I’d just be interested in feedback as I find the ones fitted low a pain. I had to drive a Daf last week and it seems Daf fit them low as standard - why? Renault and Scania fit them high which I find much better. In Renault’s case apparently they are always high due to the electrics, Scania were fitted low but the last couple of years seem to now fit high.
Fitted high I find:
better vision for blind reversing… some farms and nurseries have certainly made me sweat a bit… always want you to park on bay X which is right next to a wall.
less light reflection - reflecting light (dim lit yards) seems to catch in the low mirrors which cuts out ones vision and a satnav/phone also reflects I have found.
rain is not such a problem when fitted high as the mirror is sheltered whereas low tend to catch all rain to the point of rendering the mirror almost useless.
London driving… high provides extra wider vision when one has to look out for the Tesla or Porsche flying round the roundabout either side of you. Not to mention the motorcyclist without high viz… in rain hard to spot.
It seems Daf fit low for a reason and I can’t see it (no pun intended!). Next job I go for if they have Daf I am wondering about requesting the blind spot to be fitted high. Daf seem to like to be different for what reason - bit like the tacho now defaulting to ‘rest’ rather than ‘other work’ (not so bad if you are in one every day).
Scania wide angle mirrors have been fitted above the main mirror for years, too small and too convex to be of much use IMHO, personally i prefer them fitted below as find them better for spotting those who would otherwise hide just below or outside of the main mirror coverage.
The other reason i prefer them high is the higher the main mirror is sited the longer its stays clear in bad weather, too low and they get covered in filth in no time, better for the main mirror to stay clean as long as possible, i also prefer the view back down the trailer via a high set mirrors and find it weird when i drive a motor with low set main mirrors.
This is one area where MAN’s score over many makers, yes the mirrors being all enclosed in one casing are huge and you need to duck and dive about to see around the things at junctions…though nowhere near as bad as previous Volvo FM/FH wardrobe door mirrors which were the worst design i’ve ever had the misfortune…but the MAN cab design somehow manages to keep the mirrors clean longer than any other wagon.
MAN could improve the blind spot no end by simply mirroring the present casing design, ie the motors in the thickest part of the casing are presently mounted on the inside nearest the door, if they turned them about the thickest part would be on the outside hidden from driver’s view by the mirror itself, win win, you’d gain about 2 or 3" of clear vision especially on the driver’s side by doing this simple alteration.
Juddian:
a] Scania wide angle mirrors have been fitted above the main mirror for years, too small and too convex to be of much use IMHO, personally i prefer them fitted below as find them better for spotting those who would otherwise hide just below or outside of the main mirror coverage.
b] The other reason i prefer them high is the higher the main mirror is sited the longer its stays clear in bad weather, too low and they get covered in filth in no time, better for the main mirror to stay clean as long as possible, i also prefer the view back down the trailer via a high set mirrors and find it weird when i drive a motor with low set main mirrors.
c] This is one area where MAN’s score over many makers, yes the mirrors being all enclosed in one casing are huge and you need to duck and dive about to see around the things at junctions…though nowhere near as bad as previous Volvo FM/FH wardrobe door mirrors which were the worst design i’ve ever had the misfortune…but the MAN cab design somehow manages to keep the mirrors clean longer than any other wagon.
MAN could improve the blind spot no end by simply mirroring the present casing design, ie the motors in the thickest part of the casing are presently mounted on the inside nearest the door, if they turned them about the thickest part would be on the outside hidden from driver’s view by the mirror itself, win win, you’d gain about 2 or 3" of clear vision especially on the driver’s side by doing this simple alteration.
a] Latest Scanias (2019 models that I’ve driven) seem to have fitted larger blind spot mirrors. I did drive earlier models back in about 2015. Fitted below is ok for roundabouts but a pain I found for blind reversing.
b] I’ve found it is only the bottom part of the main mirror that gets dirty but appreciate your comments.
c] Not driven a MAN but I’ll remember your comments for when I do.
Juddian:
Scania wide angle mirrors have been fitted above the main mirror for years, too small and too convex to be of much use IMHO, personally i prefer them fitted below as find them better for spotting those who would otherwise hide just below or outside of the main mirror coverage.
The other reason i prefer them high is the higher the main mirror is sited the longer its stays clear in bad weather, too low and they get covered in filth in no time, better for the main mirror to stay clean as long as possible, i also prefer the view back down the trailer via a high set mirrors and find it weird when i drive a motor with low set main mirrors.
This is one area where MAN’s score over many makers, yes the mirrors being all enclosed in one casing are huge and you need to duck and dive about to see around the things at junctions…though nowhere near as bad as previous Volvo FM/FH wardrobe door mirrors which were the worst design i’ve ever had the misfortune…but the MAN cab design somehow manages to keep the mirrors clean longer than any other wagon.
MAN could improve the blind spot no end by simply mirroring the present casing design, ie the motors in the thickest part of the casing are presently mounted on the inside nearest the door, if they turned them about the thickest part would be on the outside hidden from driver’s view by the mirror itself, win win, you’d gain about 2 or 3" of clear vision especially on the driver’s side by doing this simple alteration.
Will we get much choice in the future when it’s all cameras?
You would have thought that in the 21st century that they could have made mirrors that remain usable in wet weather.
Spray suppression has certainly helped over the years with the view to the rear but mirrors haven’t developed much in the last 30 years .
grumpyken52:
Will we get much choice in the future when it’s all cameras?
You would have thought that in the 21st century that they could have made mirrors that remain usable in wet weather.
Spray suppression has certainly helped over the years with the view to the rear but mirrors haven’t developed much in the last 30 years .
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As a night driver I sincerely hope these “camirrors” are a flash in the pan thing, I really don’t want the glare off of two monitors in each pillar all night and I (like every other driver hopefully) lean forward and over quite a lot when reversing (and going forwards in certain situations too) to get better all round vision, ■■■■■■■■ to just sitting there like I’m wearing an imaginary neck brace and spamming buttons, that may have worked for Stephen Hawkins but not for me!
Glad i’m not the only one who doesn’t want camirrors…good word that Reef, managed well enough with mirrors for well into me 4th decade now ta everso, our lot tried the camera demonstrator, those drivers who tried it out were not impressed hence the new Merc’s arriving are fitted with mirrors.
99.9% of the time I think the high position is good on my Scania.
A handful of times over my nearly 9 year stint with this truck I have been approaching a roundabout and find that the right mirror has masked a vehicle from view necessitating a sharp stop when it suddenly comes into view when you are not expecting it.
It’s a pure chance thing, that the vehicle needs to be exactly masked in the exact time you look in that direction. The older 4 series I had never a top blind spot mirror on the offside so it was a shock when it happened first, subsequently I make sure I’m looking even more in such situations but it happened earlier in the week when a vehicle appeared out of nowhere. I assume they are hiding behind the mirrors
