Monsieur White van man strikes again (1 Viewer)

Sep 11, 2014
1,005
3,414
West Sussex
Funster No
33,306
MH
None
Exp
Since 2013
Our nearside mirror was smashed to smithereens on our 2nd day in France despite having mirror guards fitted. It will be an insurance job. I recall @Jim recommending a superior make of protector although I'm not sure anything would have helped on this occasion! Can anyone help with the brand name? TIA
 
OP
OP
reckless
Sep 11, 2014
1,005
3,414
West Sussex
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33,306
MH
None
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Since 2013
It doesn't ring a bell but I'll check them out tomorrow (ours are milenco). Thanks

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Neckender

Free Member
Oct 15, 2007
3,221
5,921
Neckend or North Wales.
Funster No
635
MH
VW T6.1Kombi day Van
Exp
Since 2004
Beware of claiming off insurance, excess etc.
A French lady driver ran down the side of our new motorhome last October, damage £750 claimed off insurance had to pay excess £450, so insurance paying £300.

Struggling to get my excess back and just come to renew the insurance on our car and because of the accident which was no fault of ours they have increased the car premium.

The French driver is not answering my insurances letters so a solicitor provided by my insurance is going to try and get my £450 back at a charge of £118 plus vat per hour.
Unless I get my excess back our car insurer won't accept that I was not to blame.

John.

Ps you have to declare for 5 years that you made a claim.
 
Oct 5, 2012
4,283
9,569
Ayrshire
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23,166
MH
Carado T132
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5 years, feel free to ask me about the Carado!!
Our nearside mirror was smashed to smithereens on our 2nd day in France despite having mirror guards fitted. It will be an insurance job. I recall @Jim recommending a superior make of protector although I'm not sure anything would have helped on this occasion! Can anyone help with the brand name? TIA
I just bought a new original Peugeot/Fiat long arm mirror off Ebay and fitted it myself for £125....think carefully before doing an insurance claim for a mirror !!

I did have a step by step guide of how to do a replacement but it was wiped on the new site, let me know and I will try to repost it.

Under no circumstances re-use the crappy original torx screws for the mirror mounts, [if you have them] Peugeot/fiat have now upgraded them to bolts.
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2011
376
435
Somerset
Funster No
16,828
MH
hymer s820
Exp
2000
i had a mirror broken by a tanker a few years ago Brownhills replaced it hang on....1099.75 pounds .. insurance paid

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Jun 17, 2012
2,919
9,817
North Essex
Funster No
21,517
MH
Autotrail Delaware
Exp
>12 but <13
Had French lady in her MH wave to me, then bang as N/S mirror appeared in cab, some of which embedded itself into wife's leg. Ran rest of holiday with vanity mirror sellotaped on!
Got new one from Europarts but these are cheaper. You will need to remove back plate and attach the extension between.

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Jul 12, 2013
3,853
5,228
The City of Henlow
Funster No
26,906
MH
Adria Supreme
Exp
Since 1980
Mirror guards are expensive and I wonder if they are given a good bang from a close encounter, if they are going to save your mirror or just be an extra cost when it comes to replacing the unit (s).
I second the view that 'Wingmirrorman' is a worthwhile place to visit (been there, done that).
Alan

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Jun 17, 2012
2,919
9,817
North Essex
Funster No
21,517
MH
Autotrail Delaware
Exp
>12 but <13
Mirror guards are expensive and I wonder if they are given a good bang from a close encounter, if they are going to save your mirror or just be an extra cost when it comes to replacing the unit (s).
I second the view that 'Wingmirrorman' is a worthwhile place to visit (been there, done that).
Alan
I agree, recently bought another MH which has colour matched guards, said to wife they look nice but more expense if hit. Bet the guard would cost more than the mirror anyway
 
Dec 24, 2009
1,065
15,677
bedworth warks
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9,712
MH
c class
Exp
2009 previously a tugger for thirty years
And of course any other motor insurance for any other vehicle you happen to insure, will also increase! We are both fully aware that it is not a no BLAME discount but why the hell it should also affect any other vehicle baffles both of us.

