white ride
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- DC
I just replaced my car's side mirror lens and thought I'd share pics/steps on how to do this. I know there are a bunch of DIY out there but hopefully this will still be valuable. This works for removing the side mirror housing as well. It's not difficult but do this at your own risk, I'm not responsible if you break something ;P.
The time to remove this varies with your skill level or how anal you are. It can take between 10 to 30 mins for one. Older cars will probably have slightly more stubborn internals.
I bought black/smoke in.pro side mirror lenses to add to my car's ongoing motorsport look.
Before you start there are a few things you need to know. There are a total of 6 screws that you will need to remove. They are different lengths and heads. So I made sure I segregated them and remembered where they were used.
Also, on my 08, the OEM side mirror lenses had felt strips (adhesive back) while the in.pro. ones did not. I decided to just to transfer them to the new one.
You'll also need a Torx #10 tip screw driver. Angled tip probes are optional for the removing the tabs.
Before -- OEM clear looks good for OEM+ look or chromed/polished wheels or look:
After -- I'm going for the motorsport look:
Screws, there are six. Three different kinds, make sure you put them back in the same location:
You'll need a Torx #10 screwdriver. I already had a tip. Some are just screwdrivers:
OEM and in.pro. side by side:
OEM has a black felt strip while in.pro has none. It's up to you but I decided to move it to the new one:
Tilt mirror up using controls until there is a gap:
I used a screwdriver wrapped in cloth to gently pry the mirror off. Slip it under the gap. Just don't rush here. You don't want to scratch your mirror housing or break anything behind the mirror. It's not that hard.
Use your Torx #10 screwdriver and remove these:
Unplug these. Don't tug too hard. The one with the connector/adapter is a bit tricky. Remember the positive and negative wire locations on the mirror:
Here is the first tab that connects the side mirror lens to the mirror housing. You'll need to untab this. I used an angled probe, others use screw drivers. Just take your time.
Inside that hole is the second tab. It's a bit more trickier. I used an angled probe for this. Some use screwdrivers:
Once those tabs are removed, I gently pulled out the underside of the mirror housing so I can remove it:
Once the housing is removed, squeeze these tabs to pull/slide out the plastic strip.
Unscrew these:
Detach base and disconnect cable/wire from OEM side mirror lens.
Connect new side mirror lens or side mirror housing. Start reassembling side mirror in the reverse order:
Just be patient, gentle and clean it up after.:wink:
The time to remove this varies with your skill level or how anal you are. It can take between 10 to 30 mins for one. Older cars will probably have slightly more stubborn internals.
I bought black/smoke in.pro side mirror lenses to add to my car's ongoing motorsport look.
Before you start there are a few things you need to know. There are a total of 6 screws that you will need to remove. They are different lengths and heads. So I made sure I segregated them and remembered where they were used.
Also, on my 08, the OEM side mirror lenses had felt strips (adhesive back) while the in.pro. ones did not. I decided to just to transfer them to the new one.
You'll also need a Torx #10 tip screw driver. Angled tip probes are optional for the removing the tabs.
Before -- OEM clear looks good for OEM+ look or chromed/polished wheels or look:
After -- I'm going for the motorsport look:
Screws, there are six. Three different kinds, make sure you put them back in the same location:
You'll need a Torx #10 screwdriver. I already had a tip. Some are just screwdrivers:
OEM and in.pro. side by side:
OEM has a black felt strip while in.pro has none. It's up to you but I decided to move it to the new one:
Tilt mirror up using controls until there is a gap:
I used a screwdriver wrapped in cloth to gently pry the mirror off. Slip it under the gap. Just don't rush here. You don't want to scratch your mirror housing or break anything behind the mirror. It's not that hard.
Use your Torx #10 screwdriver and remove these:
Unplug these. Don't tug too hard. The one with the connector/adapter is a bit tricky. Remember the positive and negative wire locations on the mirror:
Here is the first tab that connects the side mirror lens to the mirror housing. You'll need to untab this. I used an angled probe, others use screw drivers. Just take your time.
Inside that hole is the second tab. It's a bit more trickier. I used an angled probe for this. Some use screwdrivers:
Once those tabs are removed, I gently pulled out the underside of the mirror housing so I can remove it:
Once the housing is removed, squeeze these tabs to pull/slide out the plastic strip.
Unscrew these:
Detach base and disconnect cable/wire from OEM side mirror lens.
Connect new side mirror lens or side mirror housing. Start reassembling side mirror in the reverse order:
Just be patient, gentle and clean it up after.:wink:
