Back-up Mirrors

C

claydoctor

New member
Not sure if these were around pre-'06 but they're on my new Sport, these mirrors they put in the posts on either side of the rear window. Am I missing something or are these things totally worthless? They are convex which immediately make everything distorted and you're trying to see something in a 5 inch mirror from 7-8 feet away! Seems dumb to me!
 
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They are meant to show you the back of your truck when you are in reverse. Basically to show you how close you are to whatever you are backing up against. If you have the navigation system with the backup camera, I woudl say that they are useless, but if you don;t have the camera, I would think they are quite helpful
 
LSUMBA said:
They are meant to show you the back of your truck when you are in reverse. Basically to show you how close you are to whatever you are backing up against. If you have the navigation system with the backup camera, I woudl say that they are useless, but if you don;t have the camera, I would think they are quite helpful
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They are quite helpful when backing up in a tight spot. You can see your bumper and what you are about to run into. You actually see you bumper and about 3 - 5 feet from it...
 


Just remember that it is kind of tricky. When you look into one of those little convex mirrors (with your head turned over your shoulder like most people or through your regular rear-view mirror if you have really good eyesight), what you see is the view of the other side. Your passenger side mirror will show a view from what is behind your driver's side and vice versa.

I think Toyota did a good thing by putting them on there, but I still get cross-eyed trying to figure them out. Sometimes, it is just better to open your door, get out and look.

I am a truck driver by trade and am accustomed to using convex mirrors constantly, but those in the 4Runner are way different than the ones mounted on the doors of my International.


 
although i dont have them, my dealer said they were for backing out of parking spots, he said you use them to see if a car is comming when you are parked next to other big cars and you cant see the road. They work pretty decently for this.
 
yea thats what i was trying to say... unfortunately i need to go to the center for kids who cant speak good and need to learn to do other things good too
 
I have the mirrors and like you guys said earlier, I use them when i back out of parking spots, me living in the tourist town (ORlando) never know what type of tourists are driving around here :). I also use these mirrors if i want to check if thers a car coming in another lane, i use it as a "Blind spot mirror" so if i cant tell whether theres a car in my blind spot or not i just double check and make sure. Its also good for seeing how far you are from another car when ur switching lanes. THEY'RE VERY HELPFUL!
 
Hitman said:
I think you guys are using the mirrors all wrong...

They will show you how close your rear bumper is to an object, but they're not really very effective because they are small and far away.

Try using them for their real purpose: You can see up and down the road as you are backing out of a parking spot or driveway.
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I find these mirrors come in handy when trying to see how far one is from an object behind the 4Runner. They are not perfect for judging distance but at least they help the driver to avoid hitting something.

These mirrors are priceless when backing out of a parking space between large vehicles that blind your view. More than a few times these mirrors saved me from being hit by another vehicle or hitting people walking to/from their vehicles in the Home Depot parking lot.
 
Charlier, you seem to find them helpful. Do you view them by turning your head or looking at them in rearview mirror. I can't see the one behind driver w/o killing my neck to see past headrest.
 
Well, I didn't regret not having them until I read this thread. Sounds like they could come in handy. My mirror spots are taken up by JBL speakers. :(
 
I find them completely useless. I dont think i have ever used them once.

To those with the speakers there, you are not missing out on anything special.
 
Pirate VI said:
im begining to wish i had them... dam third row seat option and thier stupid seatbelts.
:mad:
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I agree, those third row seat belt anchors are mounted where the mirrors would be. What's worst is when I fold the 3rd row seats up, they partially block the right rear window making an annoying blind spot. I wish they could have included these mirrors on the third row seating option but mounted in a slightly different location. :mad:
 
I have these mirrors and find they do work in tight spots such as backing out of parking places. But, these mirrors are almost useless at night unless you roll down the back window when backing at dusk or dark.
 
I'll trade you my mirrors for your speakers and JBL sound system. The standard 6 speaker radio in my 2006 Sport is the only disappointment so far. It has no punch and quotes to upgrade it run $1300 or more The 2005 Sports, most of them came through with the JBL system. I got one of the first 2006's and it has the standard radio. Even though the JBL is still listed as an option on the Sport, none of the 2006's I've seen so far on the lots have it ,except the Limited. They must be trying to keep down the sticker price.
 
claydoctor said:
Charlier, you seem to find them helpful. Do you view them by turning your head or looking at them in rearview mirror. I can't see the one behind driver w/o killing my neck to see past headrest.
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Sometimes I use the rearview mirror and sometimes I turn my head. Depends on the situation. These mirrors are not perfect (rear window tint at night) but they help from time to time (during daylight).
 
I covered my JBL speakers with the mirrors. Snapped out the speaker grill and snapped in the mirror. I only listen to talk radio in the 4Runner anyway, so I'd rather have the mirrors.

For music I listen to my iPod with canalphones (Ety 4P & Sure E4C). Musical bliss, no road noise. Yet, I can still hear horns, and my Escort 8500.
 
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I'm sure we've discussed this topic before on the board. The mirrors are designed to help you see motion perpendicular to the truck as you're trying to back out of a parking space. For that, they work very well. They also work pretty well to keep you from backing into something, but using them this way takes a bit of practice.

Personally, after getting used to them, it's really tough to get into a vehicle without them.
 
claydoctor said:
I'll trade you my mirrors for your speakers and JBL sound system. The standard 6 speaker radio in my 2006 Sport is the only disappointment so far. It has no punch and quotes to upgrade it run $1300 or more.
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I agree. I don't know, maybe it's me, but I haven't had any problems backing up without the extra mirrors. I find the field of vision through the rear window is more than adequate, and if I want to double check, the nicely sized side mirrors work just fine. I have the JBL 10 speaker system and it sounds great. I'd take the sound system again in a second.

For those that also chose the 10 speaker system and are regretting it, I bet fisheye mirrors right under the speakers will work just as well as the ones from Toyota.

Who said you couldn't have your cake and eat it too?
 
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