DIY auto mirrors repair

In detail: do-it-yourself auto mirrors repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Almost any modern vehicle has basic comfort features that make it easy for the driver to drive the vehicle. In the event of a malfunction, including the failure of the electric drive of the side mirrors, it is, of course, better to show the car under warranty to the specialists faster. If the car has already "left" its warranty period, you can try to cope with the problem yourself.

This article was originally taken from vento-club.com

In different planes, the side mirrors are adjusted by two small DC electric motors using a worm wheel and set screws. Usually, the control buttons for the electric drive are located in cars on the driver's doors. But, depending on the car model, there may be other variations.

Damage to the electric drive of side mirrors can be electrical and mechanical.

You need to start diagnosing a malfunction by checking for electrical faults. First of all, you need to turn on the ignition, but do not start the car, then lower the glass, press the buttons for adjusting the position of the mirrors. If you do not hear the characteristic hum of the electric motor under the casing, then there is a problem in the drive electrical circuit. The first thing that needs to be done is to check the fuse, the purpose and location of which is always indicated in the manual for each car. If this is the case, i.e. it has burned out, it is necessary to replace it with a new one of the appropriate rating, after which it is imperative to check the condition of the connectors in the device, make sure that power is supplied to the electric motors and the control panel. A multimeter (as a last resort, a test lamp) will help to do this.

Video (click to play).

After making sure that the electrical networks are in good working order, it is necessary to diagnose mechanical damage. First, it is recommended to make sure that they are securely attached to the elements fixing on the drive mechanism. At the same time, it is worth checking the integrity of the plastic parts and all the latches, which, after the mirror element is removed, become accessible.

A defect in the mechanism can be easily identified when power is applied to it. Eliminate the detected defect, you need to slowly and very carefully. Special care is required for a mirror, which can be easily damaged at the time of dismantling.

The mirror is disassembled without removing it from the car: two latches (red) must be pushed back with a little effort, then, using a flat screwdriver, slide the guides (marked in yellow). Such actions are carried out from four sides until the mirror "hangs" on the heating wires.

Now you need to remove the decorative cover and unscrew the three screws. After that, very carefully, slightly shaking so that the latch does not break, the mirror is removed.

You can start troubleshooting the problem.

To remove the drive from the housing, it is enough to unscrew three screws.

Next comes the turn of the boot and back cover, which must be removed. Unfasten the connector.

We also remove the white part, relative to which the element holding the mirror rotates.

Now, in order to push out as much as possible, we move the drive to the side (shown by the arrow), connecting it to the connector on the door and again to the body.

One of the reasons may be that part of the groove broke off.

To eliminate such a breakdown, it is enough to use a dropper tube "hardened" from petroleum products (gasoline).

The tube, with the glue previously applied to it, is put on the broken groove and cut in place. For a more reliable connection with the ball joint, blow on the tube with a hairdryer - under the influence of hot air, its upper part will narrow.

Now it remains to collect everything neatly in the reverse order. The drive is running.

It may well be that the worm gear motor itself, which controls the folding of the mirror (similar to those installed in Chinese children's toys), or the board responsible for changing the power off when the load increases at the end of the stroke, has failed.

The mirror may buzz, but not fold, if the gear on the shaft with the worm is worn out. Such a repair of the side mirror with an electric drive can be done independently.

The left and right folding and adjusting mechanisms of the mirrors are exactly the same. They differ only in setting and connection. After the mirror is assembled, but the colored cover has not yet been installed, you need to check the correct control of the mirror: if the mirror is adjusted horizontally when adjusting the vertical position, you need square plugs.

This is how the governing body of the folding mechanism of the left mirror (top) and right (bottom) looks like. Sazu can see the difference in setting: the right mirror is assembled in the “disassembled” position, and the left one is “assembled”.

Before the mirror is removed from the car, it must be set to the “disassembled” position in order to assemble it in the same disassembled position (otherwise, it must be assembled in the “assembled” position).

Disassembly of the left folding mirror mechanism.

It can now be applied to the corresponding part of the body, with which the mirror is attached to the body pillar.

