My 2012 driver's side mirror shakes while driving. The mirror itself moves, not the housing. I believe this is due to me manually folding it for a few years while parking on the street so it wouldn't get hit by passing cars.

It seems to me "something is loose". When you fold one of these against the car, there is a bit of resistance and you can feel what seems like a spring being put under a bit of tension. It seems like that spring is worn or damaged, or perhaps a component that holds the mirror in place is lose.

I found some threads about the automatic folding mirrors but this isn't that issue. The housing sits in place firmly. The mirror itself moves around.

Anyone have an idea on how to diagnose this or what the issue may be?

Thanks in advance.

 

Turns out I was wrong- it IS a loose housing. It appears I can get to the back of the mount via a plastic triangular panel on the top corner if the back of the door. Going to gently pry it off, hope to find bolt heads there.

I made a bad assumption until I started fussing with it. Feel silly but looks like fix should be far easier than disassemble of the unit .

 

Look up on here or on YouTube how to change puddle lamp bulbs. There are videos that show how to take apart the mirror so that you can better understand what part is loose. The motor part is what bolts to the car door, then you have the pretty plastic parts that snap together over the metal and are held by a few screws, then the actual glass mirror snaps into place. You need to figure which of the three are loose first and then you can figure out how to properly secure it.

 

Fix:

Gently pry off triangular plastic cover, pulling on right side first. Tighten nut. Easier than replacing wipers.