The all-new 2021 Ford Bronco hasn’t hit dealer showrooms yet and it’s already putting pressure on the Jeep® brand. But who said competition is bad? It forces competitors to come up with better products, better solutions for issues, and to innovate. This can be said in Mopar’s recent announcement of a new accessory for the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models.
One issue that has plagued Wrangler and Gladiator owners is that when you remove your doors for off-road or street driving, you lose the function of the exterior side mirrors since they are mounted to the doors. The Bronco team (which consists of quite a Wrangler owners), noticed this issue and addressed it when they launched the new Bronco by mounting the exterior mirrors to the cowl instead of the doors. This allowed the Bronco’s mirrors to stay in place when the doors are removed.
The new innovation on the Bronco seemed to touch a nerve with the Wrangler and Gladiator fan base. So much so, that it looks like Jeep and Mopar are finally listening and offering a solution for owners for the first time. Mopar has announced that it will produce a doors-off mirror kit for the 2018+ Jeep Wrangler/Wrangler Unlimited (JL) and 2020+ Jeep Gladiator (JT).
While there are many aftermarket options, Mopar’s mirror kit is specifically engineered and tested to the OEM standards. This means the new mirrors match the door-mounted mirrors field of view and have minimal vibration.
Each mirror mounts to the vehicle by attaching to a cowl-end cap bolt and the upper door hinge. There also is an innovative, custom thumb wheel-nut-clamp used as an attachment point to the door flange. Mounting brackets are finished with an anti-corrosion undercoat and durable black powder-coat finish and the mirrors include a built-in break-away feature that prevents damage while tackling tight spaces on the trail or in the parking lot.
Working with the Jeep design team, the mirror kit has been designed to allow the use of the T-40 bit wrench found in the standard tool kit of the Wrangler and Gladiator to make installation and uninstallation easy without the use of any special tools.
The new kit is available for purchase as a stand-alone part or can be ordered with the purchase of every new Wrangler and Gladiator in the United States or Canada. The new Mopar Door-Off Mirror Kit (Part # 82215331AB) has a U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $295. For Canadians, the kit has an MSRP of $398. The kit includes the standard Mopar factory-backed warranty coverage of 2 Years / Unlimited Miles (Unlimited Kilometres) from the date of purchase or up to the remaining vehicle’s original warranty of 3 Years/36,000 Miles (60,000 Kilometres).
