# Side view mirrors



## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

I'm planning on buying a TDI in the next few months and just spent 36 hours with the 1.8 while my A4 was being serviced.

One thing that struck me as a negative was the small size of the side view mirrors; probably about 20% smaller than on my B6 A4. This was particularly a problem on the driver's side. The use of flat glass in the US for the driver's side mirror (DOT mandate) meant that there was a very large and potentially dangerous blind spot that necessitated turning around and/or buying the blind spot warning system in which I have no interest.

What I will do if I buy the car, however, is to buy a Euro-spec wide-angle convex or aspherical replacement mirror for the driver's side mirror. I've been doing that for every car I've owned for the past 20years, including on my current Audi. Eliminates all blind spots.

You can't get them from US Audi dealers, but you can get them online (still a bit early for the A3 replacement, it seems).

According to the Audi parts database it looks like the part number for a driver's side aspherical mirror glass is 8V 0857 535E.


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## Lpforte (Aug 2, 2011)

WLV said:


> I'm planning on buying a TDI in the next few months and just spent 36 hours with the 1.8 while my A4 was being serviced.
> 
> One thing that struck me as a negative was the small size of the side view mirrors; probably about 20% smaller than on my B6 A4. This was particularly a problem on the driver's side. The use of flat glass in the US for the driver's side mirror (DOT mandate) meant that there was a very large and potentially dangerous blind spot that necessitated turning around and/or buying the blind spot warning system in which I have no interest.
> 
> ...



Sounds like your mirrors weren't adjusted properly? Most people seem to set their mirrors to hug the body panels and then edge them just out of view. This leaves huge blindspots in almost any vehicle. If they were adjusted properly, then my apologies, but it's very rare for a small car to have mirrors that can't be positioned to ensure elimination of major blindspots. Remember, you don't need to see whats literally inches from your body panels, unless you anticipate cyclists literally holding onto the side of your car (which I have seen happen lol).

See below:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots


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## steve111b (Jun 2, 2011)

I have been using the alternate way of setting up the mirrors for many years. When I pick up my car from the garage I usually find that the technician (from a road test) has adjusted the mirrors to the "catch the side of the car setup."

At night the alternate way means that cars from behind rarely blind me when their headlights sit just to the left of my car.

Also, I use the driver's side mirror to see how tired I am while driving on the highway. If a car has passed me and I can't remember seeing it in my peripheral vision (in the side mirror), i know I am tired.


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## livestrong191 (Nov 18, 2013)

Adjusted mine just fine. I have no problems


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

WLV said:


> According to the Audi parts database it looks like the part number for a driver's side aspherical mirror glass is 8V 0857 535E.


Is that for the base mirror or the auto-dimming one? And do you have the part number for the passenger (right) side convex mirror? The European ones are more convex than the US ones, and also lack the stupid warning about "objects are closer ..."


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## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

A3_yuppie said:


> Is that for the base mirror or the auto-dimming one? And do you have the part number for the passenger (right) side convex mirror? The European ones are more convex than the US ones, and also lack the stupid warning about "objects are closer ..."


That's for the non-dimming one. I got the part number from the web site, partsbase.org.

In addition to the aspherical mirror, the left side convex mirror is 8V 0857 535D.

For the right hand side, the convex is 8V 0857 536D. The aspherical is 8V 0857 536E.

The mirrors seem to be the same whether one is talking about an LHD or RHD version.

And in answer to the first responder, yes, I know how to adjust mirrors. There's a reason why virtually every country outside of the US and Canada mandates a wide angle mirror on the driver's side.


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## ocswing (Sep 24, 2011)

I do agree that the mirrors are small, but that shouldn't cause a blindspot if you adjust them properly. Also, is it really that hard to do a head check?


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## GLI_M3 (Jun 10, 2003)

Adjusted correctly as others described, I have no issue at all with blindspots. In fact, in the 2008 Cayman S and the 2012 Cayman R that I owned the mirrors were much smaller than the A3 and the potential blind spots in that mid engine coupe were substantial yet I had very little issue with rearward or side visibility.


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## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

To each his own, I guess. 

I, for one, have no interest in a rear backup camera, blind spot detection system, lane departure warning, or adaptive cruise control. I'm happy to do all of that myself, and I think I do a better job of it.

Yet I wouldn't give up my wide angle driver's side mirror.


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## Wiley337 (May 1, 2002)

WLV said:


> I, for one, have no interest in a rear backup camera, blind spot detection system, lane departure warning, or adaptive cruise control. I'm happy to do all of that myself, and I think I do a better job of it.


