Reinstall rear view mirror

I know exactly what you are feeling, as I went through this a few months ago.

I assume the bracket is mounted to the roof and your concern is how to snap the mirror back into the bracket.

take note of the three spring-loaded tabs and make sure they are clean and have a thin layer of grease. Likewise, inspect the bracket to make sure its openings are clean, and three thin Q-tip dabs of grease here would also be a good thing  

I am right handed and found this technique worked well for me while sitting in the passenger seat.

grab the mirror stem with your left hand and, holding the mirror at the optimal angle,  index the two rear spring tabs into their two bracket holes as fully as possible and have the single spring tab as close to touching the bracket as possible; your left hand will be between the mirror and the windshield. Holding the mirror, at the required angle, as FIRMLY in place as possible, ball your right hand into an open fist and use the little finger “heel’ of your hand to firmly hit the mirror’s base above the single spring tab.

start off with a firm tap and increase your energy levels as required. Do not hit it like you are at the county fair trying to win a prize and do not hit it with anything other than your fist.

I just went out and popped mine off and popped it on in about 15 seconds. It’s one of those things that becomes amazingly easy once you’ve mastered it a couple of times.

Larry

Larry, Thank you for the great detailed response. I was tempted to go the hammer route but thought that the windshield was more important. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

Ken

Please let me know how it goes for you.

I failed to find a detailed step by step so I thought it might be nice to put one into the forum. I did get some person to person tips so I wasn’t completely blind but sometimes one is on their own.

Larry

Larry,

Finally got around to the task at hand. I used your method and it worked like a charm. Thank you

I then pulled it off again but for some reason it wouldn't go back on. So I tried it from the driver side.

Using my left hand I grabbed the stem, aligned the single bottom tab and pushed in as far as I could. Pulling down I aligned to top tabs and with my right hand tapped it right back in.

I tried that method again but failed. I eventually got it back in. Like you said, aligning the tabs is key.

Thanks again!

Ken

Glad you were able to use my help. Sounds like you may have found an approach that works better for you. At least it is now a skill set you have obtained, and not at the expense of a windshield. 😉

Larry