Having turned the mechanism to the “disassembled” position, we assemble it in the reverse order. It is impossible to make a mistake with the angle of rotation, since the mechanism rotates through a certain angle. It just needs to be turned from one extreme position to another.

Almost every car owner at least once in his life faced breakdowns of side rear-view mirrors. This is a fairly common problem, because this part of the car is quite vulnerable due to its location on the body, it is easy to touch it when parking or driving on narrow roads. Of course, such a device can be replaced, but here you will find not very good news - for modern cars it is quite expensive to buy a new rear-view mirror, and it is very difficult to find a suitable one for those models that are no longer produced. We therefore recommend that you carry out repairs.

So, why is it better to repair a broken side mirror instead of buying a new one:

Side mirror mounting diagram

Genuine parts are very expensive. Of course, if your car is a product of the domestic auto industry, then there is no need to worry, but the owners of foreign cars will have a little shock. In addition, mirrors are often sold in two, that is, the amount will also double.
If your car was produced abroad or is simply considered a rare model, then you can wait for the delivery of a new side mirror for months. The fact is that these parts are not the most popular, therefore they are usually sold by order.
If you decide to buy a new part, then you will need to spend a lot of time on this. First, you go shopping in search of a mirror, then you need to contact a service station for a replacement. To this may be added the selection of a suitable tone of paint, the search for a place where it will be painted correctly for you.

There are also breakdowns that occur inside the mechanism of the mirror itself, which is why it may not fold or be adjusted. Repair of such breakdowns can be done on your own, for which you need to remove it from the car and follow the following instructions:

To remove the rear side view device from the door, you must carefully snap off or unscrew the triangle-shaped headset from the back of the door. Usually it is kept on small bolts, in new cars on one or two latches.
Next, you need to unscrew the bolts that fix the connector for connecting the side mirror.
Disconnect the contacts that connected the mirror engine to the car's on-board system and carefully remove the block.
Wash the removed part and wipe dry.

Rinse and dry all parts. It is quite natural that a lot of dirt and dust collected on them during the ride. Next, you have to check all connections by dialing and repair the damage. The contacts could burn out, it often also happens that during the movement of the planes or their adoption of the final position (folded or unfolded), the contacts moved away from each other, and the reverse movement could no longer be performed. Pay attention to fuses, since there are usually two of them in such devices, each is responsible for a specific action.

Repair of the motor of the side mirrors is carried out according to the nature of the breakdown, but usually it is limited to soldering or replacing the fuses. Next, it is important to assemble the block:

Install the working engine in the block and fix it with bolts.
Next, fix the mechanism for the movement of the plane of the mirrors.

If the heating was not previously installed, then it is at this stage that it can be installed. Note that if you are installing heating, be sure to use silicone sealant for fixing, which is more resistant to high temperatures and will not melt from heat.

Cover everything with a plastic plate, tighten the central bolt.
Glue a mirror sheet onto the sealant.

After completing the repair, we return to the iron horse and return to the place, the repaired side rear-view mirror. Do not forget to check the performance of the part during the assembly process, also check this moment after installing the mirrors on the car.

The rear-view mirror is one of the essential elements of every car. The main function of this part is to ensure safety during the operation of the machine. It is the mirrors that provide the driver with information about what is happening on the road in the sector behind the rear fenders and rear bumper.

The most common reason for replacing rear-view mirrors is the appearance of cracks as a result of impacts. First of all, this concerns the external elements of the view, since it is they who most often interfere with the movement of other road users. In most cases, both external and internal damage to the side mirrors can be avoided by installing a special decorative film. However, this method will not always be able to help out. Especially when it comes to hitting hard. Another reason for replacing outside mirrors is cable deformation. To install new cables, you will have to completely disassemble the part.

Interior mirrors are also damaged. In most cases, breakage is the result of frequent adjustments to the part. At the same time, re-adjusting the element, the driver is not even aware of the damage.

In fact, you need to start repairing the mirror and try to disassemble it even when the part has deviated at least slightly from the previously set position. If this happens, it means that the mounting legs have shifted. They often come off completely and the driver can only notice this by looking closely at the windshield outside the car.

