That evil box behind the mirror

[canyonrat]

Is there any way to order a Gladiator where it does not come with the plastic box behind the mirror? It seems to block a good portion of visibility through the windshield, along with the mirror itself.

I saw something about ACC/FCW electronics being in there. Of course I want cruise control, but would pay extra for no Forward Collision Warning. Wondering otherwise if the box can be eliminated aftermarket and the mirror raised up high enough to actually see out of the Jeep?

Yes I had the seat all the way down, and I am 6'4". I happily drive a 2012 JKUR no problem, but I did flip my mirror upside down. Thanks for any ideas, otherwise, really like the looks of the truck.

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[Godfadr]

It might be tied only to the Adaptive Cruise Control. I don't have that feature and don't have that box...but still have regular cruise control.

I didn't get it because of how much it blocks.

 

[eternus]

It might be tied only to the Adaptive Cruise Control. I don't have that feature and don't have that box...but still have regular cruise control.

This. They (the FCA/Jeep folks) talked a lot about this in their early interviews. They were proud that they found a way to put all that tech in there that still allowed you to do stuff in your grill and on your bumper. If you bought a new Toyota Tacoma in the past couple of years you would have been restricted by aftermarket grills because they would block the front facing sensors... Jeep lets you mod your Gladiator without fear of breaking those features.

 

[grindhouseknives]

Yes that’s the $795 ACC/FCW option. You still have standard cruise control without it. I don’t like how it obstructs my view over the mirror either so I won’t be ordering it.

 

[canyonrat]

It might be tied only to the Adaptive Cruise Control. I don't have that feature and don't have that box...but still have regular cruise control.

I didn't get it because of how much it blocks.

Awesome, thanks! The few JT's on my local lot had it and its in most pics I can clearly see online. Unfortunately my stealership salesguy was clueless when I asked him about it. It's so bad its a show stopper for me.

 

[eternus]

Awesome, thanks! The few JT's on my local lot had it and its in most pics I can clearly see online. Unfortunately my stealership salesguy was clueless when I asked him about it. It's so bad its a show stopper for me.

Yah I'm confused by this feature anyway. If my vehicle is the making decisions about speeding and stopping then it's removing my need to pay attention to the MOST IMPORTANT part of driving. I don't need any help being lazy at the wheel. That being said. I go back and forth on the value of the rear sensors and parking this truck that's 2' longer than I'm used to.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I would think carefully before ordering ACC/FCW on a JL/JT. That box behind the windshield makes it many times more expensive to replace the windshield, apparently due to calibration of the electronics. My wife's CX-5 has that stuff and it can be great, but a new windshield cost our insurance company $700. And that was the low rate paid by the company. Consumer rates would be more.

By comparison, new JK windshields only cost about $200. The JL should be similar, assuming it doesn't have ACC/FCW.

It's a Jeep, y'all. You will replace the windshield. Probably multiple times.

 

[Gobi Wan K]

Yah I'm confused by this feature anyway. If my vehicle is the making decisions about speeding and stopping then it's removing my need to pay attention to the MOST IMPORTANT part of driving. I don't need any help being lazy at the wheel. That being said. I go back and forth on the value of the rear sensors and parking this truck that's 2' longer than I'm used to.

I didn't have the parking sensors on my 1/2 ton and some joker parked a golf cart behind it out of the view of the mirrors and it took out my tailgate. My power wagon has them and it has saved me a couple times. I feel like the JT may be even harder to see out of so I for sure will be getting the sensors. I won't be getting the acc/fcw because I haven't really liked it in any of the rentals that have had it.

 

[rvillano8188]

I would think carefully before ordering ACC/FCW on a JL/JT. That box behind the windshield makes it many times more expensive to replace the windshield, apparently due to calibration of the electronics. My wife's CX-5 has that stuff and it can be great, but a new windshield cost our insurance company $700. And that was the low rate paid by the company. Consumer rates would be more.

By comparison, new JK windshields only cost about $200. The JL should be similar, assuming it doesn't have ACC/FCW.

It's a Jeep, y'all. You will replace the windshield. Probably multiple times.

