inside mirror question

[wbrian63]

'92 300SE
Rearview mirror (the one inside the car) has delaminated from the paper backing that attaches the glass to the pivoting mechanism.

In fact, the paper also has detached from the backing plate.

I used a spray adhesive to rebond the mirror to the paper, and epoxy to bond the paper to the backing plate, but the spray adhesive didn't even make it through 1 hot Houston afternoon before it gave up the ghost.

Any suggestions on what I can use to re-bond the paper to the mirror?

Any idea as to why, on an otherwise bulletproof car, MB engineers would choose to bond glass to paper to plastic?

Thanks for the suggestions.

[lkchris]

It's lasted 14 years.

I'd get a new one.

[gmercoleza]

Originally Posted by wbrian63

Any idea as to why, on an otherwise bulletproof car, MB engineers would choose to bond glass to paper to plastic?

Paper acts as buffer between plastic and glass which have varying thermal expansion rates. The mirror would probably shatter otherwise.

I would just get a *new* or junkyard mirror.

[piersbc]

Let me know what you find out to solve this problem. My mirror case cracked and it's a $1,000 item from the dealer and I've had no luck finding a junkyard one. I've tried JB Weld for plastic and it held for a while...

[tvpierce]

Get a hot glue gun -- just a cheapy for $20, and a box of "Super Glue" sticks from Sears/Craftsman.

Jeff Pierce

[blueeagle289]

Are you sure the price for your mirror on the 99 CLK is $1000? That must be the all electronic one that performs all kinds of special functions. I just ordered a mirror from Phil for my 92 300CE and it was just under $60. The reactive mirror for autodim on that car is $235 , a far cry from $1K. Perhaps you can get an alternative mirror of a more basic type that will work well for $60 to $75 ??

[wbrian63]

I called MB on another item and asked out of curiosity how much a mirror was. The one in the car is adjustable left & right, up & down from a switch on the console. The dim feature is via a standard lever that tilts the glass.

Comes as a unit - electronics, mechanics and all - for a '92 - $1070.00

EEEK

I'm sure I can find an adhesive that's not temperature sensative - I just don't want to mess up the silvering on the mirror.

Unless the hot glue suggested in a previous post is solid up to 130+ degrees F - it won't make it 15 minutes at 1PM here in Houston in August. That's why the spray contact adhesive didn't hold.

I need some sort of adhesive that's thin so the paper adheres evenly. I'm thinking a low-foam polyurathane glue - although that stuff only cures in the presence of moisture and I'm not crazy about exposing the silver to moisture of any sort.

[tvpierce]

Hot glue sticks come in a variety of applications -- each has a different melting point. The Super Glue is the highest temp application that Sears sells.
It's somewhere in the high 200 or low 300 degree range if I remember correctly.

jp

[dpetryk]

I would use silicone rubber. Bonds well to glass and paper.

[gmercoleza]

Use 100% clear RTV silicone and it won't come off.