Mirror guard door mirror protectors

Has anyone resprayed their MIRROR GUARDS. I understand that I have to 'scratch up' with sandpaper to get the correct surface for primer to adere to. But bit confused to which PRIMER & TOPCOAT to buy. Anyone got any experiences. Thank you in advance of your replies.

Respraying any of these things is pretty much the same procedure and as ever, preparation is everything.

Yes you need to 'key' (as you say scratch up) the surface.  Just use a fine sandpaper, nothing too coarse or scratches will show through (something like 200 grit or above should do it, with a light buffing motion).

Then clean with some solvent like IPA if you have any to remove any oils/residues/fingerprints (careful with things like acetone as it melts plastic).

If it's a bare plastic surface than a few coats of plastic primer, with around 15 minute intervals, leaving that last coat to dry is not a bad idea (places like Halfords sell it).  If you're spraying previously painted surface I wouldn't bother with primer unless you strip the paint completely off, which isn't needed unless you have massive scratches/dents etc.

Then spray the topcoat, again in a few coats leaving at least 15 minutes between coats.  You don't need to key the primer layer (if you did one) - some people do and it's no problem if you do, but it's really not needed these days.

You simply need an appropriate topcoat for whatever colour you want.  If you want to colour match the van or just go black etc - again Halfords will do a good array of colours but someone on here might know the exact colour codes you need if you really want a perfect match.  Keep the coats nice and thin to avoid runs.  If a part needs additional paint, just wait for the next application and repeat until you're happy it's nicely covered.

Spraying is a bit of a knack but not difficult.  Start spraying with the can about 20-30cm away from the item and move across it at as constant a distance as you can while following contours.  Start spraying just before you move onto it and finish spraying after you've left it (if that makes sense) for even coverage.  Work horizontal and then the next coat vertical.  Best to hang it up to spray, but resting on newspaper will do if you have no choice.  Leave to dry for at least 24 hours before picking them up, ideally 48 hours minimum.  Paint stays surprisingly soft for quite a while after (especially at this time of year), so even though it feels dry, press your finger in and it'll leave a print in the surface until fully hardened.

Hope this isn't too much info, I've tried to keep it simple - I've sprayed many a motorbike fairing / tanks etc and it can be quite a process, but this is a decent 'easy' method that isn't too complicated.  They're only mirror guards so don't need major technique, but it's nice to get these things as nice as you can.

That sounds great instruction. I was worried about WHAT sort of Primer. But you have helped me by stating PLASTIC  Primer. Great thankyou. Will pop to the car accessory shop. Thank you for your help.

whats wrong with white?....other drivers can pick them up easily and might give a wider berth?

bolero boy wrote:whats wrong with white?....other drivers can pick them up easily and might give a wider berth?

I'm just surprised that no one has dared ask..."are they worth having and do they work".

They are on my list, but I'm still a bit undecided.

Sally

Hi Sally, I held my breathe when I paid out £120 for the proper MIRROR GUARD protectors. I looked at cheaper versions and noticed a big difference in the quality. 3 times have I had someone bang my mirrors really hard (not my driving I will add - retired Driving Instructor). Once a coach that was parked on the wrong side of the road so the driver couldn't see me coming. He hit my mirror SO hard that the Mirror Guard Proptecter flew off into the road. No damage to the Protector or my mirror. So yes I am very happy I paid for the proper MIRROR GUARD. Hope this helps you decide. The reason for me respraying from White to Black is because I have recently changed from a white coach built to a grey van conversion.

Hi Sally

"Yes and No" is the answer.

They do work, but only within obvious limitations. Ours have protected the mirrors from low speed bumps and scrapes, usually due to my own misjudgement I have to confess . . . when trying to get close to a ferry check-in kiosk, for example. 

Collisions at much more than walking pace may well damage the mirrors, in spite of the guards. A white van man clobbered our offside mirror at a closing speed of about 30mph or less. We were both going quite slowly, but it resulted in our mirror assembly hanging by it's electrical leads.

Fortunately I was able to clip it back into place, but I don't think the guards helped at all. The impact was probably not great enough to break our mirror housing, but the jolt was always going to dismantle the innards. No doubt it did (on this occasion and others) save the housing from some fairly severe scratches, but I think that is their major benefit.

Hope this is useful - only my opinion of course, and no two collisions are ever quite the same, nor are the results!

Dave

I fitted milenco mirror guards to my pvc which don’t stick out as far as some coach builds but just as expensive to replace if broken.I don’t know if they work and hope I never find out due to a contact. One thing I will add to the mix which I was unaware off before fitting.......on the shorter mirrors as fitted to my pvc I can no longer fold the mirrors all the way back to the side of the van,probably halfway,not really a major issue but you might like to know before you commit Incase you think it is.

Kdc wrote:I fitted milenco mirror guards to my pvc which don’t stick out as far as some coach builds but just as expensive to replace if broken.I don’t know if they work and hope I never find out due to a contact. One thing I will add to the mix which I was unaware off before fitting.......on the shorter mirrors as fitted to my pvc I can no longer fold the mirrors all the way back to the side of the van,probably halfway,not really a major issue but you might like to know before you commit Incase you think it is.

Thanks, that's a very valid point to all of us with parcel vans and thinking of buying guards.
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Richard

Yes, those kind of reflect my feelings. But I do know that some people swear by them.  
Sally
X

Our second generation set of Original mirror guards (black) are far superior to the original white ones I purchased 10 years ago.
I had Milenco ones fitted to my Sigma and IMO were only suitable as a cosmetic cover and didn't really offer any protection.
Boaby

One of mine fell off today when washing the van.  I have today ordered some double sided tape from Amazon and will be refitting it ASAP.

I think I might give the other one a good tug before I drive anywhere