and it never last past a day.
Kits are a POS or installer is an idiot…………hum
Kits are a POS or installer is an idiot…………hum
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FTE Leadership Emeritus
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From: 3rd Rock
Originally posted by 78ranchero
Scrape all adhesive off and clean with alcohol or carb cleaner. Use both parts of the kit and it should work. Make sure none of the surfaces are damp.
Scrape all adhesive off and clean with alcohol or carb cleaner. Use both parts of the kit and it should work. Make sure none of the surfaces are damp.
Have bought three different brands of kits, gone to extreme measures to make sure, all clean, all dry…..still the thing is on the floorboards or in my lap within 24 hours of installation.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 1999
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From: Oregon
Please don't try and just knock the mirror off the glass, you can end up with a big hole. If you need to take the tab and everything off, the prefered method is a twisting motion. Just kind of twist the thing CW or CCW - doesn't matter which. I grab it with a set of channels and give it a quick twist. That way I'm not pulling away from the glass, just breaking the glue between the tab and the glass.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: 3rd Rock
Originally posted by 78ranchero
Tim- That is odd. Maybe use another (new) metal tab and try a slightly different location on the ws and adjust the mirror so you can see out of it.
Tim- That is odd. Maybe use another (new) metal tab and try a slightly different location on the ws and adjust the mirror so you can see out of it.
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Tottenham Ontario Canada
Originally posted by Tim Lamkin
Have done that…the first, the second, the third…….and so on.
Have bought three different brands of kits, gone to extreme measures to make sure, all clean, all dry…..still the thing is on the floorboards or in my lap within 24 hours of installation.
Have done that…the first, the second, the third…….and so on.
Have bought three different brands of kits, gone to extreme measures to make sure, all clean, all dry…..still the thing is on the floorboards or in my lap within 24 hours of installation.
Cheers,
Eric
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: 3rd Rock
Originally posted by eehoepp
I used one of those kits on a previous vehicle and it held great. If I remember right, the instructions said to not mount the mirror on the tab for 24 hours to allow the epoxy to fully cure.
Cheers,
Eric
I used one of those kits on a previous vehicle and it held great. If I remember right, the instructions said to not mount the mirror on the tab for 24 hours to allow the epoxy to fully cure.
Cheers,
Eric