Before proceeding with self-repair and disassembly of the external and internal elements of the review, it is necessary to understand the principle of their fastening. The interior rear-view mirror is mounted in the passenger compartment above the torpedo. Depending on the type of construction of the part, it can be installed either with the help of special suction cups on the windshield, or mounted in the ceiling. In the latter case, the part is held by bolts or self-tapping screws. Sometimes it is quite difficult to turn them out, especially if the fasteners are located above the ceiling sheathing. In such a situation, you will have to disassemble the entire roof of the car. It is especially difficult to do this if the backlight has been previously tuned in the car.

External viewing elements are installed on the racks of the driver's and front passenger doors closer to the hood of the car. Older cars, most of which are already considered a rarity, have exterior mirrors mounted on the front fenders closer to the radiator.

The adjustment of the viewing elements depends on the price range of the vehicle. If the car belongs to the budget segment, then the mirrors are adjusted exclusively in manual mode. If the cost of a car exceeded $ 20 thousand, then its owner has the opportunity to adjust the mirrors either manually or remotely. By the way, it is in the latter case that the driver is forced to repair the review elements. This is due to the presence of fragile microcircuits that the manufacturer installs in the rear-view mirror housings.

On most models of domestic cars, as well as on budget foreign cars, the repair of external and internal rear-view mirrors can be done independently. Such operations include:

gluing the part to the windshield;
replacement of optical elements and housing;
replacement of mechanical components.

First, consider the repair of the internal review element. In most cases, this part of the passenger compartment is attached to the windshield of the vehicle. The adhesive hardens when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Provided that it is of high quality, the mirror is kept on the surface for at least 2-3 years. If the part has fallen off, regular household glue will not work.

To put the mirror back in place, it is necessary to use only two-component glue, which includes an activator and an adhesive. They adhere quickly to all types of surfaces and are very durable. Working with glue is easy. But it is worth being very careful, because a crookedly installed mirror cannot be removed and disassembled later.

To glue the interior mirror with a two-component compound, first take the metal platform of the part holder and apply a thin layer of glue to its surface. After that, we have about 5 minutes before the composition dries. We spray an activator on the surface of the windshield of the car, after which we immediately apply a mirror to the window. We fix the part and hold it for a few seconds. After that, it remains to clean the remaining solution and continue to operate the car.

To start repairing and disassembling the external rear-view mirror, you first need to dismantle it. To do this, it is necessary to remove the plugs from the inside of the front door. Next, unscrew the mounting screws and remove the mirror. In this case, you need to be extremely careful. If you are adjusting the part remotely, then in the process of dismantling it, try to avoid breaking the cables and microcircuits. If the mirror is adjusted manually, then you just need to pull the part out of its "socket".

In case of breakage, the optical element is replaced with a new one. Any other part of the rear-view mirror is repaired in the same way. If you are adjusting the view details remotely, then it is not recommended to disassemble them yourself.

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To find out the error, you need to go to the specialists

Simple wrenches work in the services, but you can't find a good specialist

And of course you are tired of throwing money away, and there is no question of driving around the service station all the time, then you need a simple ELM327 AUTOSSCANER that connects to any car and through a regular smartphone you will always find a problem, pay off CHECK and save a lot.We have tested this scanner ourselves on different machines. and it showed excellent results, now we recommend it to EVERYONE! So that you do not fall for the Chinese counterfeit, we publish here a link to the official website of the AutoScanner.The rear-view mirror is one of the essential elements of every car. The main function of this part is to ensure safety during the operation of the machine. It is the mirrors that provide the driver with information about what is happening on the road in the sector behind the rear fenders and rear bumper.The most common reason for replacing rear-view mirrors is the appearance of cracks as a result of impacts. First of all, this concerns the external elements of the view, since it is they who most often interfere with the movement of other road users. In most cases, both external and internal damage to the side mirrors can be avoided by installing a special decorative film. However, this method will not always be able to help out. Especially when it comes to hitting hard. Another reason for replacing outside mirrors is cable deformation. To install new cables, you will have to completely disassemble the part. Image - DIY car mirrors repair

Interior mirrors are also damaged. In most cases, breakage is the result of frequent adjustments to the part. At the same time, re-adjusting the element, the driver is not even aware of the damage.