Our moho got damaged in an attempted break-in whilst parked in Brighton damaging the hab door and scratching the nearside cab door window glass so whilst claiming for the mega priced door and frame we included that.

So the premiums on my C5 and Jenny's Xsara also increased ! Ridiculous.

We were still better off claiming that time; but we haven't done so since for either mirror in similar circumstances on both vans!
 
May 16, 2014
816
1,056
Ammanford
Funster No
31,503
MH
Dethleffs Trend
Exp
since May 2014
White van man also took out my offside mirror as I was stopped waiting to go around parked cars. His mirror was wiped off entirely and it also broke the quarter light glass. I reckon my Milenco mirror guard saved mine as alit did was to break the main glass and pop the kerb close proximity part out. id crack the mirror guard. Paid for new mirror guard and main mirror lens myself.

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keith

Free Member
Aug 25, 2007
3,421
1,864
Ecclefechan
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168
MH
Autocruise Starseeker
Exp
Caravaning since 1974 - Motorhoming since 2003
And of course any other motor insurance for any other vehicle you happen to insure, will also increase! We are both fully aware that it is not a no BLAME discount but why the hell it should also affect any other vehicle baffles both of us.
That's because they insure the drivers not the vehicle?
 
Apr 11, 2015
5,353
54,338
hull
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35,812
MH
Laika Ecovip 300
Exp
since 1988 with breaks until 2009
so true we drove BIL's car in the States as it was the vehicle which was insured.
 

injebreck99

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Dec 5, 2011
1,706
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norfolk
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19,123
MH
Low profile C Class
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Since 1997
Pity they don't make motorhomes with retractable mirrors, ours on our cars are a godsend.

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Jul 29, 2013
9,048
18,094
Salisbury
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27,215
MH
Hymer B678DL A class
Exp
since 2011
Mirror guards are expensive and I wonder if they are given a good bang from a close encounter, if they are going to save your mirror or just be an extra cost when it comes to replacing the unit (s).
I second the view that 'Wingmirrorman' is a worthwhile place to visit (been there, done that).
Alan
Mirror guards do work we had an impatient Frenchman trying to pass me on a roundabout and knocked the whole thing off from the rear,the guard kept the mirror from breaking and I managed to gaffer tape it all together and stick it back on the bracket it lasted for three months till we returned home then bought a ducato mirror on fleebay and replaced it myself think it cost £120 and saved my NCB.
 

Movinon

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Feb 1, 2012
277
301
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Lots
They are probably beneficial in a very low impact situation. In a real world situation, where combined speeds of your van and an oncoming vehicle are considerably more than walking pace your mirror can still smash against the side of your van and be toast. Goodbye mirror, goodbye Mirrorguard, hello big replacement cost. An absolute fluke aside, they don't work for that reason alone. However, if you could provide padding along the front edge of the Mirrorguard then you would possibly suffer less damage. And they are prone to being stolen.

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OP
OP
reckless
Sep 11, 2014
1,005
3,414
West Sussex
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33,306
MH
None
Exp
Since 2013
Had French lady in her MH wave to me, then bang as N/S mirror appeared in cab, some of which embedded itself into wife's leg. Ran rest of holiday with vanity mirror sellotaped on!
Got new one from Europarts but these are cheaper. You will need to remove back plate and attach the extension between.

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Try looking on the RoadPro website.
Part number J8602 Mirror Armour for Fiat Ducato

I've decided against the insurance claim, ordered a replacement unit from wingmirrorman and have someone who can help me fit it if needs be.

To be fair the mirror guard itself isn't badly damaged and I'll probably fit it over the new unit perhaps add some hi-viz tape down the edge. I can only hope the van's mirror was also ruined as he made no attempt to slow down and simply barrelled into us and disappeared up the road.

