MB-BOB

OK, time for something different. When I was shopping for my C320, I spoke to a salesperson at one of the dealers who actually knew something about the car. For instance, he spent 2-3 minutes telling me all the features of the outside rearview mirrors. I wonder if any of you had heard this.

In addition to the (obvious) nifty turn signal repeaters that can be seen from the front/side and rear, the auto defrost and auto dim features, he also pointed out subtle design elements of the mirror shell itself. For instance, there is a spoiler lip on the outer vertical edge, becoming very pronounced on the bottom back edge of the shell. It's to deflect rain water from being sucked onto the mirror.

Finally, he pointed out a 3/16" groove that runs around the shell about 3/4" from the back edge. This is not a styling element, but a rain gutter, that collects the water and channels it to the outer vertical edge of the housing where it is blown off the mirror.

I'm reminded of this because we just had two days of steady rain and snow in Dallas, and my mirrors have remained very clear throughout, so I guess these features work well.

OK, so this thread is not as interesting as the "butt-pinch" one elsewhere, but hey, what else is there to talk about today?

MarkL

I always have to pay special attention to that groove along the top of the mirror you mentioned when I'm cleaning my car. I have to get my towel in there to suck up the extra water that gets trapped, and be sure I've cleaned any dirt out of there. I hate washing my car and then finding all the water droplet streaks after driving around from the hard places to dry -- mirror, door molding trim, etc. Especially noticeable on my dark blue.

Hey, MB-BOB, when I'm driving along and I glance at the mirror housing, I can see all the small exposed wires through the opening between the shell and the actual glass holder. Ever notice that? I'm surprised they're so much "out in the open". They're not actually sticking out from the housing, but look like they might be susceptible to damage.

MB-BOB

MarkL, I know the wires are there, but I don't notice them from the driver's seat. I think it's because I have my mirrors tilted "IN" more than others. (I like to see just a bit of the door handles in the mirrors.) If I had the mirrors set to look wider away from the car, I bet I would see the wires more.

MarkL

Some others will probably mention this, and I'm not telling you what to do :o ...

I too always learned to set the mirrors so that I see a piece of my own car as a reference point. I've read that there's a new practice adopted by driving instructors, that the mirrors should be set for a wider view. And, others have complained that our C mirrors are somewhat small. For the right side convex mirror, I can still see the door and have plenty of view to the lanes so that I don't need to look out the right rear window. I haven't done this for years since my cars began having the wide angle mirror. I learned that I can trust the right side mirror completely. Now I'm trying to do this with the driver side, though I'm not completely comfortable. Rather than look over my shoulder to the left, I tend to move forward in the seat so that I change the viewing angle in the mirror. But, since I got the C, I've had the left mirror set so I don't see the car at all. In fact, today I moved it out a little more and I'm trying to "prove" that I won't have a blind spot. It's set that there's no way I won't see the closest car next to me. I just need to be sure I'll see the actual vehicle in my periphery before its image disappears from the mirror. Anyway, just my $.02!

pixmation

I too set both mirrors farther out. I will have to lean forward a bit if I want to see the door handles in the mirrors.

Richard

The wires are the heating and dimming cables that actually connect to the mirror glass, so thats why U can see them [ie they come to the front of the mirror]
R

shtatc

I have heard people say that they think the rear view mirros are useless because they are so small. I tend to agree to a point, but not totally useless. I did not know about all the little features of the mirror...interesting....I thought the little groove was a dirt catcher, since it takes me awhile to try to clean it out with all the crud that builds up in there...
I will have to play around with them some more to find the right position...just cant seem to find the right spot...

MB-BOB

MarkL, I used to have a Ford Ranger pickup with upgraded, HUGE mirrors (not quite towing mirrors, but close). Even then, I would occasionally lose a car in the blindspots. Standard Pickups (not extended cabs) have the worst b-pillar blind spots I have ever seen.

I've learned that there isn't any mirror (no matter how big or how positioned) that takes the place of my swivelling head. So, I don't trust any mirror completely. For example, it's sometimes difficult to pick out a gray car next to you in the mirror (because it melts into the pavement at certain angles), or a black car at night. However, if you turn your head, you can see the obvious directly with your eyes... Maybe because you see a much wider view. If you're in the inside lane of a three lane road and another car parallels you in the outside lane, and you both decide to take the center lane at the same time, the mirror doesn't help me at all, no matter how "wide" it's set. I'm not expressing myself well, but I hope you know what I'm saying.

The mirrors on the C are not the biggest I've ever had, but they're not the smallest, either. Current Corvette mirrors are absolutely tiny by comparison... and on a very wide car to begin with.

MarkL

Richard, thanks. I knew what the wires are for, I was just surprised that the individual thin wires seemed so vulnerable. I've had other cars w/ the same features and never saw the wires. Maybe it's just the design of the "shell" which allows you to see further into the mirror casing. I would have expected them to be more protected from the elements by being encased in a more durable shroud or something...

MarkL

I hate when that happens! Also, I had an "event" happen about a year ago in my neighborhood (hope it's not a "senility attack"). I came to a stop sign I pass everyday where I make a left turn. I looked to the right and saw nothing except a big yellow school bus parked at the far curb. I made the turn, and suddenly a gray Mercedes was right on top of me! Where the h*ll did that come from, I thought. I'm thinking my attention was taken by the yellow bus and I didn't "see" the gray MB which blended into the color of the street?? (I hope...)

SoCal240/6

If you can see the door handles . . .

you've got the mirrors adjusted way wrong!

