Driver Side Mirror Rattle

[speed858]

Hey Everyone

For the last couple of months my driver side mirror rattles anytime I get on the freeway or when my bass hits. I had my mazda dealer replace my mirror for free but the issue is still there. They said there is nothing else they can do. Anyone have a good idea what it might be now that the mirror has been replaced?

Thanks

 

[Kain]

How sure are you that it's not the windshield cowl rattle issue that everyone has?

 

[speed858]

No one on the other threads has posted about their driver side mirror rattling. They just talk about how they hear a how from the windshield. It's worth a try though. Any other thoughts?

 

[Rotus8]

Can you make it happen in your driveway by thumping on things with your hand? Try the door panels, dash, anything within a couple of feet of where you hear the noise. If you can duplicate it this way, it should be easy to find.

 

[speed858]

If I hit the door panel either from the inside or outside the mirror will vibrate. It doesn't really make a sound as more as the mirror itself just shakes. I don't really know what I could adjust on the panel to make it stop.

 

[Rotus8]

Is it just the glass that shakes or the whole mirror assembly? If it is just the mirror, it is possible the glass is not engaging one of the three plastic balls on the back. Try pushing the glass toward the back of the housing to see if it snaps in. If it is really just vibrating, you could try adding some mass to the mirror itself. It is easy to take the glass out; just rotate it until you can grab an edge, and pull and it will snap out of the balls. You can add some mass with some modling clay or epoxy putty to lower the frequency it vibrates at.

Here's a couple of pictures showing how the glass is attached.

 

[icspots]

Is it just the glass that shakes or the whole mirror assembly? If it is just the mirror, it is possible the glass is not engaging one of the three plastic balls on the back. Try pushing the glass toward the back of the housing to see if it snaps in. If it is really just vibrating, you could try adding some mass to the mirror itself. It is easy to take the glass out; just rotate it until you can grab an edge, and pull and it will snap out of the balls. You can add some mass with some modling clay or epoxy putty to lower the frequency it vibrates at.

Here's a couple of pictures showing how the glass is attached.

Exactly what I was going to suggest, esp. since the dealer had the glass off the car for replacement.

 

[speed858]

That is a great idea! Adding mass to the mirror would definitely stop the shaking simple by the rules of science. I'm going to go buy some putty and let you guys know how it turns out.

 

[Fenrir]

I've noticed my driver side mirror (the whole enclosure, not just the glass) shakes pretty bad when I'm going over 45mph or so. Passenger side doesn't.

 

[icspots]

I've noticed my driver side mirror (the whole enclosure, not just the glass) shakes pretty bad when I'm going over 45mph or so. Passenger side doesn't.

Check to be sure the three bolts behind the tweeter sail panel are snug. Also is it the whole housing or the painted cover?

 

[Fenrir]

Check to be sure the three bolts behind the tweeter sail panel are snug. Also is it the whole housing or the painted cover?

It's possible it's just the painted cover that's shaking, which is causing the glass to shake with it. I had my dealer look at it and they checked all the bolts and said it was tight, but who knows

 

[icspots]

It's possible it's just the painted cover that's shaking, which is causing the glass to shake with it. I had my dealer look at it and they checked all the bolts and said it was tight, but who knows

In order to check the clips holding the plastic cover you need to remove the mirror glass. Try pulling that off and inspect them. There should be two on top, and then it hinges down from the bottom and comes loose.

 

[Fenrir]

In order to check the clips holding the plastic cover you need to remove the mirror glass. Try pulling that off and inspect them. There should be two on top, and then it hinges down from the bottom and comes loose.

I'm reluctant to pull anything off myself... I have a horrible habit of being cursed and breaking tabs and clips and the like I might have Ken of Protege Garage take a look at it when it manages to be nice enough here for him to install my intake.

 

[Rotus8]

I'm reluctant to pull anything off myself... I have a horrible habit of being cursed and breaking tabs and clips and the like I might have Ken of Protege Garage take a look at it when it manages to be nice enough here for him to install my intake.

The mirror attachment is pretty tough. Two small balls and one large one in snap sockets.

 

[speed858]

So I tried adding weight to the mirror but no luck. It still shaked as much as before. I even tried securing the balls that move the mirror with glue... Still no luck. Anyone else have any ideas? I just can't figure out why it's only the driver side mirror.

 

[speed858]

UPDATE:

I have the answer to the mirror problem!!!

Today I decided to Dynomat the entire mirror fixture. I pretty much put a piece of dynomat in between any piece in the mirror that connected to another that would transfer vibration from the car. I also dynomated the entire part on the car where the mirror screws in. It took me like 2 hrs to disassemble and dynomat but it's 95% better. There is a very slight rattle but nothing that you would notice like before.

So if anyone else is experiencing this issue then give this a try.