Mirror for blind spots

[krainium]

I've seen a few posts mentioning outside side mirror "blind spot" mirrors for the Prius. This seems like a good idea. Does anyone have a good source for these or could you recommend a high quality blind spot mirror to attach to the outside side view mirrors? Any preference for retangular over round mirros?

[john1701a]

I wasn't going to settle for a low-quality one either. No distortions for me. Having the kind that's tinted is worthwhile too. And I ended up finding all that too... which I attached in the dead-zone (upper-right area on the driver's side) where you'd never see another vehicle anyway.

There's a photo on page 36 of the USER-GUIDE.

I got the left/right pair at Checker for $6.

[krainium]

Originally posted by john1701a@Mar 12 2006, 12:50 PM
I wasn't going to settle for a low-quality one either.  No distortions for me.  Having the kind that's tinted is worthwhile too.  And I ended up finding all that too... which I attached in the dead-zone (upper-right area on the driver's side) where you'd never see another vehicle anyway.

There's a photo on page 36 of the USER-GUIDE.

I got the left/right pair at Checker for $6.

[snapback]223875[/snapback]

John,

Appreciate the tips and the user guide. The illustrations are very helpful to a new Prius owner. I wish there was more of a discription of how the navigation system works. I can't figure out what starts the navigation system and what shuts it off. The voice commands are equally mysterious with respect to what they do to make the navigation system work. Your manual describes the voice commands better than Toyota, but I still can't figure out how to initiate and stop the navigation system.

Also, I do not have a Checker Auto Supply in the Chicago area. Can you suggest another source for the fine quality retangular mirror?

[TonyPSchaefer]

Krainium,
I thought I understood the NAV pretty well. But a few weeks ago, BNLFanMatt was in my car and working that NAV like a pro. Right now, he is working to schedule our next Chicagoland meetup. I think a NAV lesson would be a great topic for discussion.

As for mirrors and blindspots, I use the "angle the side mirrors all the way out" method and would argue that I do not have any blind spots. At our next meetup, we can discuss that also.

[Schmika]

Want to hear a way to eliminate blindspots w/o a 'special" mirror. We teach this to new drivers here.

It requires you to accept the fact that no one has ever lost their rear quarter panels while driving so there is no need to look at them.

Sitting normally, lean your head to the left at a 45 degree angle, adjust the left outside mirror so that you can just see the left side of the car.

Lean your head 45 degrees to the right and adjust that mirror so that you can just see the right side of the car. Now drive.

I challenge you to drive down a 4 lane road in both the left and right lane and notice that the cars overtaking you or falling back will always be in either the side view or rear view mirrors.

Takes some getting used to though. Keeps you from blocking some of your mirror with a stick on blind spot mirror.

[cwerdna]

I wouldn't bother w/getting extra mirrors or anything until you've tried the procedure at http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/ and gotten used to it. I think once you do that, you'll find it works more than well enough. I pretty much was forced to do this when I got my 350Z since it had really large blind spots IMHO (before setting my mirrors this way).

[darelldd]

I second, third and forth what Tony, Schmika and cwerdna say here - (hey, could you last guys get some normal screen names, please?).

Skip the "extra mirrors" that can only show you tiny versions of what pointing your mirrors correctly can show you in (almost) full size! Angle the mirrors properly (NOT showing your rear quarter panels) and you'll wonder how you ever drove in the "normal" way. Yes, it takes a bit of getting used to, and yes it is the best way to adjust your mirrors.

Learn it. Live it. Be happy.

[cwerdna]

Originally posted by darelldd@Mar 12 2006, 04:57 PM
I second, third and forth what Tony, Schmika and cwerdna  say here - (hey, could you last guys get some normal screen names, please?).

Mine's normal. It's AndrewC spelled backwards. I used to be andrewc in college on various systems. But when I signed up on sites like hotmail, usually andrewc was taken, so I figured I'd take cwerdna. BTW, Werdna was the name of the monster in the last level of Wizardry. One of the names of the programmer's of that game was Andrew.

[Schmika]

Darrell, just call me Karl (or Sarge!)

[V8Cobrakid]

Originally posted by TonyPSchaefer@Mar 12 2006, 04:22 PM
Krainium,
I thought I understood the NAV pretty well.  But a few weeks ago, BNLFanMatt was in my car and working that NAV like a pro.  Right now, he is working to schedule our next Chicagoland meetup.  I think a NAV lesson would be a great topic for discussion.

As for mirrors and blindspots, I use the "angle the side mirrors all the way out" method and would argue that I do not have any blind spots.  At our next meetup, we can discuss that also.

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I fully agree. When driving, your rearview mirrow sees a lot more than you think. If you angle your mirrows out, you can make it so that if you pass a car on your left... as soon as you stop seeing him out of the side of your eye, you will see him on your side mirror. and as soon as he leaves your side mirror, he becomes visible in your rear view mirror.... and so forth.

happy driving. I give this tip to every prius driver i meet. They all ask me the same " cant' see much"... no.. you can.. the rear view morror sees a lot.. the rear window is destorted towards the bottom which makes the "not seeing everything" worse.... but all in all, you see a lot.

i think little spot mirrors is a waiste of a perfectly good side mirror