My Kia Optima side view mirror popped off when it hit a trash can and I was wondering if there was any way to reattach it? I was thinking of using some really strong epoxy, but I don’t know where I would apply it since the mirror rotates when it comes in contact with other objects and if I used epoxy I might lose that functionality. I attached an image, if someone could look at this and give some suggestions and maybe tell me if epoxy would work and where to apply it, that would be great.
If you glue it down, it will not rotate anymore. It looks like the pivot is fractured and pieces are missing. Your best bet is to replace the whole unit and I suggest going to a salvage yard to find one.
You can buy them online cheap. I bought one for my camry with power adjust. Some require both power and heating element. I had to paint mine, but it looks as if yours is black and that’s the way they come. Search around for the best price, but here is a link to show you a sample and price. http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_parts/mirror/kia.html
I agree with a salvage yard purchase or an online purchase. If you have really deep pockets…you can purchase one at a dealership or use the money to purchase a small gold mine.
I would advise caution on a new cheap chinese mirror
I did that once, and it was a big mistake. The thing worked, but it fit really poorly. It always moved around a little bit, at freeway speeds, whereas the original part didn’t. And because of the sloppy build quality, it actually caused a whistling sound at freeway speeds
Might want to get a used genuine Kia mirror on ebay. Or the junkyard, as the others mentioned
This is probably wrong, but I’m seeing three lugs on the mirror that mate with three slots on the mount if you insert it and rotate clockwise.
It looks like two of the three prongs got broken off by the force.
One time I rented a car and the mirror stuck out more than my normal car, so I backed up and the mirror grabbed hold of the edge of a building and splayed way forward. I thought “oh no!”, that I had broken the mirror, this was going to be expensive, but when I checked I discovered on that make/model the mirror had a spring in it, for that exact purpose apparently. Thanks to proactive thinking by the car engineers, despite my bone-head move, all it did was spring out, then when I pulled forward it springed back in, and the mirror remained good as new.