Rear View Mirror Fell Off.

[steveo1960]

So I was adjusting my rear view mirror and next thing I know I'm holding it in my hands. No biggie, except that Ford must have used a pint of epoxy to secure this thing which is puzzling considering it fell off. So, question is how do I remove the epoxy (black and clear from what I can tell) from both the the little mirror mount clip AND the windshield which is glues to? Any ideas?

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[DARK HP]

Take back to dealer and say fix it

 

[Jivor]

Yikes, that is not a thing to expect. Ford: "Mirror mount glue is Job 1". I would not DIY unless it's a massive inconvenience to get to the dealership.

 

[roadpilot]

3/36 warranty will cover that. Otherwise, glass repair shops replace windshields every day, including moving the rear view mirror to the new glass. Give one a call and see what they suggest.

 

[Skye]

Ford must have used a pint of epoxy

If it is the fluid I'm thinking of, it's to help maintain the correct refractive index for the front-facing electronics. The conditions are akin to putting a utensil in a glass of water and viewing it from the side: the object appears broken. The fluid in the reservoir lets the electronics see (energy waves, passing through the glass) the outside world as it really is.

Agree: return to dealer to have them repair.

 

[steveo1960]

So here are a couple of pics. I'm terrible at pics as you can tell. The black stuff is the epoxy which is also on the metal mount. The clear stuff seems like clear epoxy of some sorts and it's not evenly applied but very bumpy. I was thinking of scraping just enough of the clear stuff off to allow for clean glass for the steel mount, gluing it back on with 3M adhesive which I have used in the past and is very strong, and putting it back together?
One last question, in the pic with the 2 wires. They were both disconnected so I put them back as they were laced (shorter on nearer terminal, longer on farther terminal ) Anyone know what they are for? Grounds maybe? TIA.

Dealer can't get me in for 1.5 weeks and driving around with no mirror is more difficult than one would assume!

 

[steveo1960]

So local dealer asked me to stop by tomorrow so the techs could take a look and see if any parts need to be ordered. Honestly I have never experienced anything like this before. I've reattached many a mirror mount but this one is quite different as the pics show. Seems to be a combination of black epoxy on top of clear 'epoxy' . So I will update after dealer techs look at it. I'm hoping the entire windshield doesn't need to be replaced. I'm not seeing anything in the Ford Factory Shop Manual about replacing just the mount but I'm just learning how to navigate that so I might be missing it.

 

[steveo1960]

So I stopped by the dealer this morning to have them take a look. Apparently Skye was correct in that the glass itself is damaged hence the wavy feeling clear epoxy or whatever it is. So the dealer took pictures to send to Ford to see if they will cover it.
Huh?
A $50k car and Ford won't cover an obvious glass manufacturing defect? There is no damage on the outside of the glass so I asked the service manager exactly how else this could have happened other than a defect? He had no answer but said if Ford refuses to cover it, your insurance will.
Nope. I'm not going to my insurance company for a defect in manufacturing.

I'll update when the dealer gets back to me.
I'm not getting a warm fuzzy with this one.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

DEALER! Just sayin.......................................

 

[tcman54]

The answer to everything is DUCT TAPE.

 

[roadpilot]

The answer to everything is DUCT TAPE.

Hey! It's all ball bearings nowadays. Now you prepare that Fetzer valve with some 3-in-1 oil and some gauze pads, and I'm gonna need 'bout ten quarts of anti-freeze, preferably Prestone. No, no make that Quaker State.

 

[steveo1960]

Well, at least you guys are cheering me up !

 

[steveo1960]

DEALER! Just sayin.......................................

Meaning the dealer should cover it?

 

[Gr8ful]

Absolutely. The Ford Motor Company is responsible for this problem. Don't let them tell you otherwise.
Next step, go to another dealer.

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