Hi all.
My internal rear view mirror has become dislodges at the ball joint.
ie: the bracket (arm) that fits to the roof trim is still firmly attached. the mirror dislodged at the ball joint. (The part that swivels).
I've tried pushing (snapping) it back on however the pressure needed to do it, would definitely dislodge the bracket arm from its holding point.
Its one tough SOB to put back together so any ideas that might help would be appreciated.
How it came to be dislodged is a whole other story............................
You'll have to put a temporary lubricant on the ball and the ball socket.....something like WD-40, as it'll evaporate and not leave any lubrication....which you don't want here. Afterward, remove the neck that is still attached to the car, and then old both pieces in your hands between your legs and push like hell. Though, do take note of the condition of the plastic. If it's old/brittle int he least it'll break when you try to mate the two pieces. If it looks crusty then it's probably going to break. Otherwise you should be find. Just try to avoid bending the mirror part too much, as the glass will flex only so much before it cracks. For safety, put a rag or towel between the mirror part and your hand in case it breaks. I learned to do that the hard way. hah
Aaron, I can confirm the 'hard-way' learning method :)
The plastic in one of my mirrors was in fact brittle . So it got cracks after first attempt of separation. I know it's not the orthodox technique of repair, but I added a couple of drops of neoprene glue and after a few years it still works like a charm. The purpose of the glue was not to glue the 2 pieces together obviously, but rather to create a gummy layer to compensate for the looseness created by the cracks. It's stiff enough to hold its position but with enough tolerance to allow for adjustments. Not the most professional solution but certainly practical, cheap, and most importantly, effective.
Cheers
Success!
I sprayed some silicone on the ball joint and where it inserts into the mirror.
Rather than take the bracket part out of the interior frame, I used a builders "G" clamp to exert the pressure between the 2 parts. (In place of my hands).
I put a piece of 60mm x 25mm timber to completely cover the plastic surrounding the mirror part .
This enabled an all over even spread of G clamp pressure on the mirror side.
With the top foot of the G clamp held in position over the mounting bracket, I turned the G clamp tightening handle slightly and "SNAP"...
On She Went.
Its nice to have a win.