An interestingly I am really looking forward to all those things! I am hoping the stop and go cruise control helps for the traffic jams in my commuting. And I think my wife will appreciate the listed features as well, and the extra safety they can provide. There are certainly times to turn off some of these things, but I plan to use them when they make sense. More self driving cars features are coming to market sooner than later. Fully self driving cars are really not that far away. I will be happy to use self driving for certain situations. And then turn it all off when I want to really have fun driving.


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

WLV said:


> To each his own, I guess.
> 
> I, for one, have no interest in a rear backup camera, blind spot detection system, lane departure warning, or adaptive cruise control. I'm happy to do all of that myself, and I think I do a better job of it.
> 
> Yet I wouldn't give up my wide angle driver's side mirror.


Totally agreed.


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

WLV said:


> That's for the non-dimming one. I got the part number from the web site, partsbase.org.
> 
> In addition to the aspherical mirror, the left side convex mirror is 8V 0857 535D.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. But I am unable to find the new A3 at that website; how do you find it?


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## codewhore (Oct 22, 2006)

WLV said:


> To each his own, I guess.
> 
> I, for one, have no interest in a rear backup camera, blind spot detection system, lane departure warning, or adaptive cruise control. I'm happy to do all of that myself, and I think I do a better job of it.
> 
> Yet I wouldn't give up my wide angle driver's side mirror.


I agree with you on everything but the back-up camera. With how high the belt lines/trunks are on cars it can be near impossible to see some things immediately behind. Having horrible vision in my right eye doesn't help the situation and I find I think I am closer to object than I am...which I guess is much better than thinking I am further away than I really am. When I have driven cars with the back-up cameras I still do it mostly myself and only use the camera to fine-tune the gap at the back. 

My issue with the technology is when people start using it as the primary source as opposed to what they are supposed to be used for... as an aid, i.e. blind spot detection is not a replacement for looking in your mirrors and shoulder checking.

But that's my two cents.


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## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

A3_yuppie said:


> Thanks for the info. But I am unable to find the new A3 at that website; how do you find it?


Here's the shortened link:
http://bit.ly/1nKQPQ6

You'll see the mirrors under #25.

By the way, I just spoke to the parts department guy at an Audi dealer in London and he confirmed that I had the right part number for the aspherical mirror as mentioned in my first post in this topic.


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## Dan Halen (May 16, 2002)

codewhore said:


> I agree with you on everything but the back-up camera. With how high the belt lines/trunks are on cars it can be near impossible to see some things immediately behind. Having horrible vision in my right eye doesn't help the situation and I find I think I am closer to object than I am...which I guess is much better than thinking I am further away than I really am. When I have driven cars with the back-up cameras I still do it mostly myself and only use the camera to fine-tune the gap at the back.
> 
> My issue with the technology is when people start using it as the primary source as opposed to what they are supposed to be used for... as an aid, i.e. blind spot detection is not a replacement for looking in your mirrors and shoulder checking.
> 
> But that's my two cents.


I know multiple people who have mowed the eff into stuff with a backup camera image on a screen *and* radar sensors making all kinds of racket at the same time. I'm a DIY type as well. :laugh:


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

WLV said:


> Here's the shortened link:
> http://bit.ly/1nKQPQ6
> 
> You'll see the mirrors under #25.
> ...


Thank you. But with the driver side on the right in England, won't that dealer reverse the aspherical vs. convex arrangement?


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## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

A3_yuppie said:


> Thank you. But with the driver side on the right in England, won't that dealer reverse the aspherical vs. convex arrangement?


I suggest you read this entire thread where, at the top, you will see the answer. Also, if you go to the link I provided you will see parts numbers for left and right hand drive vehicles.


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

WLV said:


> That's for the non-dimming one. I got the part number from the web site, partsbase.org.
> 
> In addition to the aspherical mirror, the left side convex mirror is 8V 0857 535D.
> 
> ...


Just ordered the left side aspherical and right side convex mirrors at www.oemvwshop.com for €131 including shipping. Thank you for showing me the part numbers.


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## Bruticus (Aug 30, 2014)

Lpforte said:


> Sounds like your mirrors weren't adjusted properly? Most people seem to set their mirrors to hug the body panels and then edge them just out of view. This leaves huge blindspots in almost any vehicle. If they were adjusted properly, then my apologies, but it's very rare for a small car to have mirrors that can't be positioned to ensure elimination of major blindspots. Remember, you don't need to see whats literally inches from your body panels, unless you anticipate cyclists literally holding onto the side of your car (which I have seen happen lol).
> 
> See below:
> 
> http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots


This.

