My ability to use my hands is as inconsistent as a certain Los Angeles professional basketball team–one minute I’ll be getting putting together Ikea furniture like on one’s business, and the next I’ll slice my finger open peeling a cucumber with a butter knife.

My desire to display my handiness is impeccable however, I’ll spend hours messing something up and hurting myself before I dare pay someone to do what amounts to probably 5 minutes of work, which, unlike my clumsiness is something I got from my dad who never believed in paying for anything that can be done for free.

When I swiped the side of my car against a mailbox then, cracking the rear view mirror into a thousand pieces of glass, I was ready for the challenge at hand.


Curious as to what it could potentially cost me, I called a body shop for an estimate, and was quoted “around $200-$300 for the mirror, plus labor costs”.

Yeah, right, I thought. It’s an expensive habit to be inept in this world, as me and my wallet have certainly learned..

So, after exploring some of my options, I ended up at an auto parts shop that was within walking distance of the Tijuana drug trade, where I was able to swipe the mirror I needed for a mere $30.18 after taxes. Step one was complete, and I couldn’t help but feel a major victory over the “man”.

Then came the installation *gulp*

I immediately went on Google to figure this shit out, (Youtube first actually, videos are so much easier to follow) and given the lack of any sort of decent step by step descriptions with full pictures at hand, that, for people like me would be hell, I decided to craft my own guide together here below.

First things first then–remove the two screws at the bottom of the panel. They’re in hex shape so if you don’t have one, an adjustable wrench, or even pliers as in my case, work just as well.

Then we want to remove the piece right on the door handle, it should jiggle and slide right out.

Do the same for the piece right above it that contains the lock/window buttons (it should slide right toward you). Unplugging the buttons is optional, but it might be more convenient to do so.

Also remove the hex screw on the top right.

And voila, with a little effort, the whole side panel should slide right off, giving us access to the bolts attaching the mirror.

The bolts can be tricky since there’s such a small amount of space in there. It’s a 7/16″ hole so grab that particular wrench, and with a little improvising as seen below, you can gain a bit of much needed leverage to unscrew it.

Rinse + repeat 3 times for each bolt.

After the bolts are removed the mirror should fall right off, allowing you to connect the new mirror on, and attach on the bolts again. Whoo I  can see myself again!

Finally attach the wiring to the mirror so you can use the electric controls from the driver’s side.

Do everything again in reverse mode, and once again you have a shiny new mirror at hand.

As an astute one can see, the project started off with plenty of sunshine, but by the time I was done it was pitch black and the wolves were calling outside.

In other words, it should take an average person ~15-20 minutes to complete everything.

Tip of advice: be sure to take your keys out before you forget they’re in there while you’re playing with the autolocks button on the other door, thereby locking yourself out.