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737 Driver · 08-11-2024, 06:24 AM

Just wanted to give a quick update. Received the new mirror head from Ramco. Great people to deal with. I paid for expedited shipping and ordered a “clearance” mirror head with small imperfections in the crime that I honestly can’t see. Saved a little money that way. The new mirror head comes with the wire connectors not connected because you don’t have space in the arm to route the wires w the connectors attached. Slightly tricky to route the wires through the arm but no big deal. I also routed the wires through the arm inside my house instead of doing it outside in the Texas heat.

Thanks to all for the advice. Hopefully I won’t knock off another mirror for a very long time🤬

Tor
2017 Anthem 44B

RVFunlovers · 08-12-2024, 06:00 AM

Thanks for the follow up and the pictures. Good to know how you got resolved.

I think we all hope that when it comes to not knocking off mirrors….

voltdoc · 08-13-2024, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSideJeep

On my 2022 Aspire there was nearly enough slack in the wires to allow me to pull the mirror and arm about 2 feet away from the base. Entegra had the spooled up and tied down with zip ties. In fact the camera wire was so long it hung down below the bottom of the cap. All the wires had connectors that could be disconnected, and they were staggered. In my case I did not need to rethread the wires because all I was doing was replacing the "wood" screws with machine screws, Washer and lock nuts. All the wood screws were loose and one of those wood screws had stripped out the hole. It takes two people to do this fix. One needs to be small statured, like 5' 5" and narrow shoulders, my daughter helped me. She got to be the one to get up inside the cap and thread the washer and nut and hold the wrench while i tightened the machine screw from the outside.

When replacing my mirror after FedEx backed into us, I had also considered replacing the sheet metal screws (fastened into a wood block glued behind the fiberglass) with thru bolts, but then I thought, what happens the next time someone takes out my mirror (or I hit something)? Instead of a mirror replacement I'll have a mirror replacement and a major fiberglass repair to the front cap, plus paint etc. I would advise replacing the wood block and sticking with a mirror install that will shear off cleanly on impact.

DarkSideJeep · 08-13-2024, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voltdoc

When replacing my mirror after FedEx backed into us, I had also considered replacing the sheet metal screws (fastened into a wood block glued behind the fiberglass) with thru bolts, but then I thought, what happens the next time someone takes out my mirror (or I hit something)? Instead of a mirror replacement I'll have a mirror replacement and a major fiberglass repair to the front cap, plus paint etc. I would advise replacing the wood block and sticking with a mirror install that will shear off cleanly on impact.

NO wood block on my Aspire, only about 3/8" of fiberglass.

voltdoc · 08-13-2024, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSideJeep

NO wood block on my Aspire, only about 3/8" of fiberglass.

Glue on a block with some epoxy or even just tape it in place until you get the screws started. Perhaps the original block fell out when the mirror let go.

DarkSideJeep · 08-13-2024, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voltdoc

Glue on a block with some epoxy or even just tape it in place until you get the screws started. Perhaps the original block fell out when the mirror let go.

NO wood block.... On either side of the front cap. Screws only extended about 1/2" to the inside not nearly enough to provide any meaningful anchor, and some screws were covers by the spray on insulation foam there was absolutely no evidence that there has ever been a "wood block".

voltdoc · 08-20-2024, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkSideJeep

NO wood block.... On either side of the front cap. Screws only extended about 1/2" to the inside not nearly enough to provide any meaningful anchor, and some screws were covers by the spray on insulation foam there was absolutely no evidence that there has ever been a "wood block".

Ok, so I finally got some time to have a closer look at mine. Passenger side had a wood block which stripped out in the accident. In the photo below you can see that, plus the additional block I added on top if it:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/J5KMD9ndDvEyHMVk8

However, it is only supporting two of the four screws. Also, the driver side mirror does not appear have any visible blocking. This now leads me to think the original wood block was potentially added as a one off at the factory (or dealer?), perhaps due to an overzealous screw gun operator or thin glass, or ??

Anyway, the key takeaway is next time there is an impact, along the same principle as a shear pin, you want those screws to pull out before the fiberglass is seriously damaged. Machine screws and nuts are probably not going to give way before the glass cracks.

If you didn't want to use a backer block you can fill the old stripped holes with epoxy and redrill. If you did use a wood backer block just get longer screws.