Rear view mirror placement problem?!?

[compdoc777]

My rear view mirror seems to be placed just where I can't see out the front window well. It needs to be about 2" higher or mounted from the top seal instead of the window itself.

What are your thoughts. I was thinking of just removing the whole thing.

[Sunny Ragtop]

That was my first thought when I got mine. It's so bulky with the interior lights and the OnStar. I had a glass replacement company look at it and they said to remove the mirror most likely will break the windshield and in the past they've not had good results attempting, so I didn't do anything.

You may have done this, but I've seen Sky owners that didn't know their mirrors were on a little mounting arm that can be moved to face up to the roof of the car. It will give you at least 2 more inches of vision.

[mglindo]

You must be of the taller persuasion. I have no such problem!

[smithb]

I have the same problem, and complained about it here a year ago when I got my sky, but no one seemed to care then either. You should be able to remove the old mirror without too much trouble.

[MidniteBlues]

You know, excellent point to bring up. I also have an issue, looking to the right, you have this blind spot, when It happens, I have to bend over to look under the mirror to make sure it is clear. I also agree and think this issue is only for tall drivers. My wife has no issues either, she is much shorter than I.
Ah what the heck, us BIG people always have issues, like coach seats on an airliner... Don't see how we can mount it to the windshield frame either, since the tops locking mechanism is there guess it's possible..hmm

[ggccg]

What SunnyRagTop said: Each end of the post that the mirror is attached to has a ball and socket which enables the mirror to be raised considerably. Just grab the mirror and move it straight up. Then rotate the mirror foward/backward until you can see out the rear window.

[08BlueSky]

Could always do like the fella in (was it?) Gumball Rally..

Just grab it and toss it out the back - "For whats behind me is not my concern"

Just kidding - I'm going to (double ball) raise it tonight

joe

[Lil GTO]

I have noticed that problem in various cars - including other Saturn models - I don't recall it being as bad in the Sky test drives I have taken or while driving my dad's Sky - hoping it is not too bad when I get my Red Line next year.

Might also have to play with the seat height adjustment - for those who have it.

The placement of the mirror is one part of the equation - the size of the mirror is another - if you are making a left turn and you look to your right and you do not see another car there because the mirror blocked your view completely - that could be bad.

Regarding attachment to the upper frame - is there something special about attaching a mirror at its midpoint? surely some engineer could figure out a way to have both the mirror attachment arm and the convertible top locking mechanism coexist peacefully. Or maybe the issue is if you have the mirror up too high then operating the top lock would cause you to know the mirror out of adjustment.

or maybe an LCD screen located top center in the dash connected to a rear facing camera would eliminate the need for a rear view mirror all togehter.

separate thought - maybe one of those license plate mounted cameras mounted in the front so you can see curbs and such - of course then you would have to run a front plate - or find some other way to mount the camera. or maybe two cameras - one front one rear but then where to out the monitors - or maybe one split screen monitor - or a selector switch.....

[WishfulThinking]

Originally Posted by ggccg

What SunnyRagTop said: Each end of the post that the mirror is attached to has a ball and socket which enables the mirror to be raised considerably. Just grab the mirror and move it straight up. Then rotate the mirror foward/backward until you can see out the rear window.

That was the first thing I did when I took my test drive. If that adjustment hadn't been possible, it would have been a huge negative for the car (for me). When I have the seat set where I want it, the "normal" position for the mirror was an awful obstruction for me. It did move up enough to make me happy though.

If that's still not enough for some, I suppose it might be possible leave the mount on the glass alone, but swap the little arm out with a slightly longer one and make it go up a little higher.

[compdoc777]

I think the mount on the glass will come off the glass. I know in my truck it did and I had to use a kit to glue it back on.

I am wondering if it is a law that one has to have a rear view mirror if not then I may just remove it because no matter where it is it obstructs my view.

[Lil GTO]

It *should be possible to remove the mirror from the glass - unless it was connected via a hole through the glass to some external sensor or something - and there is windshield adhesive on the market - such as Mustang Part PRO-61067 - REARVIEW MIRROR ADHESIVE - MIRRORS - RESTORATION SUPPLIES - AAPD.NET

but some sort of greater articulation on the arm would be nice in many cars