Sooner or later one of your car's door mirrors is likely to be broken, either by another car getting too close, or a cyclist. Luckily, modern cars make replacing the glass of a broken side mirror easy.
In fact, in many cases you can do it in minutes without any tools at all. Even in the case of a serious incident that knocks the whole mirror clean off, it seldom takes more than a few screws to attach a new one (though you may need to remove a few bits of trim to get to them).
Most cars made in the 21st Century feature mirrors made to pivot in the event of being hit or hitting an obstacle. Knocking the door mirror and its housing off would require an assailant to be close enough to damage the door it is mounted to as well. This is a feature designed into modern cars to lower the cost of insurance claims by making these very minor repairs less expensive.
Every car is different mechanically, but making minor repairs to the body of them is nearly universal. If you want to improve the looks of your car, check out our how-to articles on fixing a deep scratch, patching rust damage, or pulling dents with a stud welder.
Replacing broken mirror glass is one of the truly simple repairs; in many cases you don't need any tools at all!
1) Pry off the broken mirror glass - Get behind the mirror glass with a plastic pry bar or trim tool. On some cars there is enough room to get your fingers behind it, and you won't need a tool at all, but watch out for broken glass. It should only take moderate effort to get the mirror to pop off the clips.
If you have heated mirrors, unplug the wires connected to the back of the mirror glass.
1a) Pry off the broken mirror glass (another view) - We removed the decorative cover from the back side of the mirror (it also pops right off easily) to point out how the clips on the mirror snap onto the plate it pivots on.
2) Inspect clips and tabs - With the magic of Photoshop, we can look at all 4 taps and clips in this photo. Number 1 snaps into A, 2 into B, and so on. Every manufacturer uses a slightly different system (this is a Toyota RAV4). Make sure all the tabs or clips on the mounting plate are still in good shape, if not order a new part to replace the broken one from the dealer.
Replacement mirrors are available from many sources, but the mounting plate is likely a dealer-only item.
3) Line up tabs - If you have door mirrors with heater elements, reattach the wires to the back of the mirror glass. Now, line up the taps and clips, and move the mirror into its proper position on the mounting plate.
4) Press firmly until mirror glass snaps into place - Press firmly, but carefully, and the clips should snap into place with a noticeable click.
5) Clean and readjust mirror - that's all there is to it! Don't forget to readjust the mirror so you can properly see what is behind you, then wipe off any fingerprints and smudges.