Heated Mirrors Kit - Interest / Update Thread (pic heavy)

Update on the new option

Since my shipment of switches still seems to be lost in a postal black hole I've just placed another order for a couple of green switches and 1 amber switch. I'm hoping my shipment is just going through Christmas season delays but if it is lost at least there is a new order placed to keep thing progressing.

It's tempting to just order all the amber switches I would need since I'm about 90% sure it will work great, but until I get 1 in for a test fit and confirm it electrically it's just not a wise move to order more than the one.

 

Thanks for the update. Not a problem for me. I haven't had them so I don't miss them...Yet!

 

Just checking in to make sure I'm still on the Amber Switch List... .
Thanks

 

Thanks for understanding. I'll keep working to get things moving... It's too bad about the missing package but hopefully it will show up.

You are I've started a small list specifically for this new kit on the first post.

 

Thanks!
Will also look forward to directions for an indicator LED (amber switch on with headlights, LED on when heat on).
Will be perfect here in Maine!

 

You have room on the list for a left of steering wheel, 15 minute green illuminated timer

 

Forgot USA

 

watching and waiting I really want and need this

 

No problem. It would be very easy to wire up so there is an indicator light that comes on while they are heating. I'll probably just cover that in the instructions so that it is there for anyone who wants to do it.

Always room for one more! Thanks for ordering I'll get you up on the list now and also send you a PM on how to finish off your order.

Sure thing... just need to let me know when you are ready and frosted mirrors will never be an issue again

 

Hey James, just finished the install. Work great. My own signal heated mirror used, thanks again Ray

 

Now that is cool! Nice set up and hope you enjoy them

 

More info on the signal mirrors?

 

@rayban1 can fill you guys in on all the details but what he did there was paired my harness up with the Muth heated mirrors that have the turn signals built into them. Pretty cool mirrors

 

I have the Muth heated signal mirrors and would also be interested in hooking them up to your switch.

 

I bought mirrors from muthco.com signal and heat, used the kit and switch sold here. The kit here is better and easier to install and mostly plugs into everything. I wired the signal part of the mirrors to the signal light wires in the door . If you dont have signal mirror lights , you will have tap wires from in cab.

 

Got it installed, it was actually pretty easy. In the Seattle area we have not had much weather to really test them out yet. But a couple mornings we have had that light dew cover, I find it only takes about 2 to 3 minutes to get rid of that stuff. Waiting for a hard freeze to see how they handle a coat of ice.

 

I won't ruin the surprise for you but I think you will be impressed with the results for frozen over mirrors too. I've actually found that the one thing the mirrors seem to need a little extra time for is large water droplets. Otherwise dew & frost it goes pretty fast!

 

I remember we looked into this as a possibility a while back and it was going to be a bit complicated to try and integrate a Toyota switch to work with your existing harness.

Nothing is impossible though lol but wouldn't be just a plug and play solution unless you were looking for a kit minus mirrors.

Since you have the Muth mirrors I was curious when you are frosted over and start heating the mirrors does it clear the entire mirror or just the portion that has the heating strip behind it? I'm sure if you waited a while the heat likely transfers to the entire mirror if it doesn't get the outside perimeter right away.

 

My Muth mirrors have a 10 minute relay, at the end of 10 minutes the switch light starts blinking until I turn it off. The Muth mirrors clears the center of both mirrors, by the end of the 10 minutes it has the complete mirrors cleared. I even use the heat to clear up the rain droplets on the mirror sometimes. It is a nice feature, I like to use it every chance I get HA HA HA!! I know we talked about a harness for the Muth mirrors so I would be able to use your switch, but it was a little cost prohibited with what I already had in the Muth setup.

 

New Update

My missing order of switches showed up today! I thought it would be good to post comparison photos to show how these switches would match up with your current amber and green switches on the dash... Well 3 different cameras and about an hour of taking photos from different angles = a lot of frustration

Maybe there is someone here who is into photography that would know why the shades won't photograph quite right but the bottom line is the cameras all refused to take accurate comparison photos. I have a hunch that it may have something to do with the fact that the new mirror adjustment switches use LEDs and the other two switches are incandescent bulbs. Anyhow here is a pic even though as I said it's not fully accurate...



The two smaller switches I loaded up with a green and a amber bulb that are used in our current tacoma dash switches. I had a few people over tonight so was lucky enough to get multiple opinions and here is the consensus (even though the pic may not perfectly show it)

Green Mirror Adjust Switch
Even though they appear a different shade in the photo this is about as perfect of a colour match as you could ask for with the other Tacoma green switches. If you are picky about those kind of things you will not be disappointed here! The mirror adjustment switch is a lighter shade then what the photo shows... It looks like the same shade as the green 5 minute timer beside it (the shade of the green 5 minute timer is accurate in the photo)

Amber Mirror Adjust Switch
The photo is fairly close to accurate for this one. I was hoping to see a perfect colour match here too when compared to the tacoma amber switches. However the mirror adjustment seems to be a couple of shades off and more of a yellow / amber whereas the amber switches in the truck are more of a orange / amber. If you are picky about a perfect colour match then you probably aren't going to be satisfied with this if you want it to come on with the headlights like the rest of your switches. It is enough of a colour difference that it would be noticeable.

Red Mirror Adjust Switch
The photo gives it almost a pinkish tint which doesn't actually exist. This switch illuminates in pure red. This was the hardest one to photo, it did not want to focus and as I said added a bit of a pink tint that isn't really there. It's more of a deeper red colour. I probably won't be advertising this colour option as it took longer for Toyota to have ready to ship (was back ordered) and is more expensive then the other illuminated switches even though it appears the illumination colour is the ONLY difference between these three switches. I do remember from my researching these red ones were for a Japanese vehicle that is no longer made which probably relates to the availability and pricing. If you are dead set on a red switch I can do it but it took a couple of weeks from the time I ordered until it was ready to ship and I believe it was either $35 or $40 more than the other switches.

Fitment

Glad to report all switch options fit perfectly in the truck. I've also electrically tested them and everything is good on that end too

Still to be determined

I now need to put each option in my truck and light it up during daylight. I've already confirmed that green is barely visible in the daytime. I felt amber would be better seen in daytime, although I was expecting the amber to be a bit more of an orange tint then it is so we will see. I expect that red will be visible but again until I actually test it out in the daylight I won't know for sure. All of this will only matter if you are looking to have the switch light up while heating.

Sorry for the excessively long post here. I just felt since the photos weren't a 100% accurate representation that I better describe everything so you all know what to expect.