Have been looking on eBay but not found a set of mirrors I like the look and price of. We have one set, which has straps that clip to the back of the car mirror, braced with a decent sucker that fits on the door. I'd like another set like this which resists being knocked out of kilter by truck blast from the opposite direction but can't find anything like it. NOT spending $300.
Any suggestions?
I've posted this in the for sale and wanted forum also.
My personal experience is do it right once otherwise these things bite you on the backside. It's cheaper in the long run.
But then I put 3 ARB compressors in the car, $2k setup, so I have multiple backups. Have helped a few others with failed compressors in not good situations in the outback.
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50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
After the expensive Clearviews, which do not suit a lot of people for various reasons, the Milenco Grand Aeros are the next most popular. About $125 on Fleabay or $150 at a store. I have used them for over 30,000 km without an issue and recommend them if you don't want to spend the big bucks. Just search Milenco on this forum and you'll get an idea.
Hi Tinggu,
Today I did a search & found Milenco mirrors got good ratings a few years ago on this forum and I ordered a set today from Snowys. A mistake, judging by the comments above? Time will tell.
At the risk of standing on toes (have done it before), I think Clearviews & another similar brand (Misela(?)) are overpriced. Yes they are good but they certainly make parking in narrow shopping centres difficult & when one has a narrow exit on the garage, that doesn't help either. Yes they can be folded in but I use them when reversing out. And yes, I've seen them smashed out "on the road".
When one gets just over ten times the cost of these mirrors for a good, slightly used (distance wise) GU Nissan Patrol - it makes me wonder!
I would have used my Aussie Truck mirrors on the new car but the window moulding is different. These had one problem - scratching the glass until I discovered HD heat shrink - no more scratching.
My previous ORA mirrors weren't bad but the spare parts are expensive so they are out too. So I'm hoping that this set will last the time I'll be towing with the D-Max as the ATM's did in 7 years on the GU Patrol & a similar time period on my GQ Patrol with the ORAs.
PS - mostly the info given on this forum is good & "what the doctor ordered".
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Thanks Warren Pat-01.
All good advice and food for thought.
I love forums such as this for the diversity of ideas and all of it freely given as the sharing of real experiences. We all view things differently but agree on so much!
Get a price on genuine replacement wing mirrors. You won't think Clearview are expensive after that exercise. The Clearview website has a section with used mirrors on sale by the owner.
Pete have you looked at ORA mirrors. I have been using a set for 14 years now, they have an arm with a large magnet to clamp to the door to brace it and clamp to the mirror similar to what you have.
Id have to agree with Nevd, i have had them 4 years without an issue. No blowing in from trucks, don't notice any vibration. I clamp mine on the bottom of the mirror not the top but that is personal preference.
I have a gap between the mirror and the Milenco as not to increase the surface area for the mirror to potentially blow back. If i get to the laptop ill try post a pic of mine. But like everthing in life this is my personal preference of how i do it that works for us.
Did think about clearview at the start but cant argue for 4 years and counting for $120 with the Milenco. If i have to replace them one day i will, but another set of them for sure.
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A point for the clear views not generally mentioned is that they are excellent for driving in traffic without the van on behind. And of course, tugs are driven more 'solo' in traffic than towing the vans.
I am a Clearview supporter. I think that this has been mentioned before but it here goes again. When you pull up to the a site and it is required that you need your left hand wheels on your van to be parallel to a concrete slab the just hit the remote mirror control on the door buttons and turn the mirror to view the van wheels. So once this is done you dont need a partner yelling and waving his or her arms to get you where you want to be. Just back the combo in to where you want it. Worth every bit of the original cost and to my knowledge there is not another after market towing mirror that can come close to doing this, let alone actually seeing what is behind you, complying legally with a wider trailer and as well as being able to view the caravan / trailer wheels from the dual mirrors.
To the OP, $price fades into insignificance if your choice of mirrors lets you down in any of the above areas.
See you in the mirror...
-- Edited by Iva Biggen on Saturday 30th of November 2019 07:25:22 PM
The only thing I can say about clearviews, is I got nailed by one on the bike, and it nearly killed me, and he wasn't towing a van at the time, and nice guy that he was, he kept on driving, and I ended up in hospital over it. I hate passing them on a narrow road or bridge when I am driving, and they scare the hell out of me when I am on a bicycle.
Whilst the Clearview are the ultimate mirrors , they don't suit everyone for a variety of reasons. I have the Millenco's and have found them very good for a temporary mirror, probably the best of the rest after the Clearview.
I have now done about 45,000ks with them and am very happy. Have them on a Ranger.
I think I'll be looking for second hand Clear views.
Bicyclecampers experience was unforgivable. We should always remove our towing mirrors when not towing. Inconvenient I know but that story is awful.
In Europe 1.5 m overtaking a bicycle.
I am a fan and would love to fit the Cleaviews regardless of the cost but unfortunatley the car won't fit through the garage door opening with them on. I used the Milenco grand aeros for quite a few trips on my previous Pajero sport without incident, I put them on the Jeep and lost one on the first outing - maybe it was a difference in the shape of the mirror or more likely I didn't take the time to fit them well enough. Last week I bought a different brand that were recommended by RTM as being popular they have rubber straps with a ratchet to tighten them. Unfortunately we only managed to get 30kms up the road before we lost the vans rear axle - up until then they seemed to be pretty solid with no vibration but it's too early to say whether they are going to stay there or not. What's disappointing is that even with these mirrors fitted there was only a very marginal improvement in the field of vision even though they stick out a lot further.
I'm completely the opposite, I bought a cheap clip-on type mirrors and they have done the job for 45 bucks(on special). Yes you have to tighten them up every so often, but they have been around half of Australia(cape york, Oondadata track) and have survived. Yes the clearviews are the bees knees but 1 Grand is better in my pocket and spending it on interesting stuff on the road.
Once you have set up the Millenco's for the first time it is very quick to remove and to reattach them. So it isn't an issue to take them off when you take the van off the car.
- up until then they seemed to be pretty solid with no vibration but it's too early to say whether they are going to stay there or not. What's disappointing is that even with these mirrors fitted there was only a very marginal improvement in the field of vision even though they stick out a lot further.
