why in the name of god are some door mirrors non folding?

vorbis

You wouldn't guess that I've just knocked off my side view mirror. Thing is the damned thing wouldn't have been knocked off if it folded. Is it a money making racket by the manufactorers. The garage told me that they see a load of cars with the non folding wing mirrors damaged.

colm_mcm

Ford Focus and old type Vectra come to mind.

mike65

Merc 190

Mike.

colm_mcm

It seems bizzare that they don't design them to fold doesn't it. Mike, is one of the mirrors on the 190 bigger than the other also?

cargrouch

I say money making racket on two counts
1) Cheaper first day for them to make the car (only a few euro probably but multiply that by X)
2) Get to charge silly rates to replace them later.

My weekly Fiat plug: Fiat Bravo mirrors are damn near indestructable. Great for when some ignorant driver decides to storm through some of Corks narrow streets against a line of traffic.

colm_mcm

Agree on Bravo mirrors, pretty much indestructable, pity they didn't put the same thought into the rest of it!

Mk2 punto mirrors are very hardy too, as were Uno mirrors.

BrianD3

colm_mcm wrote:

It seems bizzare that they don't design them to fold doesn't it. Mike, is one of the mirrors on the 190 bigger than the other also?

Don't know about the 190 but I noticed this on a VW Polo Saloon. VW too scabby to fit a full size mirror on the passenger side?

bazz26

I think most electrically operated mirrors can be manually folded in. Maybe manually operated mirrors cannot be folded?

On the other side of the argument, electric folding mirrors are probably very expensive to replace due to their more complex components.

I dread the day one of mine gets broken.

Guy:Incognito

Your not really meant to use wimg mirrors as distance gauges.

Wing mirrors that dont fold are generally spring loaded to allow about 6 or 98 inches of give in case of clipping something. hitting any mirror hard or compressing it in or up/down will break it.



Why do the older mercs (is it still on new ones? I dont think so) have a smaller mirror on the passenger side?

bazz26

Stekelly wrote:

Why do the older mercs (is it still on new ones? I dont think so) have a smaller mirror on the passenger side?

I think the passenger mirror was designed that way for better viewing around a possible blind spot? Most German cars sold on the continent up to recently had a different passenger side door mirror. VW, Audi, Skoda, MB seemed to have them.

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

Ford Focus and old type Vectra come to mind.

Focus has folding mirrors!

All the other 1995- 2000 fords didn't though

One on my parents avensis got blown off earlier in the week, the mounting on the motor is snapped too. Not much good having folding mirrors if they ain't folded...

colm_mcm

The first type Focus mirrors are practically impossible to fold. if you clash mirrors
with another car, the Focus one will break off rather than fold in.

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

The first type Focus mirrors are practically impossible to fold. if you clash mirrors
with another car, the Focus one will break off rather than fold in.

I cant say I have noticed.

ednwireland

i had a focus and caught a telegraph pole and broke the colour coded plastic off the back luckily the car was repossed by the hp after the company i worked for went bust thrashed the nuts off it before it went back (used to jump well too) why dont mirrors fold the wrong way once saw a lorry drag a volvo along the road (only broke off when it hiit the car parked in front) when it caught the wing mirror with the bit that drops down off the back of the flatbed it was unbeleivable wish i had a video of that.

colm_mcm

Focus mirrors are too rigid to bend under normal circumstances, they can bend if you push them gently and slowly, otherwise they will snap off.

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

Focus mirrors are too rigid to bend under normal circumstances, they can bend if you push them gently and slowly, otherwise they will snap off.

I think though any folding mirror tends to die if hit at anything more than 5mph.

Does the new avensis have electric folding ones as standard?

Creamy Goodness

bazz26 wrote:

I think the passenger mirror was designed that way for better viewing around a possible blind spot? Most German cars sold on the continent up to recently had a different passenger side door mirror. VW, Audi, Skoda, MB seemed to have them.

would a '06 golf have that smaller mirror on passenger side? can't say i never noticed it before.

colm_mcm

maidhc wrote:

I think though any folding mirror tends to die if hit at anything more than 5mph.

Does the new avensis have electric folding ones as standard?

Only Luna and Sol models have elec folding mirrors. That said, the non electric folding ones on Aura and Strata models are fairly flexible if something hits one, they usually bend back.

bazz26

Cremo wrote:

would a '06 golf have that smaller mirror on passenger side? can't say i never noticed it before.

Nope they should be both the same size.

bazz26

maidhc wrote:

Does the new avensis have electric folding ones as standard?

Nope only the Luna and Sol models have electric folding heated mirrors. The Aura and Strata models have electric mirrors alright but they can be manually folded in if needed.

Edit: Just spotted Colm's post.

colm_mcm

New avensis specs are pretty much the same as old Avensis.

Most notable additions are split/folding rear seat on Aura/Strata models, and MP3 stereo,

Diesel Luna models also get cruise control and cost less too. Now every spec increase on 2.0 D-4D adds €1,000

optiplexgx270

colm_mcm wrote:

It seems bizzare that they don't design them to fold doesn't it. Mike, is one of the mirrors on the 190 bigger than the other also?

On a 190 and a few other older models the passenger side mirror is bigger as its electric... where as the drivers isnt AFAIK.

mike65

I doubt a motor has much do to with it. Just some strange Tutonic quirk.

Mike.

colm_mcm

Citroen Xsara and Berlingo also only had one electric mirror. penny pinching would be to blame there. that said, there's no real need for an electric mirror on the drivers side

optiplexgx270

agreed just know that the other one was electric and drivers isnt which is odd but makes sense really id rather manual on drivers side (quicker) but defo need electric on passengers

colm_mcm

It obviously wasn't that great an idea, as they have stopped doing it on newer models!

maidhc

colm_mcm wrote:

Citroen Xsara and Berlingo also only had one electric mirror. penny pinching would be to blame there. that said, there's no real need for an electric mirror on the drivers side

Remember the Sunny with one electric window!

colm_mcm

maidhc wrote:

Remember the Sunny with one electric window!

No! although i once traded in a VW Vento with one electric window and 3 manual ones (don't think this was done in the factory....)

bazz26

My father had an early 1990s Carina II and the you could only use the central locking when you unlocked the driver's door. The central locking didn't work from the passenger door. I thought the motor was broke at first but this appears to be the way it was designed.

mike65

Was that a fail safe design I wonder?

Mike.

Wishbone Ash

Most trucks have a similar system but it can be adjusted. In trucks it is to prevent hookers/touts/hawkers from climbing in the nearside door at truckstops (a big problem in mainland Europe).