Nissan Altima is a mid-size modern car equipped with luxurious features for the ease of customers. It contains side mirrors to see the traffic coming behind you from the left and right sides. These side mirrors have various features and settings to make driving easy.
How To Fold Nissan Altima Side Mirror? You can fold the Nissan Altima side mirror by turning on the ignition switch. You can see the small switch on the armrest with two arrows on both sides towards the right and left direction for their folding and unfolding. A larger switch with four arrows is also present to adjust their angle. Moreover, you can also fold them manually or use the automatic control button.
These side mirrors contain a heated system, which is beneficial in winter and snowy seasons. It helps to reduce the risk of snow accumulation on their surface. However, it is necessary to fold them carefully because a little mishandling can damage them.
How do you fold the Nissan Altima side mirror?
You can fold the side mirror with manual, electric, and automatic methods. It is necessary to read the owner’s manual to see the type of side mirror in your Nissan Altima. Select the folding method according to their types.
Turn on the ignition switch
It is essential to turn on the ignition when the Nissan Altima is equipped with power-folding mirrors. You cannot operate them manually because of their equipment.
You have to fold them electrically with the buttons that are located inside the car. These buttons can only work when the engine is running.
They take power from the engine to operate these outside mirrors. The location of the ignition switch can vary according to their different models.
It is present on the center console and near the gear shift lever in some of their models. Moreover, the start and stop button to turn on and off ignition is also located on the steering column or its right side.
Many models of Nissan Altima contain ignition switches on the dashboard on the left or right side of the steering wheel, depending on their specific model.
You can turn on the ignition by pressing the start button. In addition, you can also use remote start or a mobile application to start the ignition. The engine supplies enough power to the various electric accessories for smooth functioning.
Locate the switch on the armrest
You have to locate the power-folding mirror switches in your car. These are present inside or near the front seats so people can operate them easily. These switches are mounted on the doors of the front and passenger and driver-side seats.
These are located on the armrest of left or right-side front door panels. The armrests of the door panels are equipped with multiple black buttons with white arrows on them to activate various features.
You can also see the lock and unlock button with a lock sign for doors. In addition, the strip-like smaller button with two arrows in white color is designated for folding outside mirrors.
Moreover, you can also see another switch in a circular shape adjacent to the previous one. The larger circular button contains arrows on its four sides to adjust positions in different directions.
Adjustment of side mirrors
Use the switches on the armrest to fold and unfold the outside mirrors electrically. You can move the button toward the left and right-side arrows for their folding and unfolding.
Move the button towards the left side arrow to close them. You can open them by moving the button to the left side arrow. Operate the button carefully because mishandling can damage their electrical components.
You can use the larger circular shape switch to adjust their angles. Move it in the left and right direction and upward and downward positions for position adjustment.
You can select the desired position by using the larger switch. Move towards the smaller switch after adjusting the desired position of the mirror.
Move the smaller switch to the central position to lock their specific position. It is necessary to lock their position so the outside mirror does not accidentally change its properly adjusted position during driving, which can interrupt the view of the road and affect your focus.
Fold automatic side mirror
Some models and modern trims of Nissan Altima also allow automatic folding of side mirrors. These are equipped with an auto button on the armrest, and you can activate this button for their automatic closing and opening.
Press the automatic button, and small light blinks on their switch. The blinking of light indicates the engagement of an automatic feature. Mirrors start to fold and unfold when you turn the car on and off after the engagement of this feature.
You can also read the owner’s manual to find the automatic button. It is necessary to disengage the automatic button when you want to adjust its position with the power buttons.
Moreover, avoid closing them manually when the automatic feature is engaged because it can cause damage to their components.
How to fold Nissan Altima side mirrors manually?
Some of the old models of Nissan Altima contain manually folding side mirrors. These do not have any control switch on their armrest to operate these mirrors.
It is necessary for you to come outside from your car and stand near the mirror you want to fold. Grip its surface firmly with your hand and try to move it toward the doors.
You can move it inward for folding purposes. Avoid putting extra pressure while manually opening and closing them because it can damage them.
You should not push them hard when they are not moving inward and outward because of their poor lubrication and accumulation of debris at their connection points.
I faced the jamming issue in winter because of the accumulation of ice. My friend told me to pour some warm water or use a hairdryer. I used a hairdryer for melting ice residues, and they became fine.
Why would you fold the Nissan Altima side mirror?
Folding these in several situations is necessary to protect them and cars from potential damage and scratches. Fold them when parking your car in tight spaces and narrow streets.
These create additional spaces on the sides and decrease the risk of their hitting with side objects and potential damage.
My friend told me he prefers to close them before the car wash to protect them from scratches that usually come from cleaning equipment and detergents.
You can also close them while moving on crowded and busy roads so surrounding vehicles and pedestrians cannot hit them while passing through them.
In addition, it is also necessary to close the mirrors when you are parking your car in streets and urban areas. You should also do this for garage parking because sometimes cricket balls can hit them when children play in your backyards.
These balls can damage the glass material, and you have to replace them, which is costly. You should close them while staying on the roadside because small stones can also hit them.
Can you fold the electric side mirrors manually?
You can fold the electric mirrors manually, but it is necessary to see the owner’s manual.
You cannot manually fold all the electric mirrors because it can damage their electric components, and eventually, you cannot adjust their position with power buttons.
Some of the Nissan Altima models contain side mirrors that are both electrically and manually foldable. You have to see the owner manual to get enough right information about them.
However, many people can also move them inward by applying gentle pressure to check their functioning. Avoid applying pressure when you feel that these are not moving inward.
It is also necessary for you that you should not try to fold them manually when the power buttons and switches of power folding mirrors are not working.
It is better to seek help from professionals to identify the issue with the power switches and their mechanism.
Related Articles: