hope someone can help me. this is a 1998 dodge ram quad cab truck issue. i've attached some photos below.
hubby was driving down the road...boom something, we can only suppose it was a poor bird-he didn't see at all what it was-hit the passenger side mirror and it hung for a moment then crashed to the ground.
luckily he was somewhere he could retrieve the mirror. doesn't look as if its much good does it?
we are in the dallas area. is this mirror-passenger side remember-necessary to pass inspection?
where in the heck can we get a replacement and is the whole mirror-part that attaches to door/mirror have to be replaced or just the actual mirror?
its the kind if you can't tell by photo that has the turnable **** on drivers side door to change to one side of truck or the other and adjusts mirror that way.
and where can you get this easily? someone told us auto zone just carrys some mirrors that would fit inside the plastic casing i think?
just want to do this as cheaply as possible. but look half way decent and of course be functional. i am short and he cannot understand why i "miss" this mirror for backing up etc.
i wish he was short for one day.
also has any one ever had the seat, the part you sit on, "deflate"? we are not huge people or anything and one day i got in and could not see over the steering wheel! he said he didn't notice (der). so now we have to sit on a pillow too!
how do we fix this issue or is it fixable?
thanks for any advice.
sarahsgacky

 

My local salvage yard sells the side mirror (housing and mirror, wiring, everything you need) for $100 or less. If you don't mind a bit of fading of the color or a few miles, maybe even just $50. I'd suggest looking around your local salvage yards, they may even be cheaper.

As far as inspection goes, my state doesn't have it, but the laws here say that you have to have either a rear view mirror OR two side mirrors to be legal. But every state varies a bit, I'm sure... Texas is probably a bit more strict than up here. I'd Google it and see if inspection requires all mirrors. My gut tells me it probably does, but I have never looked it up for any state.

Dumb question, but if you have the power (probably heated) mirrors, you probably have the power seats too (or, at least, power driver's seat). Have you tried adjusting it? When I bend over the seat to grab something out of the center console or around that area, without getting into the truck, I always hit the power switches on the side of the seat and raise the sucker up or tilt it accidentally.

 

thanks jason
well i was aware of the salvage yard and so is hubby, but he has such limited time to go look during the day and around here they are not open on sundays. down here everything is big and spread out...but of course the yard is an option if we have to.
but like i said, i was really wondering if the whole chebang was going to have to be replaced or just the mirror part inside the housing?
and of course i adjust the seat...you must be tall too! but i had trouble before the seat deflated...the "poofyness" of the seat just deflated/went down. now it's kindof hollowed out. so i have even more trouble seeing up and around things. again has anyone heard of this?
i 'm feeling like we're going to have to rebuild this ole truck.
thanks

 

My truck has power/heater mirrors but no power seats. Bummer for me.

Anyway, I've read about people swapping the driver's side and passenger's side seat cushions with good results. That might be something to look into.

 

wondering if you can even do that due to the (yes we have power seat on drivers side) "hydraulics" on the driver seat...pass side doesn't have that i don't think? pretty sure not. thanks

 

If the seat went "flat" the springs below the cushion either broke or came out of the anchor holes. Look under the seat and see what they look like. As far as the mirror replace the whole unit. Replacement glass must be glued on and if not done right will fall off from the first hard bump the truck takes. Ebay will have them from time to time.

 

Its just a mirror...
The first one:http://www2.partstrain.com/store/ind...94964813+11921

 

thanks apa and purpl ok how do i know if our mirrors are heated? husband is acting like he doesn't have a clue either. just move around like i said with the driver side upper door control-no mirror heater control. would it have a heat control then?
or is it made of special glass that won't fog up?
ok another question, on the website/link above that purpl provided, under the diff mirrors description it has (for example look at the first mirror description listed which might be the one we need anyway) sorry the way page was set up could not copy/paste what i mean here ,
FITS (ENGINE CHASSIS)
1998-2002 Dodge Ram 1500
and then the different chassis but says 1999??? don't get it. we do have the largest v8 5.9L (wow i know something)
so not sure what all that chassis stuff means with the year 1999?? why not other years?
please explain so i know as all seem to have about the same thing.
will have him check the seat. thanks for all the advice guys. my man works very very very hard and long. he hardly has room/time to breath. so i am trying to find out things for him. we have to keep this truck running as long as possible and of course want it to look somewhat good.
thanks for all the great advice and help!

 

Does it have a switch on the climate control that says "mirror".

It says 1999 because I put 1999 in. Does'nt matter anyway.

 

ok so as long as the main title like the first one, says 1998-2002 i think it says, then thats the right mirror for us? any other specs we need to look for other than what we are discussing?
no the climate control does not have the word mirror on it...just the little window/mirror? thing with the wavy lines...could one of those be it? i thought that just meant defroster?
thanks