Who Do You Think You Are, I Am? Fixing My Toyota RAV4 Mirror Myself

Someone took out the driver’s-side mirror on my 2014 Toyota RAV4 while it was parked on the side of the road. When I walked over to look, pieces of it were scattered around the curb. The evil was trying to get me that day!!

I love me a Toyota RAV4, and seeing mine wounded made me sick. Since I still needed to drive while the replacement part was on its way, I bought a sheet of flimsy mirror film and attached it with Duck brand duct tape.

The film bent every reflection until traffic behind me looked like it was moving through a funhouse. My temporary mirror qualified through ambition alone. I kept checking the tape whenever I got into the car, then drove around with that warped little rectangle hanging on for dear life.

My usual response to a repair like this involves hiding in a hole and hoping the problem develops an independent work ethic. Once avoidance runs out, I take the car to a shop and pay hundreds of dollars for parts and labor. The whole process begins with intimidation, which tends to make every unfamiliar task look expensive.

I wanted to see what would happen if I stayed with the problem long enough to understand it.

Who do you think you are, I am?

This repair became the first entry in a series I’m calling Who Do You Think You Are, I Am? The name carries the level of nerve I needed when I started taking my car apart.

I’ve spent years treating “I’ve never done this before” like a stop sign. For this series, I’m giving myself enough time with unfamiliar work to learn what it asks of me. That began with finding the right information and opening the driver’s-side door.

Taking the door apart

The replacement mirror came from AutoZone. I brought out my RYOBI tools from The Home Depot and pulled up instructions before touching the door.

Removing the interior panel exposed the wiring beneath a large sheet of plastic. Car doors contain an unsettling amount of business. I worked through each piece slowly because I needed to remember where everything belonged when the panel went back on.

I missed parts of the process while filming. Please find your nearest lesbian who knows how to do this stuff if you came here for a tutorial.

When I reached something unfamiliar, I paused and looked closer. Sometimes I checked the instructions again. A stubborn piece could sit there for a minute while I figured out how it connected to the rest of the door. Working that way left room for whatever I still needed to learn.

I love me a Toyota RAV4

My RAV4 is a 2014, so our relationship includes maintenance. I love this car enough to learn how it works while age brings small repairs into the routine. Some jobs still need a professional shop, and understanding the problem helps me make that call.

Fear had been making some of those decisions before I understood the problem. This mirror gave me time to read through the job before buying the part. By the time I held the replacement beside the open door, the repair had become a series of physical pieces that I could see and handle.

After the new mirror connected inside the door, I secured it and returned the panel to its clips. My hands moved around the edge until everything sat where it belonged. By then, I knew the door well enough to put it back together.

I tested the controls from the driver’s seat and watched the glass move. After weeks of looking through that flimsy film, the ordinary reflection felt almost luxurious while I adjusted the angle.