External viewing elements are installed on the racks of the driver's and front passenger doors closer to the hood of the car. On older cars, most of which are already considered a rarity, the exterior mirrors are mounted on the front fenders closer to the radiator.

On most models of domestic cars, as well as on budget foreign cars, the repair of external and internal rear-view mirrors can be done independently. Such operations include:

gluing the part to the windshield;
replacement of optical elements and housing;
replacement of mechanical components.

First, consider the repair of the internal review element. In most cases, this interior part is attached to the windshield of the vehicle. The adhesive hardens when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Provided that it is of high quality, the mirror is kept on the surface for at least 2-3 years. If the part has fallen off, regular household glue will not work.

There are many reasons for the question: how to disassemble the side mirror? The most common reasons for mirrors are minor traffic accidents, the desire to repaint, and so on.To repair the mirror, first it must be removed from the car, and only then disassembled.

With a lack of experience, the mirror can be very easily damaged, and this will lead to the purchase of a new one. But the following question may arise: after all, there are a lot of cars and these devices differ on them, so they can be equipped with a mechanical and electrical drive, folding and others. Therefore, the article will provide several general points on removing the mirror from the car.

How to disassemble a side mirror? First you need to remove the mirror from the car, and only then do the disassembly. If the device is equipped with a mechanical drive, then at the initial stage it is necessary to remove the bracket, which acts as a stopper. It is located on the adjusting mechanism.

Then we unscrew several screws that attach it to the car body, and then remove it. If it is a motorized mirror, you must first remove the terminals from the battery. After that, we disconnect the contacts going to the device drive, and also unscrew a couple of screws and remove the mirror from the body.

Now the mirror is in your hands and you can continue to work with it. In general, there are several ways to disassemble mirrors. The first method, requiring only a flathead screwdriver, is implemented as follows:

Apply a little pressure onto the mirror from the back side, snap it off with a flat screwdriver. The operation is carried out carefully without much effort and sudden movements. If you press on one edge of the mirror, then it can be damaged or broken, evenly distribute the force. To avoid scratches, wrap electrical tape around the screwdriver or work through a napkin or rag.

Press down on the upper edge of the mirror, without much effort. We put a screwdriver on the raised edge and snap out the hooks. The mirror element must be removed.

Hit the massive part of the car mirror on a hard surface, just not too hard. With enough force, the inner grooves open and the mirror flies out. But here you need to be very careful so as not to accidentally break.

Removing the attachment to the body is carried out as follows: remove the spring and unscrew the adjustment rod from the attachment side. All assembly work on the mirrors, if everything went without damage, is carried out in the reverse order.

Removing the rubberized pads... Unscrew several screws that adjust the position of the mirror. Before further disassembly, we sketch (remember) the position and colors of the cables, since each of them works in a certain direction and performs its function.

Then unscrew a few screws on the bottom of the mirror. We pull out the glass (using one of the methods indicated above). There will be about four screws under the reflective element, unscrew them.

You are kindly requested, before asking a question in the config and opening a new topic, look for the answer to your question here:
LINK 1, here: LINK 2 and here: LINK 3
I am sure that 90% of the answers you will find on the links provided. Also - try searching from the MAIN page of the site - there may be more complete results!

P.S If you know the error code, then just type it into the search line. And note that the first letter of the code must be typed in the "Latin" layout! Otherwise, the search results will lead you nowhere.
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And more - a HUGE request to write in this forum in RUSSIAN - save Albanian for a smoking room.

Fanatus Vulgaris

Group: Users
Posts: 3 482
Registration: 19.6.2006
From: Moscow
User no .: 3 091
Real name: Vadim

I don’t know if it will be interesting to someone, I took pictures during the repair of the mirror. I decided to write a small article with pictures. If it does not arouse interest, the modders will delete it :) SO:

One winter morning (December last year) I leave the house, go up to Eagle and observe the absence of the right side rear-view mirror. I immediately thought that the locals broke off the fulyugans.Having carefully examined the machine, Sighing with regret and not a cheerful thought about hitting $ 300, I got into the car. Suddenly I see a piece of paper sticking out behind the janitor. Well, I think some paddle broke off the mirror and wrote, like, if you still park the car here, we'll knock out the glass. Well, you know all these stories about courtyard wars for a parking lot :)))

In the bamazhka (otkserenoy) it was written that, they say, regarding damage to your car, please contact such and such an ATS. Immediately another thought arose: the piece of paper was xeroxed, it means that the cops attached it, and this in turn means that they caught someone with my mirror. And so it happened. In short, the essence of the matter, I took the mirror from the police after signing a bunch of papers.

