Longview Mirrors

I had a chance to give my Longview mirrors a good test the other day.  I towed my new travel trailer approximately 200 miles using these mirrors as my tow mirrors.  To start off, I like the way the mirrors slip over the existing mirrors on the tow vehicle.  It’s a nice-looking design when compared to the clamp-on styles that attach to the door side or front fenders.  But unfortunately, a tow mirror’s primary function is not to look good; they need to provide a good view along side of the trailer you are towing so the driver can see if there is any obstructions.  Regrettably, the Longview mirrors were not up to the task.

Slipping the mirrors over the vehicle mirror is snug, and I would suppose you would want that.  To get them properly aligned, I had to wiggle the mirror up -and-down while pushing them on to get them pushed on another ½ inch.  Then they attach using a plastic, threaded ‘hook’ that clips around the vehicle’s mirror housing.  Once hooked, you thread a thumb-nut onto the hook to lock the Longview mirror on.  The plastic ‘hook’ seems quite flimsy and I expect them to not last very long (but maybe I’ll be surprised).  Once hooked, all that is needed is to manually adjust the Longview mirrors and you’re off.

Driving down the road, the mirrors vibrate quite violently from a combination of wind and road surface coarseness.   The mirrors can barely be used in this fashion; the mirror-image is bouncing so aggressively that it’s difficult to focus on anything.  And as we know, when taking your eyes off the road to look into a mirror, time is something we don’t have a great deal of.  So a quick look into these mirrors for a side view of your trailer is not likely.  The problem doesn’t end there.  Due to the extreme vibrations of the mirror, the mirrors themselves work their way out of alignment.  Soon your brief glance into your Longview mirror offers up a jittery view of the pavement or a clouded sky.

Since we tested these Longview mirrors on a Ford, it’s possible that other Longview Mirrors may maintain a better fit on other manufacturer vehicles.  But I’m afraid I must say that I am not impressed with the set I have, and expect I will soon be shopping for another brand.

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