bha

Every time I hit a bump, my rear view mirror dips and has to be adjusted back up. Very annoying. I understand this happens to a lot of ML and GL's.

New mirror is very expensive (close to $1000). Full of electronics.

Here is what I did: I ordered a used mirror from a wrecking yard ($70). Was supposed to be same colour (tan) but turned out they sent me a grey one instead which made it more difficult. Note that you may be able to actually repair your mirror (see below) and may not need a replacement. I haven't tried this myself, but for 15 mins work if anyone wants to try repair, let me know if it works!

1. Pull off the two mirror base covers.. the one in 'front' of the mirror slides forward, and the one behind it pulls straight down. They can be obtained online for $7 each so don't worry too much if you break a tab.
2. Pull down overhead control panel (pull hard it just pops off)
3. Disconnect three mirror plugs: 1 from overhead panel itself and 2 from the wiring harness you'll see when you pull off the panel.
4. There is a black 'block' glued to the windshield. The mirror base slides into this channel. At he top of the mirror base you'll see two tabs. Pull them apart (I put needlenose in between and pulled the handles apart) and the mirror will slide down. You may need one person to open the needle nose and one to slide the mirror. I was able to do it but it's a bit difficult to do both at the same time.
5. Now take your mirror to the bench. Put tape on the end of a flat head screw driver, and pry off the front "rim" of the mirror (around the edge of the glass). Careful not to mess up the glass by jamming the screwdriver in and breaking/scratching it.
6. Once the rim is off the whole thing comes apart. I took my old and new mirrors apart, and swapped the guts of the nice grey mirror into my old tan case. There are 7 torx screws (in a 2009). My 2007 mirror had philips screws instead. You can only see about 5 screws, then when you pull off parts you'll start to see the remaining screws. Also reuse your old HomeLink (garage door opener) module that is behind the 3 black buttons. I did and didn't have to reprogram any of the openers into my mirror when I was done
7. Reassemble and put back into car. Took me 20 mins total.

REPAIR INSTEAD OF REPLACE:
After step 6 (once you have the mirror apart) you'll see that there is a metal ball with a plastic socket around it. Ball is part of the base, socket is part of the mirror. There is a large "spring" looking thing around the socket. It's basically three windings of very heavy metal wire. I'm sure this loosened up. If you want to repair, I'd try to get a pair of large channel locks on the windings, and "crimp" them so they are bit tighter. Think of making them oval instead of round. That might just fix your mirror perfectly.

I didn't know what the guts looked like, so I ordered a used unit and everything turned out fine.

Note one thing: there is a plastic "collar" on your mirror. It's between the mirror itself, and the covers on the windsheld. If you look in between, you'll see a round plastic piece covering the ball/socket adjustment mechanism. This piece is the same colour as your interior.

I can't figure out any way to get that piece off the adjustment mechanism. So when you swap guts, you have to use the collar from the used mirror you bought. so in my car the covers are tan, mirror is tan, and piece in the middle is now grey. Almost totally unnoticeable but I thought I'd point it out. Might look weird if you had a taupe collar in a black interior though.

Hope this helps someone!!

morris340

Thanks for the help and idea to fix the one I already had. I was trying to figure how to tighten and ended using a thin radiator clamp over the spring.

StradaRedlands

A floppy mirror has been bothering me for a while. Needs the little blue pill!. I've been poking around here and there trying to find repair ideas, and love the clamp! Great explanation from the OP on how to do this job. I think I'll try to tackle it this weekend! Thanks!

bluewater

bha, thank you for your instructions. I fixed the saggy mirror with a piece of laundry hanger wire. I looped the wire around the spring and tighten it slowly until the ball is not saggy anymore. Do it gradually so not to overly tighten the wire.

Omar786

o think i damaged my windshield trying to pull off the black block at the base of the mirror. Is there a way to repair that without having to change the whole windshield ?

DennisG01

"Think" or "did" damage it? What kind of damage?

Omar786

so the rearview mirror got hit hard by something i was transporting and it came loose. I opened the case around to see what the issue was and i can see that at the base of the rearview mirror is a black block that you mentioned made of glass that was attached to the wondshield broke off the glass and that area of the windshield is damaged along qith the black block. The black block also is damaged/ chipped.
but the nature of the damage on the windshield id descrobe as chipped and a layer of the windshield has cracked it hasnt cracked through the whole width of the glass.

can i buy a new black block and glue it back on the windshield ?

DennisG01

OK - the better explanation helps. Recommendation... talk to a glass repair expert/company (Safelite, for example... but there are likely better "experts" out there). If the chip can be filled "flush enough" and it will be strong enough, then sure, the mounting base can be glued back on. You may even find that something like 3M 5200 adhesive sealant (for example) can work to fill the crack and glue the mounting block back on. It's not like this is a structural or safety-concerned repair so it might be worthwhile to experiment.

