Replacing Your Rear View Mirror

By JEANNE (Guest Post)

I am a 60 year old woman and have replaced or reglued three or four rearview mirrors in various cars over the years without undue care, simply following the instructions that come with the glue or the parts. I have never had any difficulty or concern about breaking the windshield. It is not a brute strength chore--more a matter of patience and steadyness of hand waiting the short time for the glue to "fix". I'm sure that if I could do it safely, so could anyone else, without causing damage to the windshield which is made of heavy safety glass.

By Dean (Guest Post)

I have sold products to glass shops and have never heard that story.Auto glass is called safty glass because it has a plastic film sandwiched between two layers of glass.When a windshield is replaced the mechanic uses a fair amount of force pressing the windshield or light as they are called into the adhesive.Because the pillars,called A for the pillar between the windshield and the door and B for the pillar between the doors,do not have a lot of structual strength the glass is used to bolster the strucual strength.This is required under Dept.of transportation rules.When installing a new light there is a little metal tab already adhered to the light from the factory.All the mechanic does is snap on the rear view mirror.No fuss,no strain,no pressure to break a windshield.