Chevy side mirrors

[booster]

Has anyone done a conversion from the single glass side mirrors to the newer style two pane ones? The newer ones have a flat glass on the upper part and a narrower curved glass on the lower part. Our 07 came with a flat glass on the left and curved on the right which makes both sides hard to use. The left side leaves a blind spot, especially if you toe it in like we do to see behind the van, and the right side distorts the distance enough to be unnerving on lane changes.

From what I have been able to find, in 2008 they had the two pane mirror, but there look to be so many part numbers, it is hard to figure anything out. My guess is that they would fit, with a possible plug rewiring, but no way to tell for sure that I know of. I will probably go to the junk yard and see what they say. The newer mirrors sure would be nicer in traffic, I think.

Anybody messed with this?

[booster]

This is the style we have, flat mirror on the drivers side, convex on the passenger side, ours are electric, though



These are the ones I am thinking about trying, also electric

[dicktill]

Hi Booster,

We have the two piece ones, which came standard on our RT09/10C190P. I have mixed feelings about them as the main part is smaller (heightwise), and hence shows less area and you have to decide whether to sacrifice long distance viewing or close-up. And another pain is that the bottom section doesn't tilt up or down (or at least not much). I find when backing into a campsite, I need to tilt the main part w-a-y down, but fortunately ours are power mirrors. Hey, maybe I'll swap with you. : )

I had a set of the single piece ones on my previous Chevy van, and if I recall correctly, I got convex mirrors for both sides.

Regards, Dick

[booster]

Hi Dick, good info. I can see that it would make the back up tilt have to be much larger.

What the descriptions for these don't say is what shape the lower and upper parts are. I am assuming the upper is flat, and the lower is curved (around a vertical axis), but not convex? How well do they do for blind spots? I currently have a small rectangular convex stick on mirror on the driver side for the near blind spot. I don't have one on the passenger side, as the convex mirror catches all the areas, except the distance is messed up, especially at night.

[WJones]

Booster,

I was also tempted by the idea of changing my mirrors. I already had a round convex mirror glued to the front of the flat mirror and I didn't like it. I finally got add-on mirrors similar to these:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Universal-Car-Ve ... e9&vxp=mtr

So far, I like them. They are cheaply made ... what can you expect for the price ... but I find them way better than what I had before. The ones I got are no longer available, but the big difference with these is the bracket that holds them on. With mine, the bracket is black and the attachning nut is hidden behind the mirror. They don't have the way too obvious shiny bracket that these have.

William
99C200P
Sherbrooke, Quebec

[Davydd]

I have the glue on convex mirrors on my Subaru Baja but glue ons overlaying the flat mirror can be visually confusing I found. Also, the Sprinter Bs come standard with the convex mirrors below the flat mirrors. If designed right a convex mirror is not a mirror you actually look at other than if you detect a vehicle in the field of vision you know not to move into that lane. It doesn't take but a glance and is a simple decision. So they can be smaller than the flat mirrors. With the flat mirrors I find myself looking into them distractingly too long to make a decision. For that reason I think the convex mirrors are a good investment and I wouldn't do without them on a B.

[dicktill]

Originally Posted by booster

Hi Dick, good info. I can see that it would make the back up tilt have to be much larger.

What the descriptions for these don't say is what shape the lower and upper parts are. I am assuming the upper is flat, and the lower is curved (around a vertical axis), but not convex? How well do they do for blind spots? I currently have a small rectangular convex stick on mirror on the driver side for the near blind spot. I don't have one on the passenger side, as the convex mirror catches all the areas, except the distance is messed up, especially at night.

Right, the tops of both sides is flat. I think the bottoms are "sort of convex", but seems to be mostly in the horizontal direction. I'll have to remember to check during daylight hours ...

[dicktill]

Originally Posted by dicktill

We have the two piece ones, which came standard on our RT09/10C190P. I have mixed feelings about them as the main part is smaller (heightwise), and hence shows less area and you have to decide whether to sacrifice long distance viewing or close-up. And another pain is that the bottom section doesn't tilt up or down (or at least not much). I find when backing into a campsite, I need to tilt the main part w-a-y down, but fortunately ours are power mirrors.

Originally Posted by dicktill

Right, the tops of both sides is flat. I think the bottoms are "sort of convex", but seems to be mostly in the horizontal direction.

OK, I checked and have to correct two things I said. : ( First the smaller/lower mirror does seem to have a lot of vertical adjustment. Second, the smaller/lower mirror seems to be a constant convex, i.e. uniform in both horizontal & vertical directions. It isn't as drastic a convexity (is that a word?) as those small stick-on mirrors.

Regards, Dick

[booster]

hi Dick, thanks for the further info,

How well does the passenger side mirror do at showing the blindspot and also giving a good distance evaluation in the main mirror. Knowing a little better when we can go back in after passing someone is what I have the most trouble with, and usually wait until I can see them in the rear view mirror, which leaves a lot of space and irritates some folks behind us sometimes.

