Side mirror replacement, at your kerb
Clipped in a parking lot is the most common call we get. Mirror glass, housings, and full powered assemblies — usually done in under an hour without you going anywhere.
Work out what actually broke
“My mirror” means three different repairs
People call and say the mirror is broken, and it turns out to be any one of these. They are not close in price, so it is worth two seconds of looking before you ring.
Just the glass
The reflective pane cracked or fell out but the housing is intact and still folds. The cheapest of the three by some distance, and often the quickest.
Usually the cheap fix
The housing or the whole assembly
Snapped off, hanging by the wiring, or the plastic shell is cracked and the cap is gone. The classic parking-garage and passing-truck injury.
Depends on the vehicle
The electronics inside it
Power adjust, heating, turn signal repeater, puddle lamp, blind-spot indicator, and on newer vehicles a camera. Modern mirrors carry a surprising amount.
The expensive end
Photograph two things and text them over: the broken mirror itself, and the switch inside your door that controls it. The switch tells us whether you have power adjust, folding, heating or a blind-spot system — which decides the part.
Why we get so many of these calls
Mirrors are the first thing anything hits
They stick out further than any other part of the car, at exactly the height of another vehicle’s mirror. Narrow streets in Pacific Grove, tight rows in a Salinas shopping-centre lot, farm roads where a truck comes the other way — the mirror takes it first.
- Clipped in a parking lotFar and away our most common mirror call.
- Folded back the wrong wayManual-fold mirrors survive it. Power-fold ones often strip the gears.
- Glass fell out of the housingThe adhesive backing pad lets go, usually after years in the sun.
- VandalismFrequently both sides, which is worth mentioning when you call.
- Salt air corrosionReal on the coast. Seized adjusters and pitted housings come with living near the water.
Pricing
What changes the number
- Glass only, or the whole assembly
- If the housing survived and only the reflective pane needs replacing, this is one of the cheapest jobs we do. A full powered assembly with a signal repeater and blind-spot indicator is a different conversation entirely.
- What is built into it
- Heated, power adjust, power fold, turn signal, puddle lamp, blind-spot warning, camera. Each one narrows the part down and pushes the price up.
- Painted to match
- Many mirror caps come primed rather than colour-matched. If you want it to match the car exactly rather than close enough, that is a paint step and we will tell you up front.
- Availability
- Common vehicles are usually quick. Something less common, or a specific factory colour, may need ordering in.
- Both sides
- If both mirrors went — which happens with vandalism — say so when you call. It is one trip rather than two.
Questions
About this job, specifically
Can you just replace the mirror glass and keep the housing?
If the housing is intact, yes, and that is much cheaper than a whole assembly. The pane is bonded to a backing plate that clips or sticks into the housing.
Send us a photo — we can usually tell from the picture whether the housing is still good.
Is it legal to drive without a side mirror in California?
California requires a driver-side mirror, and a passenger-side mirror if your interior rear-view mirror does not give you a clear view behind — which it will not if you have a full load, a van, or a truck with a covered bed.
We are a glass shop rather than a legal service, so treat that as the general picture and check the current vehicle code if you need certainty. Practically speaking: get it replaced, and in the meantime drive as if you have a much bigger blind spot, because you do.
My mirror still works but it vibrates at speed.
Usually a loose or partly broken mount, or a housing that took a knock and cracked internally where you cannot see it. Worth looking at, because a mirror that shakes at 65 on the 101 is not doing its job.
The mirror folds but no longer stays put.
On a power-fold mirror, that is normally stripped gears in the fold motor — most often after someone pushed it back by hand instead of using the switch. Depending on the vehicle it may be a motor unit or a full assembly.
Do you replace heated mirror glass?
Yes. Heated panes have a small element and two connectors on the back. We match the part to your vehicle so the heating still works and the connectors seat properly.
How long does a mirror take?
Glass only is often twenty minutes or so. A full assembly with wiring usually stays under an hour. Either way it is a mobile job — we do it wherever the car is.
Other things we fix
Free quote
Get a price on this job
Year, make and model, plus what is damaged. A photo gets you a firmer number faster. We will call you back — usually within the hour.
Faster: just call. Someone picks up seven days a week, and we can usually price a common windshield while you are still on the phone.
(831) 265-2096Or text a photo of the damage to the same number.
Get it handled
Lost a mirror?
Send us a photo of the mirror and a photo of the switch inside your door. That is usually everything we need to price it.
Open 7 days · Salinas and 100 miles around it · We come to you