No passenger side mirror!?

[Matt@TheBend]

Found the solution to my turn signal post troubles in an earlier post (thanks), but have another question:

Does anyone have a 350SE that doesnt have a passenger side mirror? mine dosent... any advice on where i can get one?

Matt

[Papalangi]

I picked one up on Ebay for $14US plus shipping.

Very easy to install

Michael

[oscar]

Hey Matt, nice choice of car BTW, have I said that yet

My 350's the same but a word of caution.  You guys are RHD true?  Ebay's the easiest solution but a fellow aussie and member here alerted me to the fact that the mirrors are specific to which side of the road you drive on.  It's all got to do with the angles of reflection and how much the mirror can be adjusted.  Does that make sense?

I bought a pair of 300sd mirrors from canada for about $50 AUD posted.  Took 3 months by ship and then I found out about the incompatability.  They fit fine and look the part but don't adjust properly.  So  just make sure the second hand ones are from a like minded 116.  For the moment I'm putting up with the Van-Gogh apperance.

[s class]

Matt,

All W116 built and supplied in South Africa only had a driver side mirror.  Sorry. 

[adamb]

My 6.9, supplied in Hong Kong, also has just the driver side mirror. I kind of like it like that. You shouldn't trust just looking in the mirror when changing lanes anyway.

[editjunk]

Van Gogh! Hehe!

[nathan]

while on the subject of side mirrors,
does anyone else find that the 116 passenger side mirror is possibly the worst ever created, giving near on zero visibility!!
i find mine bloody useless - i find a collision less likely if i plant my foot and just change knowing its unlikely many will still be next to me following such a maneouvre (one day my faith in the 6.9s rolling power will catch up to me!)
nathan
79 6.9s #6181, #6436

[Papalangi]

I wonder if it is a design error in the mirror adjuster.  My left hand mirror (driver side for me) has very little range of motion but the right hand side has a ton of motion.  I have it adjusted to show cars in my blind spot.

Michael

[cipha]

Range of motion is generally good for both sides, based upon my own vehicle: however this is because I 'fixed' the location of the mirror itself.

Originally the 'mirror' [reflective glass portion and not the whole assembly] had slipped down a little bit and movement was restricted.  I prized it off the assembly and cleaned up the back and used new double sided adhesive tape and stuck it back on. Perfect result!

Depending upon country of original sale - one finds passenger mirrors to be smaller with most MB passenger vehicles.  It also tends to be convex, allowing greater area to be reflected and causes some difficulty in distance perception.  Mainly in America, one finds 'objects in the mirror are closer than they look' as a standard warning.  In the rst of the world, homo sapiens appear to have worked that much out for themselves.

[Papalangi]

Both of my mirrors have flat glass without warnings.  I did wonder why the right hand one wasn't convex but didn't let it worry me as I know that "objects in mirror are behind me"

The left will only go in and out, the right will go up and down far enough to see the curb I've just backed into.

Michael

[116.025]

In my experience with 116s/123s, the passenger mirror being convex is the exception, not the rule.  Of the 4 116s and the 4 123s in the family, my 280SE was the only one with a convex passenger mirror, no warning...but then, like all of the 116s in the family, it is euro.

[Yesmar]

My 6.9, supplied in Hong Kong, also has just the driver side mirror. I kind of like it like that. You shouldn't trust just looking in the mirror when changing lanes anyway.

dido my brother its bad ass with out it. looks shaved

[Hemersam]

  I bought a passenger-side mirror for my '78 280SE and put it on myself---it's easy to do. I do agree with Nathan in that it's not the greatest for seeing what's "back there," but for me it's better than nothing. However, I don't recommend Nathan's technique on lane-changing---"bloody" could be the key word there. I just look in the outside mirror, then at the inside rear-view one, then change lanes (yes, I'm a bit slow, but so are most people my age).   
Hemersam

[arman]

I thought it was like this (but I am not really certain):
left and right outside mirrors are identical mirror images except from that rubber/plastic wedge which will see to that the mirror which will not be on the driver's side gets a little more angle inwards.
So basically, if you would like to change an outside mirror from LHD side to a RHD passenger side you should find that wedge plastic/rubber piece to change the angle a little. It should be the same procedure for the other way around, but I think that plastic/rubber wedge is specific for either side.

But it could also be that the poke mechanism is different in length too.

Anyway from Mercedes-Benz manufacturing/assembly point of view it would simplify the RHD/LHD production a little.

[oscar]

You're right arman.  But there's not only that extra bit of rubber, there is also a wider chrome piece.  I haven't opened one up to check the insides and linkages.

The passenger side mirror on my RHD 350 is a LHD driver's mirror.   It's absolutely useless and can't be adjusted to be of any use from the driver's position.  Assuming those rubber and chrome wedge pieces are difficult to get hold of (I've never asked if they are available BTW), my advice would be that if you need a passenger side mirror, find one that is suited to your car. 

Have a look here for how to tell which is which  http://forum.w116.org/interiors-and-exteriors/mirrors-identifying-the-correct-one/