I fitted a set of convex Auto Wares wing mirrors to the nearside and offside of JK’s 1972 VW T2 Bay this weekend, having fallen in love with the microbus on a photoshoot last week.
This is a bit of a ‘how to’ guide, but not really, because the job took me about five minutes and uses a grand total of one tool. I did have ‘help’ from a toddler, though, so take that into account when I say how simple to swap was!
But Josh, what actually are Auto Wares mirrors?
If you haven’t got a set of these convex wingmirrors on your Bay, I can only assume it’s because you haven’t heard of them yet, or you just enjoy the extra sense of danger from not being able to see that much when you drive!
Made in the UK by Steve at Auto Wares, they give you a massively increased field of view from your wing mirrors, by using convex (curved ‘outwards’) mirrors.
They look great, and the polished stainless steel cases perfectly match the original mirrors which I took off the Bay (and carefully stashed away!). The surface for the mirrors themselves is created from 2mm, fully tested, first surface anti-dazzle chromed glass.
Five minutes, Turkish!
I fitted both mirrors in no time at all, using a 19mm spanner, and adjusting them with a 14mm spanner in about five minutes. The replacement Auto Wares units fit nice and secure, while still being flexible enough to be adjusted so I can get a better field of view next time I’m cruising around for a photoshoot! The bodies of the new Auto Wares mirrirs also have a longer thread, which makes them even more secure on the side of your Bay.
To fit them, just hold the base of your old mirror in place with the 19mm spanner, spin the mirror arm until it comes loose, and place it somewhere gently so you don't damage the glass. Then repeat the process in reverse to fit the new mirror. Once it's on, get it angled right and tighted up the bolt underneath the mirror with the 14mm spanner to fix it in place, and you're done!
The original wingmirror from the Microbus (the lower of the two) had a much smaller thread than the new Auto Wares mirrors (the higher of the two).
You just kinda pop a 19mm spanner on there and spin the mirror around until it's secure!
I tried to get a really clare photo of before and after I fotted the new mirrors, but I didn't have a tripod or anything, so hopefully this get's the point across - it's a pretty stark difference!
The Bay is a right-hand drive microbus, so there’s nothing obscuring the windows (other than dust from the country roads around JK HQ), but the new mirrors have still made driving it way easier, so I don’t have to spin my head around to double check that there really is no one in my blind spot if I feel like overtaking.
If I was still driving around in the old JK Project Bus (gone but not forgotten), I’d have wept for joy after getting my hands on a pair of these – sitting in a left-hand drive Bay, with a Westy interior blocking out the offside windows, and trying to make sure it’s safe to change lanes involved a lot more praying and flinching than I really wanted!
Auto Wares at Just Kampers
We’ve got their convex mirrors for the nearside and offside of your VW T2 Bay, as well as a bundle to get both at the same time (and why wouldn’t you?).
Check them out here:
