[FrankB]

I have noticed a major blind spot on the passenger side of my C 240. Even with the side view mirror all the way out there is still a substantial blind spot when a car is just in the rear corner. I have to turn my head way back to see if there is a car there. There is quite a lag from when an approaching car disappears from the rear view mirror and reappears in the side view mirror. I have owned a number of cars over the last few years and none had such a bad blind spot. Surprising, when you consider how good Mercedes is about safety.

There is also a slight blind spot on the driver side, but it is not as bad.

Frank B

 

[Drew]

I agree that...

I have to turn my head way back to see if there is a car there. There is quite a lag from when an approaching car disappears from the rear view mirror and reappears in the side view mirror. I have owned a number of cars over the last few years and none had such a bad blind spot. Surprising, when you consider how good Mercedes is about safety.

...the mirrors could certainly be bigger. They are quite small compared to those that my ML has. However, I have a low cost solution that completely rectifies the issue so that you do not even have to turn your head. Place one on each side of the windshield and the problem is solved []

See the link below for more info:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/messages.asp?messno=46855&id=21

 

[FrankB]

Interesting. Thanks Drew.

Frank B...

Interesting. Thanks Drew.

Frank B

 

[Buellwinkle]

I always believed in setting the mirrors correctly. Typically people set mirrors so that...

I always believed in setting the mirrors correctly. Typically people set mirrors so that the side mirrors overlap the center mirror. What you want to do is set your center mirror on center as normal. Then set your side mirrors so there is minimal overlap in the image of the center mirror. This will increase your visibility and make you a better driver. The problem is that in drivers ed and driving tests they expect you to turn your head when make turns, changing lanes, backing up. This is ludicrous and a high percentage of accidents occur because instead of looking where you are going you are looking the other way, the person stops in front of you and wam.

But if you like a more hardware oriented approach get the European outside mirror glass replacement, they have a convex section iin the outer 1/3rd and give you a much wider view. Get it at any dealer in Europe.

 

[Drew]

I agree...

I always believed in setting the mirrors correctly. Typically people set mirrors so that the side mirrors overlap the center mirror. What you want to do is set your center mirror on center as normal.

I do this as well and it does help. They're starting to bring this up now in the advanced skills driving classes by MB, BMW, etc. However I find that even with the mirrors set that far out, the blindspot interior mirrors that I have are still superior. For one thing, they are FAR easier to see at night, especially when it's raining and the outside mirror surface gets wet.

But if you like a more hardware oriented approach get the European outside mirror glass replacement, they have a convex section iin the outer 1/3rd and give you a much wider view. Get it at any dealer in Europe.

I've actually looked into this. Too bad it's more than a couple of hundred dollars. Those electrochromatic autodimming mirrors are expensive!

 

[Buellwinkle]

Re: I agree...

I've actually looked into this. Too bad it's more than a couple of hundred dollars. Those electrochromatic autodimming mirrors are expensive!

Just get the right one, that's the one people have most trouble with anyway and it's not electrochromatic. I think it's only about $40-50.

 

[Drew]

I like the auto-dimming though...

Just get the right one, that's the one people have most trouble with anyway and it's not electrochromatic. I think it's only about $40-50.

Oh it's definitely more than $40-50 because the right side isn't autodimming and I know that it's more than that. Even the N.American mirror is more expensive than that.

The auto-dimming is a very important feature for me, especially when driving a car which is much lower than the Dodge Rams out there. Haven't had any problems with them.

 

[Buellwinkle]

On my car only the left (drivers side in the U.S.) is auto dimming. I guess in Canada yo...

On my car only the left (drivers side in the U.S.) is auto dimming. I guess in Canada you get some extras.

OK, I checked the price and I was wrong, the right side is $66 and the left side as I expected is $250.

 

[Scheissmeisser]

A quick glance over your shoulder

is the best solution.Better to turn your head and see all of what's there than to rely on mirrors only.

 

[Buellwinkle]

That's certainly old school, pass the DMV test mentality but it's actually a bad way to ...