My understanding is that it if it’s under 1000, it doesn’t negatively impact your insurance. I’ve replaced my Audi windshield twice, both at about 8-900 bucks, and my insurance remained unchanged. Did you have a different experience? Wondering if it’s worth getting the ACC option if it could be a negative.

 

[LongTimeListener]

My understanding is that it if it’s under 1000, it doesn’t negatively impact your insurance. I’ve replaced my Audi windshield twice, both at about 8-900 bucks, and my insurance remained unchanged. Did you have a different experience? Wondering if it’s worth getting the ACC option if it could be a negative.

It did not affect our rate on the Mazda, but I can’t imagine that multiple replacements over time wouldn’t have an impact. I don’t believe there’s any hard-and-fast rule or law that governs windshields separately from other claims. I don’t carry windshield coverage on my JK. The $200 replacement rate is low enough to just handle it out of pocket.

 

[rvillano8188]

It did not affect our rate on the Mazda, but I can’t imagine that multiple replacements over time wouldn’t have an impact. I don’t believe there’s any hard-and-fast rule or law that governs windshields separately from other claims. I don’t carry windshield coverage on my JK. The $200 replacement rate is low enough to just handle it out of pocket.

The only reason I know is I had to fight with Geico to get an OEM windshield and still keep the price under 1K (stupid ACC and rain sensing wipers). The claims specialist said if you’re under 1k in damages per glass claim, it won’t negatively impact my rates. He might be full of it, but so far so good. Last replacement was 3 months ago and just renewed this month at $4 more/6 months

 

[Hemi]

I would think carefully before ordering ACC/FCW on a JL/JT. That box behind the windshield makes it many times more expensive to replace the windshield, apparently due to calibration of the electronics. My wife's CX-5 has that stuff and it can be great, but a new windshield cost our insurance company $700. And that was the low rate paid by the company. Consumer rates would be more.

By comparison, new JK windshields only cost about $200. The JL should be similar, assuming it doesn't have ACC/FCW.

It's a Jeep, y'all. You will replace the windshield. Probably multiple times.

I've driven Jeeps since the 70s. Only replaced 1 windshield. I wouldn't get so hung up on them.

And at that you can add a rider on the policy for no deductible on glass.That's pretty cheap.

 

[Stacked JT]

I would think carefully before ordering ACC/FCW on a JL/JT. That box behind the windshield makes it many times more expensive to replace the windshield, apparently due to calibration of the electronics. My wife's CX-5 has that stuff and it can be great, but a new windshield cost our insurance company $700. And that was the low rate paid by the company. Consumer rates would be more.

By comparison, new JK windshields only cost about $200. The JL should be similar, assuming it doesn't have ACC/FCW.

It's a Jeep, y'all. You will replace the windshield. Probably multiple times.

Actually, what you said does not apply to the gladiator. The box is not mounted to the windshield. The windshield can be folded down and the box stays up. Therefore, this has zero impact on changing a windshield

 

[Slapping_Rabbits]

thinking when i go offroad i'm going to test out that acc.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Actually, what you said does not apply to the gladiator. The box is not mounted to the windshield. The windshield can be folded down and the box stays up. Therefore, this has zero impact on changing a windshield

Are you sure that's how it works? Are you sure there isn't any calibration required for the new windshield? It's not a matter of ungluing the sensors from the old windshield and sticking them on the new one. It's a fine calibration process. Here's how one website put it:

You may be wondering why a car needs to be re-calibrated at all. Or better yet, why a windshield replacement causes issues. This is due to the fact that car windshields are actually pretty techie and what you think may be just glass, isn’t just glass. Even though you can’t always see it, there are built-in sensors, specially positioned areas of tint and no tint, heaters, noise reduction layers– the list goes on. Some of these built-in or attached sensors can be linked to ADAS. And if the sensors change position by just a millimeter or degree, it may throw the entire system off. This one reason why re-calibration is essential after a windshield replacement.


The more advanced systems that use cameras for lane departure warning systems and the like usually have special areas of the windshield that the lens “sees” through. It is a very precise area, so great care must be taken during an install to ensure everything is lined up. Much like other sensors, the cameras are very sensitive to change and will likely need to be re-calibrated after a new install as well.

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