Convex / Flat Side Mirrors

[stevethompson]

Hi All.

I've recently bought a 2011 Hybrid Camry. It has convex side mirrors. These distort the image and make distance judgement difficult. Also, as I wear glasses the convex mirrors make the image out of focus. All together, these convex mirrors are difficult to use when reversing and dangerous for lane changing.

I've asked the dealer but they were unhelpful, they just looked at another car in the showroom and said that it had "normal" mirrors. I've emailed Toyota but no reply yet. I emailed the NRMA and a technical advisor replied that the 2003 and 2006 mods to the ADRs allowed convex side mirrors but they are not mamdatory. They can quite legally be changed to flat mirrors.

Are there flat side mirrors available for this Camry?

The NRMA advisor said that it is legal to glue flat mirrors over the convex mirrors. Has anyone done this?

Thanks, Steve.

[stevethompson]

Toyota's Customer Experience Consultant replied. I won't quote the whole email but:

"Toyota do not offer an alternative to aspheric mirrors."

Looks like I need to find a glazier who can cut and glue some flat mirrors for me.

I tried using my reading glasses and the image in the side mirrors is in focus but I can't use my reading glasses for driving. B)

Thanks, Steve.

[Ozzcaddy]

In the Fridays Daily Telegraph car supplement, there is a section called 'Smithies', where people write in with problems or views of their car. Within the last couple of weeks, someone had written in with exactly the same problem and question that you have. From memory, the answer was that these new type of mirrors are here to stay. However, as you already had mentioned you can get the flat type (old style) glass fitted by a glazier. Apparently it depends on the type of side mirror that is fitted to whether it can be done or not. The gluing of the flat glass over the existing glass was not mentioned. Give O'Brien's Glass a call and speak to them, as they are one of the larger companies that replace and install windscreens and windows in cars.

[xpedite]

The side mirrors in the Aurion are the same and I've cut people off on more than one occasion because of it. They are downright dangerous in my opinion and I'm now a lot more timid in my lane changing these days as a result.

[Noodle Boy]

The problem for me when i switched from my old car to the Aurion is adapting to the different type of side mirrors. I was so used to the mirrors of my old car that i started to feel less confident when attempting to overtake or change lanes, simply because the image is closer than they appear, which is different to the old car.

[DJKOR]

Aww snap. I deleted my reply to this. Anyways, here it is again:

The side mirrors in the Aurion are the same and I've cut people off on more than one occasion because of it. They are downright dangerous in my opinion and I'm now a lot more timid in my lane changing these days as a result.

I guess everyone sees things differently (excuse the pun). I actually find the convex mirrors safer as you can see more in them and don't easily miss something in your typical blind spot.

I learnt to drive by not putting much reliance in my side mirrors. I always look far over my shoulder even if I have a clear view in the mirror. As long as you do your typical blind spot checks, the convex mirrors shouldn't be any worse than a normal mirror.

[zedder]

The side mirrors in the Aurion are the same and I've cut people off on more than one occasion because of it. They are downright dangerous in my opinion and I'm now a lot more timid in my lane changing these days as a result.

if you're only using your side mirrors when changing lanes then in my opinion your dangerous. a good driver looks as well. you can't rely on just mirrors.

[stevethompson]

if you're only using your side mirrors when changing lanes then in my opinion your dangerous. a good driver looks as well. you can't rely on just mirrors.

I don't think anyone said that we're only using the side mirrors. When changing lanes, I've always used the inside mirror, the outside mirror and looking over my shoulder. But, the 2011 Camry has much more restricted vision than the 1994 Camry that it replaced. The windows are smaller and higher (particularly the rear window and the rear passenger windows), the seats, headrests and pillars are larger, blocking vision and making the mirrors more important. The convex mirrors give a distorted and out-of-focus view. The flat mirrors were much safer. As for the convex mirrors having a broader field-of-view, I don't mind moving my head if I need to see more.

Reversing is much safer with flat mirrors than the distorted view from convex mirrors.

I found this place:

Mirrors For Cars

Does anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks, Steve.

[Foss]

I'm in much the same boat as DJ. I find that the convex mirrors are no worse than flat mirrors. Possibly even better. You can see more with the convex mirrors, and the over-shoulder check will confirm whether what you see in your mirror is far enough back to pull out.

My only gripe with them is that they're a pain in the ***** when backing a trailer.

[01 VEY]

if you're only using your side mirrors when changing lanes then in my opinion your dangerous. a good driver looks as well. you can't rely on just mirrors.

I don't think anyone said that we're only using the side mirrors. When changing lanes, I've always used the inside mirror, the outside mirror and looking over my shoulder. But, the 2011 Camry has much more restricted vision than the 1994 Camry that it replaced. The windows are smaller and higher (particularly the rear window and the rear passenger windows), the seats, headrests and pillars are larger, blocking vision and making the mirrors more important. The convex mirrors give a distorted and out-of-focus view. The flat mirrors were much safer. As for the convex mirrors having a broader field-of-view, I don't mind moving my head if I need to see more.

Reversing is much safer with flat mirrors than the distorted view from convex mirrors.

I found this place:

Mirrors For Cars

Does anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks, Steve.

I don't really like the 'aspheric' mirrors either. My daughter bought an i20 Hyundai which had them on both sides and I would have gladly broken at least the drivers side one to have a flat mirror fitted but thankfully the car is now in W.A. I have been a truck driver for many years and never saw the need to have them on the ones I drove. I had a small blind spot mirror attached to the mirror close to the body to see anything outside the normal field of vision and this worked just fine.

Steve,

Just scratch an X across the mirror and tap it with a screwdriver. Then have it replaced.

[FRM05A]

Not going to be any help here, but +1 on convex mirror!