Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

[HPsauce]

Arrived today, looking good. Curvature and tint all correct.
Total outlay for both dimming mirrors: £63.72p
The one thing that was not working when I got this car. (Just need to fix the OSR electric headrest now...)

[HPsauce]

Fitted, tested, fully working/dimming, view correct. A real bargain. And you don't even notice the warning text.

Edit: This has just made me realise that pretty much the only option missing from my T5 is auto dimming mirrors, but with tinted rears it's largely irrelevant anyway.
It's also missing "flappy paddles", not that I care, but does have the equivalent of the Tiptronic +/- gear lever when in Sport mode.

[Architex_mA8tey]

That is a total Bargain Andrew!
Happy to pop over and give you a hand with the headrest sometime if you need 2 people, it sometimes helps!

[Spanker]

I'd really appreciate some advice and opinions on wing mirror replacement from those that have done it on a D2 FL.
The passenger (N/S) auto-dimming mirror is fine. No issues at all.
However the previous owner appears to have had an issue with the drivers (O/S) mirror and has stuck a very poorly cut piece of plastic mirror material over the top. I assume that there was an issue with the glass and the owner was too cheap to replace it.
When I have done a search I've found that a dealer replacement is an extortionate price for a piece of glass so was wondering what alternatives have been used by others?
There's a part of me that thinks I should stay true to the stock look of the car and to try and find a replacement auto-dimming mirror for the defective side. On eBay there appear to be some for sale from the US but with shipping at $38+ and then possible import duties on top it seems to be a quite expensive solution.
But if I didn't go that route I would be paying for 2 mirrors locally (to match each other) but don't have any experience re: quality and what to expect.
Has anyone moved from auto-dimming to non-dimming and found that the result is better e.g. slightly greater mirror area without the black band around the edge?
Has anyone found that other colours, e.g. blue tint are better than clear - in their opinion?
And anyone have views on why convex/blind-spot areas are better or worse?
I'm assuming that all OEM and aftermarket mirrors are heated, Is that too much of an assumption?
(have checked our sponsors and they don't appear to have a D2 O/S auto-dimming mirror for sale).

Thanks in advance for anyone's opinions.

Dean
PS Does anyone reading actually have a spare O/S auto-dimming mirror that they haven't listed in the For Sale section??

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by Spanker

On eBay there appear to be some for sale from the US but with shipping at $38+ and then possible import duties on top it seems to be a quite expensive solution.

That's what I did and it was a bargain.

I've lived happily for years with non-dimming external mirrors, but you know what we're like on here - it had them originally so needed resolving.
In practice I couldn't care less when driving if they dim or not, it's only the internal mirror I like to dim.

My guess is that the drivers side mirrors get damaged more often from close-passing opposing traffic. So getting a spare passenger side from an LHD car (as I did) balances the "mirror population".

And there are plenty of heated non-dimming mirror glasses available on eBay at a decent price. I prefer the blue tint convex ones, but YMMV.

[Spanker]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

That's what I did and it was a bargain.

I've lived happily for years with non-dimming external mirrors, but you know what we're like on here - it had them originally so needed resolving.
In practice I couldn't care less when driving if they dim or not, it's only the internal mirror I like to dim.

My guess is that the drivers side mirrors get damaged more often from close-passing opposing traffic. So getting a spare passenger side from an LHD car (as I did) balances the "mirror population".

And there are plenty of heated non-dimming mirror glasses available on eBay at a decent price. I prefer the blue tint convex ones, but YMMV.

Thanks Andrew.
I'm always keen to keep the stock look of the car too.
But the price puts me off and when I see cheaper versions giving me (I assume) slightly more area (no black band around the outside) and a blind-spot option then it makes me think that better mirrors / better value = the way to go. But then........

[Spanker]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

That's what I did and it was a bargain.

I've lived happily for years with non-dimming external mirrors, but you know what we're like on here - it had them originally so needed resolving.
In practice I couldn't care less when driving if they dim or not, it's only the internal mirror I like to dim.

My guess is that the drivers side mirrors get damaged more often from close-passing opposing traffic. So getting a spare passenger side from an LHD car (as I did) balances the "mirror population".

And there are plenty of heated non-dimming mirror glasses available on eBay at a decent price. I prefer the blue tint convex ones, but YMMV.

Actually.....................

I've just sent you a PM (or will do after writing this)

[Spanker]

Just found one stateside that should fit.
The part number is correct but it has the suffix "N" and Google doesn't bring up much detail on "N" suffixes for Audi parts.
But I've bought it now and if it isn't suitable I can eBay it again.
Thanks to Andrew for his advice

[Architex_mA8tey]

The only thing to be careful about in buying door mirrors from the US is that some are a shorter length than standard (but they normally look square/shorter) and also some have different magnification sections and/or writing across the lens. I ended up putting my name on a "waiting list" at A8 Parts our sponsors and finally got a call nearly 2 years later to say that my number had come up for the door mirror lottery!

[Spanker]

Originally Posted by Architex_mA8tey

The only thing to be careful about in buying door mirrors from the US is that some are a shorter length than standard (but they normally look square/shorter) and also some have different magnification sections and/or writing across the lens. I ended up putting my name on a "waiting list" at A8 Parts our sponsors and finally got a call nearly 2 years later to say that my number had come up for the door mirror lottery!

2 years!
I didn't know they were that rare.
The one I ordered has a sticker on the back that says "Konvex" and the obligatory warning text on the front.
It seems that the seller has another one as when I go to look at the listing, it shows "last one" available.
The listing is here

It worked out at approx £58 but then import duties may bump that up a bit. I've asked the seller to be economical with the value for customs and to write "SPARE PART" on the declaration in the hope that it may make a slight difference to what I need to pay upon receipt.
As my stick-on "plastic" mirror covering is scratched and gives a distorted view, I don't think I could wait for one to come up for sale from our sponsors.