1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Drivers side view mirror visibility

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by thewraith, May 1, 2019.

  1. thewraith

    thewraith Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2013
    67
    23
    0
    Location:
    DC Metro
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Is it just me or is the drivers side view mirror on a gen 4 useless or close to impossible to adjust? If I adjust mine to see cars close by next to me, I have no idea whats going on further back if I adjust it to see further back- anything close to me is useless. Any aftermarket solutions? I installed the little sticky round mirrors on the side, but the image is so small from those that it's not going to work out.
     
    #1 thewraith, May 1, 2019
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,703
    48,946
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    my gen 3 is the same, i thought all cars were?
     
    #2 bisco, May 1, 2019
  3. thewraith

    thewraith Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2013
    67
    23
    0
    Location:
    DC Metro
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I owned a gen 3 and didn't have the same issues, I've cycled through 50ish cars in the past ten years and have never had one this bad. In the DC Metro- this is becoming a big issue for me.
     
    #3 thewraith, May 1, 2019
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,703
    48,946
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    is it not as wide as gen 3?
     
    #4 bisco, May 1, 2019
  5. thewraith

    thewraith Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2013
    67
    23
    0
    Location:
    DC Metro
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Not sure, but I had no issues w/my Gen 3. I put 40k miles on that and have put 40k on the gen 4 now. I've constantly adjusted my seats, my mirror, etc. Still same issue and too many close calls.
     
    #5 thewraith, May 1, 2019
  6. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Have you tried turning your head to see what's close up ? :rolleyes:
     
    #6 kithmo, May 1, 2019
    WilDavis and krmcg like this.
  7. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,041
    7,580
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Never noticed a problem. I've driven lots of different cars, and PRIUS is about normal. I use them for reversing and parking all the time, and on the road, never noticed any issues.

    But then - we sit on the opposite side of the car.
     
    #7 alanclarkeau, May 1, 2019
    WilDavis and Harters like this.
  8. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2015
    888
    494
    0
    Location:
    Cow-lee-fornia
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    I have my mirrors set to cover the blind spots. Driver's side, I'd say, is about 90% coverage. There's a tiny spot there still though.
     
    #8 CooCooCaChoo, May 2, 2019
    alanclarkeau likes this.
  9. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    As Alan says, having the steering wheel on the right side of the car helps :p
    I don't have a problem, it seems to be the same as any other car I've owned or driven and mine also has the blind spot monitoring on the mirrors which TBH I don't need.
    It could be something to do with how close you sit to the steering wheel as well, different angle of view etc.
     
    #9 kithmo, May 2, 2019
    alanclarkeau likes this.
  10. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,489
    2,153
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Here's the way I use (which has never failed me… …yet! (…but, as they say YMMV!))

    https://www.cartalk.com/sites/default/files/features/mirrors/CarTalkMirrors.pdf

    - Good luck!
     
    #10 WilDavis, May 2, 2019
    krmcg likes this.
  11. JosephG

    JosephG Active Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2018
    114
    101
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    One
    I've definitely notice a small blind spot just behind the B pillar that is hard to see even with the mirrors aligned correctly to see the side of the vehicle. On the passenger side it's no problem because I can see it easily by turning the head, but in the driver's side it can be hard to catch.

    It's really only a problem at night when the headlights go into blind spot. During the day, even the smallest car is visible despite it.

    I usually just merge slowly and peek out the window as I cross the line, but the semi truck drivers are so aggressive these days, I decided to put a blind spot mirror (the type that attaches to the inside of the driver's side window by suction). It's fixed the problem, but if I could do it over again I would probably go up a trim for BSM.
     
    #11 JosephG, May 2, 2019
    Last edited: May 2, 2019
    krmcg likes this.
  12. JosephG

    JosephG Active Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2018
    114
    101
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Sorry, I can no longer edit. My mirror is one of these things. (Don't worry, I was stopped at a very long light for bicycles when I took this!)
     

    Attached Files:

    #12 JosephG, May 4, 2019
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)