New Tow Mirrors

Boy did you folks open up a can o worms...........

I did get a PM from someone at 1aauto, asking to jump in and defend product.......

I think Don said it best earlier on his update post, they will refund, take care of customer if what you bought is not what you expected.......

So to not let this to get toooooooo out of hand. I am going to close this. Like a LOT of merchandisers.......not saying one has to be careful or not, but online one never knows for sure what one is purchasing per say. They do seem to worry about reputation, having a good quality product etc at a reasonable price. With that....I'm done.

Marty

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
Burbman they do sell Dorman products and other parts that are not Chinese/Asian imports. But you just have to do your homework before you buy! Something I didn't do this time :o, if you see this "Built to strict quality control standards" instead of "Built to OEM quality standards" it's a good bet that it's an import.

Don

"Built to strict quality control standards", good tip, Don.

Wes
...

Burbman they do sell Dorman products and other parts that are not Chinese/Asian imports. But you just have to do your homework before you buy! Something I didn't do this time :o, if you see this "Built to strict quality control standards" instead of "Built to OEM quality standards" it's a good bet that it's an import.

Even though I will be selling the truck soon I will not put junk parts on the truck. In fact I had the front shocks replaced a few weeks ago when the lower ball joints were being replaced at the dealer. I will do the rears myself, even though the ride is fine. But they have just over 50K on them and Monroe will replace them for free every 50,000 miles.

So might as well replace them for the new owner.

Don

Hey Don, I have ordered some parts from 1Aauto before and it's all chinese junk...window regulator for DDs Grand Prix lasted about 6 months...replaced with a Dorman assembly.

My neighbor buys brakes from AutoZone because they have the "lifetime warranty" on pads...just bring them back and they give you a new set. I said sure, if you don't mind changing your brake pads every 6 months LOL...

Wes I can not speak to Ford or GM but I do know that the Mopar mirrors are built in Canada.

My neighbor has a 2500 04.5 Ram that did not have the tow mirrors. after seeing mine in action he asked if his could be upgraded. I told him yes but the factory mirrors are pricey.

After doing some research I found what looked like the factory mirrors on E-Bay and in fact they were. Well they were from the same OEM just branded with a private label. They came from Canada the same factory that builds the OE mirrors for us.

The ones I bought from A1Auto cost only $30 dollars less then the mirrors I got from the dealer. Bear in mind I do get a discount on factory parts otherwise the stock mirrors are $418 for the set. Also the stock mirrors from 02-09 do not have the built in turn signals, nor do they have the clear lamp on the bottom.

The new trucks, 2010 and up can be retrofitted with the tow mirrors but at very hefty price. The mirror control module has to be replaced to match the mirrors being installed, along with a new wiring harness.

IMO any dealer that orders a truck with the tow package and does not order the tow mirrors should be boycotted. But then why are the tow mirrors not part of the "tow package" in the first place? If someone orders a vehicle with the "tow package" one would think they are going to tow with that vehicle, right? If someone does not want the tow mirrors make an option to "delete" them.

But then that would take "common sense" and everyday at work shows me NO MANAGER HAS THAT :R !!!!! OK soap box being put away.:B

Don

...

Don,

My 2000 XLT Excursion came with OEM smaller non-towing mirrors even though it supposedly had a towing package. The 2000 F-250 had the larger OEM extendable mirrors.

When I inquired as to what factory F-250 mirrors would cost, my local dealer had them at close to $300/set. But I found them online for half that at one vender and the ad claimed they were OEM. Because of the low price, I immediately thought they almost certainly were Chinese, but I also thought there was a strong likelyhood that Ford got them from China too. When I ordered them, they appeared of equal quality to my buddies F-250.

Now, looking at my own 2000 F-250 shows some very minor differences. I'm thinking that these may have come from a non-China source or at least much earlier batches. So the question is, has Ford been getting them from China all along, or are my newer mirrors counterfeits?

Is there any certain indication that your new OEM mirrors are made in America other than the glass is better (thicker, if I understood you)? I'm just curious and more than a little suspicious. I wonder if there are multiple Chinese factories producing similar automotive products?

Wes
...

OK update.

I ordered the mirrors from a1auto.com and they were not the Canadian ones I had gotten for my neighbors truck but were made in Taiwan. :M

So when we had a brief break from the cold I installed them. Turned out they were garbage, pure garbage! To be fair the mirror it self was what was the issue. When I adjusted the mirrors the image was distorted but when I bumped the adjustor back the image flatten out and was clear again.

So I call 1aauto and they sent me a UPS return label and I sent them back after I picked up my new ones from the dealer! Have to say A1 was very easy to work with and refunded the full purchased price and payed all the shipping charges! Can't beat that.

So moral of the story is buy OME.

Don

I would highly recommend you get a factory replacement mirror from ebay or ???

The mirrors won't be the same quality as OEM.

Same goes with aftermarket headlights.

I had a guy clip my tow mirror with a weed whacker on a landscaping trailer a few months back... Darn near gave the truck some racing stripes too! I was stopped at a red light going straight and he was swerving around in the left turn lane when it happened, so I pulled up behind him after the strike. I thought the thing was broken for sure, so started to approach the driver to talk with him and he sped off. I was luck that the mirror appears to be designed to flip forward to. Threw it back into position, wiped off all the clumps of grass left behind, and was good to go. I always thought I was just being paranoid about those things sticking out so far even when retracted. There's a bunch of bozos around here in their lifted truck that leave them fully extended all the time.

I think a dash cam will be a good investment when my boy starts driving in another 2 years! I can only imagine how boring my teenage years would have been if the old man had a dash cam!