Patent ID: 7137715

Claim:
A vehicle external mirror comprising: a mirror head; a mirror base mounted to the mirror head; and a pivot assembly operably associated with the mirror head and the mirror base, wherein the pivot assembly comprises: a first member having a first detent side, a first inner side and a first aperture extending from the first detent side to the first inner side; a second member having a second detent side, a second inner side and a second aperture extending from the second detent side to the second inner side, the second member positioned with respect to the first member such that the second detent side is facing the first detent side and the first and second apertures are aligned, the first and second members mountable in, or part of, either the mirror base and the mirror head respectively or the mirror head and the mirror base respectively; a detent arrangement between the first detent side and the second detent side, the detent arrangement operable to hold the mirror head in a deployed position with respect to the mirror base; a spigot having a shaft and a head depending from the shaft, the shaft passing through the first and second apertures thereby providing a pivot axis about which the second member can rotate with respect to the first member; a spring adapted and positioned around the spigot to bias the first and second inner sides towards each other and therefore to hold the detent arrangement engaged, thereby restraining movement of the mirror head with respect to the mirror base; and a structure for applying a pre-load to the spring, whereby initial relative rotation between the second member and the first member in a first direction causes loading of the spring and whereby the load is retained as a pre-load during subsequent relative rotations between the second member and the first member; wherein the structure for applying a pre-load to the spring comprises: a structure for locking the spigot against rotation with respect to the first member before the spring is pre-loaded; an arm projecting radially from an exterior surface of the head of the spigot; a spigot guide on or adjacent the second inner side, the spigot guide including a ramped surface formed on an interior surface thereof adapted to receive the radially projecting arm so as to cause the spigot head to move axially away from the first member before the spring is fully pre-loaded as the second member rotates in the first direction with respect to the spigot and the first member; and an arrangement for locking the spigot against rotation with respect to the second member after the spring is pre-loaded.