Date:         Fri, 3 May 2002 10:00:31 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Warning:  Don't buy cheap exterior mirrors
In-Reply-To:  <631BF029D5258845A15DC568504C25241A5426@mail.solinetsystems.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> I just bought (and will be trying to send back) a cheap mirror for the
> drivers side.  It is the non-power kind.
>
> I paid 29$US for it from CIP.  Pile o' junk.
>
> Made in Taiwan, plastic base, mirror threatenting to pop out of plastic
> holder, entire assembly threatening to break off when I shut the door,
> mirror vibrates alot when driving making it difficult to see what the
> heck is behind you, and mirror glass that would rival those funky shape
> changing mirrors in amusement parks.  I can't think of one thing I could
> do to it to make it worse; all the bases have been covered.


> A year ago I got 2 new VW Vanagon OEM mirrors from Bus
> Depot for $26 each. Not bad and they are original
> equipment that should last another 15 years



I still have the OEM German ones for $24.95. (Cheaper if your order is over
$50 and you request your listmember discount.)  They are far superior to the
Taiwanese ones, and comparable to what came with your Vanagon. (They
wholesale for more than twice the cost of the Taiwanese ones, so they should
be better!)  Also I have convex ones for $49, although supplies are a bit
tight on them until our next shipment in about three weeks.

As most of you know, the major flaw with the stock mirrors is that they tend
to get floppy over time, so eventually they flip inward in the wind while
driving.  The new German replacements, are, alas, no better in that
particular regard - nor are any replacements that I've seen - so they, too,
tend to get floppier with age. (Don't we all :-)  As Markus has noted,  you
can remove the mirror and tighten the nut at the bottom of the base to
tighten the joint back up.  However, one warning I'll add, for those who
have not done this before, is not to be too forceful when doing this.  If
you torque down too hard you can very easily snap the shaft.  On the other
hand, if your mirror is so floppy that it's useless anyway, you don't have
much to lose. If you're careful you might get a little more use out of it.
And if you snap it in the process, well you needed another mirror anyway, so
you're no worse off than you were before.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  (215) 234-VWVW
  www.busdepot.com

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