broken sun visor mount

New:

$72

Used:

* $29 and up

Thank you!

Used. Hmmm....

I am thinking of something like

around the broken sleeve

Junkyard. Bring tools when you go.

I've gotten great buys on parts for our 1995 and 2002 Outbacks on eBay. Engine parts, body parts, trim, etc. Did you look there? BW

They probably don't have the components of a sun visor to sell to you. They have parts that are assemblies. Just like they don't have parts to repair a broken ignition switch, but have to replace the entire switching assembly that mounts on the steering column.

I wouldn't use superglue to repair the cracked mount which is probably metal. I'd use JB Weld steel-reinforced cold weld epoxy. When cured, that stuff is as hard as metal. I've drained an oil pan, use a drill-mounted wire brush to clean around a hole in the pan, sanded around the hole to provide a rough surface for grip, and use JB Weld to fill the hole and blend onto the surface around the hole to fix an oil leak in a pencil-sized hole (was for someone's car, and figured they repeatedly drove the car over something that kept scraping the oil pan). The stuff became metal when it cured. No more leak. Never came loose. I've used it to repair other metal breaks. That stuff gets HARD. It's a 2-part epoxy, but with metal slivers to provide the adhesiveness of the expoxy with the strength of steel. Costs $5.

You'll some way to pull on the mount to open the crack, make sure it is clean, and squeeze in some steel epoxy into the crack, and then a way (like a clamp) to close the crack and let the epoxy cure (15-24 hours). Of course, you could just crack it apart, clean the edges, apply the steel epoxy, and then clamp together to let cure.

The above assumes the mount is made of metal. The steel epoxy is supposed to work on metal, wood, plastic, tile, fiberglass, concrete, and more materials. I've only used it for metal repair.

In my area, there is a salvage yard that lets you come in to remove parts, and they're cheap (you do the labor). That place is only for 20+ year old cars. They don't allow power tools in the yard (a liability issue). The have a web site where you can check their car inventory, but you may need to find a year model that is close to yours instead of an exact match since parts are used over several year-models.

There is another salvage dealer that doesn't let you in their yard. They scrap the vehicle for parts, and you buy the parts they salvaged. The parts cost more because they did the labor to sell them separately. They have a 90-day warranty, so if you happen to get one that is defective then you can return it to swap for another.

Very expensive breakable piece of plastic crap.

I use a large clamp type paper clip to hold it up and then wear a hat with a visor.

^^^^^

From the OP's description, the problem is not with the visor. It's with the /mount/ for the visor (the securing bracket for the rod that goes inside the visor).

He did not say the visor was cracked and thereby loose. He said the /mount/ was cracked.

I pictured the triangular piece attached to the roof was fine. Twice the cylindrical plastic piece that was glued to the visor, but affixed the whole business to the roof bracket was cracked. That leaves the visor hanging down and flopping while both ends are where they should be. I used some things to try to jam it together with no good result. That's why I settled for the paper clip and hat. ;) The visor is still viable, but useless.

I paid $70 for a used visor with all parts including that triangular piece. However, it was no time that sleeve on the second visor cracked and my dealer declined to pay for a new one since a few months had expired.

You told WHO? First you premise you inquiry that it is YOUR car. Then you reveal that it is someone else's. In your other post, you said you "pictured" the damage which means you have not actually seen it, nor is it for your vehicle. As is typical of you, you come here for advice and then proffer to someone as your own expertise. Have them come here and ask for themself, especially since they can actually see and know what is the damage.

want $94. Still damn expensive, but less than your dealer quoted.

want $72.

The above are for new OEM parts, not used or refurbished.

My non-Subaru car shop has a national network to hunt for parts both to find them and get good parts. You might want to check if they'll hunt for you, and even what they would charge to put in the used part. They might give you a year warranty. My car shop knew a guy that would replace just a spring in the ignition lock assembly instead of having to pay for the entire steering column assembly for the ignition module. Another option would be to check with a body repair shop.

I had a URL to a Subaru parts recycler, but their domain went dead. Looks like some moved over to eBay. That's where I found the crossbars for the roof rails (the used car didn't come with them which rendered the roof rails useless). I sold one totalled car to someone whose intent was to sell off the parts. Got more than what the insurance would pay (after the deductible).

they want you to subscribe and login to read the full article. Found more at: I suppose a Subaru-branded dealer has obligations to Subaru on where to get repair parts.

No one else doing collision work has to bother placating Subaru's demands unless you want the parts covered by Subaru's insurance (well, what's left of it, but I doubt there is any manufacturer warranty left on a 2006 Forester).

