Broken sideview mirror fix

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zbartrout

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A rogue wild turkey took off my passenger side mirror over the weekend. After reading many threads and assesses the costs I found a way to very securely screw it back on. Here are some photos of the approach.
I started by drilling two pilot holes through both the mirror base and mounting bracket. I put nylon washers under the 1.5” sheet metal screws to dampen any shock. Also required some minor soldering to reconnect the mirror servo. Almost as good as new, just no longer folds in. Better than glue or a 1k dealer install. -Z
50adaff26523175bd599e82d0ee12768.jpg
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259ff15584340a95a967ee17af2b409a.jpg
f813835842a78241705104c7d7636a3e.jpg



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zbartrout said:
A rogue wild turkey took off my passenger side mirror over the weekend. After reading many threads and assesses the costs I found a way to very securely screw it back on. Here are some photos of the approach.
I started by drilling two pilot holes through both the mirror base and mounting bracket. I put nylon washers under the 1.5” sheet metal screws to dampen any shock. Also required some minor soldering to reconnect the mirror servo. Almost as good as new, just no longer folds in. Better than glue or a 1k dealer install. -Z
50adaff26523175bd599e82d0ee12768.jpg
e0e28d152adc9948da5986964861b36d.jpg
259ff15584340a95a967ee17af2b409a.jpg
f813835842a78241705104c7d7636a3e.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Click to expand...
Nice job and considerably more cost effective than the replacement alternative:)
 
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@zbartrout
I have not joined this club [yet], but you are not alone. I am curious... The mirror is obviously designed to pivot. When the "wild turkey' hit your mirror, why did the pivot mechanism not save the day? Is it because it pivoted to the extreme and the "turkey" continued to apply pressure?

It seems like these could be designed such that the mirror first pivots, but beyond that, there should be a snap mechanism so it would pop off before it breaks. If course the wires would ultimately break but that is easily repaired.
 
MrFixit said:
@zbartrout
I have not joined this club [yet], but you are not alone. I am curious... The mirror is obviously designed to pivot. When the "wild turkey' hit your mirror, why did the pivot mechanism not save the day? Is it because it pivoted to the extreme and the "turkey" was still applying pressure?

It seems like these could be designed such that the mirror first pivots, but beyond that, there should be a snap mechanism so it would pop off before it breaks. If course the wires would ultimately break but that is easily repaired.
Click to expand...
Hey, I wasn’t the original poster but if I understand your question, there are several pieces that allow for the mirror to swivel. It’s essentially a spring loaded tube with a smaller post inside the tube. The spring loaded tube allows for the swivel and the post keeps the mirror upright.

hope that helps...
 
Ah, gotcha. It was likely hit from the top or bottom. Mirror only swivels side to side. But again, was not my post. When it happened to me, I think someone hit my mirror at a weird angle and just snapped the post...
 
MrFixit said:
More succinctly - Why did this mirror break rather than just swivel out of the way?
Click to expand...

The painfully obvious answer is, it was struck with sufficient force so as to cause damage. They are designed to fold in by applying a relatively gentle amount of pressure.

If the brunt of the force was applied at or inboard of the pivot point, such a failure would be expected. I would suspect that a good hip check outboard of the pivot point could produce similar results.
 
A bit of a side question to those with knowledge of how the side mirror mounts and swivels: should we be hesitant to routinely rotate a side mirror in to make room while parked? For instance, on a daily basis, swiveling back and forth to move it out of the way while parking in a tight garage.

I tend to do this, but I have wondered about wear on the swivel point or even possibly on the wires inside that must pass through the pivot. Repetitive motions can lead to failures in things not designed for high numbers of repetitions, so just wondering in this case, any sense of whether the mirrors might stand up to this well over months and years?
 
Part of the reason why it’s so damn hard to replace any of the parts - particularly the post - is because it’s pretty solid. I’d say you can move at will without any issue - perhaps some grease every 3 or 4 years wouldn’t hurt but I’d say it’s all built to last for many years...
 
MrFixit said:
@zbartrout
I have not joined this club [yet], but you are not alone. I am curious... The mirror is obviously designed to pivot. When the "wild turkey' hit your mirror, why did the pivot mechanism not save the day? Is it because it pivoted to the extreme and the "turkey" continued to apply pressure?

It seems like these could be designed such that the mirror first pivots, but beyond that, there should be a snap mechanism so it would pop off before it breaks. If course the wires would ultimately break but that is easily repaired.
Click to expand...

