One of the most irritating occurrences for a driver is to lose their rear view mirror. Not lost exactly, just that it is no longer attached to the windshield. Besides being illegal and unsafe, not having a rear view mirror is a serious inconvenience to a driver. The good news is it is fairly easy and inexpensive to reattach the mirror.
The first thing to do is get all of your necessary supplies ready. A quick trip to the auto parts store will do nicely. Pick up a rearview mirror adhesive kit. It will have a strong glue vial and a supply of accelerant to speed up the glue curing process.
A small Allen wrench and thin, razorblade scraper will be helpful as well. Get together some odds and ends from the house too. Masking tape and, if the weather is chilly, a hair dryer or heat gun will be helpful.
Now that everything is ready it’s time to reattach the mirror. It’s a good idea to leave the car’s windows down during the process. The fumes from the glue can be a little overwhelming.
Use the scraper to remove any old glue from the windshield. Allowing the car windshield to warm up in the sun or warming the glass with the hair dryer or heat gun will loosen it as well.
It is usually pretty obvious where the rearview mirror should be placed due to residue from the original mirror. However if that is not the case use your tape measure to mark a place halfway across the windshield and about 4 inches from the headliner.
Make sure the area of glass that is to be home to your rearview mirror is clean of the old glue and dirt or oil. The base plate of mirror should be scraped and clean of residue as well. The old glue will prohibit the new adhesion from sticking properly.
The next step is to place the rearview mirror. Using the glue from the kit, apply an adequate amount to the clean glass. Remove the mounting base from the mirror with the Allen wrench.
Working with the mirror attached is cumbersome and awkward. Apply the accelerant to the base plate and allow the accelerant time to dry. Both surfaces are now prepped for adhesion.
You’re almost there. Liberally apply the glue to the back of the base plate and firmly press it onto the prepared spot on the inside of the windshield. Be sure to hold it in place for at least two minutes.
The base plate should be left alone for a 15-minute minimum and longer is even better. If it is convenient letting the adhesive cure overnight is an excellent idea.
After the base plate has had adequate time to dry, rescrew the mirror to its base. Don’t be tempted to test the hold and pull on the rearview mirror. It will hold just fine as it is and with any luck, the job will last for the life of the car.
