Due to the upgraded stereo system I have in my car (2014 IS) my review mirror will slowly start moving downward due to vibration and I'm constantly having to adjust it.

I searched all over this site and I saw where someone mentioned taking apart the plastic housing that attaches it to the windshield and there is a torx screw you can tighten. I did just that, completely removed it from my windshield and the only screw I found, which was a T20 Torx was the one that mounts it to the windshield. Tightening this would not solve the issue as this does not affect the little ball joint that the mirror rotates/adjusts on.

Did I miss something, is there possibly another tightening screw inside the mirror itself if I were to pull it apart? Or does anyone else have any little trick/hack that I would do to force my review mirror to hold straight?

Edit/Update: I took it to Sewell dealership, they were very cool and understanding about it, they didn't even bother testing it / driving it. The service adviser manager just called a tech and asked him if it could be tightened and they said no that if the ball joint was losing tension the entire mirror would have to be replaced. No way to tighten it. Lucky for me, the are covering it under my warranty. I saw the ticket though, if it was not covered the new mirror would have been $992

The ordered me a new mirror, they didn't have it in stock, it will be in stock in a few days.

 

Mine does the same thing. Super annoying that after every week I have to move it.

 

Indeed. I hope someone on here knows of a solid solution.

My system hits pretty hard, so I have to adjust it about every 5 mins. Super annoying.

I am the only person who drives my car, so there is never a reason for me to need to adjust it once I have it set right. I'm going to wait a while to see if any good suggestions come to this thread and also look around elsewhere online, but if no good solution is found, I am honestly considering just carefully applying some clear epoxy or superglue around ball joint (obviously make sure its set perfectly before I do lol) so that it just never moves at all.

 

You might want to drill a small hole and insert a screw. I don't think glue would work too well. I've looked at the mirror before, i did not see any way of adjusting how tight the ball is. opening it may reveal away but you also may destroy the mirror in doing so.

 

Ah, Installing a small set screw is a great idea! Where exactly would you recommend the hole / screw to be placed though? I'm guessing through the arm so that the screw come in contact/puts some pressure on the ball to 'lock' it in place?

Thanks!

And yeah upon inspection of the mirror itself I did not see any easy way to open it and was afraid of damaging it so I did not attempt it, even then I seriously doubt there is anything inside the mirror to adjust, because the ball is on the end closer to the windshield rather than near the mirror so I doubt there is anything in the mirror that could affect the tightness of the ball.

 

What do you guys think about using blue (weaker than red) loctite on the ball joint?

 

[QUOTE=whoismiked;10635210]Ah, Installing a small set screw is a great idea! Where exactly would you recommend the hole / screw to be placed though? I'm guessing through the arm so that the screw come in contact/puts some pressure on the ball to 'lock' it in place?

I would probably do it on the ball. Unless someone knows a way to tighten it and chime in. I know some mirrors on some cars have a screw you can tighten to tighten the joint. I did not see any on this mirror. you can always try and open it and see what's inside. if you're careful, you can give it a shot. i'd probably try and stick a plastic pry tool and see if the halves budge

 

i think loctite is made for threads of a fastener. i dont think it'll help you here.

 

Mine was loose too, I also have a 12" JL w6 with a 1200W amp. I took it to the dealership for my oil change and also let them know it's loose. They tightened it for me with no issue.

 

I would love to know how they tightened it so I could just do it myself. I have not tried taking it to the dealer yet but I'd almost guess they would turn it by hand say say "That's not loose" and leave it be, I could be wrong, but it feels normal/tight when handling it, but with hard bass it keeps moving. I'm not anywhere near a service due and I'd hate to go to the dealer just for that, I just wish I knew how they actually tightened it so I could do it.

Thanks for the info though, at least I know that is an option now.

 

It's getting worse now

I've scoured the net and there is nothing out there about how to tighten it, if the dealership has the ability to tighten it, there has got to be some documentation out there somewhere?

 

I think before ruining it with a screw, I would try a superglue (gorilla) by rotating the ball and exposing the hidden part, then apply some inside and set it to your preferred adjustment, then leave it for day to cure. I would not use the car or even take the rear view and leave it untouched for a day for the glue to fully dried out.

Then if that doesn't work, then i guess screw but that can lead to more damage.

 

Thanks. This is the option I was considering the most. The concern I have with doing this is if that option fails and then I am forced to take it to the dealer to be fixed they may deny fixing it under warranty if they see I had tried to glue it. Do you think would they deny fixing it under warranty if they found glue in the ball?

I would love to fix this myself, without going to the dealer since my dealer is quite a distance away and I work 12 hour shifts and am no where near a service due, so it would be kind of a hassle, but ultimately, if whatever I try does not work I will end up taking it to them eventually.

 

The worst will happen with a super glue will lose the hold and your issue will come back. Other than that, if that happens in the future, i'll try putting glue again (depending on how long it lasted since the first attempt).

I think going to a dealer won't do any good, they will drive the car with your stereo off and will say it is working normally. I could be wrong, but if you drive your car with audio off and that happens then I will surely go to a dealer and have them replace it.

 

Thanks for the advise. That's exactly what I was thinking. I was thinking the dealer would initially move it around by hand, and think "feels normal" then drive it around with no stereo and decide its fine and do nothing.

But the problem is getting worse and worse so I imagine it wont be long before it starts dropping without the stereo, just normal bumps, then at that point I could get them to replace it.

SO I want to try the glue method to fix this now, but am worried if it doesn't work, and if it gets getting worse like it is now, it won't be much longer till it's drooping with no stereo, then at the point they will fix it, but I'm afraid if I glue it they will deny fixing it, so I'm kind of torn on what I should do.