A broken wing mirror isn't a certainty in life, but if you drive in towns and cities, there's a good chance another vehicle will get too close on a narrow side street and either shatter the wing mirror glass or write off the entire wing mirror housing. Luckily, modern cars make replacing the glass of a broken wing mirror easy – and changing the mirror glass is what we're going to deal with here.
In fact, in many cases you can do the job of replacement wing mirror glass 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 (although 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 break away, and pivot in the event of being hit or hitting an obstacle. In order to knock the door mirror and its housing off, on most cars, you'd need to get close enough to damage the door it is mounted to as well.
Every car is different mechanically, but making minor repairs to the body 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.
Where to buy wing mirror glass?
If you want to hand over the most cash for your replacement mirror glass, head for your local main dealer, who will probably try to sell you the entire unit, including any electric motors.
If you'd rather save money, there are plenty of websites dedicated to just selling wing mirror glass – Wing Mirror Man, Car Door Mirror Shop and The Wing Mirror Company, for example.
In fact, many of these companies will also sell you other mirror components, such as replacement mirror covers, mirror indicators and even the complete mirror unit.
Some high street stores also have replacements: Halfords mirror glass is designed to fit your model, although in many cases the replacement glass is designed to be stuck over the broken glass, rather than clip onto the retaining plate.
Wing mirror replacement cost?
You can pay less than a tenner for wing mirror glass with a backing plate, depending on your model – Wing Mirror Man quotes around £18 for wing mirror glass for a 2012-2017 Ford Fiesta, £24 for wing mirror glass for a Ford Transit Custom and £36 for VW Golf wing mirror glass.
Some websites also offer a paint service, if you also need the wing mirror housing, so your new mirror blends beautifully with the rest of the car.
Replacing wing mirror glass is one of the truly simple repairs; in many cases you don't need any tools at all:
How to remove wing mirror glass?
Use a small plastic pry bar that you can get between the wing mirror housing and what's left of the broken glass. 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 splinters (wear protective gloves). It should only take moderate effort to get the mirror to pop off the clips that retain it.
If you have heated mirrors, or the type with turn signals built in, unplug the wires connected to the wing mirror.
Where to fix wing mirror glass?
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.
What about powered wing mirrors?
If you have wing mirrors with turn signal repeaters built in, or heater elements, reattach the wires to the mirror. Now, line up the taps and clips, and move the mirror into its proper position on the mounting plate.
Press the wing mirror glass into place
Spreading your fingers across the glass, to distribute the force evenly, press firmly, but carefully, and the clips should snap into place with a noticeable click. Confirm that the glass is attached by prying with your fingers.
Any wavering of the glass should indicate that not all of the clips have engaged, so press again.
Adjust your mirror!
That is all there is to it. Don't forget to readjust the wing mirror – either manually or via the electric switch – so you can properly monitor what is behind you, then wipe off any fingerprints and smudges.
Don't forget to check that any integral indicator or heater is working, as soon as you're able to.