Mk1 Mirror Woes!

Hi chaps!

Hoping you can help (sorry if this is in the wrong section!)…

I’m having trouble with my RHS mirror on the car. Unfortunately when the Mrs slammed the door (I get enraged when she does this…) the mirror glass popped out and smashed on the floor.

I managed to source a replacement glass but it only has a sticky pad in the middle and there appears to be black foam around the edge that may have retained the old glass previously. I’ll upload a pic shortly.

My problem is there appears to be no mirror internals or backing plate for the mirror. Can anyone shed any light on what components in missing?

Hans!

There is nothing missing, the mirror that you’ve been supplied is designed to stick over a broken, but in place mirror glass. The original mirror glass is a flush fit inside the mirror casing and held in place by the black surround which is ‘glued’ on sandwiching the glass between the surround and the casing. The glass is not available separately from Mazda so you’ll need to buy a complete mirror or get a used one from a breaker. If you can’t get the correct colour you can swap the mirror glass from one to the other by carefully prising off the black trim then gluing it back on.

On ebay there are two types of replacement glass.  The one that sticks over an existing damaged glass which usually only works where there is a backing plate and a replacement glass which is what you require.

I believe this is a link to what you need…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-MX-5-MK1-1-6-Convertible-Summit-RH-Wing-Mirror-Glass-Genuine-OEM-Spec-/301140306152?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AMX-5&hash=item461d5c68e8

but check with the seller.  He says OEM spec which implies you can use a sharp knife the carefully cut off the black trim, fit the glass and then use a very strong glue to refit the trim.

Whilst you are at it probably worth replacing the washer bolt, etc that hold the main mirror parts together.  These always get rusty and have a tendency to break more often than the glass.   

Or you could try Autolink and see if they have a second hand mirror in stock.   www.autolinkuk.co.uk