Shit happens…

Did you ever have to replace your RV mirror?! Well, I had to a couple of times already. Shit happens. And if it does you just have to deal with it.

To be exact, I had the pleasure with it three times in my camper life so far. One time I entirely lost my driver’s side mirror as another camper cut my lane on a narrow coastal street in Croatia.

Broken mirror in Croatia

I cannot even exactly replicate the other two incidences as I seemed to be hitting an overhanging street sign or tree on small streets and then damaged my passenger side mirrors. Scratches and lost turn signals were the result.

Deal with it!

It really sucks if you cannot properly use your mirrors – especially on the driver’s side. And it’s dangerous. So what are your options?

  1. Find a repair place and have them order spare parts to replace it. This usually takes up to a week. If you are in suburban areas even longer. This means you are stuck at a place for much longer than you would have anticipated. And it’s expensive. If you are lucky, the replacement cost you a little above 300 Euros.
  2. Go to an auto-parts store and get a towing mirror. These mirrors are often low quality and smaller than a standard RV mirror, but therefore much cheaper. If you mount it properly with cable ties it will work for at least your drive back home if you are on vacation. In the past, I used to carry such a replacement mirror with me – just in case. It doesn’t take up much space and you can get it for as little as [amazon_link asins=’B01NAPANZE’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’diggingdog03-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’03550ae0-37ea-11e8-a099-5b41e9442c65′].
  3. If you are on the road for longer than just a two week vacation, I recommend to get a proper spare mirror according to your RV model, and be able to install it yourself. This not only makes you independent from repair places, you will also win time and safe money. It is really easy to replace the mirror yourself  at least with all European standard models such as the Fiat Ducato.

Do it yourself – How to instructions

Here is a little video for you to learn how to easily replace the side mirror yourself – I can tell you, it is much easier than you think!  Turn on the subtitles for instructive commentary.

Enjoy and please let me know if you have any specific questions. Woof!