The Problem

Try as I might to adopt a driving style that eliminated blind spots, I was unable to be certain I was getting the whole picture by looking in the rear-view and side mirrors.  I always look out the windows and across my shoulders to see what's there before making any moves, but even this was not leaving me with a high level of confidence.

A few years ago, when the kids were in rear-facing car seats I had purchased and used inside rear-facing mirrors to see what was going on with them, and discovered that by sticking one of these mirrors on my windshield, I cured my blind spot in the Jeep.

Using this approach, the side-mirrors remained uncluttered by the stick on mirrors that help but also reduce useful side-mirror surface.  Investigating this for the Crossfire, I found that the windshield is too slanted and recessed far forward of the side windows, preventing a clear view using a mirror of this type.  I needed something that was further back from the windshield and high.

I concluded that a mirror that would clip to the visor would work if I could get it set at the right angle.  I was not concerned that the mirror would be out of commission if I flipped the visor down because doing so makes it just about impossible to see out the windshield anyway and I have not used my visors.

Available Solutions

I spent a fair amount of time searching the web and stores but didn't find any good ready-made solutions, so decided to come up with something on my own.

Plan B

Checking available materials I came up with a cheap solution that was easy to assemble in less than five minutes.  Here's what's needed:

Quantity	Item	Part #	Dimensions
2	Tablecloth Clips		(1/2" x 2 1/2")
2	Felt Pads	7195	(3/8" diameter)
2	Felt Bars	7192	(1/2" x 2 1/2")
2	Adjustable Spot Mirrors		2 inch

 

The metal table cloth clip provides a way to attach the mirror to the visor, and a perpendicular surface to stick the mirror.

The felt strip provides protection to the visor from the metal of the clip.  I used it because I wanted to be sure that the visor is not damaged from long-term contact with the table cloth clip.  I used another felt pad on the other side of the clip for the same reason - to distribute the pressure of the clip and prevent damage to the visor.

I chose the 2' spot mirror because it has a slight angle built in and can be rotated to alter the angle.  This gives some adjustability so I can get just the right angle for covering the blind spot.

Assembly (Are you smarter than a Fifth-grader?)

I placed one of the felt bars onto the long inside bar of the table cloth clip, and one of the felt pads on the small tip.  I stuck the mirror onto the vertical part of the clip, being careful to center it and place it to hide the mounting surface.  Voila!

The one in the picture above could probably be moved a 1/16th inch lower on the clip to better hide the clip.

Installation (If you have to read this...)

Installation should not require any instruction...  Put one mirror on each visor and adjust the mirror by rotating the mirror and by moving the angle at which the clip sits on the visor.  (The other item is the microphone for the hands-free phone)

Practical Application

It is important to note that these are very small mirrors (2 inches in diameter) and give a slice of a view outside the window.  They do provide the missing picture between what is visible in the rear view and side mirrors BUT it is very small.  Once accustomed to the difference between something in the blind spot and nothing in the blind spot, it is easy to confirm what's going on there.  But don't expect to see lots of detail!  Most of the time it is the movement and change of pattern that catches your eye.

In the images below, you can see the corner of a wheel and part of the vehicle next to my Crossfire.  In some cases, it's obvious from the side view out the window that a vehicle is there anyway, but these pictures give some idea of what you will see. All pictures taken from the driver's seat at eye level.

 

Parting Words

It's a cheap item to put together.  It can be removed and put away when you're concerned about "purity" and installed when you're driving.  Spend a few minutes getting side-view mirrors properly aligned to show the field from the very edge of your car (car not showing in mirror), your rear-view mirror capturing the rear window, and then adjust the blind spot mirrors to capture the field absent from these other mirrors.  Parked, study how the fields overlap and develop an understanding of what each mirror field shows.

Now you can see out that little side rear window!