Rear view mirror falls off

[Muse]

Today I went to charge the battery in my old 1983 Chrysler Town and Country mini-wagon (I only use it occasionally) and found the RVM on the floor. The glue that attached it to the glass windshield had separated from the glass. The glue itself was still semi-attached to the steel plate that the mirror assembly attaches to. I removed the set screw and now I have the metal plate itself, which weighs .63 ounce. I got the glue off with a razor scraper and cleaned the steel with acetone.

I'm not going to turn the car over, so there's some difficulty in gluing the plate back to the windshield (since gravity will be fighting to pull the pieces apart), which I figure I should clean carefully with acetone before attempting to glue the plate to it. I can see where it was. Can I use 5 minute epoxy and just hold it there? Or do I have to get a special glue or should I do it or have it done some other way? I could use duct tape to hold things together for a slower acting glue.

I live in Berkeley, CA, and summers are in general not very hot, although it can really heat up once in a while. However, I don't think it got very hot since I last used the car (it had it's mirror on then).

Anyone have experience with this repair? TIA for ideas.

 

[Muse]

This looks like some good advice here: SOAK: Attaching rear view mirror to windshield

 

[dustmann]

The gel type of super glue works pretty good. Always works for me, at least for a couple of years . Just take off the metal plate, squirt some glue on it and stick it up where it was before. You'll need to hold the plate with pressure applied from your hand to the windshield for about a minute (I usually count to 60) Then let it sit for another few minutes and slide the mirror onto the plate.

 

[jtvang125]

There's a glue made specifically for gluing back RVM that uses that metal plate at most auto parts store. It's a two step process where you apply the base and then the activator to create the bond between the plate and windshield.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: jtvang125
There's a glue made specifically for gluing back RVM that uses that metal plate at most auto parts store. It's a two step process where you apply the base and then the activator to create the bond between the plate and windshield.

I've used this stuff before. It's not too hard, and works well.

 

[HiTek21]

They sell kits at the autopart store. You take a little sandpaper and rough up the area where you want to mount the mirror tab. Apply the glue as specified by the directions and mount the mirror. Let it dry for 24 hours and should be good for a good while.

 

[SearchMaster]

Yeah, it works well. Mine used to fall off all the time, and superglue would last for 6-12 months. The stuff specific for RVM lasted for years until I sold the car.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: HiTek21
They sell kits at the autopart store. You take a little sandpaper and rough up the area where you want to mount the mirror tab. Apply the glue as specified by the directions and mount the mirror. Let it dry for 24 hours and should be good for a good while.

You mean scratch up the glass a little? I guess something like 400 or 600 grit wet-dry would do... I was wondering just that - should I sand the back of the plate and/or the glass where I'm going to glue it?

I got the Loctite RVM glue kit, $3.49. Haven't used it yet. The kit says to use alcohol for cleaning but I'm thinking that acetone will do a better job.

 

[Muse]

I used acetone to clean everything and 220 wet/dry to scratch up the glass. We'll see how long it holds on.