Another option would be to glue the mounting block on in a slightly different location. May have to adjust/mod the trim a bit, though.

And... you know we have to say it... secure that cargo better!

StradaRedlands

So this is the second time I've done this. The first time was only partially successful when I couldn't figure out how to get the wire spring off, and wrapped a big 6mm zip tie around the coiled spring in order to tightened it down. That worked just okay, but eventually loosened up. It finally got bad enough that it was dangerous not having the RVM that I took this on again.

I followed all the steps above (although squeezed the ears in from step #4 above, YMMV) and pulled the glass fully off the mirror by disconnecting the four plugs inside. At this point I gently pried the coiled spring up and away from the plastic teeth it is holding in compression. Just used a screwdriver and worked it out a side at a time. Once pulled clear, I pulled the ball out of the socket and separated the mirror assembly from the ball hanger. I then used some channel lock pliers to compress the coil a bit, working around the circumference of it, trying to make it even. I slid it back over the ball, put the ball back in the socket, and pushed the coil over the plastic teeth of the socket. Perfect snug fit. I then tightened the zip tie and slid it over the coil for added compression. Can't hurt. As they say, reassembly is the reverse of the above.

End result is a nice tight mirror that doesn't sag or flop!!! Hopefully will last another 13 years! Hardest part is pulling off the glass-surround trim. Just didn't want to let go for me. Other than that small portion, the rest of the job is just unfastening plugs and wires. Straightforward job you should try out if your mirror is saggy! Sorry, no pics, I was too focused on it to mess with them.

eric_in_sd

Adding a correction and some additional information:

1. The "two tabs" are not spread apart. They are squeezed together. The mounting block that is attached to the windshield is a simple C-shaped cross section. The mirror portion is a T-shaped cross section that has the tabs at one end and a stop at the other. To remove, squeeze the tabs together so they will fit inside the C-shaped cross section and slide the assembly down the windshield, toward the front of the vehicle. I pulled mine straight down and am lucky to have not detached the block from the windshield. On reinsertion, squeeze the tabs together so they fit inside the mount's C shape and you will fully understand the design. You slide the mirror assembly up the windshield.
2. The ball is made of simple "pot metal", probably a zinc-tin alloy. Its surface is not smooth.
3. The socket is made of what is probably ABS. Possibly plastic debris lubricates the socket, or possibly the socket wears.
4. The tabs on the socket are squeezed slightly by the spring. Mostly the spring is there to prevent the socket from expanding and releasing the ball. The spring does not appear to provide compression and friction to the ball and socket.
5. A conventional hose clamp does not appear to fit inside the space. I ordered "German" style hose clamps in 20-32mm range, as the spring has an ID of 27mm. I am hoping this screw assembly fits in the space.


6. I temporarily reassembled the mirror without the trim ring, holding the glass in with scotch tape. Ghetto, but the mirror trim ring is an AvE level of pain. With the glass removed, the clamp should be accessible directly.
7. When you go to disassemble, have a plentiful supply of lighter fluid / charcoal starter fluid / kerosene around. The wizards doing the wiring harness used ghastly fiber electrical tape, which smears everywhere. It is awful, and I spent much of the time cleaning the wires.
8. If the hose clamp does not fit, I expect I will go the twisted baling wire route. Or maybe a pex clamp, if the appropriate size can be found - though they are in a very limited range of sizes. I do not like either of these ideas, as they are not reversible.

eric_in_sd

8/10 satisfied with the hose clamp.

The clamp doesn't quite fit, and because the clamp is wrapped around what is effectively a slightly conical shape, the clamp tends to wander off its seat. You can squeeze it into position, but it wants to wander off, especially as you turn the screw to tighten the clamp. You can probably understand the problem better with a picture:


I ground the top of the clamp screw mount to make a flat, and roughed the top section with a Dremel cutting wheel to make lengthwise ridges, hoping they would grip the plastic, Hard to see in the picture but maybe if you squint.


With the flat ground in, the clamp fits, just, and I was able to reassemble. It is a good deal tighter now. Still, I reassembled the mirror with the scotch tape, reckoning I might want to tighten the clamp more after parking in the hot sun. With the mirror removed, this is the view, with the screw head neatly accessible from the behind the mirror.


I would probably go with the next size smaller clamp, as I had to trim about 3/4 inch off the clamp free end with my Dremel. Possibly that clamp has a smaller screw housing, but I doubt it. If I were still having problems with the clamp slipping off, I might cut circumferential ridges on the inside of the clamp. But for now it seems solid.

All in all, worthwhile. I couldn't stand to be driving with a temporary fix; I just know the fix would fail in the middle of a long road trip. And I couldn't stand living with a floppy mirror every time I park the beast out in the sun.