Plus this:


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

A3_yuppie said:


> Just ordered the left side aspherical and right side convex mirrors at www.oemvwshop.com for €131 including shipping. Thank you for showing me the part numbers.


Just received and installed the new mirrors. They do not have the anti-dazzle feature as the ones that do are almost 6x the cost. 

On my car (Premium Plus with Convenience Package), the right mirror housing is *not *pre-wired with the anti-dazzle wiring, so the purchase of an anti-dazzle right hand side mirror glass would not be useful. Those of you who are considering upgrading the right hand side with anti-dazzle might want to note this.


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## WLV (Apr 23, 2014)

A3_yuppie said:


> Just received and installed the new mirrors. They do not have the anti-dazzle feature as the ones that do are almost 6x the cost.
> 
> On my car (Premium Plus with Convenience Package), the right mirror housing is *not *pre-wired with the anti-dazzle wiring, so the purchase of an anti-dazzle right hand side mirror glass would not be useful. Those of you who are considering upgrading the right hand side with anti-dazzle might want to note this.


I was in London last month and picked up the convex only (no aspherical section) driver's side mirror, for about US$73. Got it at a local dealer who had them in stock. He would have had to order the aspherical one and it was about $30 more; since the mirror is on the small side I figured convex only would be fine.

I can't tell you how it performs because I don't have an A3 yet; but I know I'm buying one in a few months so got the mirror.

Please post back as to whether the mirror you bought for the passenger's side is that much different from the standard convex one fitted to US spec vehicles.


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

WLV said:


> I was in London last month and picked up the convex only (no aspherical section) driver's side mirror, for about US$73. Got it at a local dealer who had them in stock. He would have had to order the aspherical one and it was about $30 more; since the mirror is on the small side I figured convex only would be fine.
> 
> I can't tell you how it performs because I don't have an A3 yet; but I know I'm buying one in a few months so got the mirror.
> 
> Please post back as to whether the mirror you bought for the passenger's side is that much different from the standard convex one fitted to US spec vehicles.


That sounds expensive. $170 for both is about what I paid, but my cost included €40 shipping, which presumably you did not have to pay.

I understand the standard setup in Europe is an aspherical driver side mirror and a convex passenger side mirror, so I hope the convex driver side mirror works well for you.

Re: original U.S. vs. European spec passenger side mirrors, there is a difference, but not as much as the driver side. The European model covers a wider area, such that, from my seating position, I can see both my own car and the inside of the outer edge of the mirror housing. Ideally I would like to adjust both side mirrors further out to make better use of them, but there is no point since turning them wider would only show me more of the mirror housing. So, from my seating position, more of the increased coverage is in the area immediately adjacent to my car rather than a much wider right rear view. To me, it's still worth it due to the new rear head rests (which do not retract as low as those on my 2006 A3) and the small interior rear view mirror.

With the new rear passenger side mirror, I also had to adjust the dipped position in reverse per the video linked in this thread:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7035250-Dipping-mirrors


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

A3_yuppie said:


> That sounds expensive. $170 for both is about what I paid, but my cost included €40 shipping, which presumably you did not have to pay.
> 
> I understand the standard setup in Europe is an aspherical driver side mirror and a convex passenger side mirror, so I hope the convex driver side mirror works well for you.
> 
> ...


A further observation after a full day of driving. The European spec passenger side convex mirror allows me to see just a bit of the back end of another car in the next lane even when its front end is at my B-pillar, which just about completely removes the blind spot on the right side. (Only for regular size cars; probably not true for midgets like Fiat 500 or Smart.) So it does offer a wider right rear view, and this upgrade was well worth it.


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

Further note. Replacing the anti-dazzle driver side mirror with a regular (no anti-dazzle feature) mirror glass does not seem to affect the anti-dazzle function of the interior mirror.


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## mike3141 (Feb 16, 1999)

A3_yuppie said:


> Further note. Replacing the anti-dazzle driver side mirror with a regular (no anti-dazzle feature) mirror glass does not seem to affect the anti-dazzle function of the interior mirror.



The interior mirror has the light sensors that control the side-view mirrors.


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## A3_yuppie (Jun 5, 2006)

mike3141 said:


> The interior mirror has the light sensors that control the side-view mirrors.


Yes. What I am pointing out is that there is no sensor or circuitry that detects that I no longer have an anti-dazzle side mirror which somehow affects the operation of the interior mirror.


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