Should You Upgrade Your Ford Side Mirrors?

On the fence about upgrading your side mirrors? We’re here to help you make an educated decision.

Essentially, it depends on your needs and wants. In this article, we’ll help you explore the most common reasons people upgrade their side mirrors and the benefits and drawbacks of doing so.

Most Common Reasons Ford Owners Upgrade Their Side Mirrors

Tow mirror

Commonly, some Ford owners upgrade their side mirrors to:

  • Increase visibility while towing
  • Add more features (turn signals, heated mirrors, convex mirrors, etc.)

Ford has various OEM side mirrors available for each model. Some come with all the bells and whistles, while others are bare-boned. It’s not uncommon for Ford owners to upgrade their side mirrors to those made for higher trims.

The Benefits of Upgrading Your Side Mirrors

With a new side mirror comes a few benefits:

  • Increased safety from additional turn signals
  • Increased convenience from heated mirrors
  • Increased visibility from towing mirrors

The Drawbacks of Upgrading Your Side Mirrors

With all the attractive benefits that come with upgrading your side mirrors, it’s really tempting to just do it. In fact, we highly recommend it, but not without covering the few drawbacks that come with it:

  • Cost: Like any other upgrade, it costs money to upgrade your side mirrors. It doesn’t cost anything to keep your existing mirrors. However, if one of your side mirrors is broken, you might as well take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade to better ones.
  • Fitment: This is a main concern with aftermarket side mirrors, which are typically built with a universal design. However, you don’t have to worry about this issue with OEM mirrors, which are built with precise fitment in mind.
  • Prep work: Replacing your side mirrors requires a little bit of prep work. You’ll need to prime and paint your mirror to match the body of your car beforehand. You can either do it yourself or hire a shop to do it for you. (Or, choose basic black, and you don't have to paint the mirrors.)

How to Find the Right OEM Side Mirror For Your Ford

Ford lighted mirror

Most Ford models have a variety of side mirrors available. For example, if you look at this list of side mirrors for the 2017 Ford Explorer base model, you’ll find a variety of mirrors designed for the model. There are power mirrors, manual mirrors, those with a puddle lamp, those without a puddle lamp, those with a turn signal, those without a turn signal, and more.

To find all the OEM mirrors available for your Ford, do a search on your car in our catalog of genuine OEM side mirrors.

If you have any questions about upgrading your side mirrors, feel free to contact us. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.