Bath Cabinet Mirrors

[hussieskunk]

On my 2017 Greyhawk 31FS, we have noticed that the bath mirrors seem to be inexorably falling down. When we purchased the rig I noticed the double sided tape sticking out the top of the mirror - just figured I'd trim it off when I got the chance. But this past weekend, the right side mirror has its bottom edge a full inch lower than the cabinet door it is affixed (or not affixed) to. The left side is not near as dramatic, but falling nonetheless. Of course I am under warranty, but this seems to be a reasonably easy job for me to tackle with the exception of how to take the mirrors off and re-mount them properly. Any suggestions to get them off the cabinet doors and what product to use to remount them?

Yes, I should probably take it to my dealer and have them warranty it out, but I have had nothing but problems with the dealership and any warranty issues. I am not in a hurry to enlist their help anytime soon.

Thanks!

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by hussieskunk

Any suggestions to get them off the cabinet doors and what product to use to remount them?

I'm in a 31FK so I'm going to guess we have similar bathroom mirrors. If so, first thing I'd do it pull the entire door from the hinges.

Then I'd probably tape up the entire mirror, shipping tape, just in case.

I'd gently slide, tug and or pry with a thin shim and see if I can pop the mirror off. Maybe some gentle heat to loosen the adhesive.

If I encountered any resistance, I'd probably take the entire door and mirror assembly to a local glass shop. And get their two cents.

If you get it off, then I'd probably head to Home Depot and pick up some special mirror adhesive. They make mirror tape, but given the extreme temp swings and the bouncing, I'd be tempted to apply some sort of mastic.

[hussieskunk]

Thank you for the suggestions! I'm glad I was envisioning the same plan of action. The bumping and bouncing has me worried too. Maybe I should reach out to Jayco directly for the tape they use.

[triplebvalp]

Originally Posted by hussieskunk

Maybe I should reach out to Jayco directly for the tape they use.

My 27.5 FW did the same thing. I removed the door and gently persuaded the mirror off. Took the doubled sided tape off, cleaned the back of the mirror and the face of the door. Reapplied new 3M double sided tape ( a lot more than Jayco had put on ) and reattached the mirror to the door. Everything seems well after doing this back in June.

If it happens again, I will repeat the above process but use a mirror glue or liquid nails.

[Eric&DianeN]

We have the same problem with our 2016 31FS. I am planning on removing the door/mirrors and using liquid nail.

[hussieskunk]

Thanks triplebvalp and Eric&DianeN! This project is on the list to address this coming weekend.

[xmtraveler]

I have the 2017 Redhawk had exactly the same problem, mirror sliding down cabinet. It's due to heat inside coach when parked and stored and the use by Jayco of cheap flimsy glue tape probably from a foreign source like virtually everything else these days. My solution was to remove glass gently by pressing downward and reapplying the strongest adhesive 3M tape and applying a tiny spot of gorilla glue on four corners. This seems to have fixed problem. I have same issue with RV dealers. There concern is in selling them and nothing else.

[hussieskunk]

@xmtraveler: Thank you for confirming it on a similar model. Now I have to stop telling my wife she's crazy about it sliding down. I just thought it was installed wrong. I'm gonna use everyone's suggestions of 3M tape and Gorilla Glue.

[xmtraveler]

Use care when removing mirror to. prevent breakage. In order to remove from cabinet I used a heat gun similar to hair dryer on lowest setting to apply warm air to front of miror. With that it was rather easy to pull from. Cabinet I suppose due to the lousy adhesive used to mount it by Jayco.

[LI-Camper]

I'm having the same issue with my 2017 Greyhawk 29 MV. I will try some of these fixes as soon as I am able. I am having a hip replacement in seven weeks and can't mess with this right now. I wonder how many RVs from Jayco have this same problem? Has anyone contacted Jayco about this?

[ccradeur]

Same problem for my 29 MV. At the shop now for the mirrors, Water heater fuel valve sticking, and the annual Warranty Forever inspection.

[hussieskunk]

UPDATE: I've corrected the mirrors. Thanks to everyone with the ideas and suggestions. So here is what I did, just last night...

