Setting the side mirrors

Hi

I've searched online for the answer to this, to avoid those already in the know rolling their eyes and saying "sheesh I cant believe she doesn't know that" but to no avail 

I was out last weekend for a few days of relaxation and sun.  As I drove around the lovely roads around Scampston Hall and Gardens, Scarborough and Bempton cliffs, I was careful to use my mirrors.  But then I realised, I have no idea why they are split. I've got the main (top) bit set to just show the side of the van, so that's okerly dokerly.  But I don't really know what the bottom smaller mirror is for.  Do I set it to look as wide as possible.  Or nearer and down.  Or somewhere in between.

Can anyone shed some light on the intended use, and the "best" way to set them.

Many thanks
Sally

P.S. I know that it's probably in the handbook, but that's in the van, and I'm not

Sheesh I cant believe she doesn't know that! 

Hi Sally

I don't think there's a definitive answer to your question, which is not daft if you don't know the answer.

If it helps I have our lower mirrors set low and showing just the side of the van and the ground alongside it. I don't find them very useful when driving, but they are handy when reversing to avoid ground level obstacles or watching the lines in a car park.

Also quite handy for lining up the grey waste dump point. Get yourself perfectly positioned, then look in the mirror and find a reference mark on the side of the van, then note where it is in relation to the dump hole. There's bound to be a hinge or some sort of projection you can line up on.

Other than that I think it's a case of deciding for yourself how you find them most useful. There isn't a right or wrong.

Sally, I started a thread on here asking the same question. Like Gromit, I use the small mirrors to cover the “blind spot” down low on either side of the van and the larger ones set in the traditional position to see traffic lanes on the right and left of me.

Alternatively you could try the continental style, just rip the mirrors off and ignore other road users  

Gromit wrote:Sheesh I cant believe she doesn't know that! 

Hi Sally

I don't think there's a definitive answer to your question, which is not daft if you don't know the answer.

If it helps I have our lower mirrors set low and showing just the side of the van and the ground alongside it. I don't find them very useful when driving, but they are handy when reversing to avoid ground level obstacles or watching the lines in a car park.

Also quite handy for lining up the grey waste dump point. Get yourself perfectly positioned, then look in the mirror and find a reference mark on the side of the van, then note where it is in relation to the dump hole. There's bound to be a hinge or some sort of projection you can line up on.

Other than that I think it's a case of deciding for yourself how you find them most useful. There isn't a right or wrong.

Sheesh

Many thanks Gromit and Tony - That's a good idea of setting them low to avoid obstacles, or check the lines etc.  It might have helped me park a little quicker in the park and ride.

I'll definitely try out spotting the grey waste tap.  There again, when I dumped it at the weekend, someone told me that I could just dump it in the hedge.  I know I can, but it still doesn't feel right.  Which is crazy, because I do at home, using the washing up water to water the plants in the garden.  I'm probably worried about what people might think.  

Anyway, I digress.  I'll try out the suggestions the next time I'm out.

Sally

Just to give a different view (sorry!) they are convex for a reason and that is to give a wider view to the side of the van, useful when merging onto roads from slip roads or changing lanes as vehicles slightly behind you but in a different lane will not appear in your main mirror.

Mike

I'm with Dave and Tony, set low to show rear low corners of the van. I've had to set to show the wider view but found that they showed very little extra than the top mirror which I have set to just away from the van walls.

Agree Paul - my lower mirrors won't go out far enough to show any more than I can already see in the top mirror so have set them so I can see the ground alongside the van.

I use them for reversing and especially when driving on the right, as they then give a much wider field of view of people coming up on my passenger side (i.e. overtaking me)

Me too!

I'm sure they're supposed to be blind spot mirrors but as everyone has already said, they don't pan out far enough to reveal any more of the road than the large mirrors do. Such a shame really.

So I also have mine set low, looking at my rear wheels.

I use them when pulling sharp turns to make sure my rear wheel is clear of the kerb on a tight bend or manoeuvre.

lower mirrors are adjusted for blind spot. read it somewhere.

Written by someone who had never tried to use them as such.

See the above posts with which I have to agree. As blind spot mirrors they are pretty useless.

Gromit wrote:Written by someone who had never tried to use them as such.

See the above posts with which I have to agree. As blind spot mirrors they are pretty useless.

Not on a Merc base they're not.

Once again along with all the others, set low down to see the ground and corners of the van. Great when parking and no excuse for clipping the kerb with the rear wheel. As blind spot mirrors.... nah!

Agreed these are ideal if set low to see the ground so the white lines outlining a parking space are visible when reversing.  I wish we had these on the Vectra estate!

When I was trying to use them, I thought they would be blind spot mirrors. So I tried setting them as such. All to no avail. I’m glad it’s not just me.

I’ll definitely try them set for the rear corners low down. I can see the advantage for turns etc.

Many thanks for the input
Sally
X

On my Merc, Ploughlin, they are. So I have them looking down.

Gromit wrote:Written by someone who had never tried to use them as such.

See the above posts with which I have to agree. As blind spot mirrors they are pretty useless.

not on mine they work well for blind spot

chrisk wrote:

not on mine they work well for blind spot

The OP has a Peugeot X250 vehicle.