REPLACING RIGHT HAND SIDE EXTERIOR MIRROR WITH RIGHT HAND SIDE MIRROR FROM RHD CAR?

[r44raven]

Hi Everyone!

Driving a LHD car on UK roads has its challenges.

This is not helped as my E500, being originally a German registered car, has (quite correctly) a wide exterior mirror on the (driver's) left-side, and a narrower one of the right-side. What I need is a wider mirror on the right-hand side (which would normally have been the case for a UK registered car) - as this would help me with a bad blind-spot on that side of the car. Not good when beating up on the UK motorways!

Does anyone know if (assuming I can find one) a wider right-hand mirror assembly from a UK car would be direct replacement for the narrower mirror assembly I currently have fitted?

In both cases I am talking about electric powered mirrors.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

P.S. Prompted by a salutary "near-miss" on a motorway today!

 

[Glen]

The mirror will physically bolt onto the door but the wire connector is different, assuming you get a powered mirror. The big problem, however, is that the angle of the mirror is wrong so you won't be able to see anything anyway. There is not enough articulation in the mirror to make it work.

 

[r44raven]

The mirror will physically bolt onto the door but the wire connector is different, assuming you get a powered mirror. The big problem, however, is that the angle of the mirror is wrong so you won't be able to see anything anyway. There is not enough articulation in the mirror to make it work.

Thanks for that - I hadn't thought about the angle of vision being all wrong.

You've probably saved me ££££s on a pointless quest!

 

[TerryA]

Do lots of rubber necking when changing lanes. That last look before you move can be a life/car saver.
I like driving with my mirrors but still look also.

Being from the US driving in the UK for me has always been a PITA. My first attempt was in a brand new 250TD Estate a friend loaned me. I had a US version 300E at the time. Basically the exact same car from the driving position BUT for the right hand steering. A totally different experience. I almost took off the left mirror but luckily it just got knocked back.

Anyway with well over 5K miles on UK roads I still find it a challenge between turning into the correct lane and all of those DAM traffic cameras.

I glad that Glen could save you ££££ and time. Just remember to look first.

 

[500AMM]

I shot some photos of a set of LHD car mirrors tonight and I'll post them tomorrow to show the angle issue.

But IIRC, a right side mirror from a RHD car won't fit a LHD car due to different mirror boots and a taller interface on the door. So the door has to be replaced as well.

 

[Stevester 500E]

......There is something good say about AS Design's (Albert's) resto-mod mirrors.

 

[speedy300dturbo]

The challenge you describe driving a LHD car on RHD roads mirrors (no pun intended) what the Japanese deal with. The main importer of MB into Japan in the 80s and 90s (Yanase) remedied this by fitting LHD cars with aspherical mirror glass on the left door, effectively giving the car two wide angle mirrors. This piece has long been discontinued, but you might have some luck finding a used one on Yahoo Auctions Japan.

 

[500AMM]

Here is some photos showing the difference between W124 mirrors on a LHD vs. RHD car. Pics are a bit blurry, the camera is getting old now.
To avoid any misconception of the different sides into this, be aware of the following:

• LHD (left hand driven) cars has the driver on left side, and the car is designed for RHT (right hand traffic)
  .
• RHD (right hand driven) cars has the driver on right side, and the car is designed for LHT (left hand traffic)

.
The mirror mounting interface is taller on the passenger side, both on LHD and RHD cars. That means that the smaller drivers side mirror from a RHD car does not fit on the passenger side door on a LHD car (and vice versa). The cable connectors are different as well.

The mirrors in the images is the same set, I just "mirrored" the pics when making the presentation. The difference in view angle is measured on the screen, just to give an approximate value.