1. Removed the cabinet doors, one at a time. Started with the right one, the worst of the two.
2. Got out the dental floss. Pulled out a long string and slid it under the mirror, then slowly worked back and forth until I could just barely lift one end of the mirror up.
3. Once up, I wedged in two flat bottle openers (its just what I had on hand, could have been any rigid, flat and thin item) in order to allow the working of both floss and a heat gun further down the mirror back.
4. I did NOT heat the face of the mirror, rather I aimed the heat gun (at the lowest heat setting) under the lifted mirror -- from all sides that were exposed.
5. Back to the floss, slowly working back and forth under the mirror. Then more heat, then more floss.
6. At some point you have to start working the floss from the other end, but all the while as I heated the adhesive and flossed, I moved the wedges further down the side of the cabinet door...slowly lifting the mirror.
7. Once through the four adhesive strips, the mirror lifted right off. The adhesive tape just rolled up when I ran my finger across it. It did not gum up or stick to anything, I was amazed at how easy the clean up was.
8. I purchased a couple of Scotts brand heavy duty double sided tape. I cleaned the surfaces of the mirror and door with some rubbing alcohol and then made sure they were dry with a paper towel. I put a total of four stripes of tape on the door: (2) 10 lb on the outside and (2) 15 lb on the inside.
9. I aligned the mirror so that the top of the mirror was flush with the top of the door, and perfectly centered left to right on the door. This left a small gap at the bottom of the cabinet door, but from a standing angle one would never see it.
10. The directions on the tape say to press the two pieces firmly together for 30 seconds. I did, but I also used some 'weights' I found hanging near the beer for a few minutes.
11. After a beer (or two) I walked the beauty in the RV and reinstalled.
12. Repeat the process with the second door.
13. Done!

Aside from a screwdriver/drill with a square bit (my screws are not philips head), you will need a heat gun, lots of dental floss (thin, waxy) and patience. They will not come off with the first, second or third pass with the floss; the floss does break, you'll have to use quite a bit. The floss is so thin that it is easy to work over the wedges, without disturbing them while they do their job.

I tried to show my workflow in the photos. I was so excited that it was done that I forgot to take a picture of the finished products! I'll post them separately.

Thanks again all!

[pconroy]

Nice job! Great tip about the dental floss too!!!

[jbayone]

Had exactly this same problem. Removed the doors, pulled single strand picture wire behind the mirror to separate mirror from door. After cleaning up the door and back of the mirror, I used mirror adhesive - yes - from Lowe's - and it's made to stick mirrors to the walls in homes. Super tough seal - PERMANENT - and haven't had an issue since.

If I could only figure out a PERMANENT fix to the random hinge-attachment screws that come loose from the particle board cabinet facings they're attached to.....

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by jbayone

If I could only figure out a PERMANENT fix to the random hinge-attachment screws that come loose from the particle board cabinet facings they're attached to.....

Screws and particle board or MDF just don't mix.
I've had some success with filling the holes with 5 min Epoxy and then screwing things in. Epoxy bonds to the wood and the screw bites into the epoxy.

[jkaras7]

We had the same problem. We simply installed mirror hooks and now the mirror stays put!

[GeorgiaRV]

Originally Posted by jkaras7

We had the same problem. We simply installed mirror hooks and now the mirror stays put!

I saw the issue on other units I visited when looking to buy ours. I put the brackets in place before the mirrors started to sag and no issue since.

[hussieskunk]

Originally Posted by pconroy

Screws and particle board or MDF just don't mix.
I've had some success with filling the holes with 5 min Epoxy and then screwing things in. Epoxy bonds to the wood and the screw bites into the epoxy.

I agree. I am not putting anymore screws into the particle board construction than what is already there. Congrats on those that have made it work.

[Rdhmaryland]

I had the same problem on my 2015 31FK. I removed the upper doors from the cabinet and put them on a flat surface I took a thin 2" putty knife and gently slid it under the mirror being careful to gently go around the entire outside edge of the mirror. I think the problem occurred because of heat build up in the coach during storage. I cleaned the old double sided tape off the mirror and cabinet door facing. I used construction adhesive to reattach the mirror glass to the cabinet door. That is a forever repair as far as I am concerned.

[Alvind]

Had the familar problem with the bath vanity mirrors adhesive allowing the mirror to slide down.

My fix:
1st. Took mirrors off the wall and turned upside down. Place in a black plastic bag and sat in the sun.
2nd. Once the mirrors were back in position, layed flat to cool.
3rd bought $3 worth of corner wood from the big box hardware
4. Used small screws and fixed the corners on the mirror door.
5. Stained to match, less than a ounce of stain.
6. Looks like it came from the factory this way