Blind spot mirrors: are they worth it?
Ever glanced at your mirror and saw that the way was clear, but only be honked at when you try to switch lanes? If you think you need blind spot mirrors, maybe think again.
Blind spot mirrors claim to remove the blind spot by providing a new viewpoint for the driver. This increased field of view allows the driver to clearly see areas which a conventional mirror would not cover. These mirrors claim to solve this problem, but are they really worth it? Before you run out to buy a couple, here’s why we think they might not be the best solution.
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Reduced Reflection Surface
Unless you replace your mirror altogether, your blind spot mirror is usually smaller than your side mirror and more often than not placed on top of it. This reduces the reflection surface of the built in side mirror, which are designed to provide the driver with a good field of view. Therefore adding an aftermarket mirror will reduce the side mirror’s effectiveness.
Reduced Reaction Time
With blind spot mirrors, your eyes might need some time to adjust because you’d usually look at the larger side view mirror first before looking at the blind spot mirror. Since this takes time, you might be spending more than a few seconds not looking at the road ahead.
Redundant
Why use blind spot mirrors when newer car models like Mercedes have blind spot sensors that alert the driver if a car is too close. Seriously, just let tech do the work. And if you REALLY need to check your blind spot manually, perhaps a quick turn of the head might be more effective.
Potentially Distracting
Convex mirrors like blind spot mirrors are not designed to absorb glare or harsh reflections. As such, light can be reflected right into the driver’s eyes so driving at night can become a painful experience. This can also be dangerous when driving on the highway. Anti-glare film can solve this problem but that’s yet another product to purchase.
These blind spot mirrors also compress images towards the outer edge. This means that there is a slight distortion of the image in the mirror and it could become difficult to judge distance, speed and space around your car.
Unsightly
If you choose to get a blind spot mirror that does none of the above, do keep in mind that they are generally not good looking. For some of us, that’s just enough of a reason.
Potential Damage to the Car
When the time comes to remove these mirrors, you might need to use strong solvents to remove the adhesives that keep the blind spot mirror stuck to your side mirror. Your mirror could have unsightly marks and worse, you could damage the paint job of your car if you’re not careful.
Read more: Car wrapping vs paint: what’s the difference
In conclusion, getting a blind spot mirror may eliminate the blind spot, but it comes with a host of other issues that you have to deal with. After that, selling your car might be a hassle, due to the possible damage you may get from removing them. However, with myTukar, you’re always assured of the best price when you sell your car to us, blind spot mirror installed or not! We also have a large inventory of used cars for sale on our platform and car servicing centres to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape.