Instead of taking a route to find repair parts by first going through a Subaru dealer, take a different route by asking at car/body shops, hunting online for the parts (new or used), or check out the nearby auto salvage yards. Some of the yards have sites you can search to see if they have the part, or to ask them to find it and quote you a price since they may also know how to search the national recycler network.

The guy at the parts counter at the dealership

It is my car. I only have obne car

What ???? Perhaps you are confusing me with someone else?

What?? I took it down from the roof and then discovered the damage.

What in the world are you going on about? Do you have a hangover by chance?

Found the subarupartsforyou one. I will use it as a last resort. Or get use to getting hit in the head

And their mark up is something to behold.

FleeBay or a junk yards.

I am going to try using a couple of Spring Band Clamps to tighten up the sleeve. It sound like that part breaks a lot.

You're the same "T" in the Windows newsgroups to acquire knowledge for free from there that you then charge your customers. Expected your same behavior here. Maybe not here.

Since you can't use the sun visor, why not use some self-stick velcro to keep it held up against the ceiling? Rather than the small squares you find in the hardware store, you can go to a fabric shop to buy a wide roll of velcro. That may not have the self-stick glue already attached since the store is selling stuff you sew into clothes, but you can also buy spray glue that is non-permanent (aka tacking glue). Instead of glue, you could use double-sided self-stick carpet tape to hold the velcro to the ceiling and to the visor. I've used carpet tape to hold rugs in place, and it does come off later, but you might need a hair dryer and some soap or Goo Gone when you later remove the carpet tape. Do NOT use hot-melt seaming or pressure sensitive tape. Light-duty carpet tape should work considering the visor doesn't have much weight, and it's about 2" wide, so it has a lot of contact area for grip.

If the visor does not rest or touch the ceiling, you can use double-side self-stick foam tape to build up a thick enough layer to get the velcro on the ceiling to touch the velcro on visor.

Alternatively, from the hardware store, you could use self-stick window weatherstrip sponge-foam tape. It comes in various thicknesses. I've used the 3/4" thickness to stick on the bottom on my keyboards to keep them from sliding around and absorb the impact when I smack them (those folding plastic feet never survive). One side has the glue you peel off a covering sheet. That would go on the ceiling since it can be removed later. On the side of the foam tape toward the visor, apply some contact glue on the foam tape and the visor, let get tacky, and stick together. Or you could use the self-stick foam tape to stick to the ceiling and span the space from ceiling to visor, and use self-stick velcro strips on the foam tape to the visor.

From the hardware store, you could get self-stick butyl flashing tape to put on the ceiling. Then stick the self-stick velcro strips or squares to the tape, and to the visor, and press together to hold up. Sorry, I've only used this stuff for sealing new window installs or the stuff with a metal side (for sun/UV protection) for repairing gutters, so I'm not sure how well it peels off later.

If the visor touches the ceiling, you could even use hot-melt glue; however, I'm not sure if the usually flimsy and thin ceiling fabric will not warp from the heat of the glue.

Since the visor is useless now and you're trying to always hold it up and out of the way, but it flops around to hit you in the head, why not just remove it? There aren't screws in the mounting plate to let you remove it? If not, how were you going to install a replacement? There might be a plastic plug or cover over the screw(s). They'll big an ugly hole left in the ceiling fabric where was the mount. You could get a plastic plug you could drill some holes to cover the hole. Paint the plastic cover plug to match the ceiling fabric's color. You might be able to remove the plastic mount from the ball at the end of the rod, and reuse the mount to cover the mounting hole.

If the crack in mount is allowing the visor to drop, seems like the mount might be damaged inside which holds the end of the visor rod, and why you mention the visor hitting you in the head. Here's a video of someone that use a fender washer and lockwasher to keep the visor up:

If there is no flange, or it broke off, maybe there's enough length still left of the rod, if plastic, to drill a tiny hole through the end of the rod, and use a cotter pin to hold the rod into the mount.

Is the mount cracked, or is the problem the visor won't stay up? That's a different problem. I think someone here already mentioned using paper clamps to squeese the visor tighter against the rod (which may only go partially into the visor, so use the clamps on the visor near the mount).

shows how the clamp works, but there needs to be some flex in the visor material to allow squeezing it tighter against the rod.

