Oppos that work in auto body repair. Help?

"mazda616" (mazda616) 05/24/2016 at 14:42 • Filed to: Help

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I backed out of my garage yesterday morning and clipped my mirror on the side of the garage. No damage besides a scraped mirror housing and of course my pride.

The car is a 2016 Mazda6. I have ordered a replacement body color “mirror cap” from a verified Mazda parts dealer. It’s technically for a 2015 6, but the mirrors didn’t change between years.

The cap itself is the body color plastic “skin”, if you will, of the mirror. It’s replaceable and is a separate unit from the mirror itself. What I’m needing is possible instructions and/or directions on how to remove the old, scraped up cap/cover and install the new one. What I’ve seen on the Mazda6 club Facebook pages is to just use a plastic pry tool and pull the cap up and off. There are assorted clips that hold it on.

Does anyone have access to more specific instructions? I just don’t want to damage anything else since the mirror itself is not damaged. Thankfully, it just folded forward and went back into place just fine. It helped that I back out of the garage at a relative angle due to the way our driveway is.

Photo of what I did:

Temporary fix with touch up paint:

The black part of the mirror housing is a separate trim piece. I’m going to try some of the plastic trim restorer on it.

Photo of the part diagram from my order:

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > mazda616 05/24/2016 at 14:46

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I know on my Volvo (very similar setup) you use a pry tool and it’ll pop off. Then you snap the other one in place. You just need to be careful not to break any tabs when doing so. Volvo actually sells a tool just for this for under $20 which I thought was kinda funny

Takuro Spirit > mazda616 05/24/2016 at 14:47

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Grab it in your hand and YANK. You’ll probably break clips but its okay, you’re replacing it.

If you wanna be gentle, use a plastic pry tool or a butter knife covered in painters tape/masking tape to GENTLY pry around the outside edge of the painted plastic where it meets the textured black of the mirror housing. You’ll be able to tell where the clips are (less clearance) versus not. Pushing forward will disengage the clips.

And you’ll probably break a few still.

mazda616 > Takuro Spirit 05/24/2016 at 14:48

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Thank you, Mazda friend!

Takuro Spirit > mazda616 05/24/2016 at 14:52

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Anytime!

Honeybunchesofgoats > Takuro Spirit 05/24/2016 at 15:11

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I had never thought of covering a butter knife with painter’s tape.

Takuro Spirit > Honeybunchesofgoats 05/24/2016 at 15:39

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There are few things a butter knife won’t do.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Takuro Spirit 05/24/2016 at 16:44

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So many prison shankings were preceded by those very words.

mazda616 > Takuro Spirit 05/24/2016 at 18:31

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One further question: How do I pull on this part without unnecessarily pulling on the entire mirror as well? I guess once I pry it up, that will be easier?

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > mazda616 05/25/2016 at 00:33

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Man, THAT BLUE.

Oh yeah, about your mirror. Man, that blew.

Takuro Spirit > mazda616 05/25/2016 at 10:11

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Yes.

TheHondaBro > mazda616 05/25/2016 at 10:51

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[mirror disassembly intensifies]

mazda616 > TheHondaBro 05/25/2016 at 11:37

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Didn't help that I had a migraine coming on when I took that picture. Damn weather.