Community Forums

mdvs · 03-22-2018, 03:03 PM

I have a Winnebago Journey with the Velvac Mirrors. The driver side is model 2025. I know from the Velvac site that these mirrors are used on a large number of motor homes. I broke the lower convex (wide angle) mirror and looked up the replacement part from the owners manual and Velvac site. They both say that the part number is 709449 (mirror with heater). I purchased one that was in an open package (discount) and installed it on the plastic movable base following the instructions that came with the mirror. I noticed that the new mirror has a greater curve than the plastic base but thought this would form to it over time. 4 days after the install the mirror cracked into 4 parts.
My first thought was that the mirror sent to me was not actually the correct one but had somehow been swapped in the open bag. I ordered a new, un-opened mirror, same part number as Velvac and book, and received it today. This mirror has the same curve as the one that broke. I know that if I try to put this on it will crack like the last one.
Has anyone had this experience? Maybe there is someway to soften the plastic swivel base so it will form to the new mirror? Open for ideas. My only other option at this time is to purchase the plastic holder and mirror assembly ($75 versus $25 for just the mirror) or maybe a heatgun to soften the plastic to allow more curvature?
The attached pictures show the broken new mirror and the other the old versus new plastic clip with the difference in curvature.

vsheetz · 03-22-2018, 03:17 PM

I would suggest a call to Velvac. I've had a couple occasions to do so over the years and they have been very helpful and knowledgeable.

mdvs · 03-22-2018, 03:45 PM

Good idea.

keger · 03-22-2018, 04:10 PM

If the above doesn't work maybe try a hair dryer heat guns tend to run very hot and might damage the plastic. If you do use a heat source keep it moving so as to not concentrate the heat in one spot.

mdvs · 03-22-2018, 04:22 PM

I will call Velvac tomorrow. They are currently closed. If I need to heat the plastic I think the safest way would be to remove the bracket and place it in hot water. Then place the mirror on and allow it to cool. I would then need to remove the mirror to place the bracket back on the mirror head and then put the mirror on the bracket. I think this would be the safest way to soften the plastic and reshape it.

keger · 03-22-2018, 04:32 PM

Try that but it still might present a problem since the plastic the MFG uses probably has a wide temperature threshold since it's exposed to the elements. I still think there's something else going on just because I'm having trouble trying to figure out why the MFG would not include that process in there instructions. Are you sure that the base attachment isn't damage? Maybe you do need both parts.

mdvs · 03-22-2018, 04:35 PM

I compared the curvature of the new mirror to the existing one on the passenger side. It is a greater curve. The passenger side matches the curve of the old driver side mirror. I'm guessing at this point that the glass and plastic over time changed. The mirror is 16 years old.

keger · 03-22-2018, 04:41 PM

That makes sense and it may be the reason the new one cracked or within the last 16 years the MFG changed the design slightly and enough to cause you problems. I'd still call them first and see what they say. Good luck.

Kiawah · 03-22-2018, 05:54 PM

I installed the 75 version about 3 years ago, when some guy clipped my mirror and broke the convex mirror. Fit perfectly, and haven't had another problem since.

His insurance was paying for it, so I wasn't worried about the incremental cost.

mdvs · 03-23-2018, 08:12 AM

I talked with Velvac and found out what the issue is. The short story, I have the wrong part. So you ask, why did I get the wrong part? The manual that came with the motor home was for Velvac model 2025 and 2030 mirrors. Velvac told me that the model 2025 is referring to the arm the mirror is mounted on. There are a couple of different mirror heads used on the mounting arm. The manual I have shows a mirror 13.6" high and looks like what is on my HM. Turns out my mirror is 18" high so the bottom convex mirror is different and has a different curvature (less than the 13.6"). It also turns out that if I had looked deeper into the Velvac site I would have found the proper part number

. Many thanks to Velvac for their great support.