Heated Mirror Advice...

I have a 2011 and live in the mountains of Colorado. Heated mirrors are a must for me as I do not have a garage. I have read up on the "EL Cheapo" mod and am debating doing this low cost mod with doing the more expensive sienna mirror swap. I like the idea that the siennas are quite a bit less work, and the heating element covers more of the mirror surface (faster defrost).

Has anyone put sienna mirrors into a 2011 Tacoma? Hows the fit? If I can confirm that the sienna's work in a 2011, I may look to pull some at a junkyard or get them on ebay to save a lot of work.

The part of this job that intimidates me the most is the wiring. anyone have any advice on the best way to wire it up? I have a 5-post switch from a paseo that looks like a perfect fit in the dash switch blanks. Do I need to use a relay?

Any first-hand advice on this mod would be greatly appreciated

oh yeah...one more thing. Anyone have any credible info on whether toyota is finally getting it's shit together and making heated mirrors for the tacoma with the "light redesign" of the 2012?

Thanks.

 

Here are a couple pics of the switch I am going to use

 

I don't have any advice for you but am dying to hear how this goes.

 

I know other people must be interested in this as well. Not having heated mirrors is such a huge issue for me. I will be sure to take pictures of the process once I decide which way I am going and share them.

I wonder what toyota is thinking not having these as an standard, or at least an option. My '97 nissan pathfinder came with them standard!

 

I would definitely like to see how this works out

 

Somebody has done Sienna mirrors , I'll try to find the thread .

Also check out Muth mirrors

http://www.muthco.com/

 

I have seen people talking about the siennas in the el cheapo thread, but haven't heard anyone specifically confirm the siennas fit the 2011. Not really interested in the muth cuz they are so much more expensive than the other options. $250 I think.

 

I also interested. But I'll be waiting until I can pick up some cheap 2012 mirrors (with the turn signal lights) for a direct swap, and I'll just add the heating element at that time.

 

I am totally waiting to hear how this turns out- I have already run wires for the heated mirrors, but am not sure if the Sienna mirrors fit exactly. I even went to the dealer and traced out a Sienna mirror on the lot. When I put it over the Tacoma mirror it was inconclusive. They are almost identical, but maybe the Sienna mirror is a bit more pointy in one corner. I want to assume that Toyota would just use the same mirror in both vehicles, but who knows.

Also, the Highlander switch is supposed to be an exact match for Tacoma switch, but need to change the bulb from green to orange. 15 minute timer is built into the switch, but need to use a relay to handle the current.

 

Do you really think they will be "cheap?"
Also, I am not sure I want the turn signals on my mirrors.

 

So, how did you run the wiring. I assume two wires to the mirror. were you able to just run them back to the driver fuse panel and make it all happen there? what sort of relay should I be looking for?

 

I just ran the wiring in the doors when I had the skins off for stereo install. I just ran the wires to the kick plates and terminated them there. I am planning to use an unused slot in my fuse box for the relay. I am going to use a spare Toyota fog light relay that I have. I found someone on ebay that sells them for $10.

You want to run at least 16ga wiring for this. I ran 18ga and found out later that 16 is recommended.

What I am planning top do is run the wires from the back of the switch and the wires from the mirrors through the firewall boot out to the fuse box area. I already have a hole punched through the boot for the stereo wiring- just use a beefy philips driver to punch the hole.

 

I tried the Sienna mirrors and they didn't quite fit right in my 2010, so I went with the Muth ones. I also used the highlander switch shown above.
The mod is well worth the money.

 

Yeah, that's why I stalled on my mirror project. I don't want turn signal mirrors and I had a feeling the Sienna mirrors were not an exact fit.

I laughed at your comment "only took 3 months of studying/procrastinating"

It looks like Muth is still the best option. I emailed them and asked if it is possible to get the mirrors without turn signals- they never answered.

 

I didn't want the turn signal mirrors either, but I have to admit, they are pretty cool once you get them installed. I really like them now.

 

Do we know if 2012 are getting blinkers in mirrors?

 

The Sport models are yes.

 

I'm the one who mentioned the Sienna mirrors as well as had my highlander switch burn out because of not using a relay in the El Cheapl thread.

I'm not sure if the 2011 mirrors are different then my 2008's (everything I have read indicates they are the same). The Sienna mirrors fit perfect on my truck and still work great after a couple of years.

Keep in mind you are only buying the glass not the entire assembly, I'm not sure if a wrecking yard will separate the glass to sell.
I would also not make the same mistake as me and make sure to use a relay.

Shawn

 

Good luck with the mod. This is the El Cheapo mod the OP was referring to.

El Cheapo Heated Mirrors

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/15958-el-cheapo-heated-mirrors.html

 

It says it's for vehicles that have factory heated mirrors already?