Are There Ways to Partially Replace/Fix Broken Side Mirror?

[Nervo19]

I'll tell you how a body shop would fix it:

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

If you can't find one here go to a wrecking yard and have them source one in your body color. They are hooked up to a network of salvage yards. It will probably be cheaper than the aftermarket ones from Amazon that cost about $79 a pair IIRC. I got heated ones that way. There are good tutrials on here or Toyota120 on how to open the door to install them.

 

[JustinB]

Thx for the help Justin. I'll try what you're saying...I don't see screws on the bottom of my 08 sport edition (heated).


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Gotta pull a cover off. There's even a tiny slit for a flat head to go in and help pop it off.

I actually have 2 screws in a similar position on my lexus es300 (camry) that loosen all the time and cause nasty vibrating. Just have to tighten them once in a while and the shaking goes away. That's why I suspect it (though can't back it up as I haven't had any mirror shake on the 4runner yet)

 

[fayraree]

Gotta pull a cover off. There's even a tiny slit for a flat head to go in and help pop it off.

I actually have 2 screws in a similar position on my lexus es300 (camry) that loosen all the time and cause nasty vibrating. Just have to tighten them once in a while and the shaking goes away. That's why I suspect it (though can't back it up as I haven't had any mirror shake on the 4runner yet)

Wow!!! That's exactly what I was looking for, thank you! Do I need to take the whole assembly off to do that? I suppose I can try to jimmy it off with a flat head while the assembly is still on the car.

 

[JustinB]

Wow!!! That's exactly what I was looking for, thank you! Do I need to take the whole assembly off to do that? I suppose I can try to jimmy it off with a flat head while the assembly is still on the car.

Not sure on that one, I happened to have it off so it was easy, not sure how it would work still on the car. Give it a shot! I find it crazy they wouldn't make those screws accessible while on the vehicle...but I've seen crazier from toyota so who knows.

Report back when you find out!

 

[fayraree]

so I got a dealer to pull the mirror off because trying to stick a screw driver into that tab with the mirror still on was starting to damage the paint; it wasn't coming off easily from that angle.

they inspected the screws inside and those were not loose; that wasn't the problem. The issue was a broken tab deeper inside which we couldn't see, in the mirror portion of the assembly. The technician removed the screws visible in your picture but there wasn't anything that could be done and he recommended replacing the mirror with a new one (US$250 painted and installed) or I should go looking for one at junk yards. Thanks for your help, OP!

 

[JustinB]

so I got a dealer to pull the mirror off because trying to stick a screw driver into that tab with the mirror still on was starting to damage the paint; it wasn't coming off easily from that angle.

they inspected the screws inside and those were not loose; that wasn't the problem. The issue was a broken tab deeper inside which we couldn't see, in the mirror portion of the assembly. The technician removed the screws visible in your picture but there wasn't anything that could be done and he recommended replacing the mirror with a new one (US$250 painted and installed) or I should go looking for one at junk yards. Thanks for your help, OP!

Check out my write up. See if you can find any used mirror. Something can be done. Maybe Toyota doesn't sell all the pieces individually and that's why people seem to think we always need all new mirrors, so you may have to find someone else's to butcher.

See my recent write-up: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...or-disassembly-down-inner-guts-pic-heavy.html

I'm betting you can just pull the glass off and one of the securing holes/tabs on the motor-mirror mount (white in the pictures in my write-up) or one of the corresponding securing pieces on the actual mirror is broken (if the tech knew for sure that a 'broken tab deeper inside' was the issue). But I've been wrong before...

 

[fayraree]

Thanks a lot, Justin! Since the mirror doesn't actually move while travelling on the highway or any potholes or train tracks I've driven over, I think I'm good enough for now...it will bother me that the mirror isn't in perfect working order but I'm thinking I might perform the upgrade that I've seen on this forum to replace the current sideview mirrors with the new ones that have a turning indicator. Might just wait for that!