[Davydd]

I always thought it proper not to pull back over until you can see the passed car in your rear view mirror. That's maintaining the proper distance between cars. I hate those jokers that pop back in in front of you when being passed and make you feel as if you might rear end them. As for the people behind me I don't worry about them being irritated. Those are tailgaters and people that dash up and cut you off when you need to pass and causing you to brake. I only worry about them trying to whip around me in the right lane when I start to pull back over after passing. That's why I liberally use my turn signals with my intentions. I usually wait before passing for the streak of left lane tailgaters clear.

As I mentioned before, the convex mirrors are for glancing if set up right. If you can see a vehicle in it you shouldn't change to that lane. It is really simple as you don't have to make a judgment or try to guess distance. Either they are there or they are not in the mirror view. They do one other thing. In parking situations you can see the curb or lane markings right next to the B with the convex mirrors. That's the one time you might stare longer than a quick glance.

[LesM]

I agree with Davyd. I find the little stick on convex mirrors very useful for a quick broad view, and use the rear view mirror to determine when it's safe to return to my lane after passing someone (not that that happens very often). Additionally, I have one of those flexible plastic stick-on lenses (about 10 inches square) stuck to the bottom centre my rear window. Can't have too much visibility.

[dicktill]

Originally Posted by booster

hi Dick, thanks for the further info,

How well does the passenger side mirror do at showing the blindspot and also giving a good distance evaluation in the main mirror. Knowing a little better when we can go back in after passing someone is what I have the most trouble with, and usually wait until I can see them in the rear view mirror, which leaves a lot of space and irritates some folks behind us sometimes.

Hi Jim,

Hmm, have hardly driven the van in the last 20 months, but here goes. I have the right mirror set out a bit so that I can see the other lane. We keep the rear windows covered with Reflectix, hence no longer have any inside rear view mirror. I have added a full time rear view camera, and that is my prime rear view. Have to be careful with that because it is a real wide angle, and hence when you get just a few feet past the other vehicle, they seem to be a quarter mile back.

Regards, Dick

[booster]

I found a set of new take offs on ebay for less than $30 each ($180 new) so I ordered them, and got them today. Do look like real GM parts based on the stickers and mold marks. They are power with heat, but we won't have the heat as the originals don't. Both sides are flat glass on top, and convex on the smaller, lower part, like Dick had said. The convex looks to be the same radius as the full convex passenger mirror that came on the van. The radius is much larger than the stick on mirror I have on the drivers side. I am hoping that is a good thing, so everything doesn't get so small in the convex part as it does with the stick on. Having the flat mirror on the top part of the passenger mirror should allow a more realistic idea of how far back things are on that side, and allow the mirror to be turned out enough to catch the lane, with the convex part showing anything in the closeup blind spot. It should also help when backing up, as the convex mirror can be challenging. Currently I like to keep the convex mirror on the passenger side turned in a bit, so I can just see the rear wheel or body in the rear, allowing me to know exactly how close I am to the shoulder on the very narrow roads. I am certainly not the king of good depth perception or spatial ability, so it helps. Hopefully, the small part will work the same way.

Of course, since these mirrors are for 2008 and up, the wiring colors are different on the plugs, but look to be in the same pins on the connector. If the connectors are the same, they may just plug right in, but we will see that later.

I will put them in at the same time I have the doors apart to put the anti-jimmy/punchout plates on the latches (thanks Campskunk for the source), so it won't be any extra work at all.

[dicktill]

Great buy Booster! It wouldn't be all that much trouble to add another wire (or at worst, pair of wires) to incorporate the heat function; wish I had that ... Let us know how you like them.

Regards, Dick

[booster]

I put the new mirrors in today. Not a bad job, maybe 15 minutes per side. I took it for a ride to see how the work, and would have to say mixed feelings. The driver side works well, but the passenger side seems, as Dick said, to be too small, in each of the segments. The flat upper and convex lower both work like they should, but they are too small to do it very well. With some adjustments and getting used to them I am sure it will get better. Also as Dick said, backing up is not great with them. You can turn them down enough to see, but they are too small to see the rear wheel area, and further away where you are going at the same time, I think. I will need to play with that somewhat to see if it is manageable. It was very nice to have things on the passenger side not be distorted by the convex mirror, though. Hopefully, the weather will hold for a bit more testing this year.

At the same time, as long as I had the door panels off, I put in the "Jimmy Jammers", that Campskunk had mentioned on the Yahoo board. They are little plates, and stops to reinforce the fragile Chevy lock and and latch area. The front doors were kind of a pain to get in, as there is precious little space to work in, but the side and rear doors were not bad. They do look like they will work OK, and don't interfere with anything. The literature that came with them said that many of the alarms in vehicles won't go off it the door is unlocked with a key, so the crooks just pop the handle or lock and reach in and unlock the door with the manual lock rod. They are then in without the alarm going off.