How To Replace the Side Mirror of a Hyundai Elantra

On HighTechDad.com, I usually write about technology and how it works (or doesn’t) within the family environment. Or sometimes I provide How To and Fix It articles, again, usually about technology. And occasionally, I write some car reviews. But this time, I’m going to meld some things together here. I’m combining a Fix It and How To article with automotive. Specifically, how to replace the side mirror on a Hyundai Elantra (specifically, the 2013 model year).

So, a few months ago, I stupidly backed out of a tight garage without really checking the clearance of my side view mirrors on my Hyundai Elantra. As I heard the “crunch,” I realized I had really messed up. One of my mirror casings got cracked. It looked pretty lame. Then a few months later, we managed to completely break the mountings of the mirror on the passenger side of the Elantra. Not good. We couldn’t use the passenger side mirror for anything really after that.

I looking into the replacement costs and from what I found online, having a dealer or mechanic replace just ONE of the mirrors costs around $500. So two would obviously be about $1000. But, I did some more investigation and found that it is actually quite easy to do it yourself and save a lot of money in the process. I ordered two replacement mirrors, passenger and driver, for about $60 each (here are the driver and passenger side mirrors I bought on Amazon). And since there weren’t any YouTube How-To videos for my model year, I decided to record the process. First I did the passenger side and once I figured it out, I recorded the driver’s side replacement process.

I hope this video helps. It will save you about $800 or more if you replace both yourself. I have listed a few bits of information below the video but pretty much everything is included in the video.

How to Replace the Side Mirror of a Hyundai Elantra

First off, watch the video below. It pretty much explains and shows the entire process. The video is also available directly on YouTube.

Here are the tools I used:

• 10mm sprocket & sprocket wrench
• Flat-head screwdriver
• Small wrench
• Cloth towel

And these are the two mirrors I ordered from Amazon:

• Driver’s Side mirror (Depo 321-5404L3EBH1 Hyundai Elantra Driver Side Heated Power Mirror)
• Passenger’s Side mirror (Depo 321-5404R3EBH1 Hyundai Elantra Passenger Side Heated Power Mirror)

Most of the replacement mirrors that you can order come in just one base black color (which is perfect for those people who have black Elantra’s like me). You can potentially paint them but since I didn’t do that, I have no information on how that can be done. I did, however, want to replace both mirrors to ensure a “match” in case the black color of my original Elantra side mirror was different from the replacement. I also ordered the same brand of replacement mirror to be sure as well.

Again, the best bet on replacing these mirrors is to watch my video above, but here are a few tips:

• When popping off the panel to get access to the bolts, use the cloth towel to prevent scratching the plastic panel.
• Don’t try to pop the panel off too quickly as you may damage some of the plastic connectors.
• Use the sprocket wrench to loosen the nuts and then hand loosen the rest of the way for better control.
• With the nut that is closest to the panel and the most difficult to get at, use a small wrench to loosen and then carefully remove using your fingers.
• Be careful not to drop the nuts down into the door panel. You can stuff a rag into the gap to prevent this from happening.
• Hand-tighten everything while pressing the mirror into the door. Then at the end, tighten with sprocket wrench or regular wrench.
• Make sure the adhesive foam tape is applied.
• Before you put the plastic panel back on, test the operation of the new mirror.
• Don’t race through the process. But remember, it only takes about 15 minutes or so.

In terms of repairability, this is one of the easier things I have had to repair. Compared to replacing a battery in an iPhone or a laptop, this is a piece of cake honestly. But I don’t know how to work on an engine…maybe someday.

The final result was pretty good. And since I replaced two mirrors, I think I saved over $800!

If you found this How To helpful, please let me know! Leave a comment on this article or on YouTube. If something wasn’t clear or if you have questions, feel free to ask. I’m not a car mechanic in any way but I’m happy to answer what I can. But the best thing about this whole process is…doing it yourself!

HTD says: Replacing the side mirror of a Hyundai Elantra is actually quite a bit easier than you would think. If yours is broken, repair it yourself!