wad Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Greetings! I have an '09 Forester base model that I bought used a few months ago...I love the car, but realized after purchase that the drivers side view mirror is loose in the frame, which means that wind gets behind it and causes it to jitter around while under way...it certainly isn't the end of the world, but it is kind of annoying and distracting. Has anyone experienced this who can recommend a fix? I have looked online and know that there is a ball and socket assembly inside, that I do not have access to...I bought the car from a guy who worked for Subaru for 30 years, and who now runs a little used Subie lot with his wife, and even he was at a loss... If I cannot repair it, I would like to replace it, and have found reasonably priced replacements online. Most say "paint to match" but since my car is black to begin with, that may not be an issue. Mine are currently not heated, so I am wondering how hard it would be to add one that is heated? Would anyone know if the wiring is in place but simply not utilized on the lower trim options? Thanks in advance! Wad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 wad, First, you'll know whether you can add a heated mirror, if you remove the inner door panel and find the extra required connector for the heated mirror. You shouldn't require an additional switch to power it, as the rear window switch circuit fires up the mirror heaters at the same time. Again, you won't know until you look, unless someone else has been there, done that, and replies to your post. As for fixing the vibrating mirror, it can be done, as I've done several over the years, just not on any Subies I've owned. Your best bet is to pop the triangular cover off the inside, pop off the inner door panel, disconnect the wiring harness to the mirror, remove the 3 10mm nuts holding the mirror onto the door, and trying to fix it on the work bench. Check under the mirror body for a screw that can be removed. Some have one, some don't. After that its a matter of moving the mirror glass around and looking behind it to spot how the glass is attached to its tilt mechanism. Some have a clip on the bottom that you pry up to unlock, and then the entire glass section is slid upward to disconnect. Others simply have a large central ball joint that the glass swivels around, and two smaller ball joints that pull in or out on a screw mechanism. The glass section can be pried away from all three ball joints to remove the glass. Be prepared to have to shim one of these points to stop the vibration, or even use silicone seal on a clip to prevent the shimmy after it cures. As I've stated, you won't know what you'll have to do until you can see into its innerds. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Thank you Gbhrps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 My experience on broken door mirrors, is that there are a lot of plastic parts inside the housing. If something breaks to cause the giggle, then often it is something plastic. I have never tried to repair, as I have just gone to a wrecking yard, bought a replacement mirror, and installed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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