Wing Mirror Glass

[Aaron MacQ]

Hi all,

I'm still new to Z ownership and haven't driven the car since I got it home a few weeks ago, but I did notice the wing mirror glass is flat on the drivers side and convex on the passenger, and I didn't really like the disparity. Also thought there was some serious blind spot to the right of the car, although maybe it's one of those things you get used to pretty quick.

Anyway, has anyone fitted convex on both sides, and if so, have you any feedback, recommended suppliers or did you use a LHD spec OEM unit?

Cheers,
Aaron

 

[Stevo7682]

Aaron your now going to make me look at my mirrors when i get home from work because I'm certain mine are both the same .
Maybe they aren't and I've never noticed

 

[Aaron MacQ]

Lol, well, if you do, it would suggest it's just something people get used to.
To be fair, I've only driven the car once, so haven't really given it much of a chance.

 

[David]

OEM mirror glass panels are unnecessarily expensive (£100+)

I recommend buying a convex glass from eBay, and peeling off your original mirror glass from its backing-plate, then bond your convex glass to the original backing-plate.

Forget about any aftermarket backing-plate... they're all cr..p.

 

[Aaron MacQ]

OEM mirror glass panels are unnecessarily expensive (£100+)

I recommend buying a convex glass from eBay, and peeling off your original mirror glass from its backing-plate, then bond your convex glass to the original backing-plate.

Forget about any aftermarket backing-plate... they're all cr..p.

I got quoted £53 for the OEM glass from BMW, but i'm sure could get a matching left/right convex pair for far less than that on ebay.

Easy enough to peel off without breaking the backing plate?

 

[David]

@Aaron MacQ - Yes, the glass will give way before the backing plate, so be careful not to cut yourself.

There are some good tips for removing the backing-plate from the wing mirror itself, on the wing mirror removal 'How To' on this site.

 

[Coffee331]

I bought one of these months back as the one that was on the car had some weird magnification effect that rendered it pretty awful to use...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391614423740

Perfect fit,easy job...mirror looks OEM

 

[Aaron MacQ]

I bought one of these months back as the one that was on the car had some weird magnification effect that rendered it pretty awful to use...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391614423740

Perfect fit,easy job...mirror looks OEM

This looks exactly what I'm after.

Did you just stick on over your original glass or spilt the glass from the bracket and then use these?

 

[BMBabe]

My input is ......... get driving your Zed

 

[oldcarman]

I agree with the Babe!! Take the original glass off the backing plate and as @David says leave the aftermarket backing plates for other people and don't cut yourself!! Easy job to do! JIM

 

[Coffee331]

This looks exactly what I'm after.

Did you just stick on over your original glass or spilt the glass from the bracket and then use these?

Pull The old glass off the backing plate...it will break in the process but so what. Then clean up the plate and stick the new glass to this. Clip the lot back on the mirror housing.

 

[Aaron MacQ]

My input is ......... get driving your Zed

I know it's daft to have bought the car and not driven it much, but the cars for my dad, and I know once it's taxed and on the road he'll not do anything other than clean it each week so this is my chance to put it right. The weather's miserable anyway, so 1st March is my aim for completion.

I've been posting over on my intro thread and have almost aquired my complete pile of parts and upgrades to be fitted over the next few weeks. It'll be some Z when done and well looked after.

As for these mirrors, I'm sold on some aspherical glass from eBay. Ordered! Thanks.

 

[James88]

Sorry if I’m asking a dumb question but I can’t work out from the above which mirror setup I’ve got.

The passenger mirror seems to be a “normal” mirror but the driver’s side is extremely zoomed in and quite blurry, to the point it hurts my eyes.

Any ideas as to how I can cure this? It’s the one thing I don’t like about driving the car.

 

[Joss]

If you heat the glass up with a hair dryer or heat gun, it makes the glue soft and you can separate the glass and the backing easier

 

[James88]

Thanks! But which glass do I need to use to stop the zoomed in effect convex or normal?