Door mirror damaged

[JohnD2]

Hi. Some careless !Removed! has recently 'clipped' my driver's side door mirror. The rear cover and the small cover containing the turn indicator bulb were knocked off. Can anyone help me with a.  How to safely prise off the rear cover?    and b.   The correct sequence for replacement of the two covers?

T I A, J

[bathtub tom]

I've often dislodged the side repeater indicators in my door mirrors (THEY AIN'T WING MIRRORS) on my garage door frame. I've always been able to just 'nudge' them back into place.

[m456an]

They should just clip in place. Check carefully the inside of the covers maybe something has broke but may still fit on. As the cover has to properly go round the indicator so check the plastic connector is not broken there.

[Mick F]

Happened to me only yesterday, but mine was self-inflicted.  I'd caught the LH mirror on a hedge when reversing.

No damage, but the indicator unit and the mirror back had come off.  The indicator unit was dangling on its wire.

All went back easily without issue.  I was surprised how easily they come off and go back on.

Mick.

[Mick F]

7 hours ago, bathtub tom said:

....... (THEY AIN'T WING MIRRORS) ...............

It all depends on your definition of "Wing" though they are usually referred to s Door Mirrors, but personally, I don't like that.  Side Mirrors would be better.

There are four wings on a car and you could say that the Side Mirror was looking past the rear wing.

Mick.

[bathtub tom]

I was driving when wing mirrors were fitted to the front wings. It was, I believe, due to EU regulations, requiring mirrors to adjustable from inside the car that necessitated moving them to the doors. There were some wing mirrors adjustable from inside the car via Bowden cables, but I guess costs ruled them out for new cars.

Don't know the term for mirrors on single seat racing cars, as they don't have doors and mirrors on the wings would be useless.

Don't get me started on PIN numbers, LCD displays and people that pronounce aitch as haitch!....................................................nurse.

[mrpj]

Recently replaced one of mine for the same reason. Had to buy a new primed cover (courtesy of Parts-King) and spray it myself.

It is easier to remove the cover after the mirror glass has been removed. That is only clipped into place (a circular clip arrangment). Although not strictly necessry. Adjust the glass to one of it's extreme positions and either using your fingers or a "padded" pry tool lever the glass off - it's a bit daunting but will release. If it's heated there are two push on connectors to remove.

Access to the cover securing clips, to squeeze them together, then makes it easier to release by minimising the risk of broken clips. It is a horizontal remove.

The indicator repeater plastic cover is held in place by one almost central clip, again a horizontal removal.

[mrpj]

These might be of use? The black cylindrical part of the repeater is the lamp holder.

One backside covering caveat, the 2018 year mirrors might not be the same though.

[FROSTYBALLS]

There was an amendment to the MOT standards for vehicles first used from 1st June 1978 relating to mirrors which stated:

"Except in the case of a mirror which, if knocked out of its alignment can be returned to its former position without needing to be adjusted, each exterior mirror on the driver's side of the vehicle shall be capable of being adjusted by the driver when in his driving position. This requirement does not prevent such a mirror from being locked into position from the outside of the vehicle."

[mrfixer]

I remember Japanese cars arriving in the early '70s with door mirrors so I doubt its an EU thing. Door mirrors are much more useful than wing mirrors.

[Bomber209]

Hi, if you don;t have a rear loading space (Hatchback/Estate) you don't need external mirrors,

[Heidfirst]

3 hours ago, Bomber209 said:

Hi, if you don;t have a rear loading space (Hatchback/Estate) you don't need external mirrors,

except that the law requires you to have them (for cars first used after 26/01/10 you need 2) ...

[mrpj]

12 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

except that the law requires you to have them (for cars first used after 26/01/10 you need 2) ...

Two mirrors, yes, but not two external mirrors.

[JohnD2]

First thing,   -    thanks to all respondents with positive info. They gave me the confidence to do the dismantling. As mrpj pointed out, there might be different models but I think that this will help. To remove the outer cover, stand at the front side of the mirror, wriggle your fingernails into the gap between the outer cover and the black mirror surround in an arc around the outside point. Apply increasing pressure and lift the edge of the cover away from the mirror. There will be nasty cracking noises but these are only the clips giving way. I guess that these items are particularly vulnerable in today's traffic conditions and so the designers make them easy to replace. H T H. J

[bathtub tom]

1 hour ago, JohnD2 said:

To remove the outer cover, stand at the front side of the mirror, wriggle your fingernails into the gap between the outer cover and the black mirror surround in an arc around the outside point. Apply increasing pressure and lift the edge of the cover away from the mirror. There will be nasty cracking noises but these are only the clips giving way.

What you need is some spudgers. I wasn't aware of them until I needed to replace a tablet Battery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spudger

[Heidfirst]

5 hours ago, mrpj said:

Two mirrors, yes, but not two external mirrors.

Sorry, but as I stated, for cars first used after 26/01/10 you require both a nearside & offside mirror plus an internal mirror (unless the internal mirror can't give an adequate view to rear) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/780602/information-sheet-mirrors.pdf

[Mick F]

Reading that PDF, it says that cars first used before 1978 have to have an external mirror.

I'm sure that some of my cars early had no external mirrors. Can't prove it though.

Mick.

[Mick F]

I was thinking hard about my Minis of the years.  First one I bought was a 1968 one.

Looking at Wiki to see some photos of them.  Zero external mirrors.

Mick.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The DoT information sheet that Scott linked contained a rider as regards mirrors on vehicles first used before June 1978, which was:

"At least one mirror fitted externally on the nearside unless a mirror which gives the driver an adequate view to the rear is fitted internally"

Presumably if an external mirror wasn't fitted to your 68 Mini, which would have been a Mk II or Clubman, the internal mirror was deemed to provide an adequate view to the rear.

The white Mini you pictured was the first production Mini (621 AOK), which may not have been typical of production vehicles.This car can be seen at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon - last time I visited it was on display, and the first production Toyota Carina E was also in the workshop.