Like @Larby I also attached a vanity mirror with gaffer tape and it did the job (poorly). As this seems to be quite common, I'm going to buy a couple of stick-on mirror kits to carry in the van.

@knokinonabit Mirror Armour, that's the one, thanks. If I buy again, these will be the ones.
 

ianandkath

Free Member
Jun 4, 2015
897
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as my mirrors are almost in front of the rv instead of at the side,, mine would be a front end crash lol
 

cruiser

LIFE MEMBER
Sep 12, 2012
4,209
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northampton
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coach built elddis 400
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we hope you get back safe and sound.

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sedge

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Jul 7, 2009
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One of the best deterrent type things I have ever seen on a MoHo mirrors was white protectors, with bright fluorescent orange tape in a large X affixed across them. It was the ONLY thing I noticed about the vehicle! So - Job Done most likely - methinks.

BUT - what a bloody eyesore they looked! LOL
 

sedge

Funster
Jul 7, 2009
5,494
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And about 'they insure the driver' fairy nuff - but there again if that driver wasn't in a MoHo or towing a caravan, why on earth would you happen to park another vehicle again on the approach road to Brighton CC site, who were full so we couldn't go in there, so we parked it there till teatime and went where we needed to go on the bus - which we'd have done anyway had we got on the site, before we drove along to Littlehampton and camped there instead - and it was only when we got out to go into reception there to check in - that we discovered that the hab door showed the evidence! That side was right into the verge/hedge, so we'd got out and back in again through the cab, driver's door and hadn't seen it previously.
 

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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new shape Ducato, full electric with heater, £127 and took me 20 minutes to fit
This was last week after a lorry crossed a double white line and too out my mirror
If I had put it through insurance it would have ended up costing me several hundred pounds do to placing a claim etc etc

No mirror guard is gonna be 100% effective .. If you are doing say 40mph and the other vehicle the same, that is going to be an impact speed of 89..
Even if you are stationary and the other vehicle only doing say, 20 mph, it is still going to be a hellova wack !!

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talbotti

Free Member
Feb 9, 2011
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1
lancashire
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van conversion
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Mirror guards are expensive and I wonder if they are given a good bang from a close encounter, if they are going to save your mirror or just be an extra cost when it comes to replacing the unit (s).
I second the view that 'Wingmirrorman' is a worthwhile place to visit (been there, done that).
Alan
Have mirrorguards on mine,and Frenchman hit me this year saved mine.
 
OP
OP
reckless
Sep 11, 2014
1,005
3,414
West Sussex
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Since 2013
new shape Ducato, full electric with heater, £127 and took me 20 minutes to fit

Ditto to this, astonished that I managed to fit it without help. Feeling rather pleased with myself!

Good, money-saving advice from Funsters as usual, thanks guys.

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Aug 27, 2014
1,910
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Shropshire
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McLouis Tandy 640+
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Looking at the wingmirrorman website, for the old shape X244 Ducato (1998-2006) a manual mirror is only just over £40, an electric mirror is nearly £100 more. I wonder if you can transfer the parts over from your old electric mirror to one of their manual ones, providing they aren't smashed of course?
 
OP
OP
reckless
Sep 11, 2014
1,005
3,414
West Sussex
Funster No
33,306
MH
None
Exp
Since 2013
Looking at the wingmirrorman website, for the old shape X244 Ducato (1998-2006) a manual mirror is only just over £40, an electric mirror is nearly £100 more. I wonder if you can transfer the parts over from your old electric mirror to one of their manual ones, providing they aren't smashed of course?

Well @Feltwell that sounds far too challenging for me!! In any case, job done now and it's a 2010 cab. Thanks.
 

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
Looking at the wingmirrorman website, for the old shape X244 Ducato (1998-2006) a manual mirror is only just over £40, an electric mirror is nearly £100 more. I wonder if you can transfer the parts over from your old electric mirror to one of their manual ones, providing they aren't smashed of course?
Yes you can.. It comes apart really easily too !
I just could not find a long arm right hand side manual unit or it would have been the way I had gone

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