The way you have them adjusted is the way most people do it (myself included, for 20 years, until last year).

I did it until reading a great article on outside mirrors around a year ago, and how they should be used/adjusted.

It was in a magazine, but I think there are similar articles on the 'Net, I'll see if I can find them.

I'm like you, I never trust mirrors 100%, but, believe me, that are much more useful (and easier to use) when they are adjusted properly. I didn't believe it myself until I tried it.

Steven N

Mark L is right on,

Next time you are tooling down the highway or even better, pulling up to a red light, position your car next to one to your left so that they are in your blind spot. Now move your mirror out until they are visible. Do the same thing on the other side and you have it. Using this method you can trust your mirrors completely. The only thing you need to do before you begin the lane change is take a glance in the rearview mirror (center) and make sure no one is coming up at a high rate of speed. I've been using doing this for years and it works great.

MB-BOB

SoCal, I think what you really intended to say was: you've got the mirrors adjusted differently than the way I adjust them in my car.

Right?

I am open to reading your articles on new recommendations, when you can find them. I will then decide myself whether these recommendations fit my preferences and driving style.

As far as trusting your "mirrors completely" are concerned, consider please that if you are ever involved in an accident such as the lane-changing maneuvers described here, the Officer writing up the report will look over the top of his aviator shades at you with a wry smile, if your only comment is, "well, I didn't see him in my mirror." Not to mention the other guy's lawyer who will eat your shorts (and your *** within) if you say the same in court.

revstriker

I agree with MB BOB in that you should adjust your mirrors the way that makes you the most comfortable. From my old truck driving days, I have always lined up my mirrors so that it is just past the side of the vehicle. This way, when backing, you just had to lean a little to see where your sides were as you were backing. Also when driving, this puts the left and right lanes to you in the middle of the mirror (depending on the size of the mirrors of course). I use my mirrors more for knowing what's going on around me, and who's coming up on me then for changing lanes, so I don't mind having to lean forward a little bit when changing lanes to check my blind spot which is better than leaning back all the time to see who is coming up on me.

SoCal240/6

Nope, I meant to say you have them adjusted wrong! (There is an objective right way that things can be done, regardless of how you and I do them)

Just like I did for 20 years.

The way you have them greatly limits the coverage. When you have them adjusted correctly, you get all three mirrors working together, the way they were designed.

Roughly, here is what the article said: Move your head to between the 2 seats. Like if you were sitting in the center position in a car with a front bench seat. Then adjust each outside mirror so that you can start to see the door handles on each side.

That is supposed to get it close.

But then you can fine tune on the highway. When a car starts to come up alongside you to pass you, watch it in the interior rearview. Adjust the outside mirror such that when the car disappears from the interior mirror, it appears in the side mirror. Do that for both sides.

When you experiment around, you should find that (1) your mirrors will be adjusted much further outward than they were before, and (2) there is no blind spot. When the car disappears from view from the interior mirror, it appears in the side mirror. So its always in one of the mirrors.

Like I said, I had my mirrors adjusted like yours for 20 years (so that I could see the door handles). I read the article and decided to give it a try, and I was surprised at how well the mirrors can work when adjusted like above.

That being said, I agree that its not good to rely only on the mirrors. But having them adjusted correctly just gives a little added margin of protection.

Try it out! You might like it!

revstriker

Thanks for clearing this up! Perhaps you should advise us how we should have our steering wheels and seats adjusted too!!

Mapman

...at least from where I sit. While no one likes to be told that they are wrong about anything (though it seems to be a uniquely American trait to be offended by a casual correction of any sort), I had a similar epiphany after following the advice of what was probably the same article that he read. Once you become accustomed to proper positioning of the mirrors, you'll wonder how you got along before.

Try it. You may be surprised.

Just my two cents, too.

vadim

Actually, a lot of people DO need this explained, too.

SoCal240/6

"Relativism" is very Politically Correct and always the easy way to attack almost any argument where someone takes a position and tries to back it up with a reasoned argument.

"Relativism" posits that there is no objective right or wrong answer (or logic), but only subjective "whims" and "feelings." Thus, it's no use presenting or arguing a position because there is no "right" answer, whatever one "feels" is right is right. So don't even bother presenting an argument (backed with reasoned analysis) because such analysis is useless, there is no objective answer.

Thus, there is no correct, or even preferred way to do something like adjust mirrors on a car. Someone who adjusts their mirrors so they can only see the beautiful sky has their mirrors adjusted just as correctly as anyone else.

I obviously disagree with that (although a surprising number of people don't). I simply feel there is a way that optimizes the use of the 3 mirrors, and minimizes blindspots (i.e. puts the mirrors in the *right* position, the position which maximizes the function for which they were designed), that I was fortunate enough to learn about only in the past year. I tried it, it worked, and I concluded that I was wrong in the way I had my mirrors adjusted in the past 20 years.

Mapman

240/6: I'm obviously much smarter than you, as I was only driving around with my mirrors poorly adjusted for 18 years or so. I think that I found the article (I seem to remember it being in a Patrick Bedard piece in Car & Driver, but I'm probably wrong) about 5 years ago.

In all seriousness, though I'm not the philosophizin' sort, that relatavism thing strikes a chord with me.

mleskovar

Might as well put in my .02 as well...if you must swivel your head to see behind you then your mirrors are not adjusted correctly...whether you like them that way or not. I must have read the same article because I too switched to adjusting the outside mirrors to view the blind spots, not the side of the car. Yes, this is America but common sense should prevail. You may feel safer turning your head to check but when I am in front of you and have to slam on the brakes I become your victim.