What was your experience w/ aftermarket big tow mirrors?

[althepa]

I know - you get what you pay for. But I find that SOMETIMES the aftermarket stuff is OK. Anyone had any experience with the aftermarket big tow type mirrors sold by vendors on eBay or elsewhere? There are a lot of them. Thanks

[baseballfanz]

This thread talk about after market tow mirrors
Verified: OEM "Big Tow" mirrors are superior to aftermarket

Posted from my Titan.

[althepa]

Yes, I saw that thread. What I am looking for is specific product information, for example, "I used the Product A mirrors from Vendor X and my experience was...". The only one there with that sort of specificity was the one that talks about a positive experience with Rockauto.

[Elite130]

I have had both aftermarket and OEM BT mirrors. I had the aftermarket mirrors on our Armada and I now have the OEM mirrors on my 2012 Titan...

In April of this yearI bought a set of aftermarket big tow mirrors for our Armada from AM-Autoparts. I bought them through Ebay and got the power, heat, memory, and chrome cap delivered for $188.00 shipped. I put them on and drove with them up until I sold the Armada in October 2012. My experiences were close to what BCBowers spoke about in his thread. The fit and finish was excellent. I used gaskets off the original mirrors. They are rubber as the other ones were a cheap pressed foam. You couldn't tell the difference between the OEM and the aftermarket mirrors by looking at them. The aftermarkets were very solid and well made. I was quite impressed. The power mirrors worked well. I didn't notice them being any faster or slower than OEM, but since my Armada was an '04, all electronics moved really slow. The memory and heat worked well too. As for the mirrors themselves, I had no complaints about the drivers side mirrors, the larger flat mirror was clear and straight, no waves or anything in them. The mirror did vibrate a little, but not enough for me to return them or get a headache. The lower convex mirror on both the drivers side and passenger side were clear, had no distortions, and did not vibrate at all. The passenger side larger mirror took a little more getting used to. It is hard to explain, but the mirror makes the objects look much closer and much larger than on the OEM BT or original mirrors. So essentially, I was able to see farther down the side of my 27t trailer clearer than I could with the OEM BT mirror. It was almost like looking through a magnifine glass, hence why it looked a little wavy. Since you are able to see farther behind you, the mirror didn't pick up anything closer than a car-lengh behind you in the next lane, but in this situation, you use the lower convex mirror anyways. Like I said, it is hard to explain (if anyone can explain better, please do), you must see it to understand what I'm talking about. Again, the passenger mirror did vibrate a little, but not enought for me to get irritated by them.

I have the OEM BT mirrors on my 2012 Titan now and once in a while, they vibrate depending upon the road and/or wind, but not as much as the aftermarkets. When I towed my trailer a few weeks back, I kind of missed the aftermarket passenger side mirror because I could see farther back along the trailer. But as with anything else, I am used to it.

In my honest opionion, I have no issues with the aftermarket mirrors. If I were to do it again, I would buy the aftermarkets, especially if money is a factor. Are the OEMs worth another ~$150.00, I would say no, but that is up to you. Good luck with your decision.

[Brucet15]

I bought the aftermarkets with the power and heat off of ebay i i would say that if i had to choose between oem and aftermarket i would do the same thing mine are fine and i dont think the oem's are worth the extra$$$$

[althepa]

Thanks to the last two posters, that is useful info.

[Mac 47]

I have a 2009 Titan XE, and I added aftermarket big tow mirrors for towing my travel trailer, I like them, and they seem to be made well, I don't have heat or power to the mirrors

[althepa]

Originally Posted by Mac 47

I have a 2009 Titan XE, and I added aftermarket big tow mirrors for towing my travel trailer, I like them, and they seem to be made well, I don't have heat or power to the mirrors

Can you post specifics - i.e., which vendor, which product? Thanks

[dman1458]

I just smashed my passengers mirror on my garage door and replaced it with an ebay one. Below is the link from the dealer I purchased from. Honestly I like you did a lot of research and was skeptical but in the end the 150 I paid shipping and taxes was far better than the 350+ a dealer mirror was going to have to pay. I have no regrets and can honestly say it is of OEM quality!

New Towing Mirror Passenger Side Power Heated Primered with Cap s RH Right Hand | eBay

[giocascio]

i had to replace my passenger hurricane sandy ripped it off. ordered up an aftermaket ebay special looks just like oem no issues just make sure you order the ones that fold both ways like the oem it ran me about$120 shipped could have got cheaper but wanted that feature. also install is a little bit had to take off door panel to access the wire connection good luck

[althepa]

Originally Posted by Brucet15

I bought the aftermarkets with the power and heat off of ebay i i would say that if i had to choose between oem and aftermarket i would do the same thing mine are fine and i dont think the oem's are worth the extra$$$$

I agree. The prices on many OEM parts and accessories are very high, but often it's similar quality to the aftermarket. The key is being selective and doing due diligence; some aftermarket stuff is junk, some is OK, some is actually higher quality or better designed.

[VQP0WER]

Stay away from the 1A Auto mirrors. They have great customer service, just the mirrors are......not good.

My thread about it here:

1A Auto BT Mirrors