Now you see me

After 5 months of purchasing the Giulia I told myself that it is enough for me to drive with the flat driver's mirror glass. For those unfamiliar, in the US, all car drivers' mirrors glasses are flat in contrast to European ones, which are convex. Convex glass has a wider angle and provide a broader view of the surroundings. I observed many Americans installing mirror extensions or small convex glasses in the corner of the main one to get the wider view angle. It seemed strange to me that, if they were aware of the issue, why not use convex glasses everywhere? I suspect the problem lies in regulations. I imagine the background on this, that one dumb in 1950s was driving a car with a convex driving mirror and had an accident. This guy sued an automotive company that he didn't estimate the distance to the auto on his left well, because the convex mirror glass decreased the distance between objects. Since that time all the manufacturers use flat glasses on their autos in the US. The mirrors, which are, in my opinion, even more dangerous than convex ones, because when you drive on a highway... Damn! There is such a huge blind spot. I know the rules, before making a maneuver you have to turn your head to the left and see 3 fingers behind you seat. I guess one of these fingers will be the middle one from the guy in the car on your left blind spot...

Previously, I installed the same OEM wide-angle mirror glass on the Kia Forte. Now it's time for the Giulia. I need a heated glass with a blind spot indicator. The part number of such mirror glass is:

• 71779372

I tried looking for the glass on AliExpress, but unfortunately, there are no cheap replacement mirrors available for the Giulia with heating and blind spot indicators. However, I found the OEM one on AlfaWorkshop for $180, with shipping included.

To remove the old mirror glass we need the pry tools. The glass has two metal guides, that need to be freed from the plastic places. First, I lowered the mirror glass to the lower left position, then carefully freed one of the guides (top), starting from the top right corner. Then removed the rest of the mirror glass.

Before disconnecting all the wires and connectors from the old mirror, I took a photo of how it was before. Just in case. Now let's compare the two mirrors from the back.

They're both identical, as expected, since they're OEM. The mirrors are made by the well-known Gentex manufacturer. After that, I plugged all the connectors and wires back in, and reassembled the mirror.

Spot the difference! Unlike the flat mirror glass, the convex gives a much broader view. For example, on the highway, now I can see the two lines on my left as well as two lines on my right, instead of just one. I feel much safer on the road with this mirror glass. And of course it's an OEM plug-and-play solution. Thanks to everyone for reading this. Stay safe and love your cars!