That's certainly old school, pass the DMV test mentality but it's actually a bad way to drive unless you're driving backwards. It's always best to minize head movement and face the direction of travel. Turning your head while driving is probably one of highest causes of rear end collisions.

What happens is while you are turning your head to see if the lane you want to go into is clear the person in front of you slows down or stops, wham, you rear ended the car in front of you and worst of all, no matter what he did, you are at fault.

Another problem with turning your head is that if you turn it too much many people have the tendency to drift off lane since they are not paying attention to the direction of travel.

Adjust your mirrors to give you the widest view of the road to eliminate blind spots and once you get used to it you'll see that it's safer. The reason people don't rely on their mirrors enough is because they set them up wrong and the outside mirrors mostly overlap the center mirror, don't do this, adjust the outside mirrors so that when an object falls out of view from the center mirror, it's picked up by the side mirrors.

 

[Scheissmeisser]

"Old school"?

All it takes is a quick glance over your shoulder to make sure someone isn't in your blind spot.It's not like you turn your head to stare at things... your peripheral vision will do it,once you've rotated your cranium in your intended direction of travel.I use my mirrors a lot,and they're adjusted so that there are no blind spots.It's still prudent to look where you want to go.
I've ridden streetbikes for a long time...and quickly learned that if I saw a car driver glance in his/her side-mirror,they were probably about to make a lane change right over me.If they'd bothered to turn their heads to look,they would have seen me.There are no "blind spots"...only unobservant drivers that trust the equipment far too much.
Other drivers' total reliance on rearview mirrors for lane-changes is my biggest single cause to give someone the "you are #1" hand sign.[!]
If you've ever been chopped off in traffic,the offender most likely never saw you-too much trust in mirrors.Look where you want to go!.

 

[Buellwinkle]

I can see your point about some people relying on mirrors that have been improperly set bu...

I can see your point about some people relying on mirrors that have been improperly set but I'm advocating that you rely on properly set mirrors and that maybe beyond what most drivers can handle. I rely on a lot of things in my car to keep me safe like brakes, steering, and mirrors are just part of the safety package I trust my life to.

To make a lane change using the "old school" method, you have to turn your head about 135 degrees, unless you are the girl in the Exorcists, this requires that you also rotate your upper body. Also from 135 degrees you don't have enough peripheral vision at this point to see what's ahead of you. The further away from center vision the blurrier the peripheral vision gets. This takes time, yes, maybe only a second but in that second you're traveling quite a distance, many times, more than the distance between you and the person in front of you. When you use a mirror correctly you are rotaring your head only at about 30 degrees, plenty of peripheral vision to prevent a rear end collision.

As for riding bikes, I've had/have sport bikes, cruisers and dual purpose bikes and ride them at speeds that would scare most people and mirrors are essential to staying alive.

Seriously, try it out sometime, it's uncomfortable at first but when you get used to it you will understand.

BTW, learned this from a special advanced driving course I forced my kid to attend after her first accident. Excellent course that teaches advanced driving skills bordering on stunt driving. I watched the class but didn't participate (too expensive) and the biggest thing my kid and I both got out of it was adjusting the mirrors, changed the way I drive.

 

[Drew]

Good points...

More and more driving schools are advocating this method. Even the BMW Canada driving school that I went to last year mentioned it.

Peripheral vision is not good enough since the human eye's focal point is only about the size of a quarter, arm's length in front of you. If the object isn't large enough or if one isn't concentrating enough, a quick glance is not sufficient.

As for myself, the adjusted rearview mirrors + the two Autobahn interior mirrors make me happy. I also have the 2" convex mirrors for parking.

 

[Scheissmeisser]

135 degrees?....only Linda Blair can do that.

Seriously,all you need to do is glance over your shoulder for an instant.I can see well beyond the rear flanks of my car with less than a 90 degree head movement.The eyes can move too,right?.And as far as having to look and focus,why bother?.All that's needed is a quick glance to make sure there's nothing lurking where it shouldn't be.I do know how to adjust my mirrors properly so as to have full coverage,but still look where I'm going.Choose your own comfort level.