2003 Floppy review mirror

[67rustavenger]

Hello, after my van spent a month in the shop getting an electrical issue sorted.
I picked it up today.

I needed to readjust the interior rear view mirror and noted the rather floppy windshield stalk when making the adjustment.
It's been like this since I bought the van and I have never really took a good look at the mirror attachment to the windshield.

When I got home from the shop. I twisted the mirror stalk 90° to remove the mirror.

Looking at the springs that hold the mirror stalk to the windshield mount, I can see that there is some spring steel that clamps to the mount.
Can those spring steel brackets be bent to tighten the mirror stalk to the bracket?
If anyone has dealt with this issue, how'd you bend the springs for a tighter grip on the mirror stalk to the windshield mount?
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!
Don't let your bad ideas remain, ideas!

[50Splitman]

I have this exact issue and haven’t been able to resolve it yet, and it has become quite annoying. Keeping and eye on this thread. My current thought is to fabricate a shim to sit between the mounting elbow and the windshield to add some friction and stabilize the mount if the spring portion cannot be remedied.

[67rustavenger]

Rather than bending the spring steel on the mirror stalk.

I'm gonna try using some gasket paper to go between the stalk and the windshield mount to place some tension on the stalk and hopefully eliminate the floppy condition.
I'll give this a go tomorrow and report back if that improves things a bit.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!
Don't let your bad ideas remain, ideas!

[Glenn]

Spring steel has a memory returned to it's original shape. If you try to bend it, be careful since it can snap.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[67rustavenger]

[vwplenty]

I filled the area around the metal clip with epoxy and the fix has lasted 6 years. Take the mirror off, push the clip tighter, fill around it and keep rotating the arm to keep the epoxy from getting in the wrong place until set. Use a faster setting epoxy.

I just tried to take my mirror off to take a picture for this post but it did not want to slide off the windshield clip.

Cheers,
Robert
2002 MV 190K

[67rustavenger]

Ok so, I mended the floppy issue for the time being.

First I made a rather thick gasket from material that I use for making fiber type 1 intake manifold gaskets from.
When I tried to mount the mirror on the windshield mount it was a No Go! Dammit!

Ok, next attempt was using a manila file folder for the gasket material.
I used the mirror stalk base as a template to get the outside diameter pretty close as to be hidden when the mirror was mounted.
I cut the center out in a crude star pattern so the gasket would slide over the windshield mount then, Mounted the mirror.
Success! No more floppy rearview mirror.

I can only guess that the mirror was floppy from PO's taking the mirror off the clean the inside of the windshield. Then sloppily reinstalling the mirror bending the springs inside the stalk base.
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!
Don't let your bad ideas remain, ideas!