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Interior Mirrors: 21st Century Upgrades

Rearview mirrors loosen, vibrate, and delaminate as they age. We examine OEM-style replacements, and high-tech mirrors with built-in screens for backup cameras.
Interior Mirrors: 21st Century Upgrades
Interior Mirrors

It may be hard to imagine, but interior rearview mirrors are subject to a lot of stress. Direct sunlight and extreme interior temperatures take their toll – eventually causing glue and bonding materials to deteriorate from the edges inward. As a result, those edges of the mirror appear to be crinkling up like tinfoil – a distracting and unsightly sight that has the effect of making the rest of your vehicle seem old and tired.

Interior Rearview Mirror
Mirrors degrade around the edges as they age (left). On the right, a worn-out pivot ball and mounting points are causing this rearview mirror to vibrate and blur the reflection it casts.

If you’ve got an original rearview mirror with chrome around it, maybe you’ve also noticed how humidity in the air has caused it to become tarnished and ancient-looking over time. The reflective surface of the mirror has developed a haze that won’t wipe away, and perhaps the glass even has a crack or two in it. Just driving your car takes its toll on rearview mirrors. Years of high-frequency vibrations and jolts from potholes can cause the mount base to loosen, resulting in a mirror that rattles and vibrates to the point where what you see in it is blurry to the eye. And, most commonly, the ball-in-socket pivoting assembly that lets you move the mirror to the angle you need wears out. Mirror adjustment is sloppy instead of tight, and it no longer holds the position where you set it.

In this article, we’ll cover replacement interior rear view mirrors that we offer. Whether you’re looking for a reproduction for a classic car or a straightforward, modern-looking piece for a newer vehicle, we’ve got a great selection of replacement rearview mirrors with chrome, polished metal, and black plastic bases. We’ve even got mirrors with a built-in color display screen that reflects light like a normal mirror when you’re driving forward, then display a high-resolution color image broadcast from a small rearview camera when you shift into reverse.

BTP And Goodmark Rearview Mirrors
Shown from top to bottom: Back sides of the BTP Rearview Mirror and the Goodmark Chrome Inside Rearview Mirror.
Back Of Goodmark Chrome Inside Rearview Mirror
On our page for Goodmark Chrome Inside Rearview Mirrors, you’ll also find stainless steel versions for select vehicles.

For those that prefer chrome, Goodmark’s vehicle-specific Rearview Mirrors replicate the form and function of original ones found on select GM and Ford models from the 1940s through the ‘70s. In the Product Options field for select vehicles, you’ll also be able to choose stainless steel versions. We’ve got the universal-fit Pilot Chrome Skull Rearview Mirror, which hints of danger with textured skulls and bones surrounding the mirror glass.

BTP’s universal-fit Rear View Mirror is not available in chrome, but does come in a choice of polished stainless steel or aluminum that approaches the shine of chrome. Three stylish horizontal grooves cut across the entire width of the mirror’s back side, making a standout impression on anyone looking at your vehicle’s front.

If you prefer the classic modern look of a black frame around the mirror glass, Pilot offers the universal-fit ABS plastic Black Day/Night Rear View Mirrors in 8-inch and 10-inch widths. And if you’ve got a Jeep Wrangler or CJ dating back to the 1950s, you’ll find reproduction black plastic ones from Omix-Ada, Rugged Ridge, and Crown (Crown also offers these mirrors for some older Jeep Cherokees).

Pilot Black Day/Night Rear View Mirror
The Pilot Black Day/Night Rear View Mirror.
Rugged Ridge Rear View Mirror
The Rugged Ridge Rear View Mirror, as configured for an older Jeep CJ.

Rear View Mirror Overlays – With Built-in Video Displays For Reverse Cameras

Modern vehicles equipped with built-in rearview backup cameras get an insurance rate discount for a good reason – they greatly reduce accidents and personal injury. In fact, the United States Safety Council reports that approximately one-third of accidents occur when one or more vehicles involved are backing up – mostly because of “blind spots” created when the driver’s rear view is completely blocked by parts of the vehicle. Because blind spots are such a well-known impairment, a driver backing out of a parking space will usually be found at fault if a collision with a forward-traveling vehicle occurs.

