Reattach rear view mirror?

twopenny

So a year ago it fell off on a Friday evening. A kind guy who personalises camper vans was open and he kindly used one of his superstick pads.

It recently went into a garage for work and the mirror (because it's stiff to alter) has been pulled and it's half way off.

I've tried double sided tape which was hard going getting it in the gap but it's not working at all.

I suspect normal sticky pads aren't going to do the trick.

Any suggestions please? I did stick one with superglue which worked as long as the car lasted but someone said 'Oh you shouldn't do that' but no idea why.

And any suggestions how to make the mirror itself easier to alter position would be most welcome. WD40??

clive0510

pull it off all together. clean off the old sticky with adhesive remover. (amazon or ebay). you can get new sticky pads for that purpose. again amazon or ebay. job done.

daveyjp

Don't bother DIY.  Find a windscreen fitter and get them to do it with the system they use.

Mildly_Miffed

WD40 is the right answer if you need to displace some water. It's rarely the right answer otherwise - it's got to be one of the most misused products of our time. It's also utterly mediocre at most of the jobs it gets used for.

A bit of lock graphite powder would be where I'd start for a lubricant for the mirror's pivots.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352603097939

As for sticking it on the 'screen... The reason not to use superglue is that it doesn't allow for differential expansion. The screen is sat in full sun in summer and covered in ice and snow in winter. As it expands and contracts, if the mirror base adhesive can't also do that, it can break the windscreen.
The proper sticky pads are cheap.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255880384851

twopenny

Thank you all. 

It's a toss up whether to order now or wait till Tuesday and go to our local car parts place, either means a wait with it being Bank Holiday.

And thanks for the explanation about the glue. One part of the previous sticky stuff is on the windscreen (still stuck tight) and as a temporary measure I may try some lighter glue on that in the meantime as cool and wet seems the order of the day,

I've tried tapes to hold it in place for a while but it's tourist mayhem here and it's essential as it seems they can't reverse or pull into hedges on holiday

born_again

isopropyl alcohol to clean screen & remove old residue. Then a bit of gentle heat. Then a good 3M pad. Or search Amazon for 

Automedic 25mm x 4m | Number Plate Tape for Cars

Sticks like rocking horse poo

531063

Try some silicone sealant

Goudy

Proper 3M sticky pads or Gorilla glue make a similar product.
As mentioned, clean both sides first with isopropyl alcohol first (usually found in hand sanitiser), then warm the surfaces slightly.

Fit them to the mirror base completely, then trim off any excess over hanging before attempting to stick it to the windscreen.

If you stick these pads properly, you have to saw/garrote them off, they stick that well.

Both Loctite (Loctite 319) and Evo - Stik make a specific rear view mirror glue but I've never had to use it.