How to Fix Loose Rear View Mirror Ball Joint

Is your rearview mirror loose? This is a common problem for shared cars with drivers of different heights or for families who use their rearview mirror to check on their younglings in the back seat. If your rearview mirror is loose then you have come to the right post, because I have talked with a mechanic and can help you fix your rearview mirror.

To fix a rearview mirror a person needs to screw in the screw under the rearview mirror to make it tighter. Another way to fix the rearview mirror is to remove the plastic covering on your rearview mirror and look for the adjustment screw to tighten your mirror.

Overall, there are a couple of different ways to tighten a rearview mirror. It depends on what kind of car you have and what kind of mirror you have. Read on to learn all the different ways to tighten a rearview mirror.

Under Mirror Screw

The most common and easy way to fix a rearview mirror is to tighten the screw that is located under the mirror. This is the most common area for a manufacturer to put a screw. The screw should be located near where the mirror’s flip tab is.

When you find the screw you will need to get a screwdriver out. Most of the time it will take a Philip’s head screwdriver to tighten the mirror into position. Another popular type of screw car manufacturers use is a Hex screw. Therefore, having both of these screwdrivers available would be the best option for efficient repairs.

Once you have your screwdrivers you are going to tighten the screw by turning your screwdriver to the right and this should secure your mirror. Give your mirror a little shake to make sure that it is secure and not going to come loose while driving and then you should be good to go.

Ball Joint Connection

If tightening the under mirror screw did not work for you, then you might have to get to the root of the problem. This is a harder more time-consuming method, which is why it would not be the first place I would start when trying to fix a rearview mirror.

For this method, you are going to have to take apart your car a little bit. This is for mirrors that rods have a solid connection with the ball joint connected in the roof. This means there is no screw on the outside of your mirror for you to be able to adjust to make it tighter.

The good thing is that if this is the case with your car it is less likely to become loose, but if it does become lose it is a whole lot harder to make it tighter.

The first thing you are going to want to do is to find your owner’s manual for your car. When you find the owner’s manual you are going to look up how to disconnect the plastic shroud in your car. This will be different with each model of car and you want to be careful not to break this.

If you do then you will have to go to your manufacturer to get a new car shroud or learn to live without it. For most car shrouds, though, they should be fairly easy to remove. You will just need to pop the shroud out of place being careful not to snap the piece of plastic.

Once your shroud is removed you are going to locate where the ball joint is located on the roof of your car. Near the ball joint, there should be another screw. This screw is called the adjustment screw. When you have located the adjustment screw get your Phillips or Hex screwdriver and tighten it up. This should make your mirror strong and steady which means that it will be ready for travel.

Screw on Mirror

Now if you have checked under the mirror and you have found no screw and then pulled off your plastic shroud and found no screw there then it is a possibility that there is a screw within your mirror.

If you thought pulling your car apart was a pain in the neck then you have just begun to feel the true annoyance of having a loose rearview mirror. With this option, you are going to have to look inside your mirror. This is a much harder process.

The best option for this is to look up online the exact model of mirror you have and find the exact instructions on where the adjustment screw is located. The adjustment screw is the only option for what is loose now and you will need to find the screw and tighten it up with your screwdrivers.

If you are a manual hater, though, you can go through yourself and find the screw located in the mirror. You can do this by taking apart your mirror yourself. The purpose of the manual is so you don’t forget where something you took apart goes.

Therefore, you can open your mirror yourself and look inside the mirror for any screws connected to your rod and ball joint. When you have found those screws you will need to tighten them to secure your mirror better. That screw will be your adjustment screw and should secure your mirror into place.

Make sure while you are looking for the screw you take any piece you took off of the mirror and put it neatly on a flat surface so you don’t lose it and keep them in order of when you pulled it off so you can put all the pieces back together again without confusion.

Therefore, once you have tightened the adjustment screw you will pick up the pieces for your rearview mirror and put them back in in the opposite order you took them off. Once everything is fastened and back together you should have a secure rearview mirror and be ready to go on your next road trip.