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The mirror mount slides down. There is a small metal tab at the bottom of the mount that you have to press to release the mount, then slide the mount down along the glass. Can't remember whether you push or pull the tab, but I beileve that you push it towards the window. Tab doesn't take a lot of pressure to move, but the mirror might be tight on the mount.
Have a glass shop remove it so they can break your windshield then it is easier to get insurance to pay to replace it (the shop that broke it probably wont!)
Just took mine off to send it out for repair. I found a step-by-step post post on the forum with pictures which were a big help. I'm aware of the fact that some owners broke their windshield taking the mirror off, so just be aware of that. I was lucky, mine came off fairly easily.
The key is to slide the base downward, parallel to the glass. Once the plastic trims was removed, my mirror came off surprisingly easily. If you are changing the glass, you will also have to deal with the rain sensor. The key will be to figure out a way to put it back without any air bubble on the new glass. I used a dab of clear silicone in the middle of the sensor, with the expectation that the air would be pushed out and not trapped when pressed in position from the back. I think the standard part is a sticky disk of adhesive, but I am not sure how to apply that without trapping air. Might best be left to the pro glass people as these sensors seem to be a lot more common these days in newer cars.
I used to remove the mirrors by 'tapping' the assy off the windscreen mount base but after I broke a windscreen at the dealer I found a different approach.
All three of mine needed 'refurbishment' from Global Battery (Sybesma), which has gone up during the last year. I've removed two of them using Bob's technique above. Works great, simple, no broken glass yet. The other one was held in by a polymer shim to one side, so it dropped out when I pulled the shim, just under the black plastic. When I replaced it, I put it back that way, which is still tight.
One of my windshields is aftermarket without the 'guide hole' for the rain sensor. Turns out the clear adhesive used to attach that is not reusable. I found this out repeatedly as I missed getting the sensor in the right place three times. Especially irritating since the rain sensor is fairly useless. It often appears to notice a downpour as a light shower appropriate for intermittent wiping...
Thanks guys,
All great help...I'm pretty handy and mechanically abled so I will try. Worried that the windshield is that fragile. I've taken mirrors off on American cars without ever cracking glass.