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Subject Topic: Towing mirrors
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Personmiss baritone
26/1/2018 at 8:19am
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Picking up our caravan tomorrow and we're starting to make our list of what we need to buy. I know I need to use towing mirrors. My vehicle is a Vauxhall vivaro van. As with most vans it has large wing mirrors. All that seems to be available locally are the universal towing mirrors that strap round the back of the car mirror. I don't think they will fit the van mirrors. I did spot these on go outdoors website http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/streetwize-suck-it-and-see-mirror-p293504. They seem to hold on with a sucker. Has anyone used them. Are they really secure and would my van be legal with them on

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PersonRob and Tina
26/1/2018 at 9:37am
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I've been using Suck it and See mirrors for the last 7 years. They are easy to fit and with mirrors that can be adjusted from inside the vehicle they are very easy to adjust to give good rear vision. I expect your van is quite wide anyway so a pair of these would be fine and they will definitely fit any vehicle you might have in the future. These mirrors have an elastic safety cord which stops the mirror from falling to the ground (I have never had one come off yet), this cord goes over a car door mirror easily but I'm not sure of the design of your van mirror and don't know if you have a way of securing the cord.

Hope this helps.

Rob


Personmiss baritone
26/1/2018 at 11:46am
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Thank you Rob. That is very helpful. I was worried about them staying attached and of course complying with the law. So it's great to know there are extra bits to keep it in place

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PersonRob and Tina
26/1/2018 at 12:28pm
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I think they would be ok if you can find a way of getting the elastic cord over the mirror, it depends which mirrors your Vivaro has fitted. If you have the twin stalk type you could use a releasable cable tie to secure the safety cord to the stalk.

When you fit these mirrors you moisten the sucker, put them on the mirror and turn the big knob to get a good suction. Before you set off just try tightening the knob again, you can often get another half turn or so which locks the mirror on more firmly.

Good luck with collecting the caravan, hope we can see some pictures soon.

Rob


Personmorepints
26/1/2018 at 5:35pm
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We use Suck-it-and-see mirrors, and they are good. However, I find if the mirrors are damp, they can loose suction and droop, or drop off (Twice!). Hence I try to remember to put them on the evening before using. If not, then dry the mirrors with a cloth, then finish with a dry hanky. I don't need to moisten as Rob suggests.

There are two types, plain and convex. I use two convex, though the shop suggested one of each. Overtakers do come up quite quick on the motorway, so I try to arrange it so there's still a bit of ordinary mirror to check distances in the overtaking zone. You should be fine with the size of mirrors on your Vivaro.

As Rob says, the great advantage is being able to adjust from the driver's seat.


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PersonRob and Tina
26/1/2018 at 5:47pm
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The first time I fitted the mirrors I found I got a better seal for the suction if I moistened the sucker so I have carried on doing that. It also leaves a mark on the door mirror glass so I can see where to fix the towing mirror next time. Thinking about it after reading morepints post, these mirrors are called "suck it and see" not "lick it and stick it" so perhaps I'll try a dry fit next time I use my mirrors.

Miss baritone, I'm sure you'll have lots more questions when you've collected your caravan, keep asking questions and colloquialisms are fine.

Rob


PersonColin21
26/1/2018 at 6:34pm
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Not quite sure how wide the Vivaro van is, but it is possible that you won't need additional mirrors at all. If you have good visibility past the caravan with the van's ordinary fitted mirrors you will be ok. Check with this website;

https://www.caravanwise.co.uk/caravan-tips/towing-mirrors.html


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Colin


Personmiss baritone
26/1/2018 at 10:42pm
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Thanks everyone for the advice. At first I thought I probably wouldn't need extra mirrors, but I keep getting conflicting answers when trying to get an answer so thought I'm better off being over precautious and using them.

I did tow several years ago but it was a much smaller lighter van and car. I didn't know anything about weights at the time and after a couple of snakes soon learnt the art of packing correctly. I did tow for about 5 years in total but because I was so unknowlegable at the time, still class myself as a beginner

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PersonDarrenElbrow
28/1/2018 at 9:58am
 Location: Poole Dorset
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You can get fined by the police if you fit towing mirrors if they aren’t needed. If you can see 4m out at 20m back with stock mirrors you’ll Be fine


PersonLlaniDavis
28/1/2018 at 12:06pm
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Quote: Originally posted by DarrenElbrow on 28/1/2018
You can get fined by the police if you fit towing mirrors if they aren’t needed. If you can see 4m out at 20m back with stock mirrors you’ll Be fine


Really?
Exactly what offence would you be committing?


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PersonST1100
28/1/2018 at 1:01pm
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Quote: Originally posted by DarrenElbrow on 28/1/2018
You can get fined by the police if you fit towing mirrors if they aren’t needed. If you can see 4m out at 20m back with stock mirrors you’ll Be fine


More like you will get fined if you are towing without mirrors when they are needed

I had a Range Rover that was quite wide but still needed towing mirrors if towing a caravan.


PersonDarrenElbrow
28/1/2018 at 3:21pm
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Read this
This covers everything you need to know about towing, including weights, dimensions, licences, mirrors etc etc;

https://blueskyrecreation.wordpress.com/2016/09/18/the-laymans-guide-to-towing-in-the-uk/


PersonDarrenElbrow
28/1/2018 at 3:36pm
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https://blueskyrecreation.wordpress.com/2017/06/25/towing-mirrors-a-quick-look-at-the-law/


PersonOpensauce
28/1/2018 at 5:12pm
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From the above link...

“Fit suitable towing mirrors if your trailer or caravan is wider than the rear of your car”.

That is all anybody needs to know. It is posted on every mirror related thread on this forum & invariably gets lost among all the other posts.


PersonBodsey
26/3/2018 at 4:08pm
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I have a dilemma. We have a Pennine Fiesta that is 1.8m wide. The car, mirror tip to mirror tip is 2.1m. Legally we are only allowed to have towing mirrors that are 25cm wider than trailer on either side (1.8+0.25+0.25=2.3). This means the towing mirrors could only be 10cm long on each side. Does anyone know of any this small?


Personnavver
26/3/2018 at 8:09pm
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Sounds like the car is wider than the trailer. Why do you want towing mirrors at all. Surely you don't need any.



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