Leo Valentino Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Hi has anyone seen or purchased guards called Mirror Shield, they are available in yellow same company does them for HGVs as well. Quite expensive but could be worth it. Considering yellow ones as they will really stand out. What are your thoughts. Thanks Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 “MirrorShield” mirror protectors are advertised here https://www.kudauk.ltd.uk/shop/mirrorshield Personally I don’t care for the ‘construction yellow' colour even though it might stand out well, but I notice that black or white versions are also available. I don’t much care for the £203 asking-price either, and I’d like to know how the screws in the photos of the ‘van’ versions are used to attach the MirrorShields. I’m happy enough with the £130 “Mirror Guard” protectors I fitted to my Ducato in 2015, and I’ve knocked the right-hand one hard several times since then without any signs of it being damaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 All very well, whatever the brand, but what about the indicator light on the mirror? Not protected! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 None of the protectors marketed for the cab exterior mirrors of the light-commercial vehicles on which most reasonably modern motorhoms are based fully cover the mirrors’ indicator lights. The indicator lights on Transit Mk 8 mirrors are most exposed, but - for 2006-onwards Boxers/Ducatos/Relays - (as should be evident from the image attached below) one would be very unlucky to have the mirror struck from its front in such a way that the indicator light would be hit. A few years ago a neighbour of mine ferried a Ducato-based motorhome back from Italy and, when stopped in the street near to his final destination in the UK, the motorhome’s exterior mirror was hit hard by a passing delivery van. He jumped out, saw the mirror lying in the road and chased after the van disappearing rapidly into the distance. He couldn’t catch it and, when he returned to the motorhome, realised that the mirror in the road was the van’s and the Ducato’s mirror was just slightly scuffed. “That was lucky”, I observed. He agreed, saying he had been surprised how little damage the motorhome’s mirror had suffered. “No”, I said. “It was lucky for the van-driver that you didn’t catch him.” My neighbour was ex-SAS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I fitted a clear reflector to the Mirrorguard housing to make it stand out more, especially at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneb Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Conrad - 2020-02-17 7:44 PM All very well, whatever the brand, but what about the indicator light on the mirror? Not protected! The mirror guards marketed as "Mirror Guard" arguably do provide some protection, as the thickness of the guard moulding and foam lining mean that the indicator sits slightly less proud from the housing. My offside mirror was hit (twice in two days) by oncoming drivers before I fitted mirror guards, damaging the indicator lens. A new one cost less than £10. But from my experience the most beneficial effect of mirror guards (in an appropriate colour, mine are silver to match my van, but I would suggest anything other than black) is that they vastly increase the visibility of the mirror housings and have a marked affect on the behaviour of approaching traffic. When my mirror was hit twice in fairly quick succession, it was whilst driving on fairly narrow two lane roads in Wales, with oncoming traffic barrelling past without slowing or deviating despite that fact that I had stopped and pulled in to the nearside on both occasions. I don't think drivers always "see" the standard black mirror housings or take them fully into consideration when assessing the width of an approaching vehicle. As soon as I had fitted the guards though, the difference was remarkable. Approaching traffic moved over and often slowed or stopped as we approached in similar circumstances. I think the guards have the opposite effect of making the van appear to be substantially wider. I've not had any impacts to my mirrors since fitting them, so I can't comment on their impact protection, but from the obvious impact (no pun intended) that they have on approaching traffic, I highly recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solwaybuggier Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I know it’s a minority view, but my experience of Mirror Guards is far less positive. They didn’t work at all well for us on our first van in a lowish speed clash with a French MH. Doesn’t stop me fitting them but I bought second-hand for current van, rather than put any money in the hands of the “gentleman” who runs the company. (Long story.) But surely a lot of the point of having them is that they are cheaper than replacing a Fiat OEM mirror? In which case, the increased cost of MirrorShields changes the calculations significantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 Deneb - 2020-02-18 9:14 AM Conrad - 2020-02-17 7:44 PM All very well, whatever the brand, but what about the indicator light on the mirror? Not protected! The mirror guards marketed as "Mirror Guard" arguably do provide some protection, as the thickness of the guard moulding and foam lining mean that the indicator sits slightly less proud from the housing. My offside mirror was hit (twice in two days) by oncoming drivers before I fitted mirror guards, damaging the indicator lens. A new one cost less than £10. But from my experience the most beneficial effect of mirror guards (in an appropriate colour, mine are silver to match my van, but I would suggest anything other than black) is that they vastly increase the visibility of the mirror housings and have a marked affect on the behaviour of approaching traffic. When my mirror was hit twice in fairly quick succession, it was whilst driving on fairly narrow two lane roads in Wales, with oncoming traffic barrelling past without slowing or deviating despite that fact that I had stopped and pulled in to the nearside on both occasions. I don't think drivers always "see" the standard black mirror housings or take them fully into consideration when assessing the width of an approaching vehicle. As soon as I had fitted the guards though, the difference was remarkable. Approaching traffic moved over and often slowed or stopped as we approached in similar circumstances. I think the guards have the opposite effect of making the van appear to be substantially wider. I've not had any impacts to my mirrors since fitting them, so I can't comment on their impact protection, but