Most series 1 XJ’s had a regular mirror.  However, the Vanden Plas has the type of mirror that can be adjusted from inside the car with a little joystick.  These became more common on the Series 2 cars.

The original drivers mirror on my car worked ok, but had lost most of its chrome.  Looking up the part numbers, SNG Barratt sold reproduction mirrors.   They had a few options, that included curved glass or flat glass (I prefer flat) plus one with extra movement.  I went with the one with extra movement, being tall I find sometimes mirrors don’t have the full adjustment I need.

I had no desire to drill into the door of my car, so I had that done when the car was in the workshop in May.   The new mirrors looked great, but I had a small problem.  I couldn’t see out of them.   The drivers mirror gave me a great view of the car door.   The passengers gave me a view of what was going on a long way from the car.  These mirrors were quite expensive, so it was rather frustrating.

I tried various things to see if I could adjust them, but they were so far out it wasn’t possible.   I contacted the supplier and was told that the one with extra movement was for USA Spec vehicles only.   There is a small note to this effect one particular screen, but not the page where it lists the options for that part number.   USA Spec only means left hand drive.

After a bit of back and forward they agreed I could send them back for the right ones even though it was past the return date.  I ordered the correct mirrors and had them shipped.   Since the door was already drilled, I fitted them myself.

To fit them properly, the door card had to be removed.  The Vanden Plas has unique door cards that are nothing like what is shown in the workshop manual.   I checked both the Series 1 manual and the Series 2 manual which has the same design of door card.

Luckily, I found a video of a guy in America with a series 3 Vanden Plas, and the basic procedure was the same.

Since it is a coachbuilt interior, it was done in a way to hide screw heads where possible.  Thus, there is one screw underneath the armrest that is not visible.  If you remove that, you can slide back the top of the armrest and lift it off.

With the top of the armrest removed, the three main screws that hold the armrest to the door are visible.   With those removed, the door card should be held in with plastic studs, as the armrest is the main thing holding it on.  In my case, the wooden backing was so disintegrated, the studs were not really doing anything.   Since the material is in great shape, I’m going to have a trimmer put new backing boards on my door cards.

It was a pretty simple matter to swap out the mirrors once the door card was removed.  Threading in the joystick attachment isn’t that big a deal.   The new ones are much better.  The adjustment isn’t perfect – I would like the drivers on in particular to be a bit higher.   But I can now use them and the look pretty good on the car.   I’ve taken it for a couple of test drives without the front door cards and it is much more relaxing to drive with proper mirrors.

The passengers door card was better than the drivers, but not a lot.  So I will remove all four and have new boards put on.   I will also replace the door speakers while the doors are apart.   The drivers door is missing it’s moisture barrier entirely, so will see if I can improve on that.

I’ve sent the old ones back but right now they don’t seem to be able to find the return even though I have delivery confirmation that it arrived.  Even though it was a return I had to pay the Trump tariffs for some reason.

Update 16/7/26:  The package was eventually located and I got my refund. I still had to pay three shipping fees, one each for the two shipments and the return shipment, and the Trump tarriffs.

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This time, I was determined to have a better solution.   Instead of using the fiber washer that came with the mirror, I decided to use rubber washers.  I used a small one that was a tiny bit smaller than the base of the mirror on the outside, and a larger one for the insight.   This allowed me to really tighten up the nuts that old on the mirror.  The rubber should hopefully ‘grip’ better than the fiber washer and stop the mirror folding back.   I won’t know for a while until I can re-assemble the car and take it for a test drive.   My car originally only came with one mirror, but a few years ago I carefully drilled the hole in the door to add a passengers side mirror.  I find this invaluable for parking.

Getting the mirrors fitted early was important as I am often moving the car around in tight spaces and I do not want to damage my new paintwork.  I would encourage anyone with a classic car to fit a passengers side mirror if it is not already equipped.  This was actually one of the first things I did a few weeks ago, but I didn’t have time to update this site.    I also re-fitted the antenna.  Another easy thing that can be ticked off the list.     The picture above shows the rather acute angle of the rear drivers side window.   This was one of the primary reasons for doing the window adjustment.

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Traction Avants, as with most 50’s cars are only fitted with a small interior rear-view mirror and no outside mirror.   This makes parking and lane changing a challenge.

I had seen many tractions fitted with door mounted mirrors so I bought a set from Der Franzose and fitted them today.   The mirrors mount on the leading edge of the suicide doors, with a small bracket that allows the mirror to screw on.

As can be seen from the photo, there is a plastic insert to protect the paint and I had to cut the door rubber to ensure it fit.     The mirrors have two adjustment points, one at the base of the stalk and one for the mirror glass.   Despite these I have not been able to adjust the mirrors to my liking.   I can use them if I lean over, so they are better than no mirrors, but I am a bit disappointed by the overall quality and the adjustment range.

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Citroen DS with new Mirrors

As well as the mirrors, I had bought some clips to re-attach the trim above the rear window.   The headlining and this trim are not perfect, but they are good enough for now.   Unfortunately I am missing the DS rear lights that are supposed to be there, and I still have not been able to find a set.

Rear Trim, sans lights.

Finally I spent some time polishing the trims around the C pillar.   They were terribly oxidized, but after a few hours with the Autosol metal polish they are looking much better.

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