I'm not very handy, but could I replace a broken side mirror?
November 5, 2018 7:46 PM Subscribe
My side mirror broke off today (I tried to enter my garage at a poor angle!) and I am pretty annoyed by this. I was looking around online and it appears that this type of repair is (apparently) much cheaper to do yourself. However, if I'm not a handy person... is it realistic for me to do this myself?
(My car is a Nissan Altima, if that matters)
I want to save money and I feel so horrified that I made such a dumb-ass mistake.
I was reading advice online and everyone makes it sound like you're a complete moron if you take it in to get repaired, because it's so much cheaper to do it yourself apparently. Everyone also makes it sound so easy! Is replacing a broken side mirror actually easy enough for someone who has almost NO handy skills? I can follow instructions, but... yeah. Is it actually a good idea?
Should I bother trying to fix it myself or just spend the money to take it in? (Also, is this something that I should get repaired at a dealership or will any mechanic do? I'm in Canada... would Canadian Tire suffice?)
(My car is a Nissan Altima, if that matters)
I want to save money and I feel so horrified that I made such a dumb-ass mistake.
I was reading advice online and everyone makes it sound like you're a complete moron if you take it in to get repaired, because it's so much cheaper to do it yourself apparently. Everyone also makes it sound so easy! Is replacing a broken side mirror actually easy enough for someone who has almost NO handy skills? I can follow instructions, but... yeah. Is it actually a good idea?
Should I bother trying to fix it myself or just spend the money to take it in? (Also, is this something that I should get repaired at a dealership or will any mechanic do? I'm in Canada... would Canadian Tire suffice?)
It's easy, the only warning I have is make sure you know how to get the door panel off properly. Some are held on with these plastic things that you can accidentally break but if you check a video or go look at a Chilton manual for your car it should be real easy to DIY.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:08 PM on November 5, 2018
posted by zengargoyle at 8:08 PM on November 5, 2018
What zen said. Here be Videos!
Public libraries may have Chilton manuals and some such content is online.
posted by gregoreo at 8:23 PM on November 5, 2018
Public libraries may have Chilton manuals and some such content is online.
posted by gregoreo at 8:23 PM on November 5, 2018
Look at a bunch of youtube videos. Not hard but the various plastic connectors are unfamiliar and unintuitive. The electrical connector may seem impossible to separate but there's a simple trick, obvious once you see it, just be super careful not to break a tab. Put everything you take off in separate ziplocks and label and photo more than you think. But all quite doable. Look at ebay but also amazon and the car parts sites, never can guess which will be the best price. Triple check part number/model options.
posted by sammyo at 10:03 PM on November 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 10:03 PM on November 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
It’s not hard at all! Toughest thing for me was getting the panel off the inside of my door, but that’s just because my Mazda was a little finicky. YouTube videos are your friend, for sure.
posted by olinerd at 2:12 AM on November 6, 2018
posted by olinerd at 2:12 AM on November 6, 2018
Is the mirror painted to match the car body? You may find it hard to find a matching replacement.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 2:57 AM on November 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Kirth Gerson at 2:57 AM on November 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
When I've done this I bought the mirror at a pick-n-pull lot. That meant I got to go pull it off a junk car before taking my door apart. Now you know how it comes apart before trying it on your own car. I've done the same for doors and trunk lids and dome lights and so on.
posted by chazlarson at 8:01 AM on November 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by chazlarson at 8:01 AM on November 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
When I was a kid I knocked off my mirror and I put off the fix for a long time (maybe 6 months) because 1: legally you only need 2/3 mirrors and 2: I was sure it would be like $200 to fix.
Well, turns out the replacement mirror was about $20 shipped, and I could do it with just a phillips screwdriver.
Seriously - do it yourself. It's not that bad!
posted by bbqturtle at 9:07 AM on November 6, 2018
Well, turns out the replacement mirror was about $20 shipped, and I could do it with just a phillips screwdriver.
Seriously - do it yourself. It's not that bad!
posted by bbqturtle at 9:07 AM on November 6, 2018
As DIY car repairs go, this is a fairly simple one. Whether I would advise any given person to fix their own mirror depends hugely on their general anxiety/confidence level with taking things apart, messing with electrical connectors, jury-rigging broken plastic parts, etc.
My experience with car advice forums is that they make everything sound easy and like you're a moron if you don't fix it yourself, so.
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:09 AM on November 6, 2018
My experience with car advice forums is that they make everything sound easy and like you're a moron if you don't fix it yourself, so.
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:09 AM on November 6, 2018
You public library might have the factory service manual (FSM) for Nissan Altimas too. An FSM is better than a Chilton because they've got exploded diagrams.
posted by dlwr300 at 10:23 AM on November 6, 2018
posted by dlwr300 at 10:23 AM on November 6, 2018
Response by poster: I did it! Thanks for the advice!
posted by VirginiaPlain at 3:59 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 3:59 PM on November 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ProtoStar at 8:01 PM on November 5, 2018 [1 favorite]