Mirror aids - when parking

[mawallace]

I have an issue when reversing into a space that I cannot see the white lines painted on the car park as I reverse.

Does anyone know of any good aids that can be used for this purpose?

[Astraist]

The mirror alignment is not static - it is dynamic and needs to be changed to meet the conditions. During reversing I would adjust the mirrors inward and downward and, in your specific case, try to get a view at my rear wheel through the mirror. Many cars now have a mechanism that automatically adjusts the mirrors in and down when you reverse, or allows you to store several adjustments into the system's memory.

Without these functions, some people find it more convenient to use a small auxiliary mirror mounted over the housing of the car's stock mirror. Fish-eye mirrors that are adhesed onto the mirror itself, or large bulky mirrors mounted over the original mirror are not recommended. The stock mirrors are generally preferable, and they also allow to gauge the distance more accurately.

The advice to open up a window is something I always do when I put it in reverse, giving me an audible input about hazards like children as well as allowing me to do a shoulder check out and around the window.

[Gareth]

The mirror alignment is not static - it is dynamic and needs to be changed to meet the conditions. During reversing I would adjust the mirrors inward and downward and, in your specific case, try to get a view at my rear wheel through the mirror. Many cars now have a mechanism that automatically adjusts the mirrors in and down when you reverse, or allows you to store several adjustments into the system's memory.

This reflects how the world has changed for cars. Once upon a time, wing mirrors really were wing mirrors and they were a right pain to adjust when a different driver got into the car. Even when wing mirrors became door mirrors, adjustment wasn't always easy - there are still many cars where it is possible to adjust the driver's door mirror quite easily, but adjusting the passenger door mirror while in a driving situation is difficult and sometimes not practicable.

[ScoobyChris]

Does anyone know of any good aids that can be used for this purpose?

One useful tip I have found is to look at the space opposite to see if the white lines are in-line before you start to park. Most of them seem to be, especially in newer car parks, and this can help with fine-tuning as you reverse.

Chris

[ExadiNigel]

You can buy the small circular convex mirrors from places like Halfords which you can stick to a corner of your mirror. the help with parking and also cover a small area of blind spot down the side too.

[IVORTHE DRIVER]

Take 2 passengers, place one on either side of the space, aim between them.

If it doesn't work, collect 2 new passengers and try again.

Try to perfect it before you run out of passengers

Failing that adjust the mirrors down, if you can, or pick an object behind the space to line up with, fence post, tree etc

[Astraist]

You can buy the small circular convex mirrors from places like Halfords which you can stick to a corner of your mirror. the help with parking and also cover a small area of blind spot down the side too.

I personally dislike using aftermarket convex mirrors to cover blind spots: They are quite distortive, they duplicate information needlessly and they reflect more glare. I would assume that the manufacturer of the car spent enough money and resources into developing a car with mirrors that offer sufficient coverage.

I do believe that a small auxiliary mirror mounted on the housing of the original mirror (not adhesed to the glass) can be beneficial in parking, but that's about it. To cover blind spots, it's best, in my view, to either adjust the stock mirrors to a wide angle, use shoulder checks or whatever combination of both that a certain person finds appropriate.

[ExadiNigel]

You can buy the small circular convex mirrors from places like Halfords which you can stick to a corner of your mirror. the help with parking and also cover a small area of blind spot down the side too.

I personally dislike using aftermarket convex mirrors to cover blind spots

I suggest you don't buy them then!

Personally, I and my pupils found them useful.

[IVORTHE DRIVER]

Have we not done the mirror thing to death before guys

All extra mirrors can be useful if properly placed/positioned etc etc, the more info you can get from ALL round the vehicle has to be a good thing, no matter for what purpose.

When reverse parking if you need to get out, walk round and physically move the nearside mirror then that is what you do, rather take a few minutes and avoid that concrete post

To be honest I fail to see the problem with reversing into a space, a few seconds taken to assess the size, shape etc should be all you need to park with reasonable accuracy, most spaces are a uniform size and 2 or 3ft wider than the average car so as long as you can see the line your side you do not really need to see the nearside line (basic maths should divide 3ft into 2 equal bits).

