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Sun Aug 04, 2002 4:42 pm

Just bought a set of "Elephant Ear" mirrors from Wolfsburg West. They look nice, but on the road they vibrate so that the image in the mirror is shaking all over the place. I noticed that the arms on these mirrors are thinner than some other "Elephant Ear" mirrors I've seen.

Has anybody else had trouble with these mirrors? Have you bought a set of "other" mirrors (I still want the "Elephant Ear" style) with the heavier arms that are pretty much vibration free?

Thanks

Sun Aug 04, 2002 9:03 pm

I have the same problem, I bought mine from Kustom 1 about 2 years ago...I usually just use my rear view mirror anyways...since the side ones don't help a ton to begin with.
Is there anyway to put the early style arms on? i still have my early thicker arm....could i put the mirrow on that? Anyone done this?!?!

Sun Aug 04, 2002 11:37 pm

That's just one of the problems with aftermarket mirrors. Almost all repro mirrors will do that, even the early small round ones. The problem is that the mirror mounting posts aren't stamped on as heavily as the original German ones and that gives just enough flex for them to bounce all over the place when you drive. If anyone is interested in finding some NICE German small round Bus mirrors at a very reasonable price, you can email Doug at ccannin1@san.rr.com and tell him that Brendan sent you. He has a small stash of some extremely nice German mirrors.

Mon Aug 05, 2002 6:46 am

i had a brand new one snap off in my hand when i tried to adjust it. the flat4 ones are really nice. as for vibration, all i really need to see is the if someone is there. it only sucks when a cool ride passes me going the other way and i wanna see the back of it.

Wed Aug 07, 2002 8:20 am

I have found that the problem lies in the mirror arms. I think the satinless steel is too rigid, producing the bounce. On my bus i have an original mirror arm on the left, repop on right, original german round mirrors both sides. Driver's side is fine, Passenger's vibrates. I had not noticed this on previous busses I've owned, because I was fortunate enough to have original arms. I also seem to hear the vibration complaint almost always from people who have repop mirror arms, regardless of what kind of mirror they have. Maybe someone has to make some mirror arms out of plain old steel like the originals to compare?

Wed Aug 07, 2002 2:40 pm

I had 2 repops pop off in my hand. Use the real stuff and you have no problem. NAES

Tue Nov 19, 2002 8:39 am

Found this thread from August and I am wondering what to do. A buddy of mine and myself both bought a set of Wolfsburg West elephant ear mirrors last June and we've been complaining to each other ever since. The vibration thing really sucks. I've been trying various things to stop it and so far no luck. Anyone have an answer?

Doug

Wed Nov 27, 2002 8:56 pm

Been looking at vibrating elephant ears lately also. Has anyone tried Wolfsburg Wests stainless steel arms and accompanying round mirrors and clamps? If so, how about the vibration thing? I don't know if it is the arm or the mirror post, but I would like something that makes me feel safer than I feel right now...

Ol VW nut

Wed Nov 27, 2002 11:33 pm

WW mirrors and arms are all made in Taiwan. They have improved the round mirror over previous ones. Everyones elephant ear mirror are the same except WCM but they have black arms. Due to the quality of the mirrors avaiable I sell the Elephant ears for $25 a pair and the round mirrors for 2 for $25 now.
We are in the process of making new arms for the round mirrors. The arms will be ready in a few weeks and are exact copies of NOS right and left arms I got from Everett a while back ( these will be steel not stainless) and will also be available oversize for those with worn out hinges.

Thu Nov 28, 2002 7:57 am

Ronnie,

What will these new arms retail for and how much bigger are the oversize ones going to be?

Thanks

Thu Nov 28, 2002 10:04 pm

Thanks. I was just about to buy a set of the elephant ear mirrors before I read this.
Has anyone tried the "banjo" mirrors with the extra cross brace that bus boys sells? Pricey, but that extra brace should eliminate the vibration (in theory at least). They're going on a DC pickup, so the chunky look kinda appeals to me.