I've used a couple of these to hold a handicap placard onto the visor, because the elastic band built into the visor was deteriorated and would not hold anything in place that thin. In my state, hanging the placard from the mirror is allowed only when the car is parked, and not allowed while driving because the claim is it obstructs your view through the windshield. I wasn't going to bother with handicap license plates for each car. With the visor clamps, I just flip down the visor to show the placard through the windshield.

Another cure shows at Youtube was to slide something along the rod to effectively enlarge its diameter and apply more friction against the visor, like sliding cable/zip ties along the rod. One person just used a self-stick velcro square (the hook side, not the fuzzy side) on the rod, but only because they could pull the visor partly off the rod.

From what I see of images for sun visors in 2006 Foresters

,there's the mount side and a clip side (near the rearview mirror). Assuming the mount is cracked, I don't see how that would have the visor hitting you in your head. Is the mount-side of the rod held by the mount, or is it dangling down and separate of the mount? Or is the problem the visor won't stay up on the rod inside of it?

If your are an eBay member (required to buy anything), you get covered by their Buyer Protection. I know it works, because I've used it a few times either because the seller did not sell what was advertized or the item was defective, and the seller was unresponsive.

That used one is $20. From the pics, the mount (and clip) are not cracked, and the flange on the mount-end of the rod is intact. Not much soiling, either. Standard shipping is free. Other sellers have a lower price, but their shipping cost makes them overall more expensive. For this auction, the seller does not accept returns (i.e., it's an as-is sale), but eBay's Buyer Protection helps.

A lot of folks buy totalled vehicles and then part them out over eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, and other online sites. You don't have to find local salvage yards (and go there) or contact nationwide recyclers to get price quotes. $20 seems a low risk to get a working visor.

If you insist on getting a brand new visor assembly, well, I've given links to sites that will see you those, but at a cost of $70+. You've got a used vehicle. A new visor might look more out of place than a clean undamaged used one.

That is a distortion of what goes on over there. I also answer a lot of questions FOR FREE. I make a point of giving as much as I take. I also frequently post tips too. And the time I take to do such costs me dearly in unbilled hours. So please stop the distortions and accurately portray me.

I am proceeding in this order: spring clip, junk yard, fleebay, controlling my swearing and living with it, oem.

Hi All,

A follow up to the "visor in the head" problem.

A spring clamp firmed it up beautifully. No more free swinging.

Problem: I could not get it all back through the ceiling mount hole. POOP !!!

A picture:

So, I am thinking that since this is a frequent problem with this visor, that is might be less expensive to get a new one than to have to replace a used mount several times.

Thank you all for the tips!

-T

We have a couple MBZ 450SLs here, '76 and '77.

The outboard ends of their sunvisor rods are ball joints. The visors can swing all over, and hang straight down, when the inboard ends aren't plugged into their sockets by the rearview mirror. The inboard ends use plastic pegs, which break a few years after their mating sockets have broken.

Replacement visors were about $350 EACH, eight or so years ago, said the dealership parts guy. And they're shitty visors, no sculpted beauty, no flip-open or sliding features, nothing other than being a most basic sun blocker.

But, But, But, getting hit in the head every so often keeps you from falling asleep at the wheel!!!

:'(

While you pictured the spring hose clamp sitting at the end of the collar (that applies pressure to the end of the visor rod), the clamp could not be slid further down onto the collar?

The tangs are only so you can press them together to enlarge the clamp, and release to apply pressure to the hose around which is the clamp. Could you maybe bend down or snip off those tangs to let you insert the mount all the way inside its recess in the ceiling?

Maybe instead of spring clamps with tangs sticking out, maybe you could use PEX pipe. Looks like the collar is tapered. See if there is PEX pipe at the inside diameter of the top of the collar: remove the visor rod (because of its flange at the end), put contact cement on the collar and inside a stub of PEX pipe and wait to get tacky, tamp the PEX pipe down on the collar, let set, and reinsert the visor rod so its flange snaps past the end of the collar.

There are also PEX crimp rings (go around pipe to crimp down onto connector). Alas, you have to buy the crimp tool, and has a size to match the crimp ring; however, if you have any PEX in your home, you'll probably want one when you renovate, alter, or add to your PEX plumbing. You don't want to use a PEX clamp, but the bulge where you crimp would probably stick out further even if flattened than the tangs on the spring host clamp you used.

There are metal cable ties (stainless steel). You'll need a needle nose plier to curl the end string after the catch end to get it as tight as possible. It's not they're plastic which will stretch a bit while tightening.

Looks like the spring hose clamp would work, but maybe you need to get rid of the tangs, so you can get the mount to be flush with the ceiling.