Hi
The turkey hit right between the window and pivot. It was a sizable bird so it was at least as big as the mirror, so no real opportunity to pivot. My guess is that the bird was probably 3-5 pounds. We also had one go through the grill of our truck.
Maybe if the hinge was made out of steel rather than plastic it could have survived.
My screw fix will likely last (due to pilot holes and nice think plastic), but I’ll need to replace the whole thing if something forces it to hinge.


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Wow,

I was 100% convinced that the "Turkey" was you (hitting the mirror on the garage or some such) !!!
That really is a wild story !
I assume you were driving at the time, or did the turkey swoop out of the air and dive-bomb your parked car?
 
Turkeys fly low and don't change direction very quickly. I've had them fly right over my car a couple of times, but not lately. With urban sprawl here, the resident turkey population near my home has dwindled. Never thought about being hit by one, but I can see how it happens. My mother who was a nurse once saw an accident on the highway where a buzzard (vulture) flew into someone's windshield. Much of the windshield right in front of the driver collapsed and the vehicle left the road. I don't think the driver was badly injured, but from what she told me, it was a mess.
 
MrFixit said:
Wow,

I was 100% convinced that the "Turkey" was you (hitting the mirror on the garage or some such) !!!
That really is a wild story !
I assume you were driving at the time, or did the turkey swoop out of the air and dive-bomb your parked car?
Click to expand...

Here in upstate New York there are wild turkeys everywhere in the countryside. This particular stretch of winding 55mph country road has cornfields on both sides and you never know what might run or fly out. My wife and I both hit turkeys on the same stretch, but years apart. Country living...


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Landshark said:
The painfully obvious answer is, it was struck with sufficient force so as to cause damage. They are designed to fold in by applying a relatively gentle amount of pressure.

If the brunt of the force was applied at or inboard of the pivot point, such a failure would be expected. I would suspect that a good hip check outboard of the pivot point could produce similar results.
Click to expand...

In my case I saw it happen. I was not fast enough to stop the car as I backed into our trash can at a slow walk. The geometries were such that the outboard end of the mirror was lifted in addition to being rotated forward and I believe this is what caused the pillar to break.

It did not seem to take a lot of displacement and was not a hard impact, but obviously was enough force to break the plastic.
 
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Hello all.
I can share my experience in Clarity mirror fixing. The result is a full functionality of a mirror. Since we are in Ukraine, only way to own a Clarity is to purchase a broken car on auction in USA, so sometimes cars arrival with broken mirrors .
All you need to repare the mirror is to produce (or order) two detales: axis and nut, according to drowing. Then the crashed parts of original axis insert on new axis with a silicon auto glue, after curing replace old axis with this assembly .
Best regards, Victor.
Axis1.webp Axis2.webp Axis3.webp
 

Attachments

VictorPP said:
Hello all.
I can share my experience in Clarity mirror fixing. The result is a full functionality of a mirror. Since we are in Ukraine, only way to own a Clarity is to purchase a broken car on auction in USA, so sometimes cars arrival with broken mirrors .
All you need to repare the mirror is to produce (or order) two detales: axis and nut, according to drowing. Then the crashed parts of original axis insert on new axis with a silicon auto glue, after curing replace old axis with this assembly .
Best regards, Victor.
View attachment 14902 View attachment 14904 View attachment 14905
Click to expand...
Just repaired my mirror by fastening the housing to the door mount with screws. If I didn't have to recut and resolder the wires I'd give it a try. Probably when the mirror is knocked off again I will. Wish I'd seen this first. Thanks
 
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zbartrout said:
A rogue wild turkey took off my passenger side mirror over the weekend. After reading many threads and assesses the costs I found a way to very securely screw it back on. Here are some photos of the approach.
I started by drilling two pilot holes through both the mirror base and mounting bracket. I put nylon washers under the 1.5” sheet metal screws to dampen any shock. Also required some minor soldering to reconnect the mirror servo. Almost as good as new, just no longer folds in. Better than glue or a 1k dealer install. -Z
50adaff26523175bd599e82d0ee12768.jpg
e0e28d152adc9948da5986964861b36d.jpg
259ff15584340a95a967ee17af2b409a.jpg
f813835842a78241705104c7d7636a3e.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Click to expand...
I used your method yesterday and so far so good. Thanks. BTW, Honda has to have the easiest door panel removal I've ever seen on a modern car..
 
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