Always comes back to the same basic point...take your time, look, assess, position the vehicle properly, re-assess if needed....park

But then of course as it has been pointed out on several occasions I am only an "experienced" driver....I hate those stupid "" things

[Astraist]

All extra mirrors can be useful if properly placed/positioned etc etc, the more info you can get from ALL round the vehicle has to be a good thing, no matter for what purpose.

If it is for the purpose of covering the blind spots when driving forward (as has been suggested eariler) and not for reversing than more information is not always a good thing! More information means more divided attention and longer time necessary to percieve it and react to it. Of course this should not stop us from trying to get the best view around the car, but if we divide our attention between too many points of focus that display information that is mostly superflous and overlapped in the different mirrors, we are creating an inefficient division of attention from more pressing directions like in front or to the sides. Instead of checking two mirrors, we will now have to check three mirrors, and we will have to "filter out" information that is repeated in the different mirrors.

[ExadiNigel]

Have we not done the mirror thing to death before guys

Obviously not if we get an OP asking for useful aids for parking. Subjects will always raise their heads again due to new people joining the site.

But then of course as it has been pointed out on several occasions I am only an "experienced" driver....I hate those stupid "" things

Eh? The fact you have experience gives weight to your opinion.

[IVORTHE DRIVER]

Eh? The fact you have experience gives weight to your opinion.

Sorry grumpy day yesterday

Problem is some people on here like to put the word experienced as "experienced" which annoys the hell out of me.

My interpretation of experience is one who has done the same thing for many years AND learnt from it, there are loads of drivers out there who after many years on the road have learnt nothing, I just get annoyed if lumped in with them.

Like I said grumpy day, better now

[RenesisEvo]

I would assume that the manufacturer of the car spent enough money and resources into developing a car with mirrors that offer sufficient coverage.

It seems they don't always get this right - the mirrors on my other half's Ford Focus Mk2.5 are much improved compared to the ones on mine (Mk2). I always have to use the electric adjustment to drop the passenger mirror when parking (then do a bad cockpit check and forget to adjust it up before leaving ). My opinion is that I'd rather have the mirrors set up for dual carriageway driving if I have to choose; the consequences of getting parking a little wrong are somewhat less than missing something at 70mph.

Having said that, once spent a day driving around in a van with no view out the back, then hopped back into the car - the car's mirrors felt rather inadequate after that experience.

[Astraist]

My opinion is that I'd rather have the mirrors set up for dual carriageway driving if I have to choose; the consequences of getting parking a little wrong are somewhat less than missing something at 70mph.

Exactly my opinion, as I also instruct. I'd also assume that any reasonable driver spends more time and milleage on a carriageway/motorway/B-road or town streets, than he does parking or reversing.

Having said that, once spent a day driving around in a van with no view out the back, then hopped back into the car - the car's mirrors felt rather inadequate after that experience.

In bigger vehicles, such as vans, buses and trucks, the stock mirrors might be inadequate, but generally, for private passenger cars, they are efficient, if properly used and adjusted to fit the conditions as they change. Choosing one static alignment for all driving situations is not likely to be effective. If it's awkward to readjust the mirrors every time in a certain car, or if there is any other special problem - a auxiliary mirror mounted ON the side mirror (not the kind that is adhesed to the glass itself) can help, but I repeat that it's best to use it JUST for parking.

[IVORTHE DRIVER]

In bigger vehicles, such as vans, buses and trucks, the stock mirrors might be inadequate, but generally, for private passenger cars, they are efficient, if properly used and adjusted to fit the conditions as they change.

Sorry but I think you will find bigger vehicles normally will have more than adequate mirrors, ie, multi lenses, multi mirrors, plus hopefully drivers who know how to use them.

As to your second point above, how many drivers adjust the mirrors for changing conditions?