How to fix inside rear view mirror

Guys,

Going to push my luck here and ask for help with something else. The inside rear view mirror in my car has the day/night tilt feature rendered inoperable because the flimsy plastic bits in the mechanism have given up the ghost. The mirror and glass are also ratty and need replacing.

Does anyone have experience rebuilding their rear view mirrors? I can only imagine that the internal parts which allow the day/night feature to operate are common to about 6 million Fiats and that the glass itself is common item.

I have no problem buying another complete mirror assembly, taking the internal parts I need and transplanting them to my mirror body. Just need to know which parts to use. Thanks again for any help.

Kind Regards,
Paul

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=136064769#post136064769

scroll down for a site to get parts.

D

 

I think we need a little Truth in Advertising here.

These "mirrors" are actually Engine-Bay-Fire-Detection-Devices since the only thing you can see is the lid to the engine bay.

Likewise, the side "mirror" is nothing but an Engine-Air-Scoop-Intake-Observation-Device.

 

You must be taller than 5'9"

 

Dave, I called the Fiat place from the other thread and no luck at all. The best I could do is a mirror rebuild kit which gives you a new glass and mirror. While I need those items, they are the easy bits.

What I really need is a source for the internal plastic parts that allow the day/night feature to operate. The parts do not have to be the exact same ones as in my mirror, they simply need to have the same function. With all the Fiats running around finding compatible parts (even if I have to buy a whole Fiat mirror) should not be that hard. I am going to call C. Obert and Co. tomorrow to see what they say.

I'm surprised that this is not a commonly known fix for the Dino mirrors. When you see what's inside there its a surprise the internals did not break on the way to the dealership. Once I get it figured out, will post what I find

Kind Regards,
Paul

 

Have you opened it up? Quite simple to do with 4 mini flatheads, then you'll see the pivot arm, backing, and threshold rod. I'll bet the backing has come off.

Please take a photo and post it here.

 

I had all kinds of junk caught between the mirror and the "day night" piece of glass over it. If you gently pry the black metal surround off from the back, you can separate the two pieces and clean them. I just never put the clear glass back and it was like new! Finally could see behind me clearly.

 

I had all kinds of junk caught between the mirror and the "day night" piece of glass over it. If you gently pry the black metal surround off from the back, you can separate the two pieces and clean them. I just never put the clear glass back and it was like new! Finally could see behind me clearly.

 

Go to: International Auto Parts.com and (possibly) buy an original FIAT mirror from a....

Talk to Jake, he's very helpful and knowledgeable.

Regards, Alberto

 

Thank you for your suggestions.

Based on some of the replies I may not have been clear in my initial post. My mirror is completely apart. That is how I was able to diagnose the precise problem. The outer glass and the mirror glass itself are both a bit ratty and will be replaced. This however has nothing to do with the functioning of the day/night feature which is controlled by some wire and plastic bits that are in the mirror housing. These parts cannot be bought so the best you can do is to buy a complete Fiat/Alfa mirror that functions in the same way and transplant the relevant parts.

Alberto, I will try international auto (their catalogue is 1 foot away from me on my desk ) I have also called Obert and Co. and they might have what I need in their used parts stock.

Can't post pictures yet but will get it sorted shortly and will post my fix once I know it works.

Kind Regards,
Paul

 

I believe the wire is an arched spring, affixed to a back mounting on the glass with the protruding lever being the pivot. That's the way it was on mine, but I had hoped you would post some photos so I don't have to guess at your configuration. Pretty easy to fix if it is.

 

Scott,

Sounds like the same configuration. There are 2 main pieces of plastic in the housing. One grabs around the mirror from the top edge, the other grabs around the mirror from the bottom edge. These are then linked to one another and held in place under tension by a wire ring. The edge which grabs the mirror on both these pieces of plastic is broken. As a result nothing stays in place and the day/night ceases to work.

Will get a photo or two posted so you can see what I mean. Maybe my 'assistant' Nuvolari can do this if he's reading. I'm just not set up to post pics yet.

Kind Regards,
Paul

 

When you have pictures, could you send me a description of the plate that the mirror snaps onto? I have the mirror but no mounting plate

clay

 

Clay,

Will be happy to assist. I will post here since I would guess others could benefit from seeing these pics. BTW the plastic pieces don't 'snap' onto the mirror. A better way to describe it is that they grab on to the edges by virtue of their shape. Viewed in side cross-section they have an 'L' shape with shorter leg of the 'L' being the one that hooks around the mirror edge. If this leg snaps off , as it has in my case and I am sure countless others, you have an 'I' profile that doesn't grab anything

Kind Regards,
Paul

 

Here are pics of the mirror for reference:
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Thanks Rob. As you can see in the pics there are 2 main plastic pieces that go behind the mirror (the black and white one) which should be linked together under tension by the circular wire ring. In my case both the white and black pieces have their 'gripping edge' snapped off so they cannot hook around the mirror, consequently cannot be tensioned by the ring, and just flop around inside the mirror housing. If anyone has experience fixing this I'm all ears.

Kind Regards,
Paul

 

Paul,

My little flip switch just snapped last night. I'm in the same boat. Any conclusions?

Thanks,

Manny

 

We have made no progress on this and could use a little help to get this project finished. So far we have not managed to find a mirror that has parts that cross reference to the Dino mirror.

Any input would be great as we now have 2 owners needing help.

 

Possible long shot but this Fiat Dino mirror looks similar http://www.dinoparts.de/EN/fiat-coupe-spider-2000/interior/interior-342/rear-view-mirrow-4948.html

 

Since I started this thread I thought I would follow up. I have not had any time since originally posting to look at the mirror further. Other assemblies on the Dino and my day job have taken precedence although I will come back and post once I have a solution. BTW the dino parts. de mirror is shared with newer Fiats (and some Ferraris) and uses a completely different and more robust pivot system without any interchangeable parts.

Best Regards,

Paul

 

Turns out the Dino mirror shares its exact internals with those from the Fiat X1/9 (and the Stratos, but there are not a lot of those lying around last I looked). All you need if the day/night feature is not working are the two plastic bits that grip around the upper and lower part of the mirror. Finally got this assembly put back together.

Special thanks to a well known F-Chatter for pointing out this cross reference and for kindly sending me the parts I needed from a broken X1/9 mirror he had in his workshop.

Best Regards,
Paul

 

I can't believe it's been 3 years!!! Well my day/night switch has been non-functional all this time. But I've been OK with not having that function. But now, the reflective piece inside the unit is flopping around. I really have to focus only on seeing the reflection on the glass and not on the reflective piece inside. I guess I really have to open up the unit.

Am I correct in understanding that I can separate the mirror from the base via a single nut behind the arm?

Then I can slowly pry the mirror unit apart, correct? I already have an X1/9 mirror to scavenge parts from.

Any advice is greatly appreciated,

Manny

 

Manny,

Exactly as you described.

The whole thing should come apart pretty easily. Just be careful not to bend or kink the thin metal frame that holds the glass and the housing together. If you can, use your fingers and not any sort of a pry tool to separate these. PM if you need any images of how the assembly should look once put together.

Regards,
Paul



Paul

 

Hi Paul,

Glad to know that I might be able to part this with my fingers. I always worry when I have to pry stuff apart.

Thanks for the advice,

Manny

 

It took a bit of gentle prying but I got my mirror apart. It took a lot longer to disassemble the X1/9 mirror. But once apart, I was expecting similar internal parts. But not a chance.

I've circled what I suspect is wrong with my mirror internals. But what in the X1/9 internals do I replace it with? Did I get the wrong X1/9 mirror?
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