The Whats and Hows of Installing New Mirrors on Your Ford

Most modern cars nowadays are quite safe and equipped with all the latest infotainment features every person needs for their daily commute or long-distance travels. But one manufacturer that stands out when it comes to being consistent in all that is Ford.

No matter which vehicle you go for in their lineup, the auto manufacturer is able to offer a reliable and stylish vehicle that scores quite high when it comes to safety tests. Ford's infotainment systems are also up there with the most advanced and although they may not offer the latest and greatest they sure are enough for most people's needs.

What Matters in Wing Mirrors

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Mirror

Despite being one of the most fundamental components of every vehicle, Ford mirrors for sale and any other wing mirrors are often the least looked after and heavily underappreciated until you have to get new ones. Most proper mirrors for Ford vehicles are flat especially when it comes to the rearview mirror, hence why it's so wide. This type of car mirror is able to tell you exactly how far vehicles and pedestrians behind you are.

Wing Ford mirrors for sale are convex. This means they are curved in order to give you a wider field of view so that you have a better idea of what's going on to the sides of your vehicle. This is also the reason why so many manufacturers including Ford, have passengers-side wing mirrors with something along the lines of “objects in mirror are closer than they appear” written on the glass.

Cover

Another component that matters as much as the mirror itself is the housing or the protective enclosure that both protects and holds the mirror and the hardware behind it. This is usually made of plastic and it comes either in a matching colour or black. You can also find grey covers but they are not as common especially not from the factory. Some covers also house some added features that are usually not found on base models.

Features

Talking about wing mirror features, one of them that is embedded in the housing of the mirror is indicators. This way you are more visible than vehicles that don't have wing mirror indicators, especially to larger vehicles. Other features include heated aftermarket Ford mirrors which are turned on with the press of a button and the ability to control the mirrors from the inside electronically.

Some wing mirrors for Ford also have an auto-folding feature which means when you lock your Ford they automatically retract. Other features include automatic dimming so that flashing headlights are not going to blind you at night and a light showing up on the driver's side mirror to warn you of a vehicle in your blind spot.

How to Adjust Your Mirrors

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Before You Adjust

Once you get your new aftermarket Ford mirrors you shouldn't just sit in your car and adjust stem straight away. There are certain things you need to do to make sure the adjustment is proper. You should be parked on level ground and the tyres should be inflated before you start with the driver's side.

Driver Side Wing Mirror

The driver-side wing mirror should be positioned so that when you look at it while comfortably sitting in your seat it should have the side of your car taking up about 10% of the view. This way you'll reduce blind spots and have a clear view of what's going on. Don't forget to adjust your seat in the driving position that suits you best before you adjust your driver-side wing mirror and the same goes for the passenger-side wing mirror.

Passenger Side Wing Mirror

When adjusting the passenger side wing mirror do not lean your head as you should be able to see what's going on the left side of your vehicle by just glancing at it. While sitting in the driver's seat set the mirror so that you're able to see a bit of the side of your car. Most of the view should be the road and the handles should be in sight too but not too much in your view of the road. Again, this position also helps reduce blind spots.

Rearview Mirror

The same seating position as well as the “no leaning” rule go for the adjustment of the rearview mirror.  Grab it and move it to a position that allows you to have the rear windscreen in your sights. It's important not to cut out any part of the windscreen and it's not a big deal if the rearview mirror also includes some of the interior as long as the whole windscreen is in sight.

If you are taller than most you should try and turn the rearview mirror upside down if your Ford allows you to. This will help you get a better view of what's going on out the back and reduce blind spots too. But only do this if you can't see well while the mirror is in it's original orientation.