Aftermarket Mirrors
What are they?
A replacement mirror from the standard wing mirrors. Usually placed on the doors, door pillars or on older style cars on the front wings.
What are the mirrors made from?
Most of the aftermarket mirrors on the market are made from ABS plastic however there is a growing demand for carbon fibre mirrors and the classic billet style mirrors which are made from aluminium.
What do the mirrors consist of?
Off the shelf most of the mirrors are available in a universal kit form. In the kit you will get one pair of mirror units which include tinted mirrored glass, the styled frame and the manual adjuster all built and ready to go.
Some specialists can supply you with an electric mirror kit and a mirror kit to fit a certain vehicle but in universal form you have to purchase a pair of base plates to enable a good fit to your ride. The base plates are usually available through the mirror supplier and cost around £10-£20 a pair.
It is also very common now to buy off the shelf wing mirrors with the side repeaters built in. These are all installed and ready to go but you will need to do a wiring modification to your vehicle as the mirrors only come with bare wires.
What are the different types available then?
 |
M3 - The classic mirror. BMW started this trend off years back. When the aftermarket wing mirror trend kicked off the M3 were the people’s choice. A simple design with the mirror off set from the door. |
 |
Evo - An aftermarket spec creation, these mirrors are very plain and simple and tidy up the look of any ride. |
 |
K6 - A mirror ideally suited for a bigger car. The K6 is a big, chunky mirror which comes with led side repeaters built in. |
 |
M8 - Similar to the M3 mirror, another BMW creation originally. These mirrors have that typical BMW approach; nothing fancy just sleek, trendy looking mirrors. |
 |
SLR - Mercedes started off this trend with their futuristic style mirrors. These come with LED side repeaters built in. |
 |
DTM - More of a cupped style mirror for those that don’t like big chunky mirrors hanging off the side of their car |
 |
Billet / Euro Style - Back in the olden days all vehicles had mirrors similar to these but when the design of the car advanced the billet style mirrors fizzled out… until now. We are in an age now where futuristic is a thing of the past, we want retro and as a result people are hunting car boot sales high and low for a set of original 1970’s style Billet Mirrors. It is common for people to modify a pair of motorbike mirrors to fit nowadays as it adds to the uniqueness of any ride. |
What are the benefits of putting Aftermarket Mirrors on my ride?
It’s all about the style. We’d be lying if we said it was for anything else. Mirrors simply add to the style of your ride, it sometimes finishes a rides look off but if carefully selected and thought about it can increase the attention to detail which earns you the extra brownie points at shows (this is where to motorbike mirrors come in!)
What are the disadvantages of putting Aftermarket Mirrors on my ride?
The main downside to having aftermarket wing mirrors is the fact that you can’t see b*gger all out of them! Some have smaller mirror glass; some don’t adjust as far out as you want them to and some… well there just as good as the OE spec mirrors for the car are they? But surely, that’s what modifying is all about!
What is the legality of putting Aftermarket Mirrors on my ride?
There is no law that officially states that your mirrors are illegal however to pass an MOT they have to meet the T.U.V standards. Most off the shelf mirrors will have this but if your modifying own mirrors to fit then you are taking the law into your own hands so try to remember that sharp edges, loose fitting, and general tatiness isn’t going to do you any favours!