For the purpose of this article we are going to assume there are those out there who are interested in vehicle mirrors and in particular the history of the vehicle rear-view mirror. Come on, folks, everyone loves a little history from time to time, right?

The rear-view mirror actually dates back to the horse-and-buggy times, when drivers would carry a hand mirror with them and hold that mirror up from time to time to see what was behind them.

Historians generally agree that the first mounted rear-view mirror appeared at the Indianapolis 500 race in 1911 in a Marmon racecar driven by Ray Harroun.

And the first rear-mirror produced by a corporation was made by a gentleman by the name of Elmer Berger, again in the early 1900’s.

We’ve come a long way since then. First the side mirrors were added to increase safety, then technology figured out how to produce the “dimming” feature using prismatics, otherwise known as the day/night mirror, which can be tilted to cut down glare from headlights and sunlight. Technology took that one step further and developed photo sensors which detect light and dim the mirror automatically. You have to wonder what those old horse-and-buggy drivers would think about mirrors that dim automatically?

Mirrors are parts of a vehicle that are so simple to replace that it seems silly to go to a mechanic to have the job done. And it seems equally silly to pay top dollar for replacement parts like mirrors when very suitable mirrors can be found at reputable salvage yards like All Import Auto Parts that guarantee all of their import car parts. Going to a salvage yard means saving up to 60% on the replacement part and if you have a screw driver you can save upwards of $50 per hour on labor. Now who wouldn’t want to do that?

If it’s aftermarket parts that you seek then many fine salvage yards carry those too, and usually at a discount, so we go back to the point that there Is no logical reason to buy your replacement parts anywhere other than a salvage yard when you are in need of a car mirror. Unless, of course, you just have a hankering to spend too much money?

So there you go! A little history lesson and several reasons why the next time you need a side mirror or rear-view mirror you would be nutso to go anywhere other than All Import Auto Parts.