Headlining - Rear View Mirror

[shaolindan]

I had a good day today.
Drove from south London up to Harwich in Essex where I had bought a headlining from a chap. He was very sad about having to scrap his first V Dub a 5 door mk2 16valver. But looking at the body shell it was pretty much a goner. The good news is that for some reason the headling is completely mint, not a mark on it and several shades darker (ie not faded) than my one. So ABC pillars out, handles, 4 pop grommits, sun visors, safety belts, rear view mirror etc all out.

Butchered my old headlining and then started the careful process of putting the new one in. Even managed to replace one of the wind deflector arms, so the sun roof closes without having to pull the deflector down at the same time!! It looks bloody awesome so I'm chuffed. 

However it was starting to get dark/late, and the bloke who was kindly giving me hand with it had to go and look after his little boy.

The problem is, neither of us for love nor money could get the rear view mirror back into the roof. I don't remember it being physically hard to twist and remove it but I can not get it back in. Is there a trick to this that I'm missing? Please help, as this was part of a surprise for my the missis and she is driving to Silverstone tomorrow.
 :embarassed:
I didn't enjoy driving on the motorway, but especially in London without a rear view mirror. I don't like driving a Van!!!

What's the trick folks?

[mk2bal]

You've been to Harwich?! Big up yaself..

[Reasty]

You can't just push it into the roof flat,iirc you have to put the front in first at an angle (closest to windscreen) and then clip the back in if this dosnt work try doing the reverse,back then front I know it's one or the other and that you cannot just push it in flat

[Thom89]

Point mirror stalk towards steering wheel, locate into slot, then twist clockwise, mirror hooks onto a bar iirc

Thom

[Thom89]

Found this...



Thom

[shaolindan]

Thom I can't see what you have found in that post.

I can take some piccies if it will help. The back of the rear view mirror 'plate' has a triangular steel outcrop. The hole in the roof for it to fit into is a sort of weird T shape with re-enforced steel bars on the edges. I have put it in at and angle and tried to rotate it to being straight, to the point of the car shaking on its coilovers and still nothing...

[Thom89]

Try again, helps if you don't put an image code in :embarassed:

http://golfgtiguides.co.uk/guides/remove-the-mk2-rear-view-mirror/

Thom

[cняis]

i seem to remember beating my old old back into position. It really was a ballache. Again as mentioned above it needed to be twisted in. It was a mare!

[Thom89]

They actually fit really easily! its just technique. they are designed to fall off easily in the event of an accident, rather than rip someone's skull open...

Thom

[Bl4ckGryph0n]

LOL I know this is a thread revival. But what a ball ache. My daughter and I have done so much to her car and just installed a nice new headlining.

Taking off the rear view mirror was “easy” with the technique to twist it counter clockwise and it came lose. But for the life of me I can refit it.

I tried;

- Reverse of taking it out. So insert under an angle with the stall pointing to the U.K. steering wheel. Then push and twist. Seems great until you touch it and that top part that should hook in the bar keeps coming loose.

- Tried to insert top first but then the bottom can’t clear the metal bars.

- Tried to insert the bottom first but I can’t get it under the top bar.

I really wonder what the technique is to insert this. Perhaps it’s because my headlining isn’t broken and now it’s too tight 😂