[Bernie]

I could see me tearing up more than it was worth. I still can not believe there has not been a replacement solution for these crappy mirrors yet. Do other motorhomes and coaches have problems with theirs also. Just seems funny to have a 2+ million dollar machine with junk………..

Steve

[Archived]

The plating on my Velvac mirrors doesn’t appear to be any better…

[Archived]

I am wondering instead of buying new (or even used) chromed mirrors, has anyone had their mirrors stripped and poweder coated (or other coated) to get a longer/better life our of the finish?

Maybe getting them stripped and then wraped in carbon fiber would be cool?

[Corey]

Mine are painted to match, on an H it doesn”t look bad, and takes care of the plating. Wouldn’t work on stainless I guess.

[Robert]

I have seen the mirrors black on some XL!! entertainers with lots of stainless on the sides of the bus and I did not like them as well.

Davy

[Archived]

My Royale had the mirrors painted same as the coach, I thought it looked good. Still shook like a dog pooping a peach pit.

[Archived]

Space Coast Plating does a great job re plating these mirrors. He is a coach owner and understands. It is spacecoast-plating.com

Mikee

[Archived]

Space Coast is an advertiser. His plating is top notch. What I found out the hard way is getting a set replated (about $800) is only a part of the cost. I believe the inability to disassemble the mirrors without damage is going to add significantly to the cost of replating. That assumes you value your time at zero.

And then there is the shaking. My current mirrors shook so bad it was impossible to see clearly, especially on the driver’s side. My solution was to jam foam rubber between the housing and the glass making them unadjustable.

I would be more optimistic about the practicality of disassembly and replating if the corrosion associated with dissimilar metals did not make it such a challenge taking things apart. I had to beat the head off the post it is attached to, and that goes into the arm. I had to beat the bolt that attaches the arm to the mounting plate in and out of the arm and mounting plate until it loosened enough to separate the two. I couldn’t loosen the two screws holding the convex mirrior head to the main head so I drilled the head off the screws. Drilling the remaining portion of the screws from the convex mirror head is not going to be easy because the harder screw material is going to try to push the drill into the softer aluminum. In short refinishing the mirrors is doable but not without some grief.

As to powder coating them, that is definitely an option, but requires the same effort to disassemble the entire mirror assembly. Powder coating requires elevated temperatures for a proper cure so heat sensitive components such as the motors and wires still have to be removed. Powder coating is like plating in the respect that the key to success is pre-treatment. Like copper coating as a prerequisite for chrome plating, a sophisticated aluminum pretreatment is required to insure adhesion to aluminum and resistance to the formation of corrosion beneath the poweder coated surface.

A remaining option is to not replate the parts, but to have the existing plating removed by a plater, and then polishing the raw aluminum (like so many of us have done to our wheels for years). Every option includes disassembly which is going to require effort and new parts to replace damaged ones.

[Archived]

When
Jon and I visited Space Coast last year, one of the conditions to
plating our mirrors is a complete dis-assembly prior to sending for
plating. They will not do any dis-assembly and after what Jon has
experienced, I don’t blame them.