Somebody just hit & ran my sideview mirror, 98 Accord - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Hack&Lube · 01-13-2008, 12:43 PM

So I came out of McDonalds into the parking lot only to find my side-view mirror hanging by it's single wire off the side of my door. Who else has had this happen to you? The culprit just drove off and didn't even leave a note. I was close to a Wal-Mart so I stopped in for some electrical tape to help hold it together on the way home so I didn't lose it on the road.

I now need a white left-hand side view mirror that has the motor and defroster for a 98 4-door Accord. Does anybody know if these are easy to repair? I think the motor, housing, and mirror are actually fine, it's the casing that is broken right open and right off the car. Does anybody know a good Canadian autoparts dealer I can get a replacement from for cheap? I'm not about to goto Honda because they have overcharged me to varying extremes on parts (especially older ones) before.

I'm currently unemployed and this is my only car so I need to have this fixed as cheaply as possible, I'm torrenting the service manual for my car (if not, I'll find a Haynes Manual at the library). Is it a simple fix?, I'm more worried about motor misalignment (it's motorized) and the electric mirror defroster. But I suppose the biggest issue is getting a replacement. Short of scouting the junk-yards, does anybody have a good source or autoparts depot that's in Canada or even better Calgary that I could get a replacement unit from for as cheaply as possible.

MacGyver I'm not.

BlackEleven · 01-13-2008, 01:23 PM

Same thing happened to me a while back. When I phoned to inquire about the price of replacing it, they wanted several hundred bucks.

I'm a cheap ass and my car is probably worth about the same they wanted for the mirror, so I didn't really want to shell out the money. Instead I just got some industrial strength glue and glued it back in place. I left it drying with a contraption similar to your tape job for a couple days, and it was as good as new... or close enough. I've been driving that way for a couple months now and haven't had any problems.

Reggie Dunlop · 01-13-2008, 01:29 PM

What a dinkwad.

You have my sympathies.

foofighter15 · 01-13-2008, 01:32 PM

i hate when this kind of thing happens, and yes whoever did this obviously screwed up. But before we attack their morals why don't take a moment to have faith in humanity and say this was just a bad driver who didn't notice.
*******
Times up. What a dickwad

SarichFan · 01-13-2008, 01:36 PM

How do you even do something like that with another car? Sure it wasn't some punk kids vanadizing?

Dion · 01-13-2008, 01:39 PM

You might want to try an auto wrecker to see if they have that part. Phone the ones around town

burn_this_city · 01-13-2008, 01:40 PM

Pretty snazzy tape job.. I'd check out pick & pull or one of the other wreckers.. Thats your best bet.. I had my truck keyed in december, I didnt even park near anyone at wendy's and came out to an 8" gash on my door..

Dion · 01-13-2008, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarichFan

How do you even do something like that with another car? Sure it wasn't some punk kids vanadizing?

Probably some driver who wasn't paying attention then oops! Driver probably did a quick glance around to see if anyone witnessed it then took off.

Reggie Dunlop · 01-13-2008, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Pretty snazzy tape job..

Eddie Van Halenesque...

SarichFan · 01-13-2008, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Probably some driver who wasn't paying attention then oops! Driver probably did a quick glance around to see if anyone witnessed it then took off.

You'd have to be hugging the side of another car though to take a mirror off though..

4X4 · 01-13-2008, 01:46 PM

I doubt you'll find your car at any of the DIY wreckers. Too new and imported.

Locke · 01-13-2008, 01:48 PM

Call Manchester Auto Parts or Forest Lawn Autoparts.

They maintain inventory listings and can tell you if they have it or not, they will also pull it off the car for you, plus they get some of the newer cars from dealership writeoffs.

Pick and Pull doesnt maintain an inventory listing and I doubt you'd find an import that new there.

burn_this_city · 01-13-2008, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

I doubt you'll find your car at any of the DIY wreckers. Too new and imported.

Your probably right.. But you see the smashed ones every once in a while.. It'd be a hell of alot cheaper than a replacement from honda that needs to be painted..

4X4 · 01-13-2008, 01:50 PM

You'll only find a car like that at a place that pulls their own parts.

McG · 01-13-2008, 01:54 PM

do you have any hit and run or vandalism insurance on that? especially if parts and labour start to add up...

Hack&Lube · 01-13-2008, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Eddie Van Halenesque...

Yeah, I'll just make my entire car an EVH tribute and sell it for more!

I don't like my insurance going up with accumulating small claims. I haven't fixed anything on a car since mechanics in high school years ago but I'm hoping to skip the labour costs by doing it myself (finding the service manual for the car now). I just need to source the part, I can find it on ebay easily enough...was hoping for something local but yes, I highly doubt the Wreckers would have anything for it.

nickerjones · 01-13-2008, 01:59 PM

i have witnessed something like this happen, i followed the guy up the road , and he pulled into a store so i said hey man do you know you just hit the side of a car and knocked of thier mirror and scratched thier car. he said " i didnt do it and you cant prove it" i was like i just watched you, i called the cops they met me at the store and we made him drive back so we could compare where his scratches were compared to the car. He started flipping out and the cops asked him tot ake a sobriety test and he was over. so he got ticket for the car and went to jail for driving drunk.... it was quite humorous

McG · 01-13-2008, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

i have witnessed something like this happen, i followed the guy up the road , and he pulled into a store so i said hey man do you know you just hit the side of a car and knocked of thier mirror and scratched thier car. he said " i didnt do it and you cant prove it" i was like i just watched you, i called the cops they met me at the store and we made him drive back so we could compare where his scratches were compared to the car. He started flipping out and the cops asked him tot ake a sobriety test and he was over. so he got ticket for the car and went to jail for driving drunk.... it was quite humorous

outstanding! good citizen +1!

gottabekd · 01-13-2008, 02:50 PM

Good work, nickerjones.

When I was 17 I was a little eager backing my mom's card out of the garage ( I was late for work), smashed the sideview. It would have been nice if the whole thing just popped off and I could glue it back on, but it was about -30 out, and the whole thing pretty much shattered. 94 Camry. From the dealer, the darn thing cost about $300, which in retrospect is a helluva lot, but I kind of needed it fixed ASAP for her. So, yea, I wouldn't get it from the dealer, as it is bound to cost about the same (or more).

FlamesAddiction · 01-13-2008, 03:03 PM

Man, that sucks.

I had a cyclist do that to my old Skoda. I didn't see it, but a girl in the store saw it and told me.

If you think Honda Accord parts are hard to come by, try finding Skoda parts.