Fri Nov 29, 2002 6:43 pm

I've been doing my own comparison on this exact mirror problem. I too have a set of new repro elephant mirrors and they do vibrate quite a bit. I left the arms on and attached a couple of VWofA mirrors. The vibration was reduced some. As in Ronnie's comments about new arms for round mirrors (especially the oversized ones), there needs to be elephant ear mirror arms that are oversized in the hinge pin area. It was very obvious to me that the doors sagged a little when I installed the new mirrors, indicating that the new arms are slightly narrower than my old worn arms. You would have thought they would have been the same or a little wider because they are not worn yet. I believe that the tighter the fit of the hinge pins (mirror shafts), the less vibration. Also, the softer metal of the old arms compared to the hardness of the stainless steel ones must contribute to the vibration.

I'll keep on testing other variables when I get some different arms...

Scott

Mon Dec 02, 2002 5:32 pm

What a great topic. That means people are actually driving their busses and not just using them to show off. I am restoring my 66 and just bought the pimp pride stainless arm/round chrome mirrow type. I am afraid I am going to have the vibration problem now. Keep the posts coming. Steel vs. S.S seems to be the main issue on the vibes. What would polished aluminum do I wonder?

Doug

Tue Dec 03, 2002 4:37 pm

Hey Ronnie, do you have a date for these to go on sale? I am in the market as well. Was thinking on the banjos from BB but will wait to hear from you.

66

Tue Dec 03, 2002 8:57 pm

I drive my bus everyday and am in constant search of making my bus as safe and as fun as possible to drive without straying too far from it's 'correctness'. Let's face it, spit busses don't have the latest in suspension, so there's going to be plenty of bumping and shaking which translates up to the side view mirrors doing the same. I'm just trying to find the right combination of arms and mirrors that give me the best 'side views' possible...

Scott

Tue Dec 03, 2002 9:20 pm

How about a thin piece of rubber or even a dab of silicone on the mirror clamp to absorb some of the vibration and keep it from reaching the mirror itself?

Tue Dec 03, 2002 9:28 pm

Been there. Done that. I tried various 'deadening' materials in various places on the mirror. I even removed the mirror glass and siliconed the back instead of the little double-faced tape tabs that hole the mirror in on the top and bottom. If you grab the arm while driving (with a repro elephant mirror) it helps, but the mirror still shakes because of the way it is riveted to the ball joint. My VWOA mirrors hardly vibrate when I grab the repro arms that they are presently attached to. My driver's side shakes more, but it's hinge is worn more than the passenger hinge. Lot's of little factors involved...

Scott

Tue Dec 03, 2002 9:35 pm

Damn. Siliconing the backs of the mirrors was my next great idea. Stand by. I have these flashes of genius at regular intervals . . .

Tue Dec 03, 2002 10:26 pm

Doug, I think aluminum would vibrate too. My opinion comes from having aluminum bikes, which are really bouncy or twitchy compared to steel ones I've had. I think aluminum is stiffer and more britttle, therefore more prone to vibration. Jeremy

Wed Dec 04, 2002 6:27 am

Remember the old story about the problems the early Rabbits had with a buzzing noise coming from the dashboard? The VW engineers studied the problem and came up with a solution. Their fix was to install a 2 lb weight on the front bumper which killed the vibration and eliminated the noise.

I suspect the fix here might be the same sort of thing, with a solution being totally removed from the arm and mirror itself.

As Jeremy points out any metal is gonna vibrate, and the mirror arm is actually working like an old Victrola phonograph needle and the mirror itself is like the old horn speaker--any vibrations that exist at the hinge are amplified by the mirror arm automatically and passed thru to the mirror.

The key then is to limit the movement of the entire door, perhaps thru tighter rubber seals or an adjustment of the strike plate. If this is correct, the vibration should diminish if you drive with your arm out the window since the weight of your arm should cut down on the vibration of the door. (Although a tight door may not be a good thing. Like the head of a drum, the tight door may transmit vibration more than a loose door.)

Thank you gentlemen. You have given me a real incentive to get my bus back on the road so I can trun it into a rolling test lab. I smell Federal grant money to research this.