dhoerl

I read several posts on how to get the mirror off - remove the cover, disconnect harness, then rotate 90 degrees counter clockwise using rag and pliers. fine, did that, pop off it came, now I have this dark circle on the windshield and the mirror. There is no obvious way to re-install it...

Do I need to get a double-sided sticky circle or something somewhere?

I'm sending my mirror with the electro-luminesence material oozing out to get rebuild at http://www.radar-mirror.com/ - less than $100 and 1/3 of the cost of a new one.

David

SloopJohnB@mac.com

If you still have the metal plate stuck on the windshield you don't remove it..you put the new mirror onto it.

If you wish to remove the metal plate, one way I've done is to grip the sides of the plate with a channel lock pliers and rotate the plate...you will quickly exceed the shear strength of the adhesive and it will come loose.

Get a windshield mirror mount kit from the auto parts store to reattach whatever plate/fixture system you're using.

But it's still unclear what you're attempting to do...

dhoerl

Sorry I wasn't clear. When I twisted the cam mount separated - its stayed inside the mirror housing. So all I have now on the windshield is a dark circle (not even any glue!).

The cam mount had a plastic wafer with adhesive on both sides - I assume Audi did this to separate the cam metal surface from the glass.

I'm going to see if my friendly audi dealer can provide just the adhesive wafer, but assuming that won't happen. I'm a bit leery of just gluing the cam metal onto the glass when Audi didn't do it that way.

David

dhoerl

I fixed it by using a glue kit from Pep Boys:

- sand the back of the mirror with very fine emery paper to get all old glue off
- sand the little black sticker left on the windshield with same emery paper
- apply activator to windshield black sticker
- apply just ONE drop of the glue to mirror, per instructions, which at the time seemed like too little
- press and hold

OH SH*T - I realized the mirror was upside down! Then I had to pop the mirror stalk out of the holder, rotate, and put it back. The glue held!!! I was sure I was going to have to do it all over again!!!

dhoerl

I used the mirror repair glue from auto repair shops several times, and sometime later - 6 months to a year - the mirror fell off again.

Finally, I discovered that you can get 1 minute epoxy! So I ordered a small tube from Amazon, pulled the metal post out of the mirror housing with paint lid removers, sanded it and the black circle, and glued post on with epoxy. Instead of the small drop I used a lot of epoxy too!

The post held after 2 or 3 minutes, let it set over night, and now that mirror is on for ever! [Well I sure hope it is!]

plat27265

So, what happens to the rear view mirror if the windshield needs to be replaced if it is permanently stuck on it using epoxy?

dhoerl

Well "permanent" doesn't really mean that! It means "longer than the crappy super-glue like stuff you get from Pep Boys". If I need to get the button off, I would remote the mirror, then heat the post with a torch (propane, like used for plumbing soldering) - it would drop off.

Or, perhaps a huge pair of vice grips would break it off, then I'd wire brush the bottom to clean it off.

That super-glue like stuff is for metal to glass connections, not metal to black plastic wafer.

Having the thing fall off yearly was getting tiresome...

Harleyguy

USE A MIRROR MOUNTING KIT from the auto parts store! Commercial epoxies and "super glues" fail after short amount of time because they don't expand/ contract at the proper rate. Metal and glass expand at different rates in the sunlight. The mirror adhesive kit adhesive is designed to stick to both metal and glass (which expand/ contract at different rates) without losing its "stick". Don't believe me? Talk to a professional auto glass installer. They will tell you the right stuff is what works.

dhoerl

Dear Harleyguy,

I had a RVM that leaked its dimming fluid and had it "fixed". Told to twist it off the post - well the post came off too.

Note that post bonds to black disk (plastic of some type?) not glass.

THREE times I used the auto store mirror glue to put post back. Always used emory paper to lightly roughen surface and get old glue off.

THREE times the mirror fell off after a year. In the first attempt, I stupidly put the mirror in upside down, and had to twist if off the post to flip it. The post held. Then a year later, pop, off it came at the slightest touch to mirror.

This time I tried something else. If it falls of next summer I will update this post.

PS: after 3 failed attempts I gave up. I thought of going to a professional shop, and if the epoxy fails then I'll do that. Note that most epoxies have some elasticity. If the bond was right to the glass I would not have used the epoxy.

meternerd

Guess it's just me, but why bother with the dimming mirror. mine leaked, I cracked the windshield trying to get it off, insurance paid to have a new windshield installed, but the new windshield came with the mirror mount already attached. I told the installer I was just going to put a manually tilting mirror on, so i needed the mount removed. Didn't want to crack the new windshield. He used my propane torch to heat the mount, twisted it a bit with pliers and off it came. I scraped off the disk and glue, bought a $20 mirror at O'Riellys and it's been on for 3 years. Works fine. Driver's side outside mirror now darkened a bit, too, but who cares. Still fine day or night.