from the obvious impact (no pun intended) that they have on approaching traffic, I highly recommend them. OK, I'm persuaded - good point about being more visible, wonder why the mirrors don't come in brighter colour to start with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 The exterior mirrors of reasonably-priced cars are usually the same colour as the car’s bodywork, and the front and rear bumpers are generally colour-matched too. The exception is when the car’s manufacturer deliberately targets buyers on a budget, when mirrors and bumpers stay basic unpainted black. It’s really a cost issue and there’s little incentive for Fiat, Ford, Mercedes, etc. to fit exterior mirrors to Ducatos/Transits/Sprinters other than in cheapo uncoloured plastic. Besides which, although brightly coloured exterior mirrors should increase the mirrors’ visibility where other drivers are concerned, this won’t stop the mirrors being damaged if they do get hit. I’m sure that manufacturers could make the ‘shell’ of van mirrors from a much tougher material, but that would also add to the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Been looking at vans with black mirrors, especially in present poor light with present mostly overcast weather, and agree that covers are a good idea by just making those sticky out things more visible. BUT cannot find white covers for Ford Transit, only ones I have found to fit them are the bright yellow Mirror Shield at £169. Anyone got a lead on more moderately priced brands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 Give Van Comfort a call, they do list Transit as 'please call to order'... https://www.vancomfort.co.uk/MirrorProtectorGuards.htm Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmover Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 hi Leo. When I changed my van recently I left the mirror guards on because the one mirror had a slight scuff. At the NEC show I was in the market for a new pair, but gibed at Mirror Guards asking price!. Instead I brought a pair from Seaflo stand £40-00 the pair . I am made up with them, perfect fit and come with a orange reflector built in, a retention moulding that screws into place to stop them being nicked. They do two versions for Long or Short arm mirrors. Cheers Em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 I notice that seaflo-uk is advertising on ebay mirror protectors for (as Em says) long-arm or short-arm Boxer/Ducato/Relay X250/X290 mirrors and in white or black colour. https://tinyurl.com/srlde6y There are two designs - a simpler version priced at £34.99 per pair (and seemingly only offered for long-arm mirrors) and a more complex taller version (£49.99 per pair) with an orange front-facing reflector and two red rear-facing reflectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Conrad - 2020-02-20 1:24 PM.....................….OK, I'm persuaded - good point about being more visible, wonder why the mirrors don't come in brighter colour to start with? Buy black + a can of spray paint of your colour choice (albeit you may need a "plastic" primer), spray mirror guards, and hey presto, you have bespoke mirror guards! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Or apply to the the shell of the original mirror adhesive ‘hazard tape’ (£3.49 for 33 metres from Screwfix) as that would make the mirrors more visible and, if multiple layers of tape were used to build up a good thickness, a reasonable degree of protection would result. (I have seen this ploy used on a UK-registered motorhome. It looked really ugly, but it should have been effective and would have been cheap.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 OK, thought about what a couple of comments about the benefit of making the mirrors more visible, and figured I could do it without spending £189 for covers. Bought wheelie bin numbers at local garden centre, on special offer at 5p each! They are bright yellow and reflective, so I think they will help drivers coming the other way see them and allow a few more precious inches! (Tried to attach a photo but debated by the technology!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 If damage to black-coloured mirrors were only due to the mirrors’ lack of visibility to oncoming drivers, anything bright-coloured stuck on to the mirror’s outer shell should help. My LHD Ducato’s left-hand mirror was ‘glanced’ by a French delivery van on a narrow French country road when the approaching driver would have had absolutely no difficulty seeing me coming, nor seeing my mirrors as they have white “Mirror Guard” protectors on them. On several other occasions, while driving abroad, I’ve hit the Ducato’s right-hand mirror against things hard enough to smack it back violently against the cab door. So far, both of the “Mirror Guard” protectors show no evidence of damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneb Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Derek, I'm not claiming that making the mirrors more visible completely protects them from being hit by other vehicles, or indeed errors of judgement from the driver of the vehicle concerned ;-) I can only say that making the mirrors more visible has made a marked difference to my experience of the behaviour of many other drivers. But I could also relay experiences of emergency vehicles covered in reflective and high visibility markings and displaying various flashing lights also being driven into by approaching or passing vehicles, people being run over whilst wearing high visibility clothing, and vehicles driving over cones or into road signs. There is nothing that can prevent any and every eventuality, but there are things we can all do to minimise risks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry38 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Like many motorhomers I have also had my door mirror damaged by an oncoming vehicle. As an alternative to mirror guards I installed a pair of strip type LED DRL's (about 80mm x 20mm) to the forward side of the standard issue door mirrors on my 2009 Autocruise Rythm. I connected them to the DRL wiring I had installed some years previously. I am aware this won't prevent physical damage but they are VERY bright and conspicuous even in strong sunlight and after 3 years use I have had no further damage - to date. Long may it continue! Tricky to get wiring to the mirror casings without dismantling any trim, door cards or removing the mirror arms but the end result is effective, and satisfyingly different. Anyway I like a challenge !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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