Last week while adjusting my rearview mirror it fell off the windshield with a chunk of the windshield attached. I am dumbfounded. I did not even pull that hard on it! Nonetheless, I have tried reattaching the rearview mirror plate with the chunk of glass still attached with glass glue twice, but the mirror falls off after a day or two. Looking for some cost-effective ideas. I would rather not have to replace my entire windshield.
I would try Gorilla Glue.
I’ve glued stuff together with this, and you better make sure you have things where you want them before it sets.
Tester
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Thank you. I’ll give it a try. The Loctite glass glue did nothing.
You’ll have to make sure the two pieces you want to bond are absolutely clean.
Tester
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Any recommendations on how to clean the “female” (the windshield) end of this reattachment? Not sure how to clean a hole with jagged glass and adhesive dried in.
Try spraying brake parts cleaner into a rag.
Tester
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Try rubbing alcohol on Q-tips to clean the rough glass.
Check your auto insurance coverage to see if you have full class coverage. If you do you can get the windshield replaced for free. you would be surprised how many people do not know they have full glass coverage on their policy.
Also, you can always clean the glass off the metal plate and reattach the mirror over a inch or two from the damaged area.
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I agree. I have had windshields replaced for sand blasting that affected vision in the sun. Having no mirror is certainly a safety problem. Not to disagree though but I have had no luck with gorilla glue. I have used the mirror adhesive but you have to clean with alcohol and just cement the tab until cured, not the whole mirror. I would have used the epoxy windshield repair used for repairing chips. Or you could move the mirror over an inch to a good part of the windshield and fill the hole. I think the glass is compromised though and delaminating and should be replaced.
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Good ideas above. I presume the mirror itself attaches to a u-shaped piece of metal which is glued to the windshield. If so, suggest to remove the attached glass shard from the u-shaped metal gadget first. Don’t try to reattach at the exact same spot. Chisel or grind it all off. Then re-glue it to a smooth part of the windshield, a little to the left or right of where it used to be. The advantage of using the conventional super-glue method (using the 2-part type spec’d for auto mirrors) is if you knock the mirror it will usually just fall off, not damaging the windshield. I don’t use that method myself b/c the mirror always falls off by itself after a few years, which I find annoying. Instead I use JB Weld epoxy glue (classic version). Clean the interfaces, then a thin layer of JB on the u-shape metal, then hold it to the windshield using duct-tape. Allow to set for a few days, reattach the mirror, done. Very unlikely to ever fall off by itself. The downside to this method of course is if you bump the mirror by accident it may damage the windshield. It seems car owners can’t win for losing … lol …
Small cracks and chips can be repaired on windshields, I would call a windshield company and ask them or probably just drive to one to see if it can be repaired properly…