Rearview Mirrors With built-In Color Monitors
We offer rearview mirrors with built-in color monitors that attach easily over your existing mirror.

Rear blind spots are more of a problem than most of us realize. According to more detailed statistics, an average of 48 young children are injured each week and 2 die as a result of rear blind spot accidents. In an attempt to quantify just how large rear blind spots are, Consumer Reports magazine recently performed a test on over 100 vehicles. A 28-inch cone was placed behind each vehicle at the point where individual drivers could just barely see the top of it. A driver 5’1” tall had a blind zone range of 17-29 feet inside small cars, 25-39 feet inside large SUVs, and 24-45 feet inside pickups of all sizes. A driver 5’8” tall had a blind zone range of 6-19 feet inside small cars, 14-25 feet inside large SUVs, and 17-31 feet inside pickup trucks.

Children Behind SUV In Blind Spot Area
Blind spots pose a significant safety risk. All of these children cannot be seen with a traditional rearview mirror.

The risk of backup accidents and injuries are multiplied in commercial vans and RVs with extremely hindered rear views because of curtains or cargo, or because there are no side windows at all. Some commercial vehicles don’t even have rear windows.

Commercial Van
If you’ve got a commercial van with zero visibility, you need a rearview mirror with backup camera display.

We’ve got a creative solution to this problem – rearview mirrors with a built-in color display screen. These mirrors are overlay pieces designed to fit onto and over your existing rear view mirrors. They receive a wireless broadcast from a small rearview camera mounted on the rear license plate.

During normal vehicle operation, these mirrors work like any traditional reflective mirror across their entire surface. But when reverse lights come on, the cameras automatically activate the digital screen – displaying a wide field of vision that would not otherwise be seen. All of the rearview camera mirrors feature two input jacks so that you can set up an additional camera, or broadcast video input from another source such as a DVD player, cellphone, or other device.

Peak Rearview Mirror Wireless Backup Camera
The Peak 3.5" Rearview Mirror Wireless Backup Camera.

The video display screens mounted inside the mirror piece are high resolution thin film transistor (TFT) monitors made from a thin layer of amorphous silicon that is deposited on a glass panel – similar to what’s used in television sets, computer monitors, cell phones, handheld video game systems, and more. These screens are “PAL” and “NTSC” compatible – meaning they will work with either of two common television display systems. NTSC used in the U.S. and Canada delivers a frame rate of 30 frames per second with 525 lines, while PAL used in Europe and Asia delivers a frame rate of 25 frames per second with 625 lines.

Boss Rear View Mirror with Backup Color Camera
The BOSS 4.3" Rear View Mirror with Backup Color Camera.

We’ve got a choice of rearview mirrors with built-in display screens. For solid value, the BOSS Rear View Mirror with Backup Color Camera features a 4.3” diameter display screen and also comes with its own camera. For a larger display screen, check out the Boyo Rear View Mirror with 6” Monitor screen. This does not come with its own rearview camera, but does include a remote control for the display screen.

Boyo Rear View Mirror With Monitor
The Boyo Rear View Mirror with 6” Monitor screen.

All of the interior rearview mirrors we've referenced here come with their own adhesive and will install easily with basic hand tools. While a minor amount of wiring will be required to connect rearview cameras to your vehicle's reverse lights, that will be the extent of it because the video feed will be broadcast wirelessly to the interior mirror LCD display screen.

The feel of a tight, brand-new interior rear view mirror that looks great should never be underestimated, because it goes further than you think toward increasing your driving enjoyment. Whether you are choosing the ease of a universal product, the exact OE replacement, or the enhanced safety of a built-in rearview camera, a new inside mirror is a minor investment that will pay you major dividends.

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