When handing over the car for the next repair, I asked the guys to remove the remnants of the mirror at the same time, because in order to get to them, you need to remove the door trim, cover plate and unscrew 3 screws. It's frosty on the street, you can't poke around with your hands :) The remains were removed. Another week was spent thinking about repair options.
Finally I made up my mind. Today I still need to go to the service, at the same time I want to put the repaired mirror back. You know, parking is not very convenient, and the aesthetics are violated

Everything was laid out on the table and prepared for the sacrament: tools, a mirror, coffee, clean medical alcohol in a bottle. only for degreasing before gluing, and not for ingestion :)))

For a very long time I tried to disassemble the mirror in parts to restore the wiring. I was bothering for a very long time, but I couldn't make it out. There are 3 screws under the mirror itself. I managed to get off one of them, but the other two did not want to go to any. The cogs are rusted. The rust inhibitor did not help either. In addition, the slots on the heads were licked off. In general, it was decided to glue it as it is.
The most difficult thing was to solder the wires sticking out of the mirror in place, since they were short.

Under the dashes 2 and 3, there are two parts that were to be glued. 2- outer case, 3 - plastic rigid base. The ends were carefully stripped of insulation and soldered.

I covered each wiring at the place of soldering with a heat-shrinkable tube to avoid short circuits.

The flagellum turned out to be almost the same thickness as it was originally. It was very important not to increase the thickness of the joint, otherwise it would not have crawled through the hole in the rigid base. From above, the entire tourniquet was additionally wrapped with electrical tape. I think there will be no problems.

Naturally, everything was plastic on the cable :))
Now it was necessary to glue the plastic. I decided to start with the outer case.
I thought for a long time what to glue. I opted for an adhesive based on cyanoacrylate. I rummaged through the Internet to find out how the glue behaves in frost, heat and other bad conditions. The information found showed that my choice was correct. Cyanoacrylate based adhesives are highly resistant to frost, heat, moisture and other natural phenomena.

Now I don't trust Chinese glues. I bought a Moment (don't count it as an advertisement) because it is one of the best adhesives of this class (available to the general public). Of course, there are better quality adhesives based on this base, but they are not readily available.
In the picture below, the gluing area is outlined in red.

Surprisingly, the glue adhered perfectly and after 5 seconds the outer casing was glued. I even checked the strength of the connection for fresh glue - it holds, dog! (Complete drying 16-24 hours, when the glued product can be subjected to mechanical stress).

The photo shows the seam left after gluing, but since this seam will be from below, it will practically not be noticeable. Then it was the turn of gluing the rigid base. I had to bore a little hole from where the wire comes out, because in the place where the soldering was insulated, the wire was slightly stuck.

The gluing went off without a hitch and the seam was also strong enough.
The fact is that I had doubts about the strength of the glue joint, since the center of gravity of the mirror is still in the mirror.And I was afraid that the seams would not support the weight and might break off again in the same places. Although I knew that cyanoacrylates make very strong bonds. Especially when gluing plastics. And I wanted to insert an elastic band into the gap between the mirror housing and the body of the part that is attached to the body and put it on both sides with glue. To create a lever in this way. But then the mirror would not fold (although you rarely have to fold the right mirror). Thank God, no elastic was required. The connection is strong enough to support the weight of the mirror itself.

Well, then everything was assembled "as it was" :) The tester rang out the electrical circuits of the motor for controlling the settings and heating. Everything seems to work. But it will finally be clear when the mirror is connected to the on-board network. If everything works correctly, I'll write it back later (after putting the mirror in place :) The result of the repair is below:

Thanks to everyone who used letters and did not regret the traffic :)))

PS: I restored the photo. And a little tip: for gluing the power part of the mirror (sole), use two-component adhesives, such as Moment Epoxylin DUO.
I glued the second mirror to my “proprietary” composition. Outer plastic for a second. Everything continues to this day, 1.5 years have already passed. The “composition” withstood all temperature conditions.

Post has been edited sam01 – 18.1.2010, 11:31

All cars must be equipped with rear-view mirrors. The main purpose of rear-view mirrors is to ensure traffic safety by providing the driver with information about the traffic situation in the sector behind the rear bumper and in the radius of the rear fenders.

The simplest design, familiar to everyone, implies the presence of an optical element (1), a housing cover (3), a holder with a tilt angle control mechanism (4) and a cable for connecting to the mains (2), in the presence of turn signals.

With the rise in the price of the car, additional elements are introduced into the product that increase the degree of convenience, both in functional use and in control:

the mirrors are adjusted remotely using electronic control, servos or cables;
the optical element is manufactured using liquid crystal technology;
screens of various detectors, video recorders and parking sensors are built into the salon mirrors, fixing the situation behind the car;
sensors are installed that automatically dim the headlights behind the driving car, which are reflected in the rear-view optics.

Rearview mirrors by location are divided into:

The interior viewing mirror is mounted in the vehicle interior exactly in the center above the torpedo. Fixation, depending on the design, is carried out either to the roof or to the windshield. In the first case, the fasteners can be made using a bolted connection, or on self-tapping screws, in the second version, the mirror holder is attached with glue.

Exterior fittings are installed on the front door pillars closer to the bonnet. On some older models, the side mirrors are attached to the leading edge of the fenders closer to the radiator. On Soviet cars, they were also installed on the fenders, but closer to the windshield.

The mirrors are adjusted both in manual mode, which is typical for the budget price segment, and with the help of servo drives and cables remotely, on expensive models. It is with control that the most breakdowns of both mechanical and electronic mechanisms are associated.

Cases of damage in the form of cracking from impacts are very common (this is especially true for side-looking mechanisms).

External elements often receive damage to the body, the so-called "shell", in the form of breaks, chips and scratches on the coating. In terms of control, cables require repair, which stretch over time.

Internal mirrors are prone to mechanical failure of the tilt and swivel angle adjustment.In case of poor-quality fastening to the windshield or under the influence of external factors, the mounting legs of standard devices can come off, which also causes inconvenience and difficulties in repairing.

On budget cars and cars of the Soviet period of development, most of the repair work is carried out independently. These include:

gluing the product to the windshield;
replacement of the housing and optical element;
replacement of control mechanics.

At the factory, the interior mirror is attached to the windshield using glue, which hardens under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. The vast majority of compounds that are used in a domestic environment are not suitable for such a procedure. This also applies to instant adhesives and epoxy-based formulations.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to purchase a special two-component adhesive, which includes an adhesive and an activator. The activator can be either liquid or aerosol. The joints made using such compounds are characterized by high strength, the absence of residual plasticity at the joint and the transparency of the seam. The composition is grabbed instantly, therefore, it is necessary to have the skills to work with it, since it will be almost impossible to tear off a crooked mirror.

The method of using this glue is quite simple:

A thin layer of the composition is applied to the metal platform of the holder (it does not dry for 5-6 minutes).
An activator is sprayed onto the windshield, previously degreased at the junction.
The holder plate is pressed against the seat on the windshield for a few seconds.
The solution that has emerged is cleaned - everything is ready.

To repair a side accessory, it must first be dismantled.

The algorithm for this operation is as follows:

from the inside of the door, the cap is removed from the fastening screws;
holding the case with one hand, unscrew the screws.

Further actions depend on the control system:

if the control system is mechanical and is a single whole with the body, then the mirror is carefully removed from the seat;
in the case of remote adjustment, the cables and / or wires that carry control signals and power must be carefully disconnected.

After dismantling, it is necessary to replace the damaged part of the device (mirror sheet, element of the body or mechanism) and repeat the procedure in reverse order.

On expensive cars of this kind, it is better to entrust repair work to specialists of a specialized service station. Moreover, it is almost impossible to repair a product with a built-in monitor of a DVR with a navigator on your own.

Approximate prices in Moscow repair shops are as follows: