I thought about posting this in The Pit (to pit myself), but I’ve got General Questions as well.
This evening I dropped a friend off at home, and while backing out of her driveway, my car grazed the swung-open door of the chain link fence surrounding her house, and my passenger side view mirror mounting completely cracked off. I drive a 1996 Honda Civic hatchback, for what that’s worth. I have the entire mirror mounting, in one piece, but all the plastic parts that connect it to the door of the car are cracked through.
This could have been a lot worse, obviously. It was a tight driveway, a bad backwards angle, and starting to get dark to boot. But I’d really like to get this part fixed or replaced. I’d tape the mirror back on securely, but I’d worry about the tape becoming less sticky with time and the mirror flying off into moving traffic and damaging someone or something. I’d be liable for that, probably, so I’d rather fix it if I can afford to.
Has anyone ever lost a side view mirror, or replaced one? How much does it cost, generally? Can anyone think of a good way to just refasten this one, like an adhesive (or my first thought, just a lot of duct tape)? I am so despondent and pissed at myself for a momentary bad decision, but I’d rather get my car fixed than keep driving around without a side mirror.
Luckily, the fence door is just fine, or I’d feel even worse!
If you carry **collision **coverage on your car, check with your insurance company and see if there is a “policy surcharge threshold.” In English, this is the dollar value of a claim after which your rates go up. My company, for instance, has a $1,000 threshold–claims that cost the company less than $1,000 (read: $1,250 repair against a $250 deductible) are completely disregarded, forever, when it comes time to calculate the premium.
Longshot, but possible: If the glass on the mirror is broken, then this counts as a “glass breakage” claim and will be covered by comprehensive. Comprehensive claims are not normally surchargable (read: I’ve never heard of it happening). If the replacement of that piece of broken mirror happens to require the replacement of the entire mirror body (this is sometimes the case when the parts are not sold seperately) then that is all included in the replacement of that piece of glass.
In a similar vein: a co-worker has a 1999 Camry and had his sideview mirror snapped off in a sideswiping. He got an estimate of $550 (this includes touching up the paint on the door).
I’ve replaced a side mirror that was damaged in an accident similar to yours. The car was an old Seat Toledo and the cost was about $40-50, but if the mirror is motorized, it could cost maybe up to $200.
To replace it, you probably have to remove a good deal of the door’s plastics in order to gain access to the screws that hold the mirror. Generaly, it is an easy and cheap repair to do yourself. IMO, there’s no need to contact insurance companies.
The passenger side motorized rvm on my 94 Buick was ‘popped’ of recently. Took the car to a local mechanic to have him replace it along with some other work. When I picked up the car the mirror assembly, plastic shell and all was firmly attached as before with a neat black bead of adhesive cement around the mount. He told me that it was best described a something like super glue only better. I is put in place and then sprayed with the accelerator for an instant bond.
Kitchen counter top sections are joinded in much the same way and the joint is invisible and alleged to be as strong as the original cast tops. The top in question was one with a long 16 ft leg and a shorter 6 ft L section. The joint was made on the short side of the L . After cementing, curing, removal of clamps, and fine sanding/polishing it was totally invisible!
Inquire around. The charge was nominal compared